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Pedal Repair and Replacement
Pedals can be damaged by direct contact with a rock, or by the force of your
weight (for example, jumping the bike off a ledge after one too many Powerbars). If the pedal wobbles or hangs up as you pedal, it needs to be
replaced. If only the cage is bent, you can often repair it.
Or, perhaps you want to swap the pedals for a specific purpose. Stunt bikers
usually ride on platform pedals. For those rock garden bumpfests, you want
lightweight pedals that lock you in, for example SPD pedals. For winter riding,
or combo riding, where you want a platform plus a clip-in, you may swap your
usual SPD pedals for a downhill pedal, where a toothed cage surrounds the
clip-in.
Repairing a Pedal:
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Make sure the pedal rotates properly, and that
the spindle and mounting aren't bent. If the main body of the pedal is damaged,
replace it.
To repair a pedal cage, remove any reflectors from the U-shaped cage. |
| Remove the
cage from the main pedal body. The
cage usually attaches to the pedal body with phillips-head bolts.
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Using wrenches, or a vise, or a hammer, or whatever, reshape the cage into
its original configuration. Now bolt it back into place. |
Replacing a Pedal:
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To replace the pedals, remove the old pedal. Slip a 14-mm pedal wrench over
the pedal mounting. Immobilize the crank (for example, you can lay the bike down
and use your foot to freeze the opposite crank-arm. With the wrench handle
aiming towards the top of the bike, twisting the wrench towards the back
of the bike loosens the pedal.
This is a "platform" pedal,
used with ordinary shoes. A toe-clip or footstrap can be attached to keep
the foot on. |
| Pedals come in right-side and left-side versions. (If the clip-in mechanism
would have you sitting on the bike backwards, you're trying to insert the wrong
pedal.)
This is an SPD "clipless"
pedal. A cleat on the bottom of the shoe locks into the binding.
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Thread the medal-mount into the crankarm. It twists so the top side
rotates towards the front of the bike -- counterclockwise on the left pedal,
clockwise on the right.
This is a "downhill" SPD
pedal. A toothed cage surrounds a spring-loaded binding. The binding pops
up above the cage for click-in, but flattens when standing on the pedal
without engaging the binding.
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