How to Remove Bike Pedals with an Allen Wrench (4 Simple Steps)

Bike pedals are great small, yet essential parts of your bike. However, if you are stuck with them, they can be very annoying. Seeing as how most people don’t know the simple trick to taking off bike pedals with an Allen wrench, I will now tell you!

It’s also possible to remove pedals with a regular wrench or socket, but an Allen wrench makes it simpler. You can tighten or loosen the pedal by rotating it in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction with an Allen wrench. If you’re trying to remove bicycle pedals that are stuck on tightly, you may need to use some elbow grease.

In this article, I’ll show you how to remove bike pedals with an Allen wrench. This procedure may vary depending on the type of pedal you have, but it’s still possible for you to do this yourself and save some money.

Now, let’s get started!

What is Bike Pedals?

Bike pedals are a part of your bike’s mechanics, which enable you to propel yourself forward. It allows you to change gears and brakes by utilizing the force of your legs. They are essential for riding bicycles as it helps with the motion of pedaling.

Bicycle pedals come in different sizes and shapes, depending on the type of bicycle they’re used for. However, each pedal shares common functions such as changing gears and braking using your feet. Bike pedals can be attached both directly and indirectly onto the crank arms.

Why is It Important to Remove Bike Pedals?

If you are biking on a regular basis, then you need to ensure that your bike’s components are in good condition. This includes the parts that attach the pedal arms onto the crank arm.

The bolts holding them together can become loose after using your bicycle frequently. If this happens, re-tightening the bolts would suffice; however, if they don’t hold, it’s best for you to replace or repair them immediately.

Replacing or tightening bolts may sound easy enough to do yourself but depending on its size and location, this task might be difficult to perform by just one person alone. A trick that will definitely come in handy is removing bike pedals with an Allen wrench.

How to Remove Bike Pedals with an Allen Wrench

Here are 4 steps to follow:

#Step 1: Place your right foot on one side of the pedal and then lift your left leg over the frame. Put your weight on the saddle and then stand up to put pressure down with your right foot until you can twist off the stuck-on pedal with an Allen wrench.

#Step 2: Locate the crank arm which is attached to the bottom bracket spindle. It may be difficult if there are no markings indicating its location or if both arms look similar so remember where it is after removing it previously by noting the tooth mark of the crank arm.

#Step 3: Locate your Allen wrench and insert it into one of the bolts on the pedal face. Twist the Allen wrench either counterclockwise or clockwise depending on which way you want to remove it. Make sure that you don’t over-tighten because this could create a serious problem with your bike by stripping your pedal bushing.

#Step 4: Test whether the pedal is loose by grabbing the pedal arm and twisting it. If it’s still stiff, you may need to put a little more torque onto it with your Allen wrench before removing it from the pedal spindle.

After going through these steps, you should be able to remove the stuck-on pedal. Although this process is simple, it may take a little bit of time and elbow grease so make sure to use caution when removing bicycle pedals with an Allen wrench.

What are The Best Tools for Removing Bicycle Pedals?

When removing bicycle pedals sometimes the right tool is needed for this job. Some might want to replace old pedals with new ones or to have better pedals, but in order to do so there are some necessary tools required and we’ll tell you what they are and how to use them so you won’t damage your bike parts.

Bike pedal spanner: This tool is designed especially for bicycles and it has a specific shape that fits around the nut of the pedal. Usually made from aluminum or steel it’s very lightweight and durable along with having a long arm, this makes this tool easy to use even on tough jobs such as removing stubborn mountain bike pedals which require quite some force sometimes.

Pedal wrench: It’s similar to a bike pedal spanner, though the design is a bit different. It usually has a steelhead to make it stronger and more durable but the arm is shorter than on pedal spanner, also it’s harder to use because of this reason. This tool is not designed for removing pedals, instead, it’s used for installing them or fine-tuning existing ones making sure they are tuned correctly.

Mountain bike pedal wrench: This type of tool looks like a bigger version of the regular pedal wrench with an additional handle to provide a better grip while turning. Due to its size and shape, it’s very hard to use anywhere other than at home.

Because the risk of damaging the area around the pedals increases tenfold if you try using this tool elsewhere. It is used for removing mountain bike pedals which are usually more resistant to being removed making them the perfect target for this tool.

Car pedal wrench: This type of tool is designed in a way that makes it easier to use when working with car pedals. However, it’s not commonly used in the bicycle business because the pedals on bikes are smaller and lighter than those on cars, thus creating unnecessary wear on this wrench while using it to remove bicycle pedals since they are pretty tough sometimes even harder than usual.

Eastern combination wrench: This tool is designed for both metric and inch sizes but it’s mostly used by professional mechanics, rather than the average person who wants to do some quick repairs around the house.

If you want to buy one keep in mind that there are two different types of this wrench. It is designed for nut sizes with 9/16″ and 5/8″ on the other side which are used to remove larger bike pedals such as those found on beach cruisers.

Bike pedal puller: This type of tool is designed to remove pedals by using a mechanism that applies pressure onto the side of the pedal axle when it’s rotated, because of this reason it only works on one side which makes it much easier to use when compared with regular pedal wrench or spanner.

Also, it requires very little knowledge on the user’s part except knowing how much force should be applied in order not to slip, and cause damage while removing pedals.

Pedal removal tools are essential parts of bicycle repair since they make things much easier especially for beginners who don’t have a lot of experience in this field yet.

Even though some people might think that having one or two isn’t necessary, these tools can come in quite handy when you need to perform a quick repair or change your pedals.

Is It Possible to Remove Bike Pedals with a Torque Wrench?

The torque wrench is mostly used in the automotive business, though it’s also used when working with bike pedals the result might not be what you expected because of size and design. On most bikes, pedals are smaller than lug nuts which make torque wrench unsuitable for this type of job.

But if your wrench size is compatible with your pedals you can use it but keep in mind that applying the right amount of torque is essential for avoiding any damage to both wrench and pedal.

The wrench should be rotated counterclockwise when removing pedals. Because this way little bit more torque is needed which prevents pedal from sliding off while using a tool.

If you are looking for the best torque wrench for bike pedals be sure to check out this article for more information.

Final Words

In the end, while performing any kind of home bicycle work you should always consider having a set of pedal tools in your toolbox. Not only will they help you perform a wide range of repairs and maintenance tasks but also make sure that you don’t damage your parts, which can be quite hard when using the wrong tool for this job.