Pedal removal - spanner direction ( which side non-std ? )

[john4703]

I think being confined to home has made my mind stop working.
My left pedal needs to be replaced. It is solid into the crank. The Allen key way is wrecked as the correct size key simply tears the soft metal of the rubbish old pedal.
I plan to use brute force in the form of a large set of stilsons but is the left pedal left hand thread? I think it is, I know one of them is but which one? I know I'm being stupid but????
I will replace both pedals but which way do I turn them?

[Brucey]

LH pedal has a LH thread. So you need to screw the pedal clockwise to unscrew it.





cheers

[Mike Sales]

It is far from stupid, before you apply force, to make sure that you apply it in the right direction.
Left pedal: left hand thread.

[john4703]

Thanks,
I knew it but wanted to be sure.
That is my job for tomorrow.
It is a while since I changed a pedal, ten years at a guess as I was still commuting to work on my bike at that time and I retired nearly 8 years ago

[PH]

I find the easy way to remember is it's the opposite of the direction you'd pedal.

[Mike Sales]

It amuses me a little that the left pedal is so often called the LH pedal. Surely it should be LF?

[Mick F]

Yes, left pedal drive side left-hand thread. Right pedal non-drive side right-hand thread.

Bottom bracket is the opposite.
Drive side left-hand thread, non drive side right-hand thread.

[mjr]

I find the easy way to remember is it's the opposite of the direction you'd pedal.

This! Viewed from the outside, the spanner moves around a pedal to loosen in the same way as a backpedalling crank moves around the BB axle.

[Mike Sales]

To put it another way, if you have engaged the first few threads of a pedal, you can rapidly tighten it the rest of the way by fitting the spanner and backpedalling. This is, of course, if all is well with the threads.

[drossall]

What make of pedal? It has no spanner flats in addition to the allen-key socket? (Some don't, it's true.) Or a way to disassemble the pedal and grip the spindle?

[john4703]

What make of pedal? It has no spanner flats in addition to the allen-key socket? (Some don't, it's true.) Or a way to disassemble the pedal and grip the spindle?

I wish it had spanner flats, so much easier.
It is a pedalite. I liked them as a lot of my commuting was in the dark on busy roads. I will probably take a still saw to it so I can get a grip with a wrench.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Yes, left pedal drive side left-hand thread. Right pedal non-drive side right-hand thread.

Bottom bracket is the opposite.
Drive side left-hand thread, non drive side right-hand thread.

The way I always remember it too.

Left is left and right is right, BB is opposite..........but I think maybe there are exceptions to the BB?

I cant be the only one who still takes a jab the wrong way now and again

Just try remembering which way to undo bolts upside down on the side of a car engine with your left hand

[TheBomber]

Just try remembering which way to undo bolts upside down on the side of a car engine with your left hand

It can be a bit like that when you use the allen key too - as it's quite likely you end up looking at the 'wrong' side of the pedal, meaning you have to turn the left hand pedal anticlockwise to get it off. This no longer matters to the OP...

[Brucey]

What make of pedal? It has no spanner flats in addition to the allen-key socket? (Some don't, it's true.) Or a way to disassemble the pedal and grip the spindle?

I wish it had spanner flats, so much easier.
It is a pedalite. I liked them as a lot of my commuting was in the dark on busy roads. I will probably take a still saw to it so I can get a grip with a wrench.

if pedal spindles are made correctly then they will be hard enough that the best tool to attack them with is an angle grinder. You can grind flats onto a pedal spindle and then use a spanner on it or (if you have a super quality bench vice, a cheap one will just break) clamp the pedal spindle in the bench vice. Heat on the cranks helps too. IME pedal spindles are harder than the teeth on stilson jaws, so trying to use stilsons on pedal spindles usually just results in wrecked stilsons.

cheers

[john4703]

I am on a few different forums on this internet. This is the only one where it seems safe to ask a stupid question and not be attacked.
Are we cyclists a better breed that most?
I really appreciate all the helpful advice I've been given. I was sure the left pedal was left hand thread and that is what I was trying at the good quality allen key ripped through the metal.

The advice on here is so good.

My angle grinder will come to my rescue!!!!