Removing pedals
 

Hi Newbie here, sorry for a repost... probably...

So I am receiving a new bike on Friday, it will have SpeedPlay road pedals on them. I do not have road shoes just yet so I am planning on removing them and put some 'standard' platform pedal for test ride.

How hard is it to remove speedplay pedals? Do I need a special tool?
Do I need a special tool to install the platform>?

Thanks a lot,

Hint: I know I can go see the LBS.

You might not need a special tool. Give it a try with an adjustable wrench first. Often though, they will be too tight to remove with a small wrench. In that case, a pedal wrench is worth the purchase.

Just remember that the left pedal (left while sitting on the bike) is reverse threaded. That means to tighten it you turn it counterclockwise and to loosen it you turn it clockwise. The right pedal is standard thread, so loosen it counterclockwise.

Thanks for the info.

Are pedal wrenches universal sizes? How much are they?

I might interchange often so in this case it might be worth getting one

you dont need special tools, but like acape says you might need more leverage than a standrad length wrench will give you. most pedals need either a 1/2" or 9/16" wrench.

remembering about the reverse threading is also key. lefty - tighty / righty - loosy on the left side of the bike

If you have a 15mm wrench lying around you can use that for your pedals. Pedal wrenches are useful if the pedals don't have wide enough flats to fit a standard wrench.

Real pedal wrenches are also usually longer than standard wrenches for that aforementioned additional leverage.

Why not just pick up a pair of bike shoes and start off right?

Another way to remember this is that all pedals tighten as you turn toward the front of the bike and loosen as you turn toward the rear.

STOP! Pedal wrench flats are 15mm. Please use the right tool for the job. Trying to get by with a 9/16th" wrench will bust the hell out of your knuckles. Don't be the ignorant American and try to use the wrong tool.

The confusion comes from the spindle size, which is either 1/2" on one piece cranks or 9/16" with three piece cranks (and the new two piece deals). Those sizes refer to the threaded spindle that screws into the crank arm.

However, you may need a 6mm or 8mm Allen wrench, as some pedals do not have wrench flats, but a hex head on the end of spindle.

Whoa, some misinformation here. Pedals almost all require a 15 mm wrench. Speedplay's have flats enough that any good quality 15 mm open end wrench will work.

As to threading, the drive side (right) pedal has conventional (right hand) threads while the non-drive side (left) pedal has left handed threads. A hint: To remove the pedals from either side orient the wrench so the handle is pointing up. Then pushing the handle toward the back of the bike will unscrew either one.

Cheers for the metric.

Sheldon Brown has a great article on pedals:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/stuck-pedals.html

This is an article on adjustable wrenches:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/adjustable.html


Had a stuck pedal. Read above how motorcycle people use fixed wrenches on their bikes. They are very careful at doing what they do. Using this logic, I bought a 15mm fixed wrench (metric). WD40. Loosened pedal with WD40. Tapped wrench with rubber mallet in the direction the wheel would turn - if - spinning - b-a-c-k-w-a-r-d-s!!!! Very important.

Earlier tried a large adjustable wrench: it was too wide - closed over both the nut and the pedal. Learned there are 11 ball bearings inside each end of the pedal!!! Had fun putting the pedal back together. The fixed wrench was narrow enough to slide over the nut only. Trick is to loosen pedal in direction as wheel spinning backwards. Wrench: Chrome / Vanadium. Expensive / will last.

I'd consider doing the job right, going for a dedicated pedal wrench. Park has three.

PW-5, their "home" version runs about $13.
PW-3, their midrange one runs about $22.
PW-4, their "pro" version runs $28.

Adjustable wrenches are sort of like pliers -- they seem like a good tool, but in some cases will take a simple job, and make things a lot worse. To boot, a number of pedals have flats too thin for the average adjustable wrench to grab.

Having just been through this (including one of the two threads in December on loosening pedals) I can tell you that for pedals that are really stuck you will need more leverage than the standard length of either an adjustable wrench or a standard open ended wrench. I have a pedal wrench, but it is Park's low end and it didn't give me enough leverage either. Finally what worked for me was to put the crank in a vise, put a standard wrench on the wrench flats, put a piece of pipe on the end of the wrench, and apply some heat to the end of the crank where the pedal was stuck. The heat and the additional torque did it for me.

Holy crap! im an idiot.

dont listen to the ignorant american. stick with those savy Euros and their metric goodness.

Just buy the shoes!