Women Lurkers! Behold the Pedal Wrench!

[Liesl]

Greetings Riv Chicas who read more than post!  If you're like me, you have been in situations where you didn't have quite the right tool and/or didn't have quite the 'nough strength.  I myself have uttered choice words whilst attempting to remove/install pedals.  1) A normal open-ended wrench is often too thick to fit in there, and 2) if it does fit, it's too short for my small 53 year-old women's hands to loosen them when they're tight and I'm trying to remember that the left side is reverse threaded. 

I finally invested 17 bucks in Riv's "venerable" Unior No. 61 Pedal Wrench. 

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/tl017.htm

If you struggle with numbers 1 and 2 above, you too will call this wrench venerable.  Made switching out my pedals last night easy-peasy.  You still have to remember that the left side is reverse threaded, but with this wrench, that's the only thing you need to focus on (and maybe adding a little grease to the threads).  It could become among a bykin' girl's best  friends.

-liesl always-appreciates-good-mechanic-tips in minneapolis

[dougP]

Not just for Riv Chicas but for anyone who's struggled with pedals. I
got one from Riv way back when & it's seen plenty of use. For
whatever reason, I'm the only one in our tour group that has one so
that makes me popular, at least at pedal time. The short ones such as
Park et al make take way too much strength.

Being left handed, I'm always confused with thread direction, so with
pedals I just remember to face the bike, engage the pedal with the
wrench above the pedal, and push toward the back of the bike to
loosen. When installing the pedals, remember they tend to tighten as
you ride so only a little pressure on the wrench, especially a long
one, is needed to get them tight enough.

dougP

[Cyclofiend]

On Jun 7, 2012, at 9:47 AM, Liesl wrote:

> Greetings Riv Chicas who read more than post! If you're like me,
> you have been in situations where you didn't have quite the right
> tool and/or didn't have quite the 'nough strength. I myself have
> uttered choice words whilst attempting to remove/install pedals. 1)
> A normal open-ended wrench is often too thick to fit in there, and
> 2) if it does fit, it's too short for my small 53 year-old women's
> hands to loosen them when they're tight and I'm trying to remember
> that the left side is reverse threaded.

My well-used mnemonic:
To REmove pedals, turn to the REar of the bike. *

(*Assuming the bike is upright, and the wrench handle is above the
pedal.)

and, yes, a real pedal wrench is invaluable!

- Jim / cyclofiend.com

[Me]

Mine is "Back off." And yes, the bike does need to be upright for that one too.

Sent from my iPad

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[Eric Platt]

Even regular guys can like that wrench.  Have both it and the regular Park tool and the Eldi gets more work when I feel like swapping pedals.

 

Most of the times, I'll get the right direction on the second try<g>.

 

And here's an interesting find - the small 4" Park adjustable wrench opens up just wide enough to fit a pedal.  Works for emergencies. 

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

This probably doesn't apply to most bikes on this list but it could act as a way to remember which way to unscrew a pedal. On a bike with coaster brakes... to remove the pedals just turn the wrench in the direction that engages the brake. 

+1 for the Riv pedal wrench. 

While we're talking about tools that Riv sells... I'm not quite sure how I ever worked on my bikes before I had the 4mm & 5mm screwdriver style allen wrenches. They're so much more convenient in many situations than traditional "L" shaped allen wrenches.

--Andy

[Lynne Fitz]

I have a Park pedal wrench for when I'm home, and use the other end of
my S&S coupler wrench when I'm not. Lots of grease, and I don't reef
the pedals down tightly. No problems to date. You get lots of
leverage if you stand over the bike from the other side and push
down. (Andy will tell you I'm not very big :-) )

Lynne