Pedal wrenches, there are all kinds.  No matter the type of pedal wrench you use, try this technique to beat that tight pedal and impress your friends.  Described as if the tires are down and the bike is propped upright.

Take the pedal you are removing and spin the crank so the pedal is forward, close to the front wheel.  Take your pedal wrench and install it on the pedal so that the angle between the wrench and the crank arm is acute, or less than 90 degrees.  This positioning or the pedal wrench will allow you to apply force in somewhat of a downward direction.  Remember to use the end of the handle so you get as much leverage out of the wrench as possible.  Watch your knuckles during this, chain rings can be hell.

A couple more things. Since the left pedal has a left thread and the right pedal is standard righty tighty, this technique will work for the left and the right pedal.  Also, if you can position the wrench at an angle between like 20 and 40 degrees, the job gets even easier.  I say “like” because I just made those numbers up with no actual measurment at all.

Pedal wrench bliss is around the corner!

There are a number of reasons to remove one or both of your bike’s disc brake calipers from it’s fork or frame.  Standard practice for bleeding the brake or most front suspension servicing.  When shipping a mountain bike sometimes it helps to remove the brake caliper from the fork and spin the fork backwards.  This little number can save valuable inches when squeezing a big bike in a box.

I’m getting off track.  The point is, a disc brake caliper is bound to come off at some point.  If the brake is a post mount type, you should find yourself some valve stem nuts.  Valve stem nuts are the round nurled things that thread on to presta valve stems and come with most bicycle tubes.  Valve stem nuts just happen to thread nicely on to the bolts that hold the caliper to the fork or brake adapter.

When you go to remove the caliper, loosen both bolts a bit, but before you remove the second bolt, pivot the caliper slightly and thread the valve stem nut on the removed bolt.  Careful not to let any hardware escape during the maneuver.  Even if the brakes don’t have washers or those angle adjusting thingys, you can utilize the valve stem nut just to hold the bolts in the caliper as not to misplace them.

Valve stem nuts.  Love ‘em.