I recently got a set of pedals, to replace the plastic ones that came with my bike. But, I haven't got a pedal wrench or anything much like it. I basically have pliers, and...big pliers. Is it possible to take off a set of pedals using them as a substitute for an actual wrench, or would I be wasting time?

Get a Park PW-5 It will cost you $10-12 and will not screw up the pedal spindle likr a big pair of pliers will.(The pliers will most likely not remove the pedals unless they are really loose to begin with)

Look on the inside of the crankarms. Do the the pedal posts have allen wrench recesses? Possibly not if they are cheap, but worth a look. If you have some metric (usually) allen wrenches, they'll do the trick. Remember, turn the allen wrench in the same direction that you would thread the pedal in, since you'll be on the opposite side (which is clockwise for the right side pedal, counterclockwise for the left side pedal).

As suggested, don't strip the wrench flats on the pedal posts. If you do that, you'll have a hell of a time removing them. I've done that with cheap pedals that didn't fit metric or standard wrenches. I had to disassemble the pedals to get a vice grip and extender bar in there to remove them.

Dude, go buy a set of metric wrenches for $6.99 and do the job right the first time. Not worth the hassle and time wasted trying to monkey around with improper tools and perhaps the frustration of destroying your perfectly good parts. Then having to spend even more money and time buying replacement parts AND the proper tools later. You'll need a 9/16" or 15mm wrench to work on the pedals:



And remember that the left-pedal is left-hand thread. You turn it clockwise to loosen.

Crescent wrench could work but yeah, 15mm wrenches are cheap.

Save those pliers for breaking a chain. Go get a pedal wrench, really. Or at least a cheapie 15mm wrench.

Always use the right tool. Cheaper then an ER visit.

Or not. 6mm 'long' Allen keys are about 4" long. 15mm wrenches are about 8" long. If they were put on by a wrench, the pedals will probably be too tight to take off with an Allen key.

Use a 15mm wrench. An actual pedal wrench is the best solution, but they - especially the big Park Tools wrenches - can be pricey.

Do what DannoXYZ says and get a set of metric wrenches.

Or yes. It's worked for me. And you can fit a small piece of pipe over the wrench to increase leverage. Could be the bikes I've successfully used allen keys on were rarely used, and the pedals not torqued very tightly. Why would there be allen recesses anyway?

The advantage to allen wrenches is access. With some pedals, it's difficult to get a conventional wrench between the crank arm and the pedal platform, or the flats are too narrow for conventional wrenches. (I know, that's an advantage to cycling specific pedal wrenches.) However, my other point is that some very cheap pedals often have odd sized flats. I've encountered flats on cheap pedals that are smaller than 15 mm and larger than 14mm, and which don't fit standard wrenches either.

One problem with using regular wrenches to remove pedals is clearance. The wrench has to be pretty thin. For years I used a very thin cone wrench I happened to have. It was very short so tough to get torque to loosen, so I would smack it with a rubber mallet. Finally, I broke down and bought a pedal wrench from Performance, I think it cost $10.

But if you can find a conventional box-end wrench that will fit in that space, go for it. There's nothing magical about pedal wrenches except (1) the thin construction for the clearance and (2) a nice long, rubber padded handle so you don't kill your hand.

Some pedals have enough clearance for you to use a normal thickness crescent wrench. Shimano PD-M520 for example.