Stuck pedals.

Amprodude

Anyone have any ideas how to remove pedals from bike that won't stir? They are look keo allen key pedals. I am turning the right crank anti clockwise and left crank closewise. It's just slipping with the Allen key. I put a bar over the Allen key for more leverage but no movement. They were over tightened. I sprayed wd40 into see cam it free it but no use. Frustrated at this point.

onmebike

Be sure of the direction that you're turning it. The right, drive side, unscrews in an 'orthodox' manner. This is how you would unscrew it if you could with your fingers, twisting the spindle. If you are using an Allen key, then you are unscrewing on the inside so the direction seems reversed.

That aside, leave wd40 for a while to get into the threads. If the Allen key is slipping, it or the pedal may be a little stripped. I'm not sure of the best approach then.

onthefringe

Amprodude wrote: »

Anyone have any ideas how to remove pedals from bike that won't stir? They are look keo allen key pedals. I am turning the right crank anti clockwise and left crank closewise. It's just slipping with the Allen key. I put a bar over the Allen key for more leverage but no movement. They were over tightened. I sprayed wd40 into see cam it free it but no use. Frustrated at this point.

at this point id get a shop to do it..
if your struggling then they are most likely seized- next thing to happen is youll round the allen head or worse still maim yourself on the chainring!!

whenever i have severe difficulty on a used bike or someone elses i take the crank off and use a bench vise..
you may not have that to hand but a shop will

smacl

onthefringe wrote: »

maim yourself on the chainring!!

Thought I was the only one to do that. I picked up a set of long allen keys from Homebase a couple of weeks ago that make a huge difference on shifting stuck bolts.

onthefringe

smacl wrote: »

Thought I was the only one to do that. I picked up a set of long allen keys from Homebase a couple of weeks ago that make a huge difference on shifting stuck bolts.

oh i have the scars...!!
also forgot to leave the chain on the big rig ( a safety tip!!)

crosstownk

Pedals can be a ba$tard to remove. As stated above, be sure you're familiar with the proper thread direction. It might help to spray some ease lube into them and leave it overnight.

I've regularly used a spanner on the pedal shaft coupled with a swan neck ring spanner to afford more leverage - be careful of your knuckles if it slips!!

Oryx

Having got pedals stuck more than once I always get them checked if the bike is in a shop, and i ask that they be left loose enough for puny me to undo them.

crosstownk

Oryx wrote: »

Having got pedals stuck more than once I always get them checked if the bike is in a shop, and i ask that they be left loose enough for puny me to undo them.

But the problem is that due to mechanical precession the pedals will tighten of their own accord.

A bottom bracket works similar but in the opposite direction.

Oryx

crosstownk wrote: »

But the problem is that due to mechanical precession the pedals will tighten of their own accord.

True. But I have fewer problems if the mech knows to leave them less than really tight.

crosstownk

Oryx wrote: »

True. But I have fewer problems if the mech knows to leave them less than really tight.

Yep. That's fine if you remove the pedals on a regular basis but the more you cycle without removing them, the tighter they will bind.

I remove my pedals every few months to avoid this. I also grease the threads to assist removal.

Wishbone Ash

Amprodude wrote: »

.....I put a bar over the Allen key for more leverage....

Sometimes a sharp, firm tap with a hammer works better than extra leverage.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I remove mine fairly regularly and clean the threads on the cranks snd pedal spindle and then use a small dab of copper grease to make sure they do t seize. I also only ever fit then hand tight to be sure to be sure.

Amprodude

I'm worried that I won't be able to get them off. Will a bike shop be able to do this?

onthefringe

Amprodude wrote: »

I'm worried that I won't be able to get them off. Will a bike shop be able to do this?

A good one* will.......
*real one

smacl

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I remove mine fairly regularly and clean the threads on the cranks snd pedal spindle and then use a small dab of copper grease to make sure they do t seize. I also only ever fit then hand tight to be sure to be sure.

Same, I tend to take the pedals off when moving the bike so leave the threads lightly greased and not too tight.

Type 17

crosstownk wrote: »

But the problem is that due to mechanical precession the pedals will tighten of their own accord.

Actually, the threads are arranged (ie: left-hand thread on the left side) so that mechanical procession will loosen the pedals. If the threads were arranged so that pedalling tightened the pedals, every pedal-removal would involve a sledgehammer and bench-vice.

The reason that pedals seize is the person who fitted the pedals over-tightened them and/or didn't put grease on the threads - rain/spray then gets into the thread and the reaction between the steel-based pedal spindle and the alloy crank forms such a good corrosion-bond that sometimes the thread-spirals in the crank get torn out of the crank arm (rendering it worthless), and then these alloy remains had to be removed from the threads of the pedal spindle by running a hacksaw over the spindle at an angle.

When I worked in bike shops, it was a rule that pedal-threads were greased during new-bike assembly, but we frequently saw bikes that had not been done that way and, in some cases, had to inform the customer that we could recover the pedals, but probably not save the crank arms.

Brian?

Amprodude wrote: »

Anyone have any ideas how to remove pedals from bike that won't stir? They are look keo allen key pedals. I am turning the right crank anti clockwise and left crank closewise. It's just slipping with the Allen key. I put a bar over the Allen key for more leverage but no movement. They were over tightened. I sprayed wd40 into see cam it free it but no use. Frustrated at this point.

How long ago did you spray them with WD40? You can't use a pedal spanner on look keos? I honestly can't remember.

easygoing39

Type 17 wrote: »

Actually, the threads are arranged (ie: left-hand thread on the left side) so that mechanical procession will loosen the pedals. If the threads were arranged so that pedalling tightened the pedals, every pedal-removal would involve a sledgehammer and bench-vice.

This is wrong,its actually done to keep the pedals tight on the cranks.

Type 17

Well, how come pedals, if not tightened sufficiently, will unwind and fall out (destroying the crank threads in the process)?

Brian?

Type 17 wrote: »

Well, how come pedals, if not tightened sufficiently, will unwind and fall out (destroying the crank threads in the process)?

Will they?

He's right about pedals tightening with use. It'd be pure stupid to design them to loosen with use.

easygoing39

Type 17, I suggest you click on the link in this thread regarding mechanical precession,it will help you to get your head around the left hand thread on a left hand pedal.It also explains why BB's have a LH thread.Not bike related but you can also read why certain car makers have LH threads on left hand wheelnuts,ie Rolls Royce.

Type 17

Brian? wrote: »

Will they?

He's right about pedals tightening with use. It'd be pure stupid to design them to loosen with use.

Thinking about how the rotation works on the thread of a pedal, I take your point, but it is still true (although counter-intuitive) that a pedal left loose will unscrew and the threads in the crank will usually be damaged beyond further use.

cython

Type 17 wrote: »

Thinking about how the rotation works on the thread of a pedal, I take your point, but it is still true (although counter-intuitive) that a pedal left loose will unscrew and the threads in the crank will usually be damaged beyond further use.

All depends on the degree of looseness. The pedal would need to be nearly wobbling loose and/or turnable by hand with the minimum of effort to let it happen though. I have literally seen one instance of a bike having a pedal fall off this way, and it was built by Halfords, so would have minimal faith in how well it was put together.

Type 17

Anyway, going back to the OP's problem, the only way to remove a stuck pedal that only has a (damaged) Allen tool face might be to disassemble the pedal body from the spindle, to provide clearance to put the spindle into a bench vice (if you want to use the pedal again, without clamping/damaging the surfaces where bearings or bearing cassettes locate) and to rotate the crank arm to unscrew it off the spindle. This has been a way for me to save a pedal or crank on a few occasions.

Amprodude

Brian? wrote: »

How long ago did you spray them with WD40? You can't use a pedal spanner on look keos? I honestly can't remember.

I sprayed it walked away for an hour and tried it again. No good though.

Amprodude

One of the arms is a faulty stages powermeter that isn't working at the moment. That's why I wanted to remove pedals in first place.

Brian?

Amprodude wrote: »

I sprayed it walked away for an hour and tried it again. No good though.

You need a good dose of patience. Spray a heap on and try about 8 o'clock

crosstownk

Brian? wrote: »

You need a good dose of patience. Spray a heap on and try about 8 o'clock

I'd a bad case of stuck pedal last year. I sprayed on WD40 in small doses every hour or so for three or four hours then left it overnight. The next morning I used a normal open ended spanner with a large swan neck ring spanner on the opposite end of the open spanner for added leverage and it freed it. I've also used the hammer tap in the past with success.

Amprodude

crosstownk wrote: »

I'd a bad case of stuck pedal last year. I sprayed on WD40 in small doses every hour or so for three or four hours then left it overnight. The next morning I used a normal open ended spanner with a large swan neck ring spanner on the opposite end of the open spanner for added leverage and it freed it. I've also used the hammer tap in the past with success.

How is the hammer tap so effective? I already damaged an alien key trying to loosen it and that's the end of it for me. Will get bike shop to have a go.

Brian?

Amprodude wrote: »

How is the hammer tap so effective? I already damaged an alien key trying to loosen it and that's the end of it for me. Will get bike shop to have a go.

I have a terrible feeling you're tightening them, not loosening. It's easily mixed up when you're using an Allen key behind the crank arm.

I took pedals off a mountain bike that had been sitting outside for a year, I offered to renovate it. Sprayed on some degreaser, came back an hour later and they came of handy enough.

Before you head to a bike shop, be 100% you're trying the right directions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVB5jbsATc&sns=em

cython

Amprodude wrote: »

How is the hammer tap so effective? I already damaged an alien key trying to loosen it and that's the end of it for me. Will get bike shop to have a go.

Sometimes an impulse force can just break bonds a bit more effectively. Don't ask me for as comprehensive an explanation as the Mechanical Precession page linked earlier, but there is some physics behind it.

Brian?

cython wrote: »

Sometimes an impulse force can just break bonds a bit more effectively. Don't ask me for as comprehensive an explanation as the Mechanical Precession page linked earlier, but there is some physics behind it.

I always thought it was simply an increase in force applied.

sconhome

The sudden shock imparts more force than a steady winding up of force as you would with your hand. It's how a hammer drives a nail into wood, you wouldn't push a nail in with a hammer, much easier and more efficient use of energy to tap it.

I had a stuck pedal on my MTB recently. After spraying and leaving with WD-40 I used a vice grips on the pedal side of the crank and extended the allen key with a piece of pipe slid over the end. The combined brute ignorance & bucket of sweat got it off.

sconhome

BTW if tapping the allen key, stand on the pedal to stop the blow from vibrating on the crank / frame, it will be more effective providing a 'back-stop' to the impact.

NeedMoreGears

Before you give up, here are some things that have worked for me in the past.

(i) Penetrating oil rather than WD40 ; sometimes it can be more effective.

(ii) Turn the opposite way ; just to break the bond between the steel pedal and aluminium crank. Make sure the allen key is fully engaged and tight /clean out where it goes into the pedal if needs be. A gentle tap can help but be careful as the allen key can go flying.

(iii) Make sure you're turning the correct way ;from behind the pedal things get reversed. Have a look at youtube.

(iv) Without the allen key in place, give the top of the crank a firm (not too firm) tap downwards towards the bottom bracket. The idea is to break the bond that may have formed between the pedal and crank

(v) Apply heat (hair drier). Hopefully the aluminium in the crank expands more than the steel in the pedal

(vi) New bike

okane1

If the crank is still on the bike take if off the bike.
With the pedal facing you and crankarm at 9 o'clock put your allen key into the pedal at 3 o'clock and push the allen key downwards (clockwise).

If it doesn't move, apply a larger lever or tap the current allen key with a hammer. Remember lots of WD40 before you do this and let it soak in.

Not sure how you have damaged your allen key. Proper tools are designed to be of better quality than the bolt and hence the bolt should damage first.

Amprodude

okane1 wrote: »

If the crank is still on the bike take if off the bike.
With the pedal facing you and crankarm at 9 o'clock put your allen key into the pedal at 3 o'clock and push the allen key downwards (clockwise).

If it doesn't move, apply a larger lever or tap the current allen key with a hammer. Remember lots of WD40 before you do this and let it soak in.

Not sure how you have damaged your allen key. Proper tools are designed to be of better quality than the bolt and hence the bolt should damage first.

Lidl alien keys possibly?