We all want to take care of our bikes as well as we can. The more expensive our bikes are, the more important it is to take them for regular services. However, not everyone has the correct tools for the job. Does that matter though? Well, in terms of removing your pedals, you can do so without a pedal wrench.If you do not have a pedal wrench you can still remove your pedals using a 15mm spanner or an adjustable wrench. The process is the same as it is with a pedal wrench. If your spanner or wrench does not have enough leverage, you can use your body weight.In this article, we are going to start by talking about what you will need to remove a bike pedal without a pedal wrench. We are then going to go into detail with our step-by-step guide on how to go about removing the pedal. So, for everything that you need to know about removing a pedal without a pedal wrench, keep reading.

Here’s What You Need To Remove A Bike Pedal Without A Pedal Wrench

When taking the pedals of your bike off, you want to make sure that you have a few tools ready. Remember, because you are not using a pedal wrench we are not going to mention that.For now, this is what you need when removing the pedals of your bike:

• A 15mm spanner
• An Adjustable Wrench
• A cloth
• If your pedal has an Allen key socket, you need an Allen key.
• Grease For when you put the pedal back on.

5 Steps To Remove A Bike Pedal Without A Pedal Wrench

Now that we have gone through everything that you will need to complete the steps below, I think we can just get straight into it. So, here are our 5 steps to removing a bike pedal without a pedal wrench.

Make Sure Your Bike Is Stable

Before you start working on your bike, you want to make sure it’s stable. You can do this by using what you have. Ideally, you would have a bike stand for all of this.If you don’t have a bike stand you can lean it against the wall. Also, it won’t hurt to have a friend or family member help you by holding the bike up straight for you.

Get Your Pedals Into A Comfortable Position

When I say “get the pedals into a comfortable position”, what I mean is get them into a position where it’s easy for you to work on them. There is a “best” position that works for the majority of bikes.Generally, you want the pedal cranks to be parallel with the ground. This means you should have enough space to avoid hitting your hand against the chain while having enough maneuverability.

Use A 15mm Spanner Or an Adjustable Wrench On The Pedal Spindle 

This section is going to be rather long. This is because there is a lot that you need to remember and we are going to take into account a few problems that you might run into. For this step, you want to make sure that you have a 15mm spanner or an adjustable wrench.You want to place the spanner or adjustable wrench on the spindle of the pedal. If your spanner or adjustable wrench is not catching on the spindle it could be that the spindle is too narrow.If this is the case for you, here’s what you should do: Take an electric screwdriver bit and place it on the spindle. Take another bit and hold it below. You would need an adjustable wrench from here. The wrench should now catch on the back end of the bit. When rotating the wrench do so slowly.If the spindle is stripped there is not much that you can do without professional tools. However, you can try wrapping the spindle with a piece of very thin cloth. Again, for this, you might need an adjustable wrench because the normal 15mm spanner might not fit anymore.

Rotate Each Pedal spindle in the correct direction

So, each pedal will be assigned to either the left or right crank. At the same time, each crank is assigned to either the left or right pedal. This is extremely important to remember especially when you decide to put the pedals back or replace them with new ones. For now, let’s stick to taking your pedals off.To remove the pedals, each side has a different direction that you need to turn the spindle in. For the left pedal, you need to turn the spindle in a clockwise direction.For the right pedal, you need to rotate the spindle in an anti-clockwise direction.Be sure that you get this right because you don’t want to turn the spindle in the wrong direction. Doing this could damage the threading of the pedal and make it a lot more difficult to get out.When you put the pedal back on, if you put the wrong pedal in the wrong crank you will strip the threading of either the pedal, the crank, or both.

If The Pedal Is Stuck, Use Your Feet

If you have ever worked with tools, you should know about that old trick where you place something over a spanner to give it more leverage. Well, if you were to do this while removing the pedals of a bike without a pedal wrench, it would be rather difficult, and you could damage your bike.One of the best ways of loosening a pedal that is stuck without a pedal wrench is to make sure the bike is stable, push your pedal slightly forward so that the crank is exactly parallel with the floor or as close to being parallel as possible.You then want to place your adjustable wrench or 15mm spanner on the spindle and make sure that it catches. From there, you want to hold on to the brakes of the bike, step on the pedal and put all of your weight on it with the ball of your foot.You want your heel to be on the spanner and then lean back. This will place an immense amount of force on the pedal spindle and it should loosen even with pedals that are very stuck.When doing this, please remember to wear shoes as you don’t want to damage your feet.

Our favorite Bike Tools To Help You Remove Your Pedals

Now that we have told you how to remove your bike pedals without a pedal wrench, I think it is a great time to talk about our favorite bike pedal wrench. As a bonus, we are going to talk about our favorite bike tool kit. Let’s get into it.

BIKEHAND Bicycle Bike Pedal Wrench: $20

Let’s take a look at some of the features that this wrench has:

• The quality of this wrench ensures that it will last a long time. The wrench is made from heat-treated steel.
• The handle is long which means you have a good amount of leverage for those pedals that are too stubborn to come out easily.
• With 2 spanners and a socket, all precisely located, you should be able to get to any hard to reach spindles.

Cyclists 23 Piece Bike Tool Kit: $85

If you like to maintain your bike without having to take it to a professional, this is what you need. The toolkit comes in a nifty box to help keep all the tools organized. Inside the box is everything you need to take care of your bike.

XX Steps To Remove A Pedal That Has An Allen Key Socket

Not all bike pedals are the same and so some might require different methods when it comes to removing or replacing the pedals. Some pedals you don’t normally need a wrench. All you need is an Allen key.If you have an Allen key socket pedal and need to remove it, here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to do so:

1. Make sure that your bike is stable. 
2. Get the pedals into a position that makes it easy for you to get your 8mm Allen key in position.
3. Hold the front or back brake.
4. Place a foot on the pedal and use your body weight to keep it in place.
5. Turn the Allen key.
6. Once the pedal is loose, you can use your hands to take it off.

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of this article or should I say, that brings us to the end of the step-by-step guide. Hopefully, you have learned how to successfully remove your bike pedals even if you do not have a pedal wrench.