This thread managed to answer my questions about pedal wrenches and installation, but raised a new one. How would one gauge the torque? If I'm not willing to buy a special pedal wrench, I'm certainly not going to hunt down an open end head for a torque wrench. So how does 300 in-lbs translate into lay terms? Tighten hard with just one hand? Tighten and then some extra pushes? Put my shoulder into it? I'm guessing just the first or second, and probably worrying too much.

I still have my first tube that I bought when I worked at a bike shop in high school. It has a $2.00 price sticker on it. You do the math.

300 inch pounds is 300 pounds with a lever 1" long. Or 30 pounds with a 10" lever. Or 20 pounds with a 15" lever, etc. So, just take 300, divide by the length of your wrench (center of pivot to center of where you are pushing) and apply that much force.

You can get a decent 15mm wrench at the hardware store for $5-$10. Just make sure it's not going to be too wide for the clearance, I've noticed some pedals differ in this area and need a skinny wrench.

As for grease, I usually use white lithium, and I spread it all the way around with my finger until all the grooves are filled. Then, like the others mentioned, I wipe away excess after it is screwed in.

ParkTool's pages on torque and fasteners. May be generally helpful, here....

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=88

AND

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=89

I prefer to wrap 2-3 layers of teflon plumbing-tape around my pedal threads. Wrap it away from the direction of installation so it doesn't unravel as you spin the pedal on. I find this works better for anti-seizing than grease, especially if you do a lot of riding in the rain.

Not easy to describe (I don't use a torque wrench for pedals either). I take it down quite snug, then put a quick burst of shoulder in it to get it to seat solidly. You should feel it turn but only about 5°. It should be tight enough that you *could* take it tighter, but don't want to. (I know that isn't much of an objective description.) Just remember that you want them tight, but you also want to be able to get them off again without C4.

Thanks, that's the type of answer I wanted, and it's most useful. I wasn't expecting something really objective, because objective implies measurement, and I didn't want to buy any measuring devices.

Grr. I thought I had a fairly complete set of box wrenches, but it appears my largest metric is only 13mm. I found my old cone wrenches (are they even worth anything these days?), my long lost tire irons, larger British scale wrenches, but no larger metrics.

Being a believer in the right tool for the job, I'm wondering if I should just splurge and get a pedal wrench instead of running to Sears for a standard box wrench. The former might cost a few bucks more, but it seems obvious I have no other need for the latter, having survived so long without one.

Man I can't believe all the nonsense about how much too use! LongFemur is right on. It doesn't matter if you use an over abundance of grease on the threads...BECAUSE, the excess grease will just ooze out of the thread anyway and you just wipe it off after your done installing the pedals-big deal!

You can use wax but wax is not as good of a lubricant for ease of installation, and it won't prevent rust from forming over the long haul.

That's actually a tough call. A pedal wrench would probably have a longer arm so would be easier to use for pedals, and it is also thinner at the head to fit where a standard wrench won't. BUT, the standard combo wrench will have more applications, plus it's cheaper. Your call.

Ok. Here we go. Grease versus anti-seize: On page 1 of this thread, I counted 23 mentions of grease and 14 mentions of anti-seize. So we obviously need both. Buy one tube of each. Get two syringes to measure with. Fill each syringe. Mix as follows: 14mls anti-seize to every 23 mls of grease. That gives you the proper, 14/23 ratio of anti-seize to grease as determined in this thread.

Then put "just enough" on your pedal threads. Not too much! Not too little. Get one of those syringes marked with a "just enough" mark. Use that.

:D

I like Danno's idea of Teflon tape.

I wound up going for the pedal wrench, and I'm glad I did. I figured that if I hadn't missed a 15mm box wrench after all these years, I really don't need one. Apart from the bike, it's rare that I come across a wrenching problem that isn't solved by a socket wrench - and that set is complete.

As it turns out, the longer pedal wrench was helpful getting my M324s off the old bike. I probably could have done it with a regular box wrench, but I would have needed help holding the bike steady. Getting the new pedals off the new bike was somewhat easier. Both still showed the original grease. So the pedals are swapped and the old bike is ready to be taken to the consignment sale this weekend.

FWIW, I think you did the right thing. Pedal wrenches aren't that horribly expensive, and it is nice having just the right tool on hand. I know that I end up using my pedal wrench far more often than I ever thought I would.

It's possible to cross-thread the pedal, i.e. put it in not-straight. So the first few turns should go in VERY easily. My daughter did this while I was teaching her, and I had to replace the crankarm. No hard feelings, of course, because we learn from our mistakes.

Don't worry about putting too much lubricant on. Just wipe off the excess after you screw the pedals in. And screw them in TIGHT. That's why a pedal wrench is so long.

I've found that even grease dries up over the years and typically after 5-6 years, you end up with no grease anyway. That's because the threads are not sealed. When you tighten up a threaded joint, you actually pull the threads against one side and this opens up a spiral channel on the back side. Water and cleaners and the elements over time will dry up the grease. Teflon-coated pedal-threads come off easily after 10-years; easier than any other material.

Add something for lube, make it tight. Done.

The teflon is an interesting idea. Fortunately for me my pedals change bikes or come off for transport more often than every 6 years so grease has worked great for me. As for wrenches, I have several pedals that a 15mm Sears wrench is too wide for, so I ground one down to a thinner size. I also have a proper pedal wrench which I prefer.

I think at this point in the thread we need more exotic methods. I recommend a crow's foot socket and a digital torque wrench, with a union steward to get things started.

+1 on the ground down regular combination wrenches. I have one in 15mm and one in 9/16. If I need a bit more torque to unscrew something I throw a piece of pipe over it. Anti-seize over grease, whichever. Both should be in stock in any well equipped wrenching household and I'll grab whichever is closest. You guys must use that Phil grease pretty sparingly. I'm on my third tube in 5 years. Of course I've replaced every bearing on 3 bikes in the last 2, plus misc repairs on others. The last tube was $8