which adjustable spanner?

[steve451]

Hello, Any one got any adjustable spanner recommendations ?
Light, possibly short , at very least 15mm (for pedals) , cheaper the better , possibly a cheap one I can saw down ?


Just read the previous pedal spanner thread , it seems adjustable will need to narrow enough for pedals, it will be for touring so will hopefully
only need to use when putting pedals after airport trip.

[Brucey]

a 'cool tool' -if you can find one- is a very handy tool.

some 4" adjustables fit your spec but are actually feeble and useless in practice.

6" adjustables are more like it, but most are a bit big and heavy. I have several, and an inexpensive one which is (IIRC)a Spanish brand ( -Irega?) is about 2/3rds the weight of others and isn't too flimsy.

[edit; mine is like this;

-their current model is a bit heavier built I think]

cheers

[Ayesha]

Remember. One pedal thread is a left hander, so you'll need a spanner to fit a left hand thread.

[cycleruk]

These are mine and 3 are Irega (darker colour ones) but one is a King Dick. The smallest is made in Norway.
I was advised not to buy chrome plated tools as it can hide a few sins under the chrome.
All have given very good service over a lot of years.
The Irega's are at least 15 years old and possibly older.

The second from the left is a 6" series77 and is the only one that will actually fit my current pedals.
The jaws are just thin enough to slide inbetween the pedal and crankarm. (10mm).

[cycleruk]

Remember. One pedal thread is a left hander, so you'll need a spanner to fit a left hand thread.

Luckily all my spanners are ambidextrous.

[Ayesha]

Its certainly 'light'.

[rjb]

+1 for the spanish Irega spanners and its worth checking out the swedish Bahco ones

I think someone on here posted a mod to an adjustable to enable the jaws to be opened further than designed, possibly a coal mine mod but i can't find it

[Brucey]

+1 for the spanish Irega spanners and its worth checking out the swedish Bahco ones

I think someone on here posted a mod to an adjustable to enable the jaws to be opened further than designed, possibly a coal mine mod but i can't find it

if you remove the moving jaw, you can shorten the rack slightly, or grind an additional groove in it. Once reassembled, this will let the jaw open as wide as you like, actually until it drops out. In a bike tool kit, it is a very good idea to be 100% sure you are not going to lose the jaw, or the screw, or the adjusting wheel.

Some Bahco models at one time were supplied with a reversible moving jaw; I've often wondered if there is any benfit to a custom grind on the reverse side of a modded wrench with a detachable/reversible moving jaw.

The Current Bahco models are a little thick in the jaw for bike work; nice tools though.

cheers

[horizon]

Hello, Any one got any adjustable spanner recommendations ?
Light, possibly short , at very least 15mm (for pedals) , cheaper the better , possibly a cheap one I can saw down ?


Just read the previous pedal spanner thread , it seems adjustable will need to narrow enough for pedals, it will be for touring so will hopefully
only need to use when putting pedals after airport trip.

Apart from your hub nuts if you have them, that's probably the only use for a spanner when touring. But you don't need/want a heavy adjustable IMV. AFAIK the old fashioned multiple bike spanners have a 15mm jaw. The important thing is to get the pedals off well before you go and grease them up so that they are a doddle at the airport and OK with a very small spanner.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... pc&adtype={adtype}&{copy:_$ja}&{ifpla:_$$ja=tsid:37143}{ifdyn:_$$ja=tsid:35588}{ifpe:_$$ja=tsid:37143}

[Brucey]

I quite like an adjustable spanner in my toolkit because it can be used for hub nuts, pedals, brakes, etc. It can also be used for snugging down on bent stuff so that it can be straightened after a prang, and the ring end or the jaws can be used to extend allen keys etc when necessary. For years I carried a double-ended screwdriver bit, but no screwdriver handle; I'd use the adjustable to provide the torque necessary for brake lever screws etc.

BTW if your pedals have an allen key fitting and spanner flats, the allen key is enough to tighten them, but isn't always enough to loosen the blighters again after a couple of weeks of hard pedalling. It is quite good to be able to use both an allen key and a spanner to loosen a stubborn pedal sometimes.

cheers

[horizon]

I think what we are looking at here is a general assumption that you might want to leave your tools at home to save weight. Apart from the fact that you need the heaviest, least useful, most unlikely tool of all, a huge long 15mm spanner just to get your bike on the plane! You would think they might have one to borrow!

[WOOLIFERKINS]

Adjustable spanner = always the wrong size. Put it in the scrap bin with pump action screwdrivers and get the right size spanner </rant>

[MikeF]

Adjustable spanner = always the wrong size. Put it in the scrap bin with pump action screwdrivers and get the right size spanner </rant>

I think I would agree. Always use a proper fitting spanner, preferably ring but you can't do this on pedals. However I think OP is looking for minimal tools so hence the reason for an adjustable. If you have to use one, use it so you push into the jaws, so opening of the jaws is minimized.

[meic]

The Bahcos are good enough quality to undo any nuts on my cycles, though may be not for 18 year old rusted car bolts.

They are the wrong size in two other ways. The cute little lightweight (4"?) bahco that I carry in my toolkit is too small it only opens to 13mm. The next size up (6") is too big and opens to 21mm.

The other way is the jaws are physically too large in thickness, length and breadth to get into many gaps.

[MikeF]

These are mine and 3 are Irega (darker colour ones) but one is a King Dick.

King Dick used to be regarded as the best spanners you could buy followed by Britool and Elora in that order. But that was in the 1960s.

Chromium plating is used because it is hard. If it comes off, it either means it is a poor quality tool or you have misused it eg used as a small hammer etc. It should not be hiding anything.