best pin wrench for adjustable BB?
 

Park SPA-1? SPA-6? anything else?
any experience with this cheap HF tool?

thanks in advance for your insights/experiences.

I use the SPA-6. It does the job, but it's a little awkward sometimes.

the harbor freight one doesn't work well, if at all. BTDT.

Every HF tool I've tried, the pins were too big to fit the BB.

I use the HCW-4

i use an SPA-1 and SPA-2. no complaints!

I have the HF tool and it only works on cups with larger pins or slots. Needle nose pliers work for cups with small holes; just jam the tips of the pliers into the pin holes. If you need more leverage, clamp the pliers with a pair of vise-grips at the pivot point.

I remember seeing an aftermarket cartridge bb that had 6 pin-holes and no lockrings.

I had to presume that they supplied a 6-pin tool for tightening it to a reasonable torque level, but seemed kluge-y to me. Maybe the pin holes were on the fat side, I can't recall.

I use the Park pin tool with a hinge, so it's adjustable, and can provide enough torque even for assisting the lockring's tightening, as the cup also rotates into it's very final state of adjustment. This has always seemed to give the most robust adjustment, as opposed to putting all foreward torque on the lockring tool while holding the cup stationary.

awesome.
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Campagnolo-He...15g~~60_35.JPG
i am going with a Campagnolo pin wrench.
when there's Campy, it has to be Campy and it's only ninety bucks on ebay.
...
NOT

just kiddin'. guess i am gonna start my experience with SPA-1 and see some expansions going forward.
saw one at 9 something bucks at REI.

thanks, folks!

does it mean that both cup and lockring have to be adjusted simultaneously—or at least all together by a bit?
thought—just thought—i'd do the cup first and the lockring at last?

got a NOS 7400 cup&cone BB and so excited to put that into my Pinarello.
i do have another BB, splined Chorus—that i have experienced w no trouble by far.

not worried at learning 'new old' technics with proper tools myself,
just worried i am gonna mess up the precious metal chunks with incompetent use of a tool or cheapo tool.

should i just sell DA for another frame and stick with less hassle? :)

I have the campy wrench and I love it.

+1

+1

Perhaps paradoxically, I find that I don't have to fiddle with these springy tools as much as with a tool that has fixed-width pins.

(I don't see any advantage with the SPA-6 adjustable tool, unless you use it so often that you need to replace pins.)


http://www.parktool.com/uploads/thum...0b_430x390.jpg

+1 on the SPA-1 & SPA-2. The other options probably work as well, or better, but this cheapskate has never felt the need to upgrade.

Truth is, that neither method is perfect in terms of preserving any adjustment that you can achieve before final, full tightening.

I like my method (turning both cup and lockring into final tightness), because it's trial and error either way, since tightening the locknut with the cup stationary also affects adjustment, while my method puts less gouging force on the lockring's spanner hook notches.

After one preliminary tightening, I end up backing off on the tightness in most cases, to allow slightly rotating the cup with respect to the lockring, so as to then (second try) arrive at a final adjustment with the lockring and cup fully settled into a secured adjustment.

The more tries it takes, the better it is that the force needed to turn the lockring is as low as possible, to keep from raising sharp burrs, stripping a notch or damaging chrome, and I can even bias the final adjustment a little with a bit of variation to my final, net torque (both tools together).

That the cup is rotating while under considerable tension from the lockring should settle the cup in the bb shell threads more completely, even more so if the threads have dirt, paint or rust in them as is so often the case.

Also, the lockring spanner distort's the lockring's roundness, the higher the torque applied there.

Lastly, that the few lockring threads are not the ones turning on the cup threads is also good in that this reduces the chance of stripping them, something that will never happen to the greater depth of adjustable cup threads in the bb shell.

This adds up to quite a few reasons. I surprised myself here.

I think you're right. I use the SPA-6 because that's the one I have, but I am always swearing at it as it slips out of adjustment, etc. The basic spring tools are probably easier to use with one hand.

Me too. And I used to have two of them. ;)

I've often wished for a power tool to twist out stubborn, gummed or rusted adjustable cups.

Having to keep repositioning a pin tool to apply rotation force is one pita when you're trying to work fast.

Multiple pin wrenches would be the best to avoid damaging the pin holes on BB cups, especially aluminum ones used on sealed cartridge BBs, as sometime you end up ovalizing the holes if you use two pin wrenches on them and have them on tight enough.
The multiple pin tools are hard to find though and are usually proprietary to certain brands of BB only because of differing pin hole patterns on the cups.

And your never getting them back!

They work great, don't they? I also have a couple of the Park pin tools and those work just fine too.
But you can really get a good, solid position held with the Campy tool while tightening the lock ring.

so, Campy one is indeed investable for long run most of all... i see. hmmm.

gonna have to sell the NOS BB for buying it, then.
wait, then there's no BB to adjust... damn.:cry:

#christmasstory

This tool works great for me as well. I have a SPA-2, or something like it, but I only keep it around in case the other tool doesn't fit the hole pattern. Given a choice, I'd take the HCW-4 every time.

The Sugino pin spanner, part of their two piece bb tool set. OOP, but you still see them for sale. The other tool is a 36mm fixed cup and lock ring spanner tool. Quite handy. There's a NOS set on ebay right now, silly high price. If you are patient, you will see them at reasonable prices.

Best one I have now is the modded Park wrench with the pins from the little Sugino!

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8e2c84af.jpg

The HF Pin Wrench did not work for me but its not the fault of the tool itself - The pins are too big - Works great on those items like older front ends on motorcycles...

I have been often surprised by the old ChiCom outlet - Many tools I have purchased from them have lasted much longer than I expected...

Go with the Park