Yes, believe it or not, I have eggbeaters on my road bike. “Why?”, you might ask. Well, when I was buying my road bike back in my college days, they were cheap and relatively comfortable. Unfortunately, years later, one of the pedals seems to be stuck on.
The issue is that the pedals don’t have the standard pedal wrench notch – they have a male, hexagonal shape on the outside (pedal side) of the pedal and a female allen shape on the inside (crank side) of the pedal. “That’s stupid,” you might say. "Both of those shapes would be preposterously easy to strip. You’re right!
I got the R side pedal off with relatively little fuss, alternating between a monkey wrench on the outside and an allen key on the inside. Using the same strategy on the L side pedal, the outside/monkey-wrench side is starting to strip out and so is the inside, with no movement whatsoever. I actually tried using a wrench on my allen key for improved leverage and the allen key actually twisted. And the pedal still won’t budge. I’ve tried a little chain lube on the threads and also wiggling the wrenches back and forth (i.e. in the “tighten” direction, then the “loosen” direction just to break whatever seal is holding the pedal on so tightly). No dice.
I’m 100% confident I am trying to turn it in the correct direction (clockwise from the outside / monkey wrench, counter-clockwise from the inside / allen key).
My only other idea would be to take the pedal apart and try to use a socket wrench on the male hexagon, but I was wondering if anyone could give me suggestions from experience or a superior knowledge of cyclery.
IIRC, the left pedal is the opposite way. Give it a hard whack - the jarring will break the threads loose. Just had the same thing when I switched from my Candys to my Keos.
IIRC, the left pedal is the opposite way. Give it a hard whack - the jarring will break the threads loose. Just had the same thing when I switched from my Candys to my Keos.
^^^^This. Make sure you are turning the pedal the right way.
If you were trying to remove it by turning it the correct way (see above), then remove the crank arm, put the arm in a vise and try it from there. I had to do that recently.
Try some penetrating oil. Light household oil will do in a pinch, WD-40 is not the best. Spray or drip it on both sides of the pedal axle to extent possible, leave and go do something else overnight. You can also try heating the crank arm with a heat gun or hair dryer.
Also remember that left side is left-hand threaded. It is easy to get mixed up when using the allen wrench on the pedal since you are applying force to the back side of the axle.
if it’s in an aluminum crank arm, try warming it up. You don’t want to ruin the heat treatment on your crank arm, so leave oil on there and don’t burn the oil. Aluminium has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than steel. Do put the crank in a vice and remove the pedal body and use oil.
The best tip though is to use antiseize before installing the pedal.
^^^^This. Make sure you are turning the pedal the right way.
The way the OP is describing his efforts, he is in fact doing it right. Thinking of the pedal spindle as a bolt, you turn the spindle **clockwise **to **tighten **(just as you would a normal bolt) when viewed from the **outside **and on the **right **(drivetrain) side of the bike. Conversely, turning that pedal spindle **clockwise **(again, viewed from the outside) on the **left **(non-drive side) will **loosen **the pedal.
With that said, this thread is a good reminder for those who don’t work on their bikes too often and don’t realize the right and left pedals (and cranks) are threaded differently.
Heat on the crank and penetrating oil are pretty much your only hope.
^^^^This. Make sure you are turning the pedal the right way.
The way the OP is describing his efforts, he is in fact doing it right. Thinking of the pedal spindle as a bolt, you turn the spindle **clockwise **to **tighten **(just as you would a normal bolt) when viewed from the **outside **and on the **right **(drivetrain) side of the bike. Conversely, turning that pedal spindle **clockwise **(again, viewed from the outside) on the **left **(non-drive side) will **loosen **the pedal.
With that said, this thread is a good reminder for those who don’t work on their bikes too often and don’t realize the right and left pedals (and cranks) are threaded differently.
Heat on the crank and penetrating oil are pretty much your only hope.
Another thing to try…and an old auto mechanic taught me this trick years ago…is to try tightening the pedal further before loosening.
For some reason, it’s easier to break free a difficult fastener in the tightening direction. I’ve used this technique MANY times and it nearly always works like a charm.
…and yes, the left-hand threaded pedal spindle on the left pedal is IMHO the Wright Brothers’* truly* greatest invention
Wrapping the pedal threads with plumbers Teflon tape works to keep them from working loose, and provides a barrier to keep the pedal/crank from corroding together.
Wrapping the pedal threads with plumbers Teflon tape works to keep them from working loose, and provides a barrier to keep the pedal/crank from corroding together.
I just use anti-seize compound. I bought a tin of it years ago for automotive purposes and pedal spindles are one of the best places I’ve found to use it.
Working loose shouldn’t be a problem due to the self-tightening precession effect of the threads (hence the reason for the LH thread on the LH pedal). In fact, I think most folks probably overtighten their pedals. I usually just run them in until they’re just lightly snug with a wrench, and no more.
