Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

A headset wrench, adjustable.

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

A headset wrench, adjustable.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 04-06-18, 07:45 PM
  #1  
Dana Shifflett
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
A headset wrench, adjustable.

I've been looking for years for a headset Wrench for my old Raleigh bike. Nothing fit. Last week I found an adjustable sink wrench, available on-line from Walmart, @$9.00.
The jaws are a perfect 7mm thick. It's otherwise large, crude, and a bit awkward to use around the top tube, but it's better than a crescent wrench and I'm glad to have it.
I've never seen one in a hardware store. That doesn't mean you won't.

Last edited by Dana Shifflett; 04-07-18 at 06:12 AM.
Dana Shifflett is offline  
Old 04-06-18, 08:03 PM
  #2  
merziac
Senior Member
 
merziac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PDX
Posts: 13,046

Bikes: Merz x 5 + Specialized Merz Allez x 2, Strawberry/Newlands/DiNucci/Ti x3, Gordon, Fuso/Moulton x2, Bornstein, Paisley,1958-74 Paramounts x3, 3rensho, 74 Moto TC, 73-78 Raleigh Pro's x5, Marinoni x2, 1960 Cinelli SC, 1980 Bianchi SC, PX-10 X 2

Mentioned: 267 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4512 Post(s)
Liked 6,387 Times in 3,672 Posts
Often wondered about that, just not smart enough to follow up, guess I will now.

Originally Posted by Dana Shifflett
I've been looking for years for a headset Wrench for my old Raleigh bike. Nothing fit. Last week I found an adjustable sink wrench, available on-line from Walmart, @$9.00.
The jaws are a perfect 7mm thick. It's otherwise large, crude, and a bit awkward to use around the top tube, but it's better than a crescent wrench and I'm glad to have it.
I've never seen one in a hardware store. That doesn't mean you won't.
merziac is offline  
Old 04-06-18, 08:19 PM
  #3  
Kontact 
Senior Member
 
Kontact's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 7,067
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4409 Post(s)
Liked 1,565 Times in 1,027 Posts
What headset?

This wrench? https://www.walmart.com/ip/General-T...&wl13=&veh=sem
Kontact is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 06:10 AM
  #4  
Dana Shifflett
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
That's it. For the large, 8-sided bottom nut on my '72 grand Prix. Don't know who else would benefit from it, but I've been hurting for such a wrench for a long time.
I wanted to post that link, but forums wouldn't let me til I've made 10 posts.

Last edited by Dana Shifflett; 04-07-18 at 06:13 AM.
Dana Shifflett is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 08:57 AM
  #5  
Chombi1 
Senior Member
 
Chombi1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,489
Mentioned: 102 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1641 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 831 Times in 540 Posts
Wow! Not even 10 bucks!
If that had a Park or Hosan label in it, it would cost at least 4 to five times more!. Great find!
How stable are the jaws? Does it have any flex or deflection when you apply force to it?
__________________
72 Line Seeker
83 Davidson Signature
84 Peugeot PSV
84 Peugeot PY10FC
84 Gitane Tour de France.
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7
86 ALAN Record Carbonio
86 Medici Aerodynamic (Project)
88 Pinarello Montello
89 Bottecchia Professional Chorus SL
95 Trek 5500 OCLV (Project)
Chombi1 is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 09:06 AM
  #6  
dweenk
Senior Member
 
dweenk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,800

Bikes: Lots of English 3-speeds, a couple of old road bikes, 3 mountain bikes, 1 hybrid, and a couple of mash-ups

Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 335 Times in 225 Posts
@Chombi1

It appears that the wingnut locks the jaw position.
dweenk is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 09:13 AM
  #7  
clubman 
Phyllo-buster
 
clubman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 8,847

Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic

Mentioned: 133 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2298 Post(s)
Liked 2,055 Times in 1,255 Posts
Check out the Canadian version. We always get screwed.
clubman is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 09:22 AM
  #8  
Chombi1 
Senior Member
 
Chombi1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,489
Mentioned: 102 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1641 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 831 Times in 540 Posts
Oi! That bigger pic from Canada reveals the crudeskyness of that tool..... Well I guess the pipe fittings under a sink does not really deserve a well finished tool?
Maybe a session under a polishing bonnet and a nicer threaded knob instead of the wingnut could bring out the beauty in it and avoid it being an embarrassment next time you have your cycling buddies in your place for a visit.....
__________________
72 Line Seeker
83 Davidson Signature
84 Peugeot PSV
84 Peugeot PY10FC
84 Gitane Tour de France.
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7
86 ALAN Record Carbonio
86 Medici Aerodynamic (Project)
88 Pinarello Montello
89 Bottecchia Professional Chorus SL
95 Trek 5500 OCLV (Project)
Chombi1 is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 09:24 AM
  #9  
deephate
Full Member
 
deephate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Iowa
Posts: 387

Bikes: COLNAGO! Litespeed, Motobecane, Peugeot, Gitane, Fuji, Nishiki, Centurion, Panasonic, Giant, Trek, Cannondale, Raleigh, Bianchi, Winsor

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 11 Posts
I just purchased one. It will be ready for pick up in a week.
deephate is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 10:32 AM
  #10  
Pompiere
Senior Member
 
Pompiere's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 3,421

Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 2011 Jamis Quest, 1980 Peugeot TH8 Tandem, 1992 Performance Parabola, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-S LTD, 197? FW Evans

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 533 Post(s)
Liked 1,007 Times in 516 Posts
I have had one of those for several years, but I never have used it on a bike. I normally just use a large crescent wrench.
Pompiere is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 11:37 AM
  #11  
dddd
Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
 
dddd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 9,194

Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.

Mentioned: 132 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1565 Post(s)
Liked 1,296 Times in 866 Posts
Some brands of adjustable wrenches open further than others. I have one 10" model that handles 32mm headset locknuts, and there are 12" models that will open wide enough for a Raleigh's top race. Newer wrenches tend to be better in this regard.
dddd is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 01:13 PM
  #12  
seedsbelize 
smelling the roses
 
seedsbelize's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México
Posts: 15,320

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

Mentioned: 104 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7081 Post(s)
Liked 901 Times in 612 Posts
I have an open end headset wrench that I picked up locally. 30/32 on one end; 36/40 on the other. I walked into that shop some years ago, saw it, bought it (cheap), and have never seen another.
__________________
Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
Auto-pause is a honey-tongued devil whispering sweet lies in your ear.


seedsbelize is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 04:27 PM
  #13  
cyclotoine
Senior Member
 
cyclotoine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Yukon, Canada
Posts: 8,759
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 16 Times in 14 Posts
Fortunately, I am at a place in my life where I can afford to have nice tools and I enjoy having and using them. I should have bought these sooner.

Behold the ultimate headset wrench:



KNIPEX Tools LP - KNIPEX
__________________
1 Super Record bike, 1 Nuovo Record bike, 1 Pista, 1 Road, 1 Cyclocross/Allrounder, 1 MTB, 1 Touring, 1 Fixed gear
cyclotoine is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 06:27 PM
  #14  
Kactus
Senior Member
 
Kactus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 2,520

Bikes: 1962 Schwinn Paramount P12, 1971 Schwinn Paramount P13-9

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 344 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 20 Posts
Amazon has one with vinyl dipped handles as well as the one posted by the OP. Now if they just made a metric version.
Kactus is offline  
Old 04-07-18, 07:08 PM
  #15  
Dana Shifflett
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Having a Raleigh, I feel fortunate to have found one in whitworth.
Dana Shifflett is offline  
Old 04-08-18, 10:20 AM
  #16  
Aroyobob
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Arizona
Posts: 46

Bikes: Trek 460, Trek 1420, Schwin High Sierra

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times in 11 Posts
Home Depot has one like this as well. Just search under basin wrench and scroll down for a while.
Aroyobob is offline  
Old 04-08-18, 12:07 PM
  #17  
qcpmsame 
Semper Fi
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,942
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1172 Post(s)
Liked 358 Times in 241 Posts
Originally Posted by Kactus
Amazon has one with vinyl dipped handles as well as the one posted by the OP. Now if they just made a metric version.
What about a Whitworth also? Can't show favoritism can we?

Going to find that Knipex, and get one of theirs.

Bill
__________________
Semper Fi, USMC, 1975-1977

I Can Do All Things Through Him, Who Gives Me Strength. Philippians 4:13


qcpmsame is offline  
Old 04-08-18, 10:14 PM
  #18  
SteelCharlie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 98

Bikes: Caylor, Basso, Sannino, Colnago, Masi

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Buggering headset nuts is a Great American Pastime. An adjustable wrench seems the perfect tool for it. Personally I think I just hang with the Dura Ace headset wrenches I use now.
Besta Luck
SteelCharlie is offline  
Old 04-09-18, 04:47 AM
  #19  
oddjob2
Still learning
 
oddjob2's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: North of Canada, Adirondacks
Posts: 11,533

Bikes: Still a garage full

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 847 Post(s)
Liked 66 Times in 44 Posts
Fuggedaboutit, the basin wrench even sucks at the job it is intended for.
oddjob2 is offline  
Old 04-09-18, 04:50 AM
  #20  
oddjob2
Still learning
 
oddjob2's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: North of Canada, Adirondacks
Posts: 11,533

Bikes: Still a garage full

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 847 Post(s)
Liked 66 Times in 44 Posts
Originally Posted by clubman
Check out the Canadian version. We always get screwed.
That is not Walmart, but a 3rd party vendor selling via Walmart’s website.
oddjob2 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Dana Shifflett
Classic & Vintage
8
04-03-18 07:35 AM
estasnyc
Bicycle Mechanics
10
02-08-18 11:02 PM
joedab
Bicycle Mechanics
20
09-06-17 08:44 PM
Ol Danl
Bicycle Mechanics
1
08-11-11 06:12 AM
kmcrawford111
Bicycle Mechanics
24
02-12-10 08:13 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.