This trusty steed carried Deb through seven complete RAGBRAIs. I think that is impressive.
Deb had a bike shop install "clipless" pedals on her bike.
These pedals connect to special cycling shoes that have cleats embedded in their soles.
Because you are pulling one pedal up while pushing the other pedal down, these are the most efficient pedals for speed and biking long distances.
You have to turn your foot to get your shoe out of the "clip", and that takes practice. Emergency stops for an inexperienced "clipped in" rider can be dangerous. Also, for casual riders like us, it would be a pain to brig a separate pair of shoes to wear when you stopped to play at a park or eat at a restaurant.
Daphne inherited this bicycle when her mom passed away five years ago. Daph wanted to keep the bike, but she wasn't interested in using these pedals. I told her I'd replace them for her, but I... errr... couldn't.
I remember a frustrating night in our old garage trying in vain to get either pedal bolt to turn. I skinned my knuckles and broke a wrench before I gave up. A couple of months later the Felt was hanging upside in our new garage, and we were so busy unpacking I forgot about my failure. Kinda.
This summer I restored this '79 Schwinn, and I sold it on Craiglist for a small profit.
That success had be looking for another bike project to work on. As I was scouring Craigslist, Letgo, and eBay, it dawned on me. You dummy, you've got a bike project hanging in the garage.
I got the Felt down from the hooks and tried to remove its pedals again. That was last Saturday night. On Sunday morning the Felt was still wearing the right side pedal, I was limping with a bruised right foot, my back and shoulders hurt, and my Craftsman 15mm wrench was ruined.
I went shopping after church, and I came home with this Park Tool P-5 pedal wrench from Kyle's Bike Shop.
The PW-5 wrench was broken five minutes later. I could not believe it. The guys at Kyle's were kind enough to let me return the wrench, and they suggested that I bring my bike in to let their shop remove the pedal. Tempting, but I wasn't ready to quit, yet.
Before I left, the guy behind the counter pulled up a picture on his computer to show me what their bike mechanic uses for stuck pedals. He called it "The Hatchet".
As you can see, I bought the PW-4. Yes, $33.20 is a lot to spend for a tool I might not ever use again, but it is cheaper than paying a shop to do the job for me. Plus, I get a tool, and I didn't have to transport the bike. And, as one Amazon reviewer wrote, "You can always use it to fight zombies!"
But did the wrench work? After five seconds of pressure, the pedal bolt groaned in protest and began to turn. The pedal was off in no time. Here's the new pedal installed
If Daphne wants to try the clipless pedals, we still have them. Deb kept the original box.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "If you do the work yourself, then you can buy the best tools you can afford." Plus, I enjoy helping others. If you have a stuck pedal and you are in the area, the Hatchet and I have your back.
Oh yeah, thanks go out to eBay for providing a vintage 15mm Craftsman wrench replacement. Yes, new tools made in China are cheaper, but... enough said.
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