CroMo Mike 

Cheers! Cliff Clavin

nlerner

I have one of those but it's marked "Schwinn Approved USA." It was a relatively cheap eBay find:

fender1

The socket is right behind the bong.........

CroMo Mike 

A hint for would-be socket grinders: a 1" wide benchtop belt sander with a fresh belt will make fast work of reducing the o.d. Of a cheapie socket. Wear gloves it will get warm.

dddd

And one more tip I can add, whether it's a beltsander or grinder, I snap the socket onto a 6" socket extension. I also turn the socket 90-degrees on the extension a few times during the work to even out any resulting lack of symmetry, and of course keep the socket turning at all times while running against the wheel (or belt).

I once had to make a really thinwall socket for a production line (was a workaround for an overlooked design detail), and the paper-thin socket actually lasted a few years through the entire production run. It was an 8mm socket iir, driven by hand using a flex extension on a spinner handle.

onespeedbiker

There is also a Park CCW-15. The reason they are expensive is because they are no longer made; once a really good and useful tool goes out of production it's value doubles or more.

rumrunn6

haha yeah, like the one where the whole show is about waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant.

Personally I can't wait to see pics and hear about the resolution to the OP's quest and bike maintenance task.

cale

Haha. These two, "really good" and "out of production", could be said to be nearly mutually exclusive. Really good and useful tools don't go out of production because demand continues for said usefulness.

More likely, the explosive growth of recreational time and disposable income has created a market for nostalgia sporting goods which in turn has created a demand for old stuff to fix old stuff.

orangeology

i was actually using it as the tip of my pipe. the ratchet is a rare hollow one.

orangeology

3 different ones are en route—in my earlier post in this thread, sir.
and i am still no able to get my build going.

orangeology

i agree w you on this.
if it had been that good it would have been kept being made or someone might most likely reproduce it in case of discontinuation.
and when you really look at those PB Wrenches on the web, they are not 'that' rare.
it's like everyone's holding one 'til all sold out so they can put one for sale?
a vintage scarcity.

Pars 

Was poking around on ebay and this tool came up. Might be useful?

XLC Bike Pedal Wrench 15mm and 14 15mm Box Wrench Bike Tool | eBay

My Craftsmen socket fits just fine, but they are of course older ('90s? maybe '80s). I did find a 15mm deep socket, 6-pt IIRC at an Ace Hardware at a very reasonable price which also works. This was within the last couple of years.

orangeology

thanks for the link. indeed i came across ones like those.
the problem was i have too many pedal wrenches and 15 mm open end wrenches.

the issue has been solved.
failing to control the anxiety, i ended up ordering 3 different types:
a socket, an old school crank wrench with double tip of 15mm and 8mm hex and a baby lug nut style X wrench.

this thread seems keep going on and on—i sense—regardless.
never knew it was gonna be that good winter topic.

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm sure as hell glad I never had to take apart and service whatever it was you produced on that production run.

onespeedbiker

I'm not sure what planet you dropped down from but disposable income has been on the decline for decades and the explosive growth of recreational time is the result of 1/3 of all Americans not working. Vintage bicycles have been the rage since bicycles have been in existence. Why don't you take your trolling elsewhere where it will not result in you being a laughing stock.

mechanicmatt

or the increase in the usage of the new style out board bottom bracket. AND the fact that most people don't repair their own junk.

cale

Well, I don't think out board bottom brackets have increase demand for "in-board" bottom bracket/crankset tools. IMHO, there are fewer people today riding bikes with old fashioned bottom brackets because most old bikes go to the dump.

The fact that most people don't repair their own junk should lessen, not strengthen, demand for tools. Just saying... I've got a lot of bike tools that aren't being used except when MY bikes need work. Shop tools tend to get used daily and for many bikes during a work week.

cale

You're a piece of work this morning. Can't discern a troll from a comment? Oh boy...

southpawboston

+1. I found that Craftsman brand 15mm sockets fit inside of 22.2mm cranks dust cap threads, but snugly. Really cheap hardware store brand sockets usually are too thick.

gaucho777 

Not true. These (and many other VAR tools) are both really good and out of production:

cale

And yet, the modern bicycle industry manages to soldier on without them. How could that be?

gaucho777 

^But that's beside the point--your original, flawed point, that is. There is less demand for these tools ("how/why the industry soldiers on") despite their high quality and usefulness.

I can't believe this thread is headed for 5 pages!

cale

^On the contrary, this is exactly the point. Your illustrations may identify excellent tools. You say they are no longer in production. I would challenge that notion. The company that invented and first manufactured the tools may no longer make them but that doesn't mean that someone, somewhere, doesn't make them or something just like them. How do they straighten forks in India, China, Thailand, Poland, anywhere?

The point of my orginal post, and I'm entitled to be profuse because it was my point that you responded to, was that if a tool is really useful it almost always stays in production.

You want me to change my position to suit your whims. You want me to say that in will stay in production AT THE ORIGINAL SOURCE OF MANUFACTURE. I won't do that to suit your desire to call me wrong because it was never my intent to say this. I could care less who makes the tools I use, just that they remain available.

onespeedbiker

Troll

cale

Haha. You're back again. I hope you're feeling better. We're just having some fun while we wait to find out what happens to the crank arm.

Are you always so serious?