Your bicycle pedals are among the most essential components of your bicycle. After all, if the pedals are not working or have fallen off, you will not be able to propel yourself forward. Although a bike pedal is a simple bicycle component, it’s also very important.
One problem your bike might face is a bike pedal that falls off. If this happens, your bicycle will be rendered useless. However, fixing a bike pedal that fell off is generally not difficult.
Moreover, the bike pedal may have fallen off due to various issues, which means that there are solutions according to these issues. This article discusses how to fix a bike pedal that fell off, and we’ll cover the most common scenarios.
Why a Bike Pedal Might Fall Off and How to Fix It
As mentioned, there are a few reasons your bike pedal might fall off. Let’s look at the most common issues and solutions.
The Bolts are Loose
One of the most common issues is that the bolts are loose. The bolts hold the pedal in place to the frame of the bicycle. If the bolts are loose, they can come off, resulting in the whole pedal falling off.
Generally, this is easy to fix because nothing is broken or requires replacement. To solve this problem, get an appropriately sized wrench and tighten the bolts as tightly as possible. If the bolts are tight, the pedals shouldn’t fall off.
The Bolt Has Not Been Threaded Properly
Another common situation is that the bolt has not been correctly threaded. As with screws, bolts have threading that is designed to lock into the threading inside of the bike pedal. If the bolt has not been properly threaded into the bike pedal, it won’t hold properly.
Over time, a poorly threaded pedal may fall off. This has another easy solution because, technically speaking, nothing should be damaged or require replacement. Remove the pedal from the bolt if it has not already fallen off, and rethread it.
If the pedal is loose because it has not been threaded properly, it may be stuck in place, which means you might require lubricant and a bit of muscle to pull it off of the bolt and then properly rethread it. You might not be able to do it yourself and may require professional assistance.
The Threading is Damaged
Now we are moving to the more severe causes that may result in your pedal falling off. We’re still talking about the threading inside the pedal or the threading on the bolt. However, instead of not being threaded properly, the threading has been stripped; it may have been damaged if it was not threaded correctly in the first place, resulting in wear and tear over time.
If the threading on the bolt or inside the pedal is damaged or worn out, it could also be due to wear and tear. If you use your bicycle often and put it through a lot of punishment, especially if the bicycle components are not very high quality, it may damage it over time. If the threading is worn out or damaged, this is usually not something that can be repaired but requires replacement.
If the bolt threading is stripped, the pedal will likely be stripped, and usually, this is a replacement job.
The Pedal or Crank Are Damaged
A bike pedal might fall off if it is damaged or broken. If you have a cheap bike pedal, the platform itself might break. If the platform that surrounds the bolt breaks, the rest of the pedal will fall off.
If the pedal is cracked, snapped, or has simply fallen off, but the bolt is still in place, then you know this is the issue. However, the downside is that you can’t repair a broken bike pedal like this, which will require replacement.
This is also the case if the crank itself is broken. The crank is the piece of metal that connects the bicycle pedal platform to the bolt or the bicycle’s frame. If the crank has snapped off, the rest of the pedal will also come off.
If you are rough with your bike or have suffered a sudden and heavy impact, it may cause the crank to break, especially if it is low quality. There’s nothing you can do in terms of repair, and you will need to replace the components.
The Cost of Repairing or Replacing a Bike Pedal
The other thing that you probably want to know is how much it will cost to repair or replace your bike pedal. If you are going for simple bicycle pedals, you can expect to spend $40 to $50. However, if you want bicycle pedals from high-end brands made with high-quality materials, you can expect to spend over $100. However, this is the price of the pedals, not including labor, if you get a professional to do it.
You can expect to spend $50 on labor. In addition, if you need to replace the crank arm, it can run another $20 to $50.
Worst case scenario—you might spend around $200 to replace bike pedals. However, if you have the tools and know what you’re doing, you can do this on your own.
Conclusion
As you can see, fixing a bike pedal that fell off is not overly complicated; it’s one of the easiest fixes on your bicycle. The trick is to identify the problem that caused it to fall off in the first place.