Which way to turn a pedal wrench - 3 simple steps so you'll never forget again

Table of Contents

In this very short article I’m going to explain which way to turn a pedal wrench.

Left or right, clockwise or counter-clockwise, I always forgot which way to turn bike pedals. And when it was time to put the pedals back on the crankset of my Koga Miyata Adventure I reverted to my tried-and-true mnemonic.

Video Tutorial

Step 1 Bike pedals have a left and a right

First off, you need to know that pedals have a left and a right, which means the threading on each pedal differs from each other. Look for the part closest to the threading. In my case only the left pedal had a pretty worn “L” engraved on the side.

Step 2 Applying grease

Anyone who ever tried to get rusted pedals off of a bike knows it’s a good thing to put a bit of grease or anti-seize on the thread before putting them in again.

Step 3 Knowing which way to turn a pedal wrench

Now it’s time to put the pedals back where they belong. Both pedals need to go the same way.

Tightening them is done by turning them forwards. That is clockwise for the drive side or right pedal and counterclockwise for the non-drive side or left side.

If you’re using a pedal wrench, which isn’t necessary but will make the job a bit easier, you need to do the exact opposite.

This means you need to hold the pedal with the pedal wrench attached in place and rotate the crank backwards. So counterclockwise for the right pedal and clockwise for the left pedal.

It’s not necessary to over-tighten the pedals, because pedaling forward means they can never unthread themselves.

And that’s how you know which way to turn a pedal wrench to tighten bike pedals! If you like this article give it a thumbs up. If you have any questions or suggestions for new articles, let me know in the comments below. Cheers.