How to remove and refit the pedal arms of a bicycle

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Why would you dismantle the pedals of your bike?

It is true that this would be one of the less frequent interventions on a bicycle, still you might need to remove one or both crank arms in the following cases:
  • Transport the bicycle on a flight
  • Fix the lever itself, which would have been bent during an unfortunate fall
  • Replace the crank wheels (front gear teethed chain wheels)

Removing the crank arm of a bike

Use an ratchet handle and a socket to loosen the nut that holds the pedal lever to the bike frame.
Unscrew the nut and take out the pedal alog with its arm.
If it is stuck or difficult to extract:
  • You may hit on it with a rubber or plastic mallet (hammer)
  • You can pour boiling water for the extreme jamming cases

Refitting the pedal arm

Make sure to align the pedal arm 180 degrees opposite to the other one.
Use again the plastic or rubber hammer (mallet) to hit on it until it goes till the end of the bicycle central shaft.
Tighten the nut.

You can also buy your bike pedals and pedal removal tools here: