Lightweight pedal spanner

[Brucey]

As long as your pedals have an allen key fitting, it's a standard 6mm key from any allen key set. My most used one is 14cm long. Pedals don't really need to be tightened with that much force.

Problem with standards is there's too many of them. I thought the standard was 8mm, it's what my Shimano pedals use and it just makes sense to keep it the size of the crank bolts. The problem with smaller Allen keys isn't the bending or breaking, it's that they greatly increase the chances of rounding either the tool or the screw. Of course, good quality tools and care in use mitigate this, I'd still rather have 8mm.

a problem with the 8mm size is that it leaves very little wall thickness at the corners of the hexagon, so it is not exactly unknown for such pedals to split instead of come out. I have always assumed that a 6mm allen key fitting (which is invariably accompanied by conventional spanner flats) was there solely to help with pedal installation, not removal, for which purpose it seems ill-suited, being rather on the small side. Between self-tightening (because of precession) and the effects of corrosion, it seems almost certain that pedals will need much more torque to come out vs. go in. I suspect that the ideal fitting here will yet prove to be hexalobular (eg. torx), sized so that low torque use with a more conventional tool (eg. 6mm AK) is possible.

FWIW it is very easy to make a long-handled AK to help with pedals; just use epoxy resin to bond a short 'L'-shaped AK to a length of lightweight tube (eg. 1/16" wall thickness Al, or steel golf club shaft). The result should be a tool well under 40g in weight, with a handle ~12" long, vastly superior to anything on sale. A sleeve joint at least 30mm long should do. If necessary, strips of wood (eg. lolly sticks) can be bonded to the AK first, prior to SG-ing the part to size ready for bonding.

[Brucey]

FWIW if you cut up a steel golf club shaft in the right way, it is often possible to make a rather nifty telescopic handle, with captive sections.

[irc]

With Hollowtech style cranks you have the option of taking cranks and pedals off with just an Allen key if the pedals stick.

I have had once to remove cranks and front fork along with usual saddle sestpost etc to fit the rather small box I had acquired at the e d of a tour.

[Rob D]

Again, many thanks all. I'm still a little uneasy that a 6 mm allen key might not be strong enough. But maybe I misjudge them?

Brucey, your 15 mm wrench referred to upthread, are these available?

Re extension tube for allen keys, I have bits of a carbon fibre trekking pole, which would be pretty light, too.

[Brucey]

...Brucey, your 15 mm wrench referred to upthread, are these available?......

not yet.

FWIW CF will be light enough but if you want lightweight and telescopic that has to be steel golf club shafts really.

[fastpedaller]

Using an allen key and a spanner could be the answer....... let me explain.......
A suitably strong 15mm spanner may be considered too heavy, however, if most of it is cut off it will have a lot less weight, but not long enough for the leverage required/desired. This is where the allen key is used to remove the saddle and seatpin assembly from the frame! If the inside diameter of the seatpin is a good match to the (albeit small) spanner, it can be used to achieve the extra leverage required.

[Rob D]

Thanks fastpeddaller! I like it. Assume seatposts are strong enough? Wouldn't want mine to deform...
FWIW, I found another open-ended spanner in my box. An ancient 2nd hand Matador, Whitworth, which someone had ground out (neatly) to 15 mm. A little longer than the Britool but lighter at 103 gm, so that's an easy fallback. Or it could be the sacrificial spanner as suggested?

[simonhill]

I always like the way this forum can turn the simplest of questions into the most complicated of solutions.

If you don't want to carry a 15 mm open-end spanner which doesn't need to weigh much (my cheapo is 70 gms) and takes minimal space and are able to go the Allen key routes then that's fine.

All you do is at start put your pedals on with the Allen key and tighten it up a suitable amount that you can easily undo. The last day riding you get your Allen key and try and remove the pedal. If you can, then you know you're all right for disassembly. If not, find a bike shop or a car repair garage or anywhere like that and just ask them to loosen your pedals. Job done.

I've done this a number of times in a number of different languages. Google maps to locate if necessary and Google translate can be used if you doubt your language and miming skills.

[Rob D]

Thanks Simon, and agree - what started as a very simple question has turned into something quite interesting. I'm grateful for the many helpful replies. Yes, it's a very basic question, but my issue in Hammerfest showed how you can get caught out.

Thanks for your comments and suggestion. I did actually suggest this possible option in the initial post. Had I had more time last year, this would've been my next route. But I was in an Airbnb up a long hill, near the airport and maybe 5 k from the centre of Hammerfest, the plane going in the morning...

[Brucey]

using a seat pin for extra leverage is a good scheme but a telescopic handle is likely to be more convenient and need not be heavy. A steel golf club shaft-based telescopic handle, with two telescopic sections, extending a wrench from about 22cm to about 42cm is expected to add about 60g or so, of which about 25g should be fixed handle, taking the total length from about 7.5cm up to about 22cm.

[AndyB1]

Fitting pedal washers makes undoing the pedals easier as it means the pedal can not gouge into the crank.

[MrsHJ]

I take the park tool one with me if I’m flying- it’s a bit chunky but solves the panic of not being able to get them off. Having said that if you have the dinky SPD double sided mountain bike styled pedals no one’s likely to notice unless of course the packaging needs them removed in order to fit. Last year I just asked a bike shop guy to do it- very Italian, totally relaxed, off in seconds (I left him beer money).

[Winders]

If you do reasonably frequently remove your pedals, consider MKS Ezy Superior pedals.

[Rob D]

Fitting pedal washers makes undoing the pedals easier as it means the pedal can not gouge into the crank.

Thanks. I've never felt the need for these, didn't know of their existence until recently. Don't they reduce the extent of the pedal spindle engaging with the cranks?

Many thanks to the other respondents, too. All much appreciated.

[AndyB1]

Pedal washers are made of hard stainless steel or titanium, 0.9mm or 0.5mm thick, so have a minimal effect on thread engagement. SJS sell them.