Fifty Plus (50+) - Spoke Nut Size Rant

The value of interchangeable parts was discovered around 1850. Wouldn't it be reasonable that in the late 1900's someone would have recognized the usefulness of having all spoke nuts the same size?

Knowing this is a problem, I took a wheel in when I went to the LBS for a spoke wrench. They took it in the back to measure, then came back and sold me a Park Tools spoke wrench. Got back to the car, and luckily decided to double check. It was th wrong size. Went back, got the right size, but getting home, I found that it doesn't fit the wife's spokes.

This isn't rocket science. They really could all be the same size.

End of rant.

They have multi-gauge spoke wrenches as well. They work as well as a Park tool.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41eT36cDgQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Black wrench for DT swisse and Wheelsmith. (If the world were right, this would be the one to have as most quality wheels go with this)

Red wrench for Japaneese spokes.......some entry level wheels

Green wrench (I'm told that this is for some English spokes but I have never actually encountered anything that this wrench fits.

I have used the multi tool shown above but only to true a high wheel front that had very large spokes that nothing else would fit.

I prefer the 4 sided wrench with the slot in the corner as you will almost never round off a nipple, even at high torque and with aluminium. It is a bit slower to use as you have to run the spoke into the slot above the nipple and then slide the wrench down onto the square part.

I was placing an order with Nashbar, and needed a couple of bucks extra in the order to reach the cutoff for a discount. I ordered one of their spoke wrenches that is kind of triangular with three sizes of wrench. I really like it, as I found that there is a magnet in the center that really holds it tightly on to the spoke for fumble-free use. I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it works.

The value of interchangeable parts was discovered around 1850. Wouldn't it be reasonable that in the late 1900's someone would have recognized the usefulness of having all spoke nuts the same size?

Knowing this is a problem, I took a wheel in when I went to the LBS for a spoke wrench. They took it in the back to measure, then came back and sold me a Park Tools spoke wrench. Got back to the car, and luckily decided to double check. It was the wrong size. Went back, got the right size, but getting home, I found that it doesn't fit the wife's spokes.

This isn't rocket science. They really could all be the same size.

End of rant.

This is the bicycle industry, which brought you five different types of bottom bracket threads and three different freewheel thread "standards." *

____
* Standards are great, because there are so many from which to choose. :)

SAE or metric? Fine thread or coarse? Allen head or torx? Phillips head or square? Conspiracies to drive us all nuts or broke buying tools abound.

This is the bicycle industry, which brought you five different types of bottom bracket threads and three different freewheel thread "standards." *

____
* Standards are great, because there are so many from which to choose. :)

Standardisation is great. Most threads in the UK are now Metric- and we are the country that Standardised many of the thread types. UNF-Whitworth-UNC-Etc. So when I bought an American product that had about 12 different bolt sizes- I expected to find all the bolt type to be the same. I had metric- Unf and whitworth in the kit of Bolts. And what got me was that 6mm nuts were supplied for the 1/4" bolts. They were not compatable.

They have multi-gauge spoke wrenches as well. They work as well as a Park tool.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41eT36cDgQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

I had one like that.
It was OK if your spokes were free to rotate. I started rounding off nipples with the more difficult spokes.
I DIDN'T have that problem with the PARK wrench.

Standardisation is great. Most threads in the UK are now Metric ...

... but your bicycle bottom brackets (and almost everyone else's today) are 1-3/8" x 24 TPI, your handlebar stem openings are 1", and your pedal threads are 9/16" x 20 TPI. :)

Would that be the 25.4 one inch or the 26.0 one inch.

Looks like the "next standard will happen at 31.8.

Would that be the 25.4 one inch or the 26.0 one inch.

Looks like the "next standard will happen at 31.8.

Yes. And fortunately that is for both road and MTB. Now if only the bar diameters at the controls would become the same for both.

I've concluded that humans just aren't good at standardizing things. Most people don't recognize the value of standards. Other examples:

straight and phillips screwdrivers
daylight savings time
metric and english
USB cables (no excuse for different plugs on the non-computer end)

... but your bicycle bottom brackets (and almost everyone else's today) are 1-3/8" x 24 TPI, your handlebar stem openings are 1", and your pedal threads are 9/16" x 20 TPI. :)

Probably the same sizing as yours:innocent:

See!!! Standardisation does work. All we need to do now is set the standard in Ti. (Would say stone but that is a bit heavy for a bike)

Back in the days when I worked on racing 2 strokes- I occasionally had to work on "OLD" Farm machinery in the Off season. (Just to keep the bread on the Table) I was really glad that I was in France where They had real Technicians that could make Nuts and bolts to fit the 100- 150 year old machinery I was working on. Before standardisation- All bolts were supplied with a nut- The nut that would fit the thread. It may have been made from 1" rod but the bolts were handmade and all were a different pitch.

I have found that you can pretty much fix anything with two wrenches:

1. A Crescent wrench that you can use to strip, round-off, and ruin any nut on anything you want to fix.
2. A pipe wrench, which you then use to tighten/loosen the nut you just ruined.