# Replacing pedals on my bike - nothing to it right?



## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

OK - so my bike has flat pedals. I purchased dual SPD/flat pedals and they came in the mail Friday. It's just a matter of unscrewing the old pedals and screwing-in the new ones right? I'm not over-looking anything? Nothing to be aware of regarding preventing stripping of the threads?


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

On the right side, counter-clockwise rotation loosens them, whereas on the left side, clockwise rotation loosens them.

In general it is a PITA without a Park (or similar) pedal wrench. Sometimes a rubber mallet is also needed if the damn things are really frozen on.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Get a pedal wrench.


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## authalic (Mar 21, 2013)

Other than the left-side pedal being reverse threaded, there isn't anything unusual about removing pedals. If they have flat sides on the spindle, you can use a 15mm cone wrench or pedal wrench. Some of my road-bike pedals use a 5mm hex wrench on the end of the spindle. If they haven't been removed in years, some pedals can be very tough to turn out. Just be sure you're turning them the correct direction, and be careful to avoid cross-threading the new pedals when you install them. It's generally easy.


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## joeinchi (Sep 24, 2010)

If they're stuck on pretty good, rubber mallet, breaker bar or cone wrench used carefully usually gets the job done. The tricky part is keeping the crank stationary as you apply force.

To accomplish this, you can attach the opposite side crank arm to the nearest chainstay. Use something soft, like a shoelace or bandana so you don't scratch the finish and be very careful when working on the right side crank. It's very easy to skin yourself up on the big chainring.

Good luck.


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## R+P+K (Jun 19, 2012)

Tip 1: Looking down on the bike, the threads point in towards the front hub. 

Tip 2: to quickly install pedals, thread the pedal in a bit so it bites. Then put pedal wrench on and pedal the cranks backwards. This works for both sides (see tip 1).


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Grease the threads of the new pedals before putting them on. Any grease will do.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

wgscott said:


> On the right side, counter-clockwise rotation loosens them, whereas on the left side, clockwise rotation loosens them.
> 
> In general it is a PITA without a Park (or similar) pedal wrench. Sometimes a rubber mallet is also needed if the damn things are really frozen on.


+1



brianmcg said:


> Get a pedal wrench.


+1

Do yourself a favor and get the right tool. They're cheap and make things easy. I tried swapping pedals without it and although I could...once I bought the proper tool, it was far easier.


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## seacoaster (May 9, 2010)

Put the chain on the big ring to preserve your knuckles.


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## joeinchi (Sep 24, 2010)

seacoaster said:


> Put the chain on the big ring to preserve your knuckles.


 Briliant! :thumbsup:


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

seacoaster said:


> Put the chain on the big ring to preserve your knuckles.


Good idea, and I also try to position the crank and wrench in such a way that if it does slip, your hand goes somewhere safe. With a proper long-handled pedal wrench like the Park, you can also position it in such a way that you push it with your foot rather than your hand for the initial breaking loose.


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## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies!

I wasn't sure if I was asking a stupid question when I created the thread, but given the replies, I guess it was the right thing to do. A quick ebay search of "pedal wrench" shows multiple hits of various sizes (15, 16, 17 mm), so I guess I have to figure out the correct wrench size as well...


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

armstrong said:


> Thanks for all the replies!
> 
> I wasn't sure if I was asking a stupid question when I created the thread, but given the replies, I guess it was the right thing to do. A quick ebay search of "pedal wrench" shows multiple hits of various sizes (15, 16, 17 mm), so I guess I have to figure out the correct wrench size as well...


Not really. Nearly all pedals now take 15mm. Some older ones used 9/16". Many wrenches (inlcuding the excellent Park shop version) have both size openings. The big Park wrench, which costs about 10-12$ more than the "home" version, is IMHO worth the premium, not so much for the other size opening, but for the longer and more comfortable handle, a real boon if you have an old stuck pedal.
this one
View attachment 284955

is better than this one
View attachment 284956


(Oh, and some pedals only take an allen wrench on the end of the spindle, and have no wrench flats at all. But not yours, so never mind.)


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

My friend had a pedal wrench that had an opening for the cassette locknut in the middle. That's even better than the park one.


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## seacoaster (May 9, 2010)

JCavilia said:


> Good idea, and I also try to position the crank and wrench in such a way that if it does slip, your hand goes somewhere safe. With a proper long-handled pedal wrench like the Park, you can also position it in such a way that you push it with your foot rather than your hand for the initial breaking loose.


You should always think about what happens when the tool suddenly moves (ask me how I know).

Buying the proper tool is always much cheaper than injuring yourself. By the way, I keep a 3 foot pipe in the garage that is big enough to fit over the pedal wrench.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Shimano SPD pedals are marked on the spindle for which side of the bike they go on.

A Park tool pedal wrench is okay.... a regular open end wrench is better imo, since the park is thin, and a regular open end is wider, so you have more wrench to pedal contact.

Granted open end wrenches may be shorter, thus when it comes to removing pedals.... not as much mechanical leverage.


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## TLDetroit (Feb 8, 2010)

Always remember to turn the wrench toward the back end of the bike to loosen the pedals.. I heard this somewhere and it is an easy way to remember what way to tighten/loosen pedals.


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

TLDetroit said:


> Always remember to turn the wrench toward the back end of the bike to loosen the pedals ...


If the wrench is at 2 o'clock, 'towards the back end of the bike' is anti-clockwise, whilst if the wrench is at 4 o'clock, 'towards the back end of the bike' is clockwise? How does that work?

The SPD pedals that I have used so far have markings on them to indicate rotation if this helps. Otherwise, left pedal is reverse threading as someone mentioned above. What is reverse threading? Normally all bolts and nuts are 'clockwise' to tighten. So right pedal is clockwise to tighten, from the right side of the bike. The left pedal is anti-clockwise to tighten, from the left side of the bike. All this clockwise and anti-clockwise is of no use if your orientation with respect to your bike is not correct. And just imagine that the pedal is a (bolt) that you wish to screw into the pedal (wall). 

This might clarify ...
Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Pedal Installation and Removal

You can use a hex wrench on some SPD pedals. Just used a 8mm hex wrench on one over the weekend. My Shimano M647 and Look Keos Carbon are 6mm hex. Wait until you have the pedals before you decide to go out to get the pedal wrench. I managed to get by using just the hex wrench. _Your orientation with respect to the bike is still the same even though the hex wrench is inserted from the other side of the pedal._


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