Help with broken pedals

[cattlegrid_79]

Hi all

Apologies if this is in the wrong place - but I am a beginner.

I've got a mountain bike that I use just to get around on - roads only. Was cycling today and my right hand pedal fell off! Think the bearings are knackered inside.

Do i need to buy a whole new pedal or can you replace bearings? Also, I obviously lost the nut(s) holding them on.

Excuse my cynicism, but i don't want to go to a shop without a bit of background, because i won't know if i'm being stitched up or not!

Cheers all in advance

 

[palinurus]

There aren't any nuts holding them on, the pedal spindle screws into the crank.

Has the entire pedal just worked it's way loose? or is some of the pedal still attached to the crank?

 

[palinurus]

Post a photo if you can- always helps.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[cattlegrid_79]

Ah, ok. Yes, the whole thing has come off. It looked like there were a couple of nuts holding it on when i looked yesterday. As if you put the pedal on to the spindle and then there was 2 nuts that went on after it?

There is a broken piece of metal (possibly the bearing housing?) that was inside the pedal that fell out. Sorry for the vagueness. I will try and get a picture up.

 

[palinurus]

So the end of the crank has a threaded hole in it like this:

and there's nothing in it?

And the pedal that was screwed into the hole has come off, and also come apart in some way?

If so a new pair of pedals won't set you back too much. Might be possible to service the pedals, depending on what's happened to them.

 

[gbb]

Sounds like the axle is still attatched to the crank maybe.
Have you got a thin spindle sticking out where the pedal was. That'd be part of the pedal itself.
If thats the case, you'll need a spanner and a new pedal. How much depends on what quality pedals you get..cheapies are maybe £10 to £15 a pair.

On the other hand, if the whole pedals gone, axle and all, check the threads in the crank for wear. This may mean you need a new crank as well.

 

[cattlegrid_79]

Ah ha. Starting to make sense now!

Palin & gbb - The spindle is still in the bit shown in the photo above (crank?). So i guess some internal workings have cracked and broken, hence why it's come apart where it has. So the nuts I could see where holding integral parts of the "pedal" together? So i need to buy a replacement for the whole lot, remove the spindle from the crank and replace it from there.

I don't think it's repairable because the metal parts that fell out the pedal were in pieces. Guess i'll have to go and get some new parts. Do you need a specialist tool or are they standard threads and sizes?

Cheers for all your help guys. Just wanted to get a bit of background before going to a shop.

 

[Broadside]

Just a 15mm spanner should do the job, however if the pedals are tight (or seized) and you have never done it before then I would take it to your local bike shop to get them to fit the pedals.

The spindles can be unbelievably tight and if you don't use the correct mechanical advantage to undo the pedal then you will not have a hope of removing them. Also bear in mind that the left pedal spindle has a reverse thread. If none of this sounds like it's making sense then just take it in to a shop to get them to fit new pedals, it will save you a heap of trouble.

 

[Debian]

As previously written, the pedal spindles are usually pretty tightly screwed into the crank arm. The main problem with getting them out is that attempting to remove them freewheels the crank, you have to stop the crank turning and then get some serious leverage on the spanner.

What I do is to park the bike against a kerb with the pedal resting on the kerb and get a helper to sit on the bike, this locks the crank. I then have a two foot long steel tube that fits over the spanner (15mm I think) to give me the required leverage to undo the pedal. Use a good quality spanner.

Other than that it's pretty simple. Don't forget that the threads are handed - the easiest way to remember is that turning the spanner in the direction that freewheels the crank is the right direction to unscrew them.

 

[PpPete]

Some pedals only have a narrow flat, so you need a "thin" 15mm spanner.
If you havn't got anything suitable they are not expensive to buy - but if you are buying pedals from a shop they should help you get old ones off for now't. Lot less hassle.

Be warned though - buy the one tool, then this magical alchemy happens and before you know it, you'll have a spent out on a full set of tools, a road bike, a better MTB, a fixed, and be thinking about N+1

 

[gbb]

Some pedals only have a narrow flat, so you need a "thin" 15mm spanner.
If you havn't got anything suitable they are not expensive to buy - but if you are buying pedals from a shop they should help you get old ones off for now't. Lot less hassle.

Be warned though - buy the one tool, then this magical alchemy happens and before you know it, you'll have a spent out on a full set of tools, a road bike, a better MTB, a fixed, and be thinking about N+1

Amen...

 

[cattlegrid_79]

Cheers for all your help guys. I have a fairly hefty tool kit already - i'm a plumber! I'm used to trying to get tight things undone in tight spaces!

The biggest problem I had is that I wasn't sure what constituted the "pedal". I didn't realise that the spindle was part of the actual pedal that you buy. And I just hate getting ripped off. Not saying all the shops are like this, but as a novice on the bike, I wouldn't know where to go in my area for good service.

I think i'll stick to pipes!!!

I will report back if successful in my attempts this weekend!

Thanks again

 

[BigSteev]

Just wanted to add, apply a little grease to the threads of the new pedals before you do them up and that way they'll be a bit easier to remove should you need to take them off again in the future.