When it comes to replacing bike pedals, this is a relatively easy task for any biker, regardless of experience. That is if the pedals are usually attached to the bike without any issues whatsoever. However, things will be different if the bike pedals are stuck due to rust or the pedals have been put tightly during the installation.
In this case, you will need to learn how to remove stuck bicycle pedals from the bike. Learning how to do this seemingly easy task can go a long way once your bike will get older or helping other bikers remove their stuck pedals. Our team will be presenting different methods for removing stuck pedals away from the bike.
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How to Get Pedals Off a Bike
Removing a stuck pedal off your bike can be a challenge, but these pedals can be easily removed from your bike with the correct method. Please check on our step-by-step process below:
What You Need:
- Penetrating oil
- 15 mm pedal wrench or open-end wrench
- Rubber hammer
Step 1:
Since stuck pedals are usually caused by rust, apply penetrating oil to the pedal attached to the crank arm. Leave it for about ten minutes. The primary function of the penetrating oil is to loosen corroded surfaces or fasteners such as the one connecting the bike pedal. I suggest looking for penetrating oil specially made for loosening bike parts. Also, please take note that some oil will work faster than the other you need to be patient during the application.
Step 2:
As a biker, you need to know how to loosen each pedal by determining what direction you need to turn. Please take note that each pedal has a different turning direction when it comes to loosening and eventually removing it from the crank arm. The drive-side pedal, which is located on the right, must be turned counter-clockwise to loosen it. Meanwhile, the non-drive side, which is located on the left, must be turned clockwise to loosen it. Please take note of that.
Step 3:
The next step is to do some alignment, particularly on the right side pedal, which should be put at the 3 o’clock position. Doing this action will put the left side pedal to the 9 o’clock position automatically. You can put a 15 mm pedal wrench to the pedal and turn it according to its natural direction. Now, if you do not have a pedal wrench, an alternative is a 15 mm open-end wrench to loosen the pedal.
Step 4:
If you are using a pedal wrench, loosening the stuck pedal can be easy with the leverage it provides to you. But, if you are using just a standard wrench, you can use a rubber hammer to be tapped on the bottom to compensate for the lack of leverage. Once you have the leverage you need, you can now start to loosen the stuck pedal. The key is to wait for the penetration oil to have an effect on the stuck portion of the pedal.
How to Remove Bike Pedals with an Allen Wrench
Using an Allen wrench is also an excellent method to remove a stuck pedal away from your bike. This process is so basic and can be learned quickly by any biker. Please check on the step-by-step process below:
Step 1:
The initial step is to flip your bike upside down. When doing this action, be careful not to damage your bike or any other bike accessories you have or the other vulnerable parts of the bike. The idea of flipping the bike upside down is to allow leverage and gravity to help you remove the stuck pedal.
The advantage of flipping the bike upside down is the excellent positioning it gives, particularly in using the wrench. For example, if you use the wrench when the bike is standing in the normal position, you will need to position the wrench to extend past the crank arm while bracing it before starting to loosen the pedal. However, if the bike is upside-down, the wrench can double back against the crank arm, and its ability to rotate will not affect the removal process.
Step 2:
Once the bike is already upside-down, it can make the crank angled back to the tire. But you need to make sure not to overlapped so that you can insert the Allen wrench into the spindle in a horizontal position. Once the Allen wrench is in the desired position, you can now loosen the pedal easily with all the leverage it can give to you.
The upside of doing this process is you won’t need a lot of force to loosen the pedal since it is already position with a lot of leverage. If you are using a standard open-ended wrench, the positioning will be similar to the Allen wrench. However, using a dual-sided pedal wrench will give you more options in getting the tool in the proper position.
Step 3:
Once the pedal is already loosened, remove it from the bike slowly and set it aside. But you need to make sure to put grease on the threads before putting a new pedal or reinstalling the old one. Putting a new pedal will now be easy for you but make sure not to install it tightly to avoid making it stuck again to your bike.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why bicycle pedals can get stuck, which means there are also many reasons why it is essential to learn how to remove stuck bicycle pedals away from your bike. Overtightened pedals can be easily stuck especially if it becomes rusty overtime. Also, wear out, and aging can also get the pedal stuck into your bike.
But using the right tools and equipment, this problem can be easily solved. There are different ways to do it, as presented above, but always be safe when you try to remove stuck pedals from your bicycle. As they say, safety is always the priority. Also, if you happen to have a biker experiencing the same problem, you can now quickly help him remove the stuck pedal away from his bike.