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The threads on my bike's pedal crank just became fully stripped and the pedal fell off, though the pedal itself is fine. Is there any way I can fix this without fully replacing the pedal crank?

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  • Is this the left crank or the right crank? What is the brand/model of the cranks?
    – WTHarper
    Jun 9, 2013 at 15:52
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    One wonders how a pedal "just became" fully stripped...
    – JohnP
    Jun 12, 2013 at 14:08
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    @JohnP It's one of those things which is nigh on impossible to notice until it's completely gone. My bike hadn't gone through any particularly traumatic events when it happened.
    – Gwen
    Jun 12, 2013 at 15:15

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I have seen people succesfully filling the the whole space of the crank thread with weld, then re-manufacturing the thread in a turning/lathing shop.

I have done this to a bent/stripped derailer hanger of a steel frame, and it worked perfectly.

I think you could weight price, availability and safety of each alternative, but very probable that replacing the crank is the wisest thing to do, unfortunately.

It might not be so in case of a very expensive (and high quality) crank, but if the crank is medium or low priced, replacing is the way to go.

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  • If you had a 1970s steel crank, this might be an option but most modern cranks are aluminum, which would not weld or braze easily this way.
    – RoboKaren
    Sep 24, 2015 at 12:55
  • @RoboKaren I agree aluminum is more difficult, but definitely possible. The ones I have seen fixed that way were aluminum.
    – heltonbiker
    Sep 24, 2015 at 14:14
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If the crank arm is wide enough it may be drilled and a thread repair insert installed or tapped to a larger size. This is best left to your local bike shop. To buy the tools that you will most likely only use once will exceed the labor fee they will charge. They can also check to make sure the repair can be done safely.

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    To buy helicoil tools is usually more expensive than just replacing the stripped crank arm, too.
    – WTHarper
    Jun 9, 2013 at 18:11
  • I fortunately happen to have these tools, so I'll give this option a try. Thanks!
    – Gwen
    Jun 13, 2013 at 15:31
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This happened on my Trek Pilot. The pedal was a bit loose and I didn't fix it in time before it bore itself out of its hole.

My LBS drilled out the threads and installed a new helicoil. It's a simple task, I think I paid less than $30 for it (although I did get a friend-of-the-shop discount, you might pay more).

Park Tools has instructions on how to drill and then tap a new bushing: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/pedal-bushing-repair-kit-procedure

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