How to Install Bike Pedals

Bike pedals experience wear and tear and sometimes replacements are needed. Luckily, installing or removing pedals is easy if you have a pedal wrench and know that the left pedal is a left-hand thread. Follow these few steps to replace your bicycle parts.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bike Lube
• Pedal Wrenches

1. 

   Get a pedal wrench. Most bikes these days require a 15-millimeter pedal wrench. Pedal wrenches work best because they are narrow and can easily fit between the pedal and the crank arm.

2. Understand that the right pedal is right-hand thread, but the left pedal is LEFT-HAND (reverse) thread - thus, when you go to loosen the left pedal, pretend that you are tightening it.

3. 

   Apply enough pressure to loosen the pedal. Once loose, you can remove the pedal easily be turning the crank forward while keeping the wrench on the pedal (though this may be difficult if you don't have a bike stand to allow the rear wheel to turn freely).

4. 

   Screw in the new pedals with your fingers to make sure you don't cross-thread the pedal and strip the threads on the aluminum crank arm. Tighten the pedals securely using the pedal wrench.

Tips & Warnings

• Always shift the chain onto the big ring before tightening or loosening pedals. This will prevent you from cutting yourself on the sharp chain-ring teeth if you slip.
• Some clipless pedals have no wrench flats and will require a 6-millimeter Allen wrench. Some older pedals will require a 9/16-inch wrench.
• Before installing new pedals, be sure to grease the threads.

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[rexineffect]

on 6/4/2009 "Before installing new pedals, be sure to grease the threads" should be listed as one of the steps.That crucial tip is easy to miss and should be above the steps, not after them and below the advertisements. "Tips and Warnings" definately seems like something that should stand out before the work/order of work is listed.

[thermalfinder]

on 6/9/2008 Thanks for the article " How to Install Bike Pedals" I wrote a comprehensive do-it-yourself pedal installation article. Perhaps someone can get some benefit from my painful pedal installation experience.
http://www.pccglobal.com/outdoors/cycling/PedalCleatInstall/index.php

[computrav]

on 10/24/2007 I sprayed some WD40 to penetrate my stubborn pedals... it seemed to help, but I still had to take a hammer to the end of my standard 15mm wrench, which was only about 8" long. Very helpful to know the left pedal threads are backwards ;)

on 8/8/2006 Sometimes a bit of brute force does the job. Fit the spanner over the pedal bolt and give it a couple of sharp knocks with a hammer to get things moving (don't forget the left/clockwise rule).

on 6/30/2006 Sometimes a bit of brute force does the job. Fit the spanner over the pedal bolt and give it a couple of sharp knocks with a hammer to get things moving (don't forget the left/clockwise rule).