Removing Pedals - stripped

[csmith]

I'm a newbie.

Just bought an entry level road bike (Specialized Allez) and wanted to swap out the clipless pedals for conventional ones while i get used to the bike. The left pedal came off fine, but the right one was seized on. Using my he-man strength I stripped the allen screw.

I read on a couple of forums to use a dremel to make a notch in the screw for a slotted screwdriver - good idea, bad idea?

If I do this are my pedals shot, or can the bolt/screw portion of the pedal be replaced?

They're LOOK pedals...circa 2005 - I can't find a model marking on them.

help!

thanks

[DaveM]

Are you turning the pedal the right direction? Drive side pedal has opposite threads to the left side.

If you couldn't get enough torque from an allen, I doubt you'll get more from a flat head screwdriver. Most pedals have flat spots to fit a 15mm wrench right next to the crank arm. You often need a slightly narrow wrench for this ("pedal wrench").

Worst case, you may be able to disassemble the pedal while it's still on the crank arm. That might give you better access to grip the pedal. Or even take the crank arm off, put the pedal in a vise and use the arm for leverage.

Whether you can reuse the pedal depends on what you have to do to it to remove. Good luck!

[JohnV]

You may not need to replace your pedals in order to get used to your bike. I posted on this thread about a product called Decksters. The photo is somewheres in the middle of the first page. They are made for the two bolt Shimano M51 SPD and compatible cleats, but I am sure that with a little modification, you can adapt them to fit your Look cleats. You may have to drill and tap directly into the aluminum instead of using the retainer shown in the photo.

If you are not used to clipless pedals, you can also use them to practice with until you feel comfortable to ride without them. I practiced releasing on platform pedals while riding my hybrid and then removed the Decksters from my road bike when I felt that I was ready to ride without them. I still use the Decksters on the hybrid (I put clipless pedals on it also) when I ride with others that don't have a road bike or the pace is slow.

[Darrenjs92ni]

watch you dont strip the threads in the crank, especially the right side as it costs more to replace. have you tried WD-40 it does help, i had one that was stuck i removed the crank from the bike and my dad toke it into work. i think he stuck it in a vice and went at it with a spanner, the thread in the crank got a bit damage but he found a tape that fitted it. if your lucky you sometimes can get a normal 15mm spanner to fit in as the pedal spanners are thin they can hurt your hands, also tapping the spanner with a hammer is good at moving things... but not wack it too hard.