Mnemonics

[hamster]

Then you scratch the handlebars and irreplaceable brake hoods.

...and get summarily sentenced to the Retrobike Gulag, where you are forced to work all day truing the wheels on Tesco BSOs.

 

[cmjc]

What if it's upside down at the side of the road?

Clockwise if you're right-handed: Anticlockwise if you're wrong-handed.

 

[cmjc]

Hamster wins the coveted Turbo sticker.

 

[Old Ned]

What if it's upside down at the side of the road?

If that's the situation then I reckon you've more to worry about than direction of threadings in pedals and BB!

 

[Jonny69]

In the old days it used to be convention to notch the head on a left-threaded fastener. On your left-threaded pedal you might see some notches around the bit you put the spanner on, while it's plain on the right-hand threaded one. Trufact.

 

[cmjc]

In your top photo Johnny, I see mR stamped on the drive side pedal, on mine the R is stamped on the end of the thread.

So not clear at all.

Which is why we need a fool-proof mnemonic.

But your post has given me the idea of marking my right crank with a small arrow pointing to the back of the bike, and another small arrow on the left-side crank pointing to the back of the bike.

 

[Jonny69]

Ignore the MR, it's a maker's stamp. Look at the notches cut in the other pedal. On my other pedals, it's a single notch that goes all the way round on one set, a single line on the flats on another and a L/R on each pedal on my SPDs which don't have flats. I think it's only my really cheap pedals which don't have them. Righty-righty-tighty. Then it's the other way round for the BB.

 

[cmjc]

Ahh I twigged!

What you refer to as "notches" are what I thought were just the normal grooves in the pedal spindle.

Then, after looking at my bike, I see my left pedal has the same grooves as your image, and my right pedal has no grooves.

So your point is confirmed Sir

Ignore the MR, it's a maker's stamp. Look at the notches cut in the other pedal. On my other pedals, it's a single notch that goes all the way round on one set, a single line on the flats on another and a L/R on each pedal on my SPDs which don't have flats. I think it's only my really cheap pedals which don't have them. Righty-righty-tighty. Then it's the other way round for the BB.