BEST CONE WRENCHES?

Polly said:

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!

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".)

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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
home.earthlink.net~jeverett3Open ↗

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 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

MikeYankee said:

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 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗
sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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 hozan.co.jpCOpen ↗
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
businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗ Now in our twenty-first year.
Our catalog of track equipment: eighth year online
-------------------------------

Polly said:

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

"A Muzi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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.

On Sun, 02 May 2004 17:21:54 -0500, A Muzi <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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"
26/16 = 0.56250"
27.5m = 0.57086" 15mm = 0.59055"

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

"A Muzi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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 said:

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

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 02 May 2004 17:21:54 -0500, A Muzi <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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

Andy Muzi said:

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 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗
sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

On Sun, 02 May 2004 22:00:25 -0500, A Muzi <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 said:

Andy Muzi said:

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 |
+-------------------------------------------------+

Dear Sheldon,

Eggxactly.

A bicycle is only a tool salesman's way of making new sales.

[email hidden]

Sheldon Brown said:

Andy Muzi said:

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 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗
sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

"John Dacey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly"
<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hozan C-57 hozan.co.jpCOpen ↗
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).

I didn't see these among the Hozan products in the QBP
catalog. Who sells them?

On Mon, 03 May 2004 13:44:38 GMT, "rosco"

reverse-the-following'ocsor_g'@hotmail.com said:

"John Dacey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Hozan C-57 hozan.co.jpCOpen ↗
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).

I didn't see these among the Hozan products in the QBP
catalog. Who sells them?

Mine came through United Bicycle Parts. Likely there are
others, too.
-------------------------------
John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida Since 1983 Our
catalogue of track equipment: online since 1996.
businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Andy Muzi said:

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.

Sheldon Brown said:

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

I'm impressed. You are the master.

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 2 May 2004 00:18:23 -0400, "Polly"

<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cone wrenches?

Quoted message said:

"John Dacey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hozan C-57 hozan.co.jpCOpen ↗
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).

rosco said:

I didn't see these among the Hozan products in the QBP
catalog. Who sells them?

Of a couple hundred wholesale distributors, that
particular one has a very "retail" catalog, giving the
impression of thoroughness.

As with mail-order catalogs, one's impression is lots of
choice- until you consider that many smallish LBS (
Sheldon, Peter, us, etc) actually stock way more SKUs than
even the big MO outfits.

here are some cone wrenches:
bicycletools.com45.pdfOpen ↗
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971