How To Fit & Remove Bike Pedals With Ease

[@gcntech]

What other simple bicycle maintenance tips would you like us to explain?

[@TopseyKretts]

..how do you know when a cassette is worn out?..are barrel adjusters pointless?..when to/not use seat post shims..how do they make scotch eggs?..ha..

[@NW42degree]

Barrel adjusters, how much do you need to turn and in what direction?

[@sotanorsu8150]

@Gringoling check the rim for little graibs of sand or other stuff, also you can buy new rim tape and thicker inner tubes

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

With Winter riding ahead, I'd say a video showing how to clean and service the seat post, stem and headset. As those area's are generally left when cleaning a bike until Spring starts with a siezed seat post and rough headset bearings. Topics covering the use of carbon paste, lock tight and grease etc to prolong durability and ease when next servicing

[@jaimeisreal]

Hi @GCN Tech. As a bike mechanic, I've noticed a lot of road bikes (and other bikes in general) with improperly installed carbon forks (not from me of course). The major problem with this, is that the headset expander in these particular bikes aren't in-line with the stem's bolts, resulting in a dangerous structural problem where the carbon steerer tube is now being crushed and will eventually snap off catastrophically. The headset expander that sits inside the top of the carbon steerer tube needs to be perfectly inline with the stem's bolts, as this prevents the carbon steerer tube from being crushed. This is VERY important and I see it not being followed. Hope you understand my comment and concern, thank-you.

[@endcensorship874]

I was working in a bike shop for about one hour, and my guy told me something I have never forgotten: "Back off." In that you move the wrench to BACK of the bike to take them OFF. So much easier of an explanation....

[@st3ange21]

That's pragmatic! Kudos

[@sarahhanly6681]

Sooo helpful. Thank you. 😊 I can wrap my head around "Back Off. "

[@philrobson7976]

I have always pushed the top of my 15mm wrench for both sides towards the back of the bike to remove and both sides forward to install. Simple to remember.

[@gcntech]

That's how I got taught!

[@zedtony8110]

That's also how I remember to remove and refit pedals

[@matthewdezii]

Grease is most certainly not optional if you’d like to remove those pedals one day

[@andyheilmann1656]

Grease now, or a LOT of elbow grease later

[@gcntech]

Very well put Andy

[@gingermattb]

Grease good, anti-seize even better!

[@gulfcitynd]

Made that mistake once wd40 and anger broke that pedal loose

[@andrew8992]

I use plumbers PTFE tape, much cleaner than grease if you are changing pedals regularly.

[@johnc1913]

2:31 Pedal thread orientation may be trivial to others and despite my various mechanical experience, this always spun my head around. Your explanation cleared it up quite well for me. Thank you

[@parishbent]

One my favourite all time tips - To tighten pedals with a pedal wrench, install initially by hand then fit pedal wrench and back pedal until tight. Simples!

[@cnapoli]

The rule I learned: turn the pedal toward the back of the bike to loosen, and toward the front of the bike to tighten. Also, breaking a tight thread on the drive side can be a knuckle buster, so shift your chain onto the big ring to cover your chainring teeth. You can also put a rag over the teeth or wear a good leather or mechanic glove for protection.

[@chrismorrell60]

thankyou thankyou mate ...i kept looking at vids where they were using a stand ... and having to check and recheck which way i was (trying to) loosen the pedal ...and half the time probably tightening the bloody thing !!...here is a more realistic situation ...got a good bike with top components but never bothered to get a repair stand!! ... clocking the "real world" position you were in , and doing the same thing ...and it came loose with the first bit of force!! yay! ...now i can ride with a matching set of new pedals!!

[@teamilknosugar1]

Thanks GCN, stubborn pedal removed with confidence after watching this

[@ryanbrink1358]

Always put the chain in the big ring first! Lost plenty of knuckle skin as a bike shop newb before that lesson was passed along.

[@backpacker3421]

Well done on your choice of allen wrench and spanner. Calvin would approve!

[@Porkfu]

if you're a little lacking of power in the upper body, you can also push down the pedal with your foot while pulling up on the wrench with your hand (like pulling up your socks?) you'll get a lot more power into it with minimal effort.

[@achilleslmoreaux3287]

Simple vídeos like that are always very helpful. Thank you.

[@neisseriagonorrhoeae]

always always put the chain on the large chainring! or you'll have bits of flesh gouged out of your palm should you slip

[@TiberiusMoon]

Pro tip: when tightening the pedal with any tool, with gloves hold the rear wheel with one hand and tighten with the other. This will dramatically reduce the pressure on your hands when doing this, so if your a cycle mechanic doing this on the daily it will reduce soreness in the hands

[@thomascdurham9130]

Dr. Ollie PHD, simple rules for pedals installation and removal no matter wish side of the bike you are on. Turn on towards the front wheel to install, remove, towards the rear wheel. And the opposite of clockwise is, "anticlockwise!" ;)

[@raleedy]

Pro tip: have the chain in the big chain ring when you work on the pedals. Saves a trip to the ER.

[@JeffBurns]

A learn from my mistakes message follows: I can't stress this highly enough as someone who has stupidly forgotten to do this and had a spanner SLIP while being "really careful"... Yeah, the big chainring went more than halfway through my hand. Hurt like !@#!$ Nothing like cleaning out your own wound right before the ER visit trying to prevent infection, and nearly passing out from the pain. Oh yeah, good times. ER doc was impressed the wound was so clean when he went to clean it before stitching me up, particularly as I hadn't had any local anesthetic when I cleaned it. :)

[@sheezy2526]

@@JeffBurns :O

[@TheWaxChainFanClub]

Hi Ollie, I dont have any walls like that nearby. Are there any other kind of walls that would work ok?

[@eddymintball1950]

Michael McDermott apparently there is a street in the NYC financial district where people take their bikes to change their pedals.. The name of the street escapes me..

[@martynjohnson2872]

@@eddymintball1950 Wall Street?

[@eddymintball1950]

Martyn Johnson that’s the one!

[@0rangekick]

I'm thinking about that brick wall and what it's doing to the edge of your saddle.

[@ARKINHK]

Michael I was thinking exactly the same thing. Mind: they get these bikes for free....

[@jedisdad2265]

But I don’t believe that is Ollie’s bike

[@markrushton1516]

I guarantee that as you tighten or loosen a pedal, your bars and/or saddle are going to get scuffed or your fork will swing and the bar end catch your head! A workstand is the way to go. I dont think you would see a team mechanic leaning the bike against a truck or wall to work on it.

[@erobertson1417]

Couple of tips Ollie. Don’t rest a bike by it’s saddle against a rough wall. When tightening the pedal hold the axel still and spin the cranks backwards. Takes a quarter of the time to get it hand tight. I’d use antiseize as lasts longer and is its a non moving part. When torquing the pedal down grab the back brake so you can push down and get a good tight fit without the wheel spinning.

[@cyclingzen824]

Thank you! For some odd reason bike shops in Australia don't grease the pedals when they install them and my right one was virtually fused in place.

[@chipmagrogan8601]

Clockwise and counterclockwise are confusing - depends on your orientation to the bolt head or thread. I use "Ride side - right to tight" and the other side is opposite. Don't use a wall that will scratch the seat, use gloves to avoid knuckle busting chainring or put the chain on the big ring to hide those sharp teeth, and use dry plumber's tape (two wraps around) as an alternative to grease.

[@Max-rw4fr]

Aaaaaaah What have u done... Flatpedals for the F12 😭😭😭😭 BUT: great video🤘👍

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Where is the "Unsee" button for that horror?

[@Max-rw4fr]

@@andrewmcalister3462 we will forgive them one day...

[@normativesymbiosis3242]

Great video, but check out also the awesome "How To Remove Bicycle Pedals - The Easy Way" video by GPLama. Btw. did Ollie just nick the crank at 4:00? :D I feel you brother, back in the day I would use a thick adjustable wrench and scrape quite a few cranks this way...

[@palmer3977]

A couple of nice new scratches on that Dura-Ace crank arm Ole, one reason not to use a spanner ;-)

[@Airbender24B]

I used a hair blower on high heat and it was enough. Thanks for the hint bro.

[@marcusyoung9555]

I think if you can't put enough through the Allen key by hand to loosen, then you'd be very lucky to loosen it with the help of an extension bar, far more likely to round out the end of the pedal.

[@alexanderhall4281]

A really nice looking bike

[@ahmedalghurair]

Whats the recommended torque while tightening?

[@secretagent86]

dare you to keep the clunker pedals on that sweet ride lol. love your channel

[@grahamaustin9085]

I prefer a spanner because I can put the crank in the 3 o'clock position, fit the spanner pointing back and stand on it. Using allen keys I invariably get dirty hands.

[@mosesobidiegwu291]

thank you

[@inspiredtotired8369]

Grease is not optional... Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion. Grease is the way we are feeling ;-)

[@tobyprice2538]

#askgcntech Hi Jon. Nice chatting to you outside the Cadex pop-up shop in Harrogate during the Worlds. Now hoping you can help. I have a Giant Boulder Alu-light MTB from 1999 and am wondering if it's convertible to a gravel bike. It's got Tektro direct mount side pull brakes, and Shimano MTB brake/gear levers connected to an Altus 7-speed rear mech and Shimano Tourney FD-C051 dual pull triple front derailleur. How easy is it going to be to find road bike brake/gear levers that will work with this set-up or am I dreaming? If it's not feasible, any suggestions for cheapest way to convert? Thanks Toby (p.s. how about a GCN Tech show about those tools behind you and what they're all for?)

[@tommccafferty5591]

Ollie, How do you use a longer Lee ver to provide more Lev erage? Asked by an American with a perfect accent. :-)

[@glharlor]

Great info, though Idid get a chuckle at you installing flat peddles on a $10,000 bicycle

[@douglasmarsh9482]

Your way works but when i trained a new mechanic that was confused about the direction, I would tell them to install the pedals, rotate the turn to the front of the bike.

[@MrJules1977]

Use three wraps of plumbers ptfe tape on the threads, stops water getting into the threads and makes it easy to remove them later, i use it on most threads for the same reason. Us plumbers are clever like that.😁

[@lambertj.2892]

so what's the grease for? Didn't see you use it.

[@mididoctors]

I Just hand tighten . They will tighten up riding.

[@ponuryhutnik]

well, it's much quicker to use wrench and spin the the crankset...

[@playandteach]

Judging by the comments below this might start a riot, but I never know which parts to grease, lube, leave dry, anti-seize, etc. E.g. the locking rings on the cassette. I fitted them dry, and it felt really horrid tightening them up.

[@markrobinson1458]

First thing to do is find the roughest wall in your area, then proceed to remove your old pedals while rubbing your saddle and bar tape to destruction, then stand back and be proud of yourself 😭

[@davidbilton6083]

Is there a video showing how to use a pedal spanner without scratching your nice shiny Dura-ace crank set? ;-)

[@grzegorzkozminski631]

OMFG!!! You did a 5 minutes video about something what usualy takes 30 seconds :)

[@andrewfairley6299]

Cant, believe your scratching the hoods and seat on that lovely F12

[@backpacker3421]

It hurts my soul to see those platform pedals on such a magnificent steed...

[@dakalla]

4:00 really? you scrached that dura ace crank!

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

What if my wall is not like your wall? Will it still work?

[@HPaulModels]

Copper Slip, or similar anti seize compound, is better than grease in my 30 years experience on the tools 🤔

[@THE_W0RLD_1S_Y0UR5]

Idea for next GCN how to video: How to like and subscribe to GCN. Oh yeah... and tap the bell icon to get notifications.

[@Stormbringer1984y]

do we really need 2nd video on one channel about that topic?

[@glennreed9764]

It seems like the different thread directions would make the pedals loosen in use rather than tighten. In real life, the opposite is true due to a phenomenon called "mechanical precession". Maybe GCN can do some science and explain it.

[@stevenumberone]

Came here to see if anyone was going to point this out. I was expecting the PhD to mention it, but perhaps they're aiming for straightforward.

[@75supercourse]

Glenn, yes, exactly. Thought Dr. Ollie would discuss it. As he did not, here's a link to the very nice Wikipedia explanation, complete with animation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_(mechanical)

[@GC_420]

The dude comes across as a guy that really loves changing his pedals.

[@ChromeStrand]

R.I.P left side saddle 😢

[@nastropc]

Always use a genuine Park Tool length of pipe

[@jarfur559]

Random question... how do you fit deflectors to clipless peddles? Apparently it’s the law.

[@chazpilks]

Probably already been said, but i think the word you want is anti-clockwise

[@beev]

This is how to do it - if you want to scuff your saddle and bar tape!

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

Drive side. Biggy smalls. Cranks at three. Time to remove the crank.

[@derf9465]

L and R threads. What's new?

[@gulfcitynd]

Use grease first then Allen key

[@Jon77777]

I think he really uses those 2nd pedals on that bike 😂

[@thomashardbattle4287]

Spinning time

[@MrHitchk]

'The pedaling tightens the pedals and prevents them from coming loose' statement is wrong. The pedaling direction is the loosening one.

[@ARKINHK]

Weird way of explaining how to tighten pedals. I know as I just rotate the axel toward the front of the bike. Easy.

[@al-du6lb]

If you're having trouble getting them off, do not give it full gas and slam your fingers into the chainrings.

[@driesquirynen2480]

Just say to tight it to front of the bike and to loose it to the back.

[@mattwade646]

Looks like he's passing wind... ... "reverse thread?"

[@garyltan1613]

Flat pedals on a f12?

[@gcntech]

Don't worry Ollie put his nice pedals back on afterwards

[@awakenedbahamut2574]

2:26 so many teeth in that wheel.

[@andrewdoucet4176]

The chainring? The watt bazooka has to show off somehow

[@JMcLeodKC711]

Grease is not optional

[@NaturallyRapid]

Guys pedals already loose will become even more loose as you pedal! They dont self tighten

[@g33m33]

Putting that second pair of pedals into that bike should be against the law

[@iancanuckistan2244]

OMG 5 minutes to explain 2 different tools and 2 different wrenches????

[@alanstons8072]

Don't give up your day job

[@TheCatfishJames]

Why do you block the direction your loosening the pedal with the crank shaft? Fuck!

[@albertbatfinder5240]

This was pretty useless actually. 99% of the time we consult videos like this we don’t know how to wrestle with the difficult pedal that hasn’t been removed for 5 years. Much as I like GCN and Ollie, I wish they’d solve real problems, not just create content.

[@fukav1am]

I got my stuck pedal off using a camping stove and thermal expansion of the crank. Was a bit sooty afterwards.