I fought the bike...and won

BB's bike lost it's pedals, so he has been biking on the metal spokes. I found some new bike pedals for it today and was anxious to get home and put them on. I figured it was a 10 minute project.

I read the directions for how to put new pedals on, so I figured that I would do the opposite in order to get the old broken pedals off. The right pedal needed to be unscrewed counter-clockwise and the left needed to be unscrewed clockwise and then the reverse when I got the new pedals on. Sounds simple. Even a complete tool novice like me...well maybe I am one grade up from novice because I know the difference between wrenches, what to do with each end of a hammer and how to use a ratchet wrench.

But nooooo, it could not be that simple. The pedals were put on at the store and I think possibly even at the factory because I bought it fully assembled. Those bolts were tight. I fought and fought. I read and reread the directions to make sure that I was trying to torq in the right direction per the side of the bike I was on. I must have flipped that bike over several times, tried to straddle it and get leverage. I silently cursed the fact that I am a woman who does not have the upper body strength of a man. I contemplated, while beads of sweat burst onto my brow and spewed out "C'mon....", calling any number of male friends I have and admitting defeat, handing them my wrench and watching while they gave each side one quick twist and the bolt falling off like it was slipping on butter. Perhaps, that image is what kept me going. I didn't want to admit I was defeated until I was sure that there was no way I was going to possibly get these bolts off.

I was encouraged when one bolt began to move and then I could spin it off and put on the new pedal, which has a much better bolt, by the way. But that left side still would not budge. I was about 5 minutes from calling in a man to solve this when suddenly, it slipped just a tiny bit. And finally, I got it off and the new pedal.

My 10 minute job became a 50 minute project. But I beat the bike. BB has new pedals. Next time, I need to put new grips on his handle bars but I am pretty confident that will be much simpler. It won't require any bolts.

To my male friends, thanks for your inadvertent encouragement. I know any one of you would have gladly assisted me. In a way, you did. I just didn't have to bring you a bike, stripped screws and my wrench.