My pedal fell off

when you say replace "the whole gear system" i assume you mean the cranks?. Either way, i cant see why they would need to replace the whole drive train, as the chainrings can be transported onto a new set of cranks.

You should only need a new set of cranks which is a lot cheaper than a whole drivetrain.

Of course, i cant see your bike so that is based upon the info you have given.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by masterarcher
... replace the whole gear system and charge me about $100 for materials and labor.

1)What type of cranks are you talking about ? (brand, material, length)
2)Which side was it that lost the pedal?

it's really hard to see why you should need to replace the whole gear system anyhow.

If you've got a basic alloy crank a good bike shop should be able to dig out a single crank arm for you as a spare part.

If it's the crank with the right-hand thread you should be able to to get a car mechanic to replace it with a heli-coil or some other thread insert system for way less than $100.
Left-hand replacement threads are harder to find, in that case it's probably easier to find a replacement crank.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by byron27
as the chainrings can be transported onto a new set of cranks.

Not on cheap rivited cranks.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by masterarcher
I was riding around town the other day and my pedal fell off. I wasn't far from home so i just walked it in. When i got there i invetigated why it fell off and saw that the treads on the arm that connects the pedal to the gears were completely stripped out, as in almost smoothe. The next day i took it to the local bike shop and they said that they would have to replace the whole gear system and charge me about $100 for materials and labor. I decided not to do it at the moment and went back home. After thinking about it for a while i came up with a few choices.
1. get it fixed at the shop
2. buy a less expensive bike
3. put some J.B. Weld ( a metal "glue"😉 on it and see how it works
before i do any of these i would like someone opinion, comments, or suggestion. so please help.

There are crank repair options that a decent shop should be aware of. Cheap cranks are not worth the effort. Get an inexpensive new crank,and next time make sure the pedals are tight.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by masterarcher
I was riding around town the other day and my pedal fell off. I wasn't far from home so i just walked it in. When i got there i invetigated why it fell off and saw that the treads on the arm that connects the pedal to the gears were completely stripped out, as in almost smoothe. The next day i took it to the local bike shop and they said that they would have to replace the whole gear system and charge me about $100 for materials and labor. I decided not to do it at the moment and went back home. After thinking about it for a while i came up with a few choices.
1. get it fixed at the shop
2. buy a less expensive bike
3. put some J.B. Weld ( a metal "glue"😉 on it and see how it works
before i do any of these i would like someone opinion, comments, or suggestion. so please help.

So yeah...the whole drivetrain? From what I have seen a new crankARM would be the best way to go. Helicoils and the like are temporary fixes at best. A new arm, depending on the quality should not be too expensive at all.

You're lucky you didn't crash HARD when your pedal fell out. I've broken a few at the spindle and it usually happens when you're out of the saddle accelerating so when it goes you've got all your weight on it and BAM - pavement inspection.

Please don't try any JBWeld kind of fix - this part is too important for your safety. Get a new crank and new pedals.