BEST CONE WRENCHES?

Polly

Hey there everyone on rec.tech

I wanted to get different opinions on what the best cone wrenches you have
used and why.

I have been using a set of park wrenches for a while now, (maybe 14 years
the light blue with chrome) although they have been through many repairs. I
dont think im so keen on getting any more from park as I notice they dont
seem to fit very well, and they newer ones dont seem to fair that well in
the shop much like their pedal wrench.

Polly

Jacobe Hazzard

Polly wrote:
> Hey there everyone on rec.tech

Hey Polly, this is Adam who worked for you last year. Didn't know you were
on the newsgroups.

I decided to sort out my old bike last month instead of buying a new one,
but I'm finally gonna build up that track bike I've been planning. I'm
going north in a couple of days so I'll come and see you when I get back.

Have a good summer!

MikeYankee

For some reason the "good" Park cone wrenches, the ones with blue plastic
handles, are a wee bit too thick for Campy hubs (but work OK on Shimano). The
cheaper double-ended Park wrenches are thinner, and work better. Go figure.


Mike Yankee

(Address is munged to thwart spammers.
To reply, delete everything after "com".)

John Everett

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly" <polly@cyclescanada.com>
wrote:

>Hey there everyone on rec.tech
>
>I wanted to get different opinions on what the best cone wrenches you have
>used and why.
>
>I have been using a set of park wrenches for a while now, (maybe 14 years
>the light blue with chrome) although they have been through many repairs. I
>dont think im so keen on getting any more from park as I notice they dont
>seem to fit very well, and they newer ones dont seem to fair that well in
>the shop much like their pedal wrench.

Many years ago, on the advice of a career bicycle mechanic, I bought a
set of Kingsbridge cone wrenches. I've never been sorry. Unfortunately
they seem to be hard to find these days.


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Qui si parla Campagnolo

polly-<< I wanted to get different opinions on what the best cone wrenches you
have
used and why. >><BR><BR>

Pedros..the yellow handle gets dirty is the only 'bad' thing...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Sheldon Brown

MikeYankee wrote:

> For some reason the "good" Park cone wrenches, the ones with blue plastic
> handles, are a wee bit too thick for Campy hubs (but work OK on Shimano). The
> cheaper double-ended Park wrenches are thinner, and work better. Go figure.

You can push harder on the "good" Park wrenches, due to their longer,
padded, handles, without hurting your hand. As a result they need to
have stronger jaws.

Peter Chisholm recommends Pedro's, which I haven't yet tried, but I just
learned that Pedro's tools come with a lifetime guarantee, so I will
give 'em a whirl. Other Pedro's stuff I've used has generally been quite
good.

However, I'm surprised that "Qui si parla Campagnolo" didn't mention
Campagnolo cone wrenches. These are in a class by themselves. They're
forged, not stamped nor laser cut like the others, and are made of
amazingly tough steel (allowing them to be thinner than most.) They are
not very comfy on the hands, but they outlast all others in my experience.

Unfortunately, they come only in 13/14 and 15/16 sizing, rather than the
much more useful 13/15 combination, so you need to by 3 or 4 of them at
big bucks.

Another thing about Campag cone wrenches: They have nicely radiussed
edges, and they make _great_ tire irons for the toughest, tightest
tires, better than any purpose-built tire irons for the snuggest
tire/rim combinations.

Sheldon "Qui Anche Parla Campagnolo" Brown
+----------------------------------------------+
| My mind is aglow with whirling, transient |
| nodes of thought careening through a cosmic |
| vapor of invention! --Mel Brooks |
+----------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

John Dacey

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly" <polly@cyclescanada.com>
wrote:

>Hey there everyone on rec.tech
>
>I wanted to get different opinions on what the best cone wrenches you have
>used and why.
>
>I have been using a set of park wrenches for a while now, (maybe 14 years
>the light blue with chrome) although they have been through many repairs. I
>dont think im so keen on getting any more from park as I notice they dont
>seem to fit very well, and they newer ones dont seem to fair that well in
>the shop much like their pedal wrench.

Hozan C-57
http://www.hozan.co.jp/cycle_e/cycl...e/hub/C-57.html

Tough, forged and long enough for good leverage. There are certain
Campagnolo hub models for which their venerable "Q" tool is still the
best choice, but I'm otherwise quite happy with the Hozan C-57 sets
(you'll need two).

-------------------------------
John Dacey
Business Cycles, Miami, Florida
http://www.businesscycles.com
Now in our twenty-first year.
Our catalog of track equipment: eighth year online
-------------------------------

A Muzi

Polly wrote:

> I wanted to get different opinions on what the best cone wrenches you have
> used and why.
> I have been using a set of park wrenches for a while now, (maybe 14 years
> the light blue with chrome) although they have been through many repairs. I
> dont think im so keen on getting any more from park as I notice they dont
> seem to fit very well, and they newer ones dont seem to fair that well in
> the shop much like their pedal wrench.

I have no doubt that Kingsbridge cone wrenches are the best.
They are coined (punched from both sides simultaneously)
for a durable edge and made from a good steel that's hard
but not brittle. Whatever their warm colored plate is, it
doesn't chip like lesser brands. My own are quite old but
still a good fit with crisp edges.

I've stopped using my nice ones on new Taiwan or Chinese
hubs. As you may have noticed, the cones on new cheap bikes
are all maddeningly 14-1/2 millimeters. If someone would
send a caliper to Sovos, KingKong, JoYou and their ilk,
mechanics worldwide would be happier. Undersized wrench
flats just eat tools - especially when breaking into a hub
assembled aggressively with air tools on dry threads. And
since hub makers don't grease new hubs, we have to open
every one.

Of late, Kingsbridge has been out, so they're in short
supply. My second choices would be Sugino(discontinued) or
J&N (ditto) or Campagnolo #Q (same). All of those share
tough material and that odd color plate that doesn't get up
and walk away. They are just not as tough as Kingsbridge.

Var has two offset models. A regular double-ended one and a
stepped-slot version with two sizes per end. Var's OK,
better than Famous Brand IMHO. Some new products (Pedros,
Lifu) look promising but I haven't used them enough to know
about wear.

So I don't have a snappy answer as the best ones are
unavailable.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

bfd

"A Muzi" <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote in message
news:109at53t539lie2@corp.supernews.com...
> Of late, Kingsbridge has been out, so they're in short
> supply. My second choices would be Sugino(discontinued) or
> J&N (ditto) or Campagnolo #Q (same).
>
The above is not clear, are you saying that Campagnolo cone wrenches, are no
longer available? If so, that's too bad, they excellent wrenches.

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sun, 02 May 2004 17:21:54 -0500, A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
wrote:
>I have no doubt that Kingsbridge cone wrenches are the best.
> They are coined (punched from both sides simultaneously)
>for a durable edge and made from a good steel that's hard
>but not brittle. Whatever their warm colored plate is, it
>doesn't chip like lesser brands. My own are quite old but
>still a good fit with crisp edges.
>
>I've stopped using my nice ones on new Taiwan or Chinese
>hubs. As you may have noticed, the cones on new cheap bikes
>are all maddeningly 14-1/2 millimeters. If someone would
>send a caliper to Sovos, KingKong, JoYou and their ilk,
>mechanics worldwide would be happier. Undersized wrench
>flats just eat tools - especially when breaking into a hub
>assembled aggressively with air tools on dry threads. And
>since hub makers don't grease new hubs, we have to open
>every one.
>
[snip]

Dear Andrew,

What looks like a 14.5mm cone is probably actually a 9/16ths, using
25.4mm / inch.

14mm = 0.55118"
9/16 = 0.56250"
14.5m = 0.57086"
15mm = 0.59055"

Carl Fogel

A Muzi

> "A Muzi" <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote in message
> news:109at53t539lie2@corp.supernews.com...
>>Of late, Kingsbridge has been out, so they're in short
>>supply. My second choices would be Sugino(discontinued) or
>>J&N (ditto) or Campagnolo #Q (same).

bfd wrote:
> The above is not clear, are you saying that Campagnolo cone wrenches, are no
> longer available? If so, that's too bad, they excellent wrenches.


AFAIK they are no longer being made. They don't fit any
current Campagnolo product.

But have heart!
As with so many useful things ( British 3-speeds for
example) there will be enough, for those who desire them,
for a good long while in the secondary markets.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi

> On Sun, 02 May 2004 17:21:54 -0500, A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
> wrote:
>>I have no doubt that Kingsbridge cone wrenches are the best.
>> They are coined (punched from both sides simultaneously)
>>for a durable edge and made from a good steel that's hard
>>but not brittle. Whatever their warm colored plate is, it
>>doesn't chip like lesser brands. My own are quite old but
>>still a good fit with crisp edges.
>>
>>I've stopped using my nice ones on new Taiwan or Chinese
>>hubs. As you may have noticed, the cones on new cheap bikes
>>are all maddeningly 14-1/2 millimeters. If someone would
>>send a caliper to Sovos, KingKong, JoYou and their ilk,
>>mechanics worldwide would be happier. Undersized wrench
>>flats just eat tools - especially when breaking into a hub
>>assembled aggressively with air tools on dry threads. And
>>since hub makers don't grease new hubs, we have to open
>>every one.

carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
> What looks like a 14.5mm cone is probably actually a 9/16ths, using
> 25.4mm / inch.
> 14mm = 0.55118"
> 9/16 = 0.56250"
> 14.5m = 0.57086"
> 15mm = 0.59055"


I measured three no-label steel hubs at 14.76 and one KK
aluminum one at 14.8. The wrench flats on that sort of cone
are pressed, not cut, and IMHO are not intended to be
14.2875 (9/16"). If they were, they are still off!

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sun, 02 May 2004 22:00:25 -0500, A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
wrote:

>> On Sun, 02 May 2004 17:21:54 -0500, A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
>> wrote:
>>>I have no doubt that Kingsbridge cone wrenches are the best.
>>> They are coined (punched from both sides simultaneously)
>>>for a durable edge and made from a good steel that's hard
>>>but not brittle. Whatever their warm colored plate is, it
>>>doesn't chip like lesser brands. My own are quite old but
>>>still a good fit with crisp edges.
>>>
>>>I've stopped using my nice ones on new Taiwan or Chinese
>>>hubs. As you may have noticed, the cones on new cheap bikes
>>>are all maddeningly 14-1/2 millimeters. If someone would
>>>send a caliper to Sovos, KingKong, JoYou and their ilk,
>>>mechanics worldwide would be happier. Undersized wrench
>>>flats just eat tools - especially when breaking into a hub
>>>assembled aggressively with air tools on dry threads. And
>>>since hub makers don't grease new hubs, we have to open
>>>every one.
>
>carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>> What looks like a 14.5mm cone is probably actually a 9/16ths, using
>> 25.4mm / inch.
>> 14mm = 0.55118"
>> 9/16 = 0.56250"
>> 14.5m = 0.57086"
>> 15mm = 0.59055"
>
>
>I measured three no-label steel hubs at 14.76 and one KK
>aluminum one at 14.8. The wrench flats on that sort of cone
>are pressed, not cut, and IMHO are not intended to be
>14.2875 (9/16"). If they were, they are still off!

Dear Andrew,

You just need a well-stocked toolbox that includes a thin 37/64ths
open-end wrench (14.6843 mm nominal, but usually a tiny bit bigger) .

They're sold at hardware stores next to the 1/7th inch drill bits.

Carl Fogel

Sheldon Brown

Andy Muzi wrote:

> I've stopped using my nice ones on new Taiwan or Chinese hubs. As you
> may have noticed, the cones on new cheap bikes are all maddeningly
> 14-1/2 millimeters. If someone would send a caliper to Sovos, KingKong,
> JoYou and their ilk, mechanics worldwide would be happier. Undersized
> wrench flats just eat tools - especially when breaking into a hub
> assembled aggressively with air tools on dry threads.

These hubs, however, often also have _taller_ than usual flats on the
cones. This means that you can often fit a _pedal_ wrench on 'em.

Pedal wrenches are much more durable, and have nice long handles to
break apart the air-tightened (loctited?) cone/locknut interface.

Sheldon "Use The Wrong Tool For The Job When It Works Better" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Men have become the tools of their tools. |
| -- Henry David Thoreau |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com