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Renting bike on vacation, bringing my pedals - dumb question

4K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  mtor 
#1 ·
I am going on vacation next week and planning to rent a road bike. I called the rental shop and he recommended that I bring my own pedals. I use Look Keo. My dumb question is this: Should I bring the pedals with the spindle attached, or just the pedal? I'll call the bike shop back tomorrow if the answer is not obvious to those who respond.
 
#3 ·
I believe you just need the pedals. I did this back in 1997 when I did a mountain biking trip in northern Thailand, I just brought the pedals. The pedals were on my road bike at home and the company put them on the mountain bike they supplied with no issue. It is wise to bring the pedals and is no hassle as long as someone can install them provided you can't.

This is what you need, I don't know the definition of a spindle, but you need the whole thing:

View attachment 285168

Just curious, where are you vacationing?
 
#4 ·
I've rented on vacation a few times. Bring pedals, shoes, and your helmet. Measure your seat height from the center of the bb to the top, handlebars to the nose of the saddle, and a rough estimate of setback. Most rental places are good about setting up your bike to match provided dimensions.
 
#14 ·
I've rented on vacation a few times. Bring pedals, shoes, and your helmet. Measure your seat height from the center of the bb to the top, handlebars to the nose of the saddle, and a rough estimate of setback. Most rental places are good about setting up your bike to match provided dimensions.
Where did you go and found such an excelent service? The one I tried in Spain was ****.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the excellent responses. I am heading to Stowe VT. Now if only I could get remove the pedal assembly. I have the right size hex wrench, and looked up which way to turn (this wasn't obvious to me, either, since they face inward), but man they are on tight.
 
#6 ·
The Look Keo is pedal looks like the picture posted above. That's what you need. You're not taking the pedal apart.
This is a pedal wrench:
PARK TOOL Home Mechanic Pedal Wrench - Eastern Mountain Sports

The left pedal screws in by turning the wrench to the left (left thread), the right one screws in to the right (normal/right thread). To remove the pedals you need to turn the wrench in the opposite, respective directions.
 
#9 ·
Richard, you're getting confusing advice here. Your Keo pedals take only a hex key, not a pedal wrench (most pedals have flats on the spindle base for a wrench). You have disassembled your pedals by removing the pedal bodies from the spindles. You didn't need to do that, and shouldn't have, and should put them back together. Get the appropriate hex key, with a pipe extension if necessary, and remove the spindles and try to reassemble your pedals carefully.

Removing pedals from a bike means unthreading the spindle from the crankarm.

The left one is reverse threaded.
 
#12 ·
No wonder I could not remove the pedals on my bike back in 2010 when I wanted to transfer them to my newly purchased bike. It seemed impossible. I had the bike shop do it. I wonder how I even did it back in 97' before traveling with them. I'm in the same boat as you, the pedals would not come off my bike when I tried. If you take it to a bike shop to get it done, ask them to show you what is required.
 
#16 ·
There's no magic trick. What's required is simply more force, usually accomplished with more leverage (longer arm on the wrench). If they're stuck and corroded, a penetrating oil solvent helps.

It's hard because they were put on tight, without adequate grease, and left on a long time. If you take them off once a year, and re-grease the threads well before reinstalling, it won't be so hard.
 
#21 ·
Update: I took the bike to the LBS. JCaviila is right - the pedals were left on a long time (nearly 5 years) without being removed. I don't know whether they were installed with adequate grease. But two mechanics could not remove them. They sprayed them with a solvent and I will check back with them on Monday. This is my "B" bike, so if they can't remove them, I will bring in my newer "A" bike and have them take the Look Keo pedals off that bike. Thanks again for the responses.
 
#23 ·
Update: I took the bike to the LBS. JCaviila is right - the pedals were left on a long time (nearly 5 years) without being removed. I don't know whether they were installed with adequate grease. But two mechanics could not remove them. They sprayed them with a solvent and I will check back with them on Monday.
My shop was able to remove my pedals but it was impossible for me. I do not add grease to any component unless the item looks dry, with pedals different story I see. Over time the pedals glued themselves to the frame and that is why it is impossible to take them off. The solvent should do the trick when it works its way into the blockage. As I mentioned earlier, my pedals were left on 13 years before I tried to take them off and for me it seemed they had been welded to the frame.
 
#22 ·
If I'm going to be renting for more than one day, I bring my saddle, so the list for multi-day rental is:

Clothes - usually two sets of the stuff that gets sweaty so I can wash and dry after use
Shoes
Helmet
Gloves
saddle
tiny saddle bag (2 levers, 1 tube, micro patch kit, small multi tool)
mini pump

Long list, very little space taken. A lot of it can fit inside the helmet.

I always try whatever saddle is on the bike just to see if I like it, but usually switch to my own. My saddles (again, my saddle, not "all" saddles I use) are always just a tad nose up from level, so I usually eyeball that and then adjust by feel the first ride. Really, set back and height can probably be tweaked without any fancy measuring within the fist ride - take a couple of stop breaks to do it.

I have also been known to bring a stem - it's so small and it's easy to swap out a stem, so if the reach isn't good, it's an easy thing to fix. You can look up on line the geometry of the bike you'll be renting and get an idea if the stock stem they have on it will work for you or not.

I can do everything above with the multi tool I keep in my tiny saddle bag. I just make sure it has an allen key large enough for the pedals, I bring a pedal wrench if necessary, or just ask the shop to take care of that for me.
 
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