A Little Elbow Grease & a Pedal Wrench

You know that feeling of accomplishment you get when you conquer something especially tasking? That something you weren't quite sure you could do yourself? Today I had one of those moments and I conquered the pedal wrench, or rather, the pedals.

I'm all for having someone work on my bike so I don't have to, but I always have the guilty voice in my head saying, "You really should learn how to do this. You CAN do this." On Big Bike Friday (last Friday) I decided the time had come that I transfer my own pedals from the old steed to the new one. I bought a pedal wrench, the wrench that Ray said I should get, albeit a bit overpriced (if you ask me).


I tried on Friday, rather unsuccessfully, to remove the pedals of the mountain bike. I gave up. All I could think was, "Man, I bought a stinkin' wrench and everything! Argh!"

Today I was in the mood to give green machine a whirl. I decided I better suck it up and give the pedal installation another try. I did a little research online and wouldn't allow myself to give up when the pedal just wouldn't budge. Guess what? I won. I installed my own pedals and realized that pedal installation is pretty darn easy!

So, long story short, here's how you do it . . .

What you'll need:

*15mm pedal wrench (OR a crescent wrench, or a long-handled allen wrench)
*bike grease (I used Pedro's Syn Grease)
*bike stand (or you can turn the bike upside down so the seat and handlebars are supporting it, allowing you to move the wheels freely)
*paper towels/rag to wipe excess grease away

What you need to know:
Both pedals screw into the crank arm, but they are threaded differently. This means they will screw into the crank arm in different directions. The right pedal is threaded to tighten when turned clockwise and to loosen when turned counter-clockwise. The left pedal is turned counter-clockwise to tighten and clockwise to loosen.


Removal
As you can see in the photo above, you slide the pedal wrench between the crank arm and the pedal itself. I found it was easiest to align the pedals horizontally then I could get a bit of leverage by holding the pedal while I cranked it in the opposite direction. Sometimes they are buggers to loosen initially, but once they give, it is smooth sailing. If they are really stuck you can hammer the wrench a bit, you guessed it, with a hammer.

Installation
Due to the unique threading of each pedal they are labeled with either an L (left) or R (right) to aid in installation. Wipe off any old grease on the threads and apply new, fresh grease. This facilitates easier removal in the future. Then, just screw them in and tightened with the pedal wrench. Piece of cake. You'll be on your way to cruisin' in no time!

Hopefully you find this to be helpful. I recommend checking out YouTube if you're looking for additional resources on the subject. They have some great videos out there!