Review of Park Tool Pedal Wrench (15mm and 9/16

Park Tool Pedal Wrench (15mm and 9/16 - Inch)
By: Park Tool Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 4
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Necessary pedal tool!

On: 2008-11-25

I bought this to help a friend switch some pedals on a trainer that had the pedals Loctited. This was the only tool that could put enough force on those pedals to loosen and remove them. (Pedal threads would normally be greased.)

A great "left-handed monkey wrench" for stubborn bike pedals...

On: 2008-09-14

When it comes to stubborn bicycle pedals that dont want to come off, its hard to beat the Park Tool Pedal Wrench, also known as a "PW-3." This handy bike tool is made from Cro-Moly steel and which fits both 15mm and 9/16 inch pedals. This isnt the normal wrench that one would find in a regular home toolbox, but when I found it at a yard sale this summer, where it was marked as a "left-handed monkey wrench" by the seller, I grabbed it. The owner must have not known what it was or what it was worth, as he sort of snickered when he took my money. Was going to buy one eventually, ever since I had seen it described in the Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair 2nd Edition, but I couldnt pass on it when it was sitting there for a price thats too embarrassingly low to mention.

So why would someone need a Cro-Moly steel PW-3 from Park Tool to just change bike pedals? Bike pedal threads are different from left side and right side. The right side pedal has a right-hand thread (removes counterclockwise, installs clockwise). The left side pedal has a left-hand thread (removes clockwise, installs counterclockwise). Many pedals are stamped "L" and "R" for left and right. Additionally, the thread will appear to slope up toward its tightening direction. Left hand threads slope up to the left, while right hand threads slope up to the right. Got that?

In any case, old bicycle pedals are often rusted on, requiring a few zaps of WD-40 to loosen them up, then a bit of good old-fashioned elbow grease applied with that Cro-Moly steel PW-3 wrench. As others have noted, one can slip a length pipe over the end of the wrench for additional leverage if needed. Once thats done, the new pedals can be installed, reversing the removal procedure noted above.

And if I cant remember which direction to turn the wrench (do I turn it clockwise or counter-clockwise...) to properly install the amazing new Avenir ATB Pedals, I can always refer to the new Park Tool Big Blue Book of Repair, 2nd Edition for good instructions from author Calvin Jones.

Some bike tools are really worth it, and this is one of them.

A solid tool

On: 2008-09-09

A little bit pricey for its function because you will mostly use it for bike pedal removal only, but its solid quality makes it work great. Its a worth-to-have tool if you like tune bike by yourself.

Great for stubborn pedals

On: 2007-12-14

Ive only used the PW-3 on one bike so far -- an old Trek 820 I bought used for $50 that had a broken pedal -- and I chose the PW-3 over competing products in case I needed to slip a pipe over it for added leverage. Sure enough, I did need the pipe, but the PW-3 and pipe together broke the pedals loose, so I was able to finish unscrewing them by hand. I would not have been able to do this with a double-ended or wide-handled wrench.