I have a stuck pedal on my uni, its my right one (pedal/crank grab and grind side). I don’t know how to get it off. I tried a four foot long torque extender as well as WD-40, and I don’t think it budged. It may be crossthreaded but I don’t think so. I had the same problem with my old Torker CX, that was definitely cross threaded. Oh yeah its a summit. What should I do?
David
I know it’s a stupid question, but are you turning it counterclockwise? Many left pedals have been destroyed by people trying to remove them y turning them counterclockwise.
How do you fix the crank/the uni when you are using a four foot long extender? Wow.
If your desperate enough and unwilling to seek professional help (e.g. a bike shop), and if you have checked at least 4 times that you are really turning it in the right direction, you can carefully try to heat the crank at the pedal with a gas torch.
That can make it move.
Dont overheat the crank, and dont heat the pedal axle. Too much heat can lead to hidden damage so that crank or pedal break when you’re not expecting it. But perhaps someone with better knowledge of metals can comment on this… .
Oh, and did you check that the pedal in question really has a right thread and is not simply a left pedal with a left crank on the right (eh, wrong:-) side? Somewhere on the pedal (sometimes on the end of the pedal axle, sometimes near the point you attach the wrench to
) should be a big “R” for “Right”… .
Regards,
j.
Here’s some hints - -
First off, have you tried using a pedal wrench, specifically? Also, a bit of liquid wrench could do the trick, if it’s just seized up in there. Just let it soak in, and then give it a try. (just don’t get it in the sealed bearings of the pedal) I’m sure you know, leverage is your friend. Getting another person hold the uni, while you tap the pedal wrench with a rubber mallet sometimes works as well. As a preventative measure, make sure the lube the threads well with bearing grease before they’re installed.
Hope this helps!
Devin
Alright they were definitely in the proper sides. About a week and a half ago I was able to get it out after riding on it for a little while. It came easy. So I put in some $5 plastic ones just temporarily, but I discovered I loved them. They were glued to my feet and I could feel the weight difference. But last night I noticed a wobble on the right side (to make it a little more confusing, it was in my LBS, for something unrelated, and he put the frame on backwards, so although its on the right side it is the left pedal/crank). Anyway, it was wobbling so I’d screw it back in by hand, then eventually I just pulled it straight out. Is it possible I got the wrong size, I think it was 9/16" (I will check that), and they are the standard KH cranks. The pedals were completely stripped and the cranks didn’t look to bad, just a little chunky at the ends of the holes. What should I do? Do the cranks need to be retapped? Should I stay away from cheap pedals?
David
What kind of pedals were they? I use the cheap ($20 CDN) plastic Wellgos, and they have done me no wrong. I also swap them for my alloy pedals weekly, depend on if i want to do grinding or not, and i’ve had no problems getting them on and off. I also use KH cranks.
I think they were wellgos maybe wellgo rip-offs. They weren’t platform either.
David
It’s possible that the pedals were stripped because they were ridden loose. Recently went through the same thing with my uni, though in my case it was the crank that stripped. Consider yourself lucky and get a pedal wrench. Check the pedals for tightness frequently. Ended up welding the pedal to the crank so that my son can learn on the cheap one.
Good luck!
Jeff
Its really frusterating. I’ve tried my old summit pedals, and my old CX pedals, plus those $5 ones and they all put out of the crank. Can I do unfixable damage to the crank maybe in the way of stripping? Is there something I can do to fix or prevent it?
David
Check the threads on both pedal and crank before assembling, and always start the threading by hand. Since you destroyed the threads of a pedal, it sounds like your cranks are made of a hardened metal, and its threads may be damaged.
Heating the crank with a propane torch should help things here. Try not to get the crank to the point where it glows, you could “un-harden” the crank material. Also, try not to heat the pedal, as you only want the crank to expand. Let both surfaces cool naturally, again you could re-temper the materials and create a weak point in your crank.
Once the pedal’s off, clean the threads (both pedal and crank) with some sort of degreaser and an old smelly toothbrush. The threads should look straight and clean. If they’re burred, look smashed, or asymmetrical in any way they’re probably toast.
You may be able to revive your cranks by re-tapping the threads. A bike shop can do this; don’t bother going to a machine shop as the thread sizes used are nonstandard. If your pedals have mashed threads, trash 'em, they could only make things worse for you.
The pedal comes out too easy now thats the problem. Thanks for the advice. I think the pedals are done.
David
Re: Stuck pedal
On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 14:01:14 -0600, “darchibald” wrote:
>(to make it a little more confusing, it was in my LBS, for something
>unrelated, and he put the frame on backwards, so although its on the
>right side it is the left pedal/crank).
That’s it! Not only should an L pedal screw into the L crank, but it
is an L for a reason. It should be on the left-hand side of the uni,
otherwise the forces of riding will unscrew the pedal.
“Deflating pi does not reduce calories, it just concentrates them. - billham”
Oh man if thats the reason I feel like an idiot. It makes sense I just never got around to switching it back. I’ll do it right now and be back with an update. Did i mention i feel dumb?
David
I switched and screwed some unstripped ones in but now on my left side I can pull it straight out, with a bit of force. It isn’t like frictionless, and unfortunately the crank is stripped. Should I get it tapped or just get a new set, (something I don’t want to do). If I get it tapped won’t that make it bigger and too big for pedals? Or is there a different size of pedal I could obtain?
David
Before we welded my sons stripped crank to the pedal, there was jb weld a drill and tap involved. Broke the end of the tap off fixing the pedal in place. That only lasted a couple of days…
Sounds like you’ve stripped the threads in the crank. This happens when the pedal threads get cross-threaded in the crank.
To prevent cross-threading you need to start the threads by hand at least a couple turns. Once the threads have been started by hand you can start using the pedal wrench. It is amazingly easy to cross-thread pedals into a crank. Always be careful when installing pedals.
To repair the crank you can get the stripped threads fixed with a helicoil. A helicoil is a threaded insert. First new threads are cut in the crank with a tap. Then the helicoil is inserted. The end result is new threads, the same size as the old pedal threads.
The left crank is going to require a reverse threaded helicoil. Darren Bedford has the tools and the necessary helicoil inserts. Best bet is to send him the crank and have him fix it.
A good local bike shop should also have the necessary tap and helicoil. Just be careful that you don’t end up spending more on the fix than what a new crank would cost.
Yup I definitely stripped it. I think it was a result that it was on backwards (like Klass) said and I loosened it and then rode it too lose. I was careful to put them in because I ruined my torkers cranks making that mistake. I was at what is probably the best bike shop in the province today and they said they couldn’t do it for me but that a machine shop might be able to do the helicoil thing. I’ll talk to bedford and get a price. Thanks,
David
I found a place that might be able to do it locally. Is there any thing I need to tell them? I’m gonna make sure he knows exactly what to do and if he doesn’t or I don’t trust him I’ll send it to the man, Bedford.
David
I don’t know if there is anything special you should tell them other than the obvious, like make sure the threads are in straight.
The left crank needs reverse threads which means they will need a special tap for reverse threads and then need the special helicoil for reverse threads. I can’t imagine that places that don’t do bike work would have that tap and those helicoils on hand. If it is a place that does do bike work then they should already know all about it and be good to go.