I used to think a stripped pedal thread was a frame killer

Had a customer's steel gravel bike come in yesterday with the left pedal crank arm threads totally gone. I was about to tell them it was junk, but the senior guy in our shop showed me a helicoil kit he got from Park Tool. We tapped it out to a bigger size and put the insert in, took about 40 minutes. The pedal feels solid now and the crank is saved. Has anyone else had good luck with this fix holding up over time?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris3942mo ago

How long did that helicoil fix last for you? I did the same thing on an old mountain bike crank about two years ago. It's still totally solid, no play at all even after some rough trails. I was worried too, but the shop guy said the steel insert spreads the load.

the_cole2mo ago

Ever wonder if the insert changes the crank's strength around the pedal hole? I'd worry about a weak spot forming from the extra material removal... but if it's holding torque now, maybe it's fine.

rileyjones22d ago

Wonder if the insert changes the crank's strength" - well my cranks were already weakened by me stripping the threads, so I figured helicoil could only help at that point. I'm no engineer but my bike hasn't thrown a pedal at me yet, which is more than I can say for my last attempt.