Wrench for 15mm rear axle?

[m@Robertson]

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.

No there is more than enough room to use a Knipex on that example bike. The 6" (150mm) version shown by @smorgasbord borders on tiny, and fits within the silhouette of my hand. Looks like about 45 degrees of rotation is possible which is plenty for side-of-the-road use. The 6" is enough to loosen and tighten an axle bolt as thats the one I have been using for that purpose.

Knipex wrenches provide an extremely strong grip when the jaws are expanded. Much more than a set of channel locks, plus the jaws always stay parallel so the risk of rounding off a nut is almost zero combined with the kind of grip these things provide. I took this pic awhile back for an article on tools, with a Bafang axle nut in the jaws of the 6" set. That narrow grip you get from expanding the jaws means if your hand is reasonably strong, nothing shifts. You can overtighten a 15mm axle nut to the point it will strip its threads so its fully capable.

I'm sure this ability is why one of them costs fifty bucks, which is enough to create an argument against them right there. But the flaw is cost, not capability.

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

I have a couple of those from back when I was trying to find a stronger but still rim-friendly tire iron. They bend at the tire iron portion, whose coating also breaks off and exposes bare metal.

 

[PCeBiker]

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

Something like this would probably be able to handle a lot more torque than a ratcheting handle.
A ratcheting handle can let go or jam if you reef on it too hard.

 

[PCeBiker]

No there is more than enough room to use a Knipex on that example bike.

I was going to get that Knipex tool, but I realized that I didn't really need it, so I carry a box end combination wrench for my axle nut in my tool kit instead.
It's ¾" nut, but an 18mm fits a bit tighter so I carry that.
The bike came with two open ended wrenches with the four other sizes I need and they are in my tool kit as well.

You can use the combination wrench as a cheater bar in a pinch, but you have to be careful as the wrenchs can slip apart.

 

[PCeBiker]

I have craftsman master mechanic tool set it comes with a gang load of sockets.
9/16 18 point socket should fit and unscrew the nut.

I only use 6 point sockets.
I've stripped too many nuts and bolt heads with 12 point sockets.

A socket only needs 6 points.
It's connecting to a ratchet handle so you just rotate the ratchet head to line up the socket.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Regarding torque wrenches, do we have any recommendations?
I use this one (2-20 nm) already. It seems fine. There is a 10-60 nm equivalent.

Since the 10-60 nm would only have one use (the rear axel 15mm that requires 30-40nm), would it make sense to get something that can handle 30-175 nm to use on cars as well?

 

[PCeBiker]

I take it back 15mm nut requires 15mm socket or wrench. 16mm is equivalent to 9/16.
19mm is 3/4.

My car is all metric except the oil drain plug which is ¾" and I use a 19mm on it. The 18mm doesn't fit.
So my axle nut is most likely a metric 18mm. (the rest of the e-bike has metric Allen bolts.)
The ¾" sockets and wrenches fit with a bit of slop, but being off by a mm doesn't matter as much with larger nuts and bolts.

 

[fooferdoggie]

if you wanted this guy for the price of postage I dont need it.

SS-15 Single Speed Spanner

A multi-function tool designed and built to complement the simplicity and utility of the single-speed bike.

www.parktool.com

 

[PCeBiker]

May I suggest that you buy separate tools precision tools for your bike. I have not the need to use tools for my truck to work on my bike.
Simple but useful tools.
A Fluke meter to check battery voltage and other electrical features.

Yeah, I've been doing all kinds of that.

The 18mm wrench doesn't fit my car so now it's in my tool kit on my e-bike.
I have proper wrenches for things like my pedals but I keep them at home.
The tools that came with the bike are good enough for a roadside repair.

I've been considering that ProBike torque wrench, but it had a few negative reviews where it wouldn't click or it was wildly inaccurate.
I think that I might have to spend the BIG $$ to get a Park Tool torque wrench if I get a torque wrench. Meanwhile I have my old-school torque wrench that I trust.

 

[PCeBiker]

I use this one (2-20 nm) already. It seems fine. There is a 10-60 nm equivalent.

The problem with torque wrenches is that you don't know if they are accurate unless you get them calibrated.
I'd rather guesstimate using my Crank Brothers tool than assume the torque wrench is accurate.

I usually buy cheaper or midgrade tools and supplies, but I think that I'll spend the money for a Park Tools torque wrench if I buy another one.

Since the 10-60 nm would only have one use (the rear axel 15mm that requires 30-40nm), would it make sense to get something that can handle 30-175 nm to use on cars as well?

The problem with a big torque wrench is that if it is off by say, 5% the inaccuracy adds up to a lot more with a torque wrench that reads up to 175 nm.

It's a bit like trying to weigh an apple on a bathroom scale.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Usually you are given a range... like 15 - 20 Nm so if you shoot for the middle you are well within 5%
Recently I picked up one of these... Still accurate enough for non government work after 1000 cycles

 

[m@Robertson]

Regarding torque wrenches, do we have any recommendations?
I use this one (2-20 nm) already. It seems fine. There is a 10-60 nm equivalent.

Since the 10-60 nm would only have one use (the rear axel 15mm that requires 30-40nm), would it make sense to get something that can handle 30-175 nm to use on cars as well?

I used an earlier version of that smaller one originally. Over time and a lot of use I noticed it became wildly inaccurate and I replaced it. Almost the same goes for the cheapie 3/8" wrench. I didn't use that brand but it was a differently branded clone of the same wrench. It was a ballpark at best. But as @Gionnirocket says, you should factor in potential wonkiness into what you set the wrench to.

The problem with torque wrenches is that you don't know if they are accurate unless you get them calibrated.

When I wore out my first batch o' wrenches, I replaced them with something I expected to last, and a big item on the must have features was the ability to send it in for re-calibration.

IIRC I spent my COVID rebates on these so in a sense it was found money. I also did some smart shopping and got price deals on both. These suckers weren't cheap, but they are in the lasts-a-lifetime category... I hope.

The 1/4" wrench: Wera A5 that works for almost everything on the bike. +/- 3%
The 3/8" wrench: Wera B2 for essentially just the crankarms, on the bike at least. Also +/- 3%
The 1/2" wrench: Home Depot Shillelagh. Mostly for car wheel bolts but ideal for BBSHD lock rings that need 90 ft lbs. I wore one of these out but I was at the race track every month for 3 years and torqued a metric buttload of wheels with it, so not the wrench's fault. Good for hard use.

Worth mentioning: The bicycle torque wrenches sold by Park (TW-5.2 and TW-6.2) and sometimes militantly recommended by bike mechanics as being the only tool you should use are priced almost as high as the Weras, but their +/- 4% accuracy is comparable to lower cost wrenches. Park now offers a calibration service for them. Wasn't available when I was in the market.

 

[PCeBiker]

Wow !!
That's a lot of money in Canada.
I did put it in my wish list though.

It's not so much the accuracy that concerns me, it's the way that it can drift over time, and chances are that you wouldn't notice the change.

 

[PCeBiker]

Just an FYI for anyone who might not know,..
Always turn your dial back to zero after using a torque wrench.
If a torque stays set, the spring inside can compress and sag, throwing off the accuracy.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I use this one (2-20 nm) already. It seems fine.

Use the same. A very good tool.