How to take apart your bike

menefour said:

Hi Guys & Gals...

I'm shipping my bike home and I grabbed a bike box from a shop. Now I have to take my bike apart... the wheels are easy but I have to take the pedals off too... I heard you need a special wrench?🙁 WOuld it be easier if I just took it to a bike shop for them to take the pedals off. I need to fit it into the box.
Thanks for any info

mene

It depends on the pedals, some you can reah with a spanner, some need a special thin one, and many pedals have an alan key socket. But caution, one of them has a right hand thread and one of them has a left hand thread and blowed if I can remember which. There is a website that helps that people mention from time to time, I think "Parktool" but check previous threads.

menefour said:

Hi Guys & Gals...

I'm shipping my bike home and I grabbed a bike box from a shop. Now I have to take my bike apart... the wheels are easy but I have to take the pedals off too... I heard you need a special wrench?🙁 WOuld it be easier if I just took it to a bike shop for them to take the pedals off. I need to fit it into the box.
Thanks for any info

mene

If you don't know how to take off pedals you're in over your head trying to ship a bike. But let's just say you wanna do it anyway, here's how to breakdown a bike for shipping:
1) remove wheels
2) remove pedals (no special wrench required)
3) remove handlebars

Also, just getting it to fit into the box is far from sufficient. Ideally you would get some of those spacers thingies to put in your dropouts and wrap the whole deal in bubble wrap or foam.

Thanks for the info,

I do know how to take off wheels, seat, handle bars. I was just checking the net and came across the thread direction bit and special wrench required. My pedals seem to be like that. Granted I have never taken off pedals but better than leaving the bike here. I am moving back to NZ from Japan. I'll have a go and if not I'll take it to the shop.

Cheers

A peddle wrench is pretty cheap and nice to have. I would just buy one, but also be aware that there are different sizes. A 13/15 inch wrnech (double headed) seems to fit most peddles I have come across.

menefour said:

Hi Guys & Gals...

I'm shipping my bike home and I grabbed a bike box from a shop. Now I have to take my bike apart... the wheels are easy but I have to take the pedals off too... I heard you need a special wrench?🙁 WOuld it be easier if I just took it to a bike shop for them to take the pedals off. I need to fit it into the box.
Thanks for any info

mene

If possible, leave rear wheel connected, remove front wheel, pad the brake caliper so that it won't ding/scratch the frame and turn the fork around 180 degrees so that it will fit down into the box. Then all you need to remove are pedals, handlebars and seatpost.

I had a bike shipped to me and the shipper removed both wheels and this is what happened to my rear stays!! 😠 Cassettes can do a lot of damage.

menefour said:

...I have to take my bike apart... the wheels are easy but I have to take the pedals off too... I heard you need a special wrench?🙁

Not so special. A fixed open ended 15 mm or 9/16" will usually do. Very common tool. Ask anyone who's ever tinkered with his car/motorcycle/outboard engine...
I wouldn't use an Allen key for pedal removal unless it was my only choice. The tool bit is so small , you run a hight risk of damaging either the bit or your hands.
Adjustable wrenches CAN work, but are prone to clearance issues and don't appreciate the torque needed to free stuck pedals.

Left side pedal is reverse threaded.

Lube before reassembly.

Left pedal can be fitted to the inside of the right crank (ASO) if you want somewhere to stick them during travel.

See here :http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQpedls.shtml for the full drill incl. pics.