Fixing a recumbent exercise bike

Heatwave

My parents' recumbent exercise bike is making a weird clicking sound and we want to open it up to look inside.

Problem is we can't seem to get it open. We've taken out the screws on the casing and the nuts on the pedals but we can't seem to remove the pedals.

I've also been trying to a manual online for the model, but the name I can see on the actual bike is "Celsius Sport", and it isn't really coming up with anything.

I did find a photo online of the exact same model

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTMzWDgwMA==/z/PJYAAOSwY45UMetC/$_75.JPG

Alt link in case the image ever disappears

So yeah, basically at the moment I just want to take the pedals off, but if anyone has any other suggestions to what may be causing the noise and/or solutions, it'd be much appreciated.

Foomy

where the pedal attaches to the rod you should see a little nut, or at least a rounded bit with 2 edges flattened. That's the bit you need to turn with a wrench to get the pedals off, or at least it should be anyway if it's like actual bikes, or my own excerise bike. The nut will probably reverse threaded so you need to turn it the opposite way you normally would to loosen it.

Heatwave

Here's a photo of the area.

We already took the nut off btw

Foomy

hmm, looks like it should be free now, baring any pins that I can't spot in that picture. try just giving it a wiggle while you pull?

Heatwave

It's in there really tight. Can't even wiggle it

djmitchella

That's a standard square-taper bike crank, and you need a crank puller tool like this one or this one as long as you have a separate wrench to turn it with.

I'll bet there's threads on the inside of the round part in your second picture; you screw the threaded-outside end of the crank tool into those threads, then you turn the inside part of the crank tool, it turns and pushes the crank entirely off the spindle. this video looks like the right sort of thing; make sure you're getting the tool/video for square taper cranks.

Putting it back on again is not the opposite, you don't need a tool for that; just put a little bit of thick grease on the square taper of the spindle, then put the crank back on, then use the nut that you've already removed to push the arm back onto the taper.

Heatwave

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I have one of those, but I'll look into getting one.

Jebus314

djmitchella wrote: »

That's a standard square-taper bike crank, and you need a crank puller tool like this one or this one as long as you have a separate wrench to turn it with.

I'll bet there's threads on the inside of the round part in your second picture; you screw the threaded-outside end of the crank tool into those threads, then you turn the inside part of the crank tool, it turns and pushes the crank entirely off the spindle. this video looks like the right sort of thing; make sure you're getting the tool/video for square taper cranks.

Putting it back on again is not the opposite, you don't need a tool for that; just put a little bit of thick grease on the square taper of the spindle, then put the crank back on, then use the nut that you've already removed to push the arm back onto the taper.

Basically this. To clarify a bit, you put a lot of force on the pedals during regular use, so over time they became ridiculously wedged into place. You need a lot of leverage to break them free, and the only way to get that leverage into the right spot is with a crank pull. Once they are released, you can take them on and off again without a tool, until you've ridden them for a while and they get stuck again.

Heatwave

I bought the crank puller but I forgot to get a square taper, so it looks like I'm going to have to get that another day

Heatwave

So I'm dumb and didn't release I was supposed to remove the disc shaped plug on the crank puller. Luckily one of the bike store showed me. In my defence, that thing is a bitch to remove and I had to use pliers because my fingers are weak.

Anyway I managed to remove the pedals and look inside, but because I didn't record the clicking sound, I can't remember exactly what it sounded like anymore. The only thing that seems to make a loud noise is this spring thing

http://i.imgur.com/wXYQ96A.jpg

Video of the sound it makes

Also here's a pic of the inside of the bike:

http://i.imgur.com/DJEYyih.jpg

Donovan Puppyfucker

All that spring does is maintain tension on the resistance adjusting cable. It will only move if you wind the resistance knob in or out.

djmitchella

Heatwave wrote: »

Anyway I managed to remove the pedals and look inside, but because I didn't record the clicking sound, I can't remember exactly what it sounded like anymore.

It's very possible that the clicking noise _was_ the pedals or the crank, so you could try just putting it all back together again and see if it helps (or just put the pedal loosely on the shaft so you can turn it while you watch what's going on).

Heatwave

I partially put the bike back together (no screws in the case, just tape if casing we need to take it apart again).

It seems to be fine now, but I don't know why, aside from a little bit of rattling probably from the casing not being screwed in.

It could be that while repeatedly lying it on it side to remove the casing and pedals, whatever was making the noise went back into place, or maybe it's the wire tape my dad put on the area around the spring last night. I don't know.