Wrench for 15mm rear axle?

[AvalancheRun]

The typical 15 mm bike wrench won't fit around my rear axle bolt (Gazelle Ultimate with IGH). The torque spec is 30-40 nm.

Should I just buy a torque wrench? Any other recommendations welcome!

 

[Tars Tarkas]

What you have is a cone wrench, which isn't supposed to be used on an axle nut. If you are talking about wanting to remove the rear wheel, a set of sockets, or a 15 mm socket at least, and a ratchet handle would be my go-to tool. There are other possibilities.... I'd recommend that first, and if you want to torque things right, add a torque wrench. You could just get the torque wrench, and the sockets, but there's a lot of wrench work that doesn't require measuring torque, and torque wrenches can be somewhat delicate and are best left for just making final torque adjustments. (Not for the grunt work of loosening or tightening every nut or bolt all the way down.

If you are adjusting your bearings, you still need to loosen your axle nut first, so your cone wrenches are still needed -- but there are two jobs there. Loosen the axle nut, and then adjust the cones. Two tools.

TT

 

[m@Robertson]

You should always have a torque wrench for working on a bike. As @Tars Tarkas says its not for grunt work, but for making final adjustments. Almost everything has a torque spec on a bike, even if its a simple water bottle boss that has nothing more than the general torque spec that goes with a stainless M5 socket. You'd be surprised how low the torque number is to securely tighten but not stretch the threads on an M5 or an M6 bolt, and its just as important to use a torque wrench to avoid overtightening as it is to get something properly tight.

For a bike, a small 1/4" drive torque wrench that maxes out at about 10 Nm will do every job on the bike except the axle and the crankarms (the latter being a big deal to pay attention to as they often loosen).

 

[AvalancheRun]

You should always have a torque wrench for working on a bike. As @Tars Tarkas says its not for grunt work, but for making final adjustments. Almost everything has a torque spec on a bike, even if its a simple water bottle boss that has nothing more than the general torque spec that goes with a stainless M5 socket. You'd be surprised how low the torque number is to securely tighten but not stretch the threads on an M5 or an M6 bolt, and its just as important to use a torque wrench to avoid overtightening as it is to get something properly tight.

For a bike, a small 1/4" drive torque wrench that maxes out at about 10 Nm will do every job on the bike except the axle and the crankarms (the latter being a big deal to pay attention to as they often loosen).

I have a torque wrench that maxes out at 12 nm. Just wanted to see if it were necessary to buy a new wrench for this one bolt. Bike shops told me they don’t bother, but idk.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

You're going to need another wrench. Your cone wrenches are for hub cones, not for axle nuts. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people probably don't use a torque wrench on their axle nuts, but there's a saying that torque wrenches are for amateurs -- pros don't need them for jobs like this. So if you have no idea how to feel about the right tightness for your axle nut, get a torque wrench.

I completely agree with @m_robertson that everyone who works on bikes should have a torque wrench though. If the one you have only goes to 12 nm, you need a bigger one for this job, but more than that, you need a set of sockets and a ratchet. If this is the only nut you're ever going to deal with, you can get a dedicated 15 mm wrench that will work. but once you have a socket set you will probably find a million other things you can do with it.

TT

 

[AvalancheRun]

You're going to need another wrench. Your cone wrenches are for hub cones, not for axle nuts. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people probably don't use a torque wrench on their axle nuts, but there's a saying that torque wrenches are for amateurs -- pros don't need them for jobs like this. So if you have no idea how to feel about the right tightness for your axle nut, get a torque wrench.

I completely agree with @m_robertson that everyone who works on bikes should have a torque wrench though. If the one you have only goes to 12 nm, you need a bigger one for this job, but more than that, you need a set of sockets and a ratchet. If this is the only nut you're ever going to deal with, you can get a dedicated 15 mm wrench that will work. but once you have a socket set you will probably find a million other things you can do with it.

TT

Larger wrench it is. Thanks guys, this has been very informative.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Aside from the torque wrench question, if you want the lowest cost solution to removing your axle nut, this is probably it: combination wrench

A certain amount of discretion called for here, but I don't think I have ever regretted spending more for better quality tools. (Not saying the wrench in the link is top quality, but it has 4.8 stars, so it's probably pretty good.)

TT

 

[mclewis1]

There have been times when a heavier wrench wasn't available that I've used 2 or 3 cone wrenches wrapped tightly together to remove a 15 or 17mm nut. Most cone wrenches are made from a reasonably hard steel but can easily slip when they are less than perpendicular to the flat nut surfaces, and they sure don't stand up to regular abuse.

With my hub motor ebikes I've also taken to carrying a small adjustable wrench rather than a few fixed sizes.

 

[m@Robertson]

For my hub bikes, which are pretty much the only ones with bolts on the axles, I used to carry a single stubby box end wrench. Its good enough to torque the bolt enough to get me from the side of the road to home, and the box end makes solid contact. Its not unusual to need the open ended side on the drive side due to lack of clearance. Its dedicated to a single size, but I only need one size on the whole bike for that one nut/bolt. In more recent years, I have gone to small Knipex pliers which can apply almost the same level of grip as a fixed wrench, and they are adjustable in case I need them for something else. But nowhere near as cheap as a simple box end.

 

[smorgasbord]

+1 on the Knipex. This 6" model handles a lot (don't know if it'll handle the axle bolt, but they make larger sizes as well):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EXOK0Y

 

[Tars Tarkas]

The problem with Knipex pliers or cone wrenches, or adjustable wrenches is getting them around the nut. (Look at the picture in the original post.) Even if you could get them on the nut there probably won't be enough room to turn them at all.

There are all kinds of wrenches and pliers, but they don't all work properly, or even at all, in every situation. Of course that's exactly why there are so many varieties. There's usually a right tool for any job. A lot of the compromise tools will work in a pinch but they are often exactly how nuts get rounded and ruined or knuckles get scraped, tools broken, etc.

TT

 

[smorgasbord]

The problem with Knipex pliers or cone wrenches, or adjustable wrenches is getting them around the nut. (Look at the picture in the original post.) Even if you could get them on the nut there probably won't be enough room to turn them at all.

Yeah sure, but the OP's photo shows an Enviolo hub with belt drive, which means just loosening the axle bolt may not be enough by itself to remove the wheel. For a short time I had a bike with such a hub, and my recollection is that I also had to loosen the two hex bolts visible in that photo to be able to slide the wheel forward enough to get the wheel off and on properly. Which means you're re-tensioning the belt in the field.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Yeah sure, but the OP's photo shows an Enviolo hub with belt drive, which means just loosening the axle bolt may not be enough by itself to remove the wheel. For a short time I had a bike with such a hub, and my recollection is that I also had to loosen the two hex bolts visible in that photo to be able to slide the wheel forward enough to get the wheel off and on properly. Which means you're re-tensioning the belt in the field.

Good points, but not really relevant to how or what tool to use to loosen the axle nut. Maybe very important to how or even whether to try to remove the rear wheel in the field. @AvelancheRun didn't ask about that, although it was almost certainly implied, I agree.

I haven't kept up, but I believe there are bike manufacturers who require owners to bring their bikes in for service like this. I don't know if Gazelle is one of them. To the extent possible, I'm old-school enough that I'm always going to think fixing a flat on the road is (should be) a simple task that every bike rider should know how, and be able, to do. But I'm old.

TT

 

[DiggyGun]

I just use a 15mm ring spanner.

DG…

 

[fooferdoggie]

this could be a cool way to go.

https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Design-Works-Wrencho-Coated/dp/B003M2TLLC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=FRFHP5TWKAHM&keywords=compact+15mm+wrench&qid=1693864249&sprefix=15mm+compact%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-5

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Been 25+ years since I worked in bikes, but I'm with the socket wrench brigade on this one.

Still, would prefer to carry something smaller and lighter than a typical 3/8" drive for the wrench itself. Wondering if a typical quality 1/4" drive would be strong enough to loosen a typical balky axle nut? Not worried about the sockets.

 

[Gionnirocket]

this could be a cool way to go.

https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Design-Works-Wrencho-Coated/dp/B003M2TLLC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=FRFHP5TWKAHM&keywords=compact+15mm+wrench&qid=1693864249&sprefix=15mm+compact%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-5

View attachment 161986

But can it core a apple?

 

[indianajo]

I carry this 15 mm 12 point combo wrench from US manufacturer Wright: https://www.mcmaster.com/7191A18
It is about 8" long so I don't have to bruise my hand to reach the proper torque.
As for the torque, practice on other 15 mm nuts with the torque wrench until you know what 30-40 nm feels lke. Then you don't have to carry that heavy torque wrench to change a tube out on the road.

 

[fooferdoggie]

But can it core a apple?

only wimps core apples.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Been 25+ years since I worked in bikes, but I'm with the socket wrench brigade on this one.

Still, would prefer to carry something smaller and lighter than a typical 3/8" drive for the wrench itself. Wondering if a typical quality 1/4" drive would be strong enough to loosen a typical balky axle nut? Not worried about the sockets.

Interesting question, so I Googled it. Google says a 1/4" drive is good for about 30 foot pounds, so 41 Nm, so, if you take Google at it's word, maybe it would work, but barely. That's assuming the nut wasn't over torqued. You might be stronger than the users Google has in mind, and you could use a cheater bar if you had one, but a 3/8" drive might be a safer bet.

TT