For the lack of the proper tool....

[cranky old dude]

I took the Raleigh Marathon off the garage wall last Wed. to take a
little spin (recovery day) and remembered the left crank was loose.
I had no problem removing the dust cover but no way could I get a
good enough grip on the crank nut to tighten it. My craftsman, and
my "el Cheapo" 14mm sockets were just a tad too thick to seat far
enough onto the nut. I thought I'ld just run out to Sears or Home Depot
or any auto parts store and pick up a thin walled 14mm socket. NOT :eek:
I've been told that SnapOn sockets are thinner than others but they cost
a lot of money. I can order a crank wrench from the bicycle
catalog stores (Performance, Nashbar, etc.) for about $12 plus shipping.
Any thoughts?

By the way, I still got a little ride in. I pulled the Aluminum Schwinn 354 racing bike
off the wall and did a quick tour of the neighborhood. Man-o-man is it fast.
Cruising at 22 mph. in spots (not downhill), not in the highest gear and way too much belly
to get into the drops. Now I remember what I liked about that bike. :)

[veganboyjosh]

i've got a craftsman socket that i use specifically for that. i never got myself a bike specific crank nut wrench...i wouldn't mind getting one, as that 14 mm socket tends to roll back underneat stuff when it gets dropped or bumped off the bench...

but as it's craftsman, if/when it strips/breaks, i can take it back for a new one, no questions asked.

i dunno if any bike tool company has a similar lifetime guarantee on their tools...

[stapfam]

Come into the 21st century and replace those crank bolts with the type that take an 8mm allen key- Unless you have the type of bottom bracket that takes a nut instead of a bolt- and that would mean a two century change.Probably a step too far as a new Bottom bracket would be involved.

[RoMad]

Sometimes when I need a special tool I find it is a lot quicker and cheaper to modify an existing one. I have a few wrenches that have been cut in half, a special socket for four wheelers with notches cut into it and a couple made from two differnt ones welded together. I try not to ruin a good quality tool when I do this, but I wouldn't have a problem grinding down a craftsman 14 mm socket since I have 2 or 3 of them anyway. I saved $30 by making the tool for the 4 wheeler this way.

[Rick@OCRR]

I've had the Park Tool 14 / 15mm (two sided) crank bolt wrench for 20+ years now. Still works great, no problem! Well worth whatever I paid for it back then.

Of course now I have the 8mm cranks ref. above on two bikes and Shimano 2-5mm bolt types on 2 other bikes. Still use the 14mm on my Mountain bike and my 1-Speed and 3-Speed (got rid of the cottered cranks!).

Rick / OCRR

[Louis]

Hmmm...that's odd, I have a 14mm socket that I've been using for BB's since I got into cycling and never encountered that problem.

*Just went down to the workshop to check the name on the socket...nothing visible.*

[Torque1st]

There is nothing wrong with modifying standard tools for specific applications.

Despite the guarantee I consider Crapsman tools to be el-cheapo tools. Many of them really are junk tools and dangerous. A guarantee won't get the job done at 2AM, neither will it prevent injuries when they break. You pay big money for the guarantee on a cheap tool up front and then Sears hopes you will buy something else when you bring the broken junk back in for replacement. It is a numbers game but they get paid up front.

[Cadfael]

I took the Raleigh Marathon off the garage wall last Wed. to take a
little spin (recovery day) and remembered the left crank was loose.
I had no problem removing the dust cover but no way could I get a
good enough grip on the crank nut to tighten it. My craftsman, and
my "el Cheapo" 14mm sockets were just a tad too thick to seat far
enough onto the nut. I thought I'ld just run out to Sears or Home Depot
or any auto parts store and pick up a thin walled 14mm socket. NOT :eek:
I've been told that SnapOn sockets are thinner than others but they cost
a lot of money. I can order a crank wrench from the bicycle
catalog stores (Performance, Nashbar, etc.) for about $12 plus shipping.
Any thoughts?

By the way, I still got a little ride in. I pulled the Aluminum Schwinn 354 racing bike
off the wall and did a quick tour of the neighborhood. Man-o-man is it fast.
Cruising at 22 mph. in spots (not downhill), not in the highest gear and way too much belly
to get into the drops. Now I remember what I liked about that bike. :)

You will of course need a crank extractor? So why not go for one with a suitable 14mm socket that is designed to fit into the crank hole housing...

Cotterless crank extractor with 14mm socket (http://www.bikeplanetuk.co.uk/products/accessory/tools-general-maintenance/raleigh/cotterless-crank-extractor-with-14mm-socket-art399/index.html)

[Cadfael]

Come into the 21st century and replace those crank bolts with the type that take an 8mm allen key- Unless you have the type of bottom bracket that takes a nut instead of a bolt- and that would mean a two century change.Probably a step too far as a new Bottom bracket would be involved.
You know, that had never occurred to me... I have a ready supply of cap head 8mm bolts, in varying lengths... however they are in stainless steel. But are you saying the thread on these are the same as 'yer bog standard' 14mm crank bolt?

[Digital Gee]

I didn't understand one single post in this thread! :(

[ollo_ollo]

That's because they haven't had many tools on Pitcairn since the Mutiny :)

[BCRider]

Hmmm...that's odd, I have a 14mm socket that I've been using for BB's since I got into cycling and never encountered that problem.

*Just went down to the workshop to check the name on the socket...nothing visible.*

I'm not surprised at this. I've got some old Craftsman sockets from the mid 70's and they are wonderous things with thin walls and really nice markings that were obviously rolled into the sidewalls. Truly nice tools. Much of the modern stuff is thick walled and cheap to the point of looking about as effective as a dull rock and has the markings crudely stamped into them.

Now I've heard that in the US Craftsman sockets and wrenches are not the same as the junk they are selling up here in Canada. But I still doubt that the ones down there are as nice as the old sockets I have.

[cranky old dude]

Thank you for the input. I think I'll buy a wrench from one
of the after market catalogue places. They come with a
14mm socket on one side and an 8MM allen on the other.
I'll also keep my eyes open for an old thinwalled socket set
at flea markets, car shows and garage sales. It most certainly
would be a good addition to my tool chest.

Happy Trails