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

Ever wonder what that square hole was for?

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.

Ever wonder what that square hole was for?

Old 05-27-20, 01:00 PM
  #1  
oneclick 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 2,812
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1105 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,325 Times in 782 Posts
Ever wonder what that square hole was for?

The square hole in the middle of one of these:




Well, a square thing-to-be-turned, of course; but where?

Found out today - here:





These are very handy touring spanners. The are *excellent* at gripping the head of Mafac Racer cable-fixing bolts, which have flats no thicker than the spanner; you can feel with your thumb/forefinger whether the spanner is coplanar with the bolt-head, plus they are big enough to easily keep the bolt straight on the cable while you tighten/loosen the nut.
oneclick is offline  
Likes For oneclick:
Old 05-27-20, 01:01 PM
  #2  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,433

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5887 Post(s)
Liked 3,469 Times in 2,079 Posts
That's a Raleigh tool, right?
bikemig is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 01:16 PM
  #3  
oneclick 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 2,812
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1105 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,325 Times in 782 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
That's a Raleigh tool, right?
No markings, but I'd guess not - has metric and imperial size holes. I think all the ones I have/have used of this pattern are that way.
oneclick is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 02:00 PM
  #4  
dddd
Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
 
dddd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 9,181

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: 1562 Post(s)
Liked 1,285 Times in 856 Posts
Good catch, I concur it's an amazing tool.

There are 4" adjustable wrenches available that can be filed out to fit up to a 5/8" (16mm) axle nut. The one on the left here is an oldie that I found street-side, weighs only 48g and fits 15mm nuts after a bit of filing to the jaws.
Plenty of torque capacity if the axle threads and washer are kept lubricated.

dddd is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 03:03 PM
  #5  
nlerner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,143
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3803 Post(s)
Liked 6,634 Times in 2,599 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
That's a Raleigh tool, right?
I’ve seen a couple of different versions, but here’s a pic of the Raleigh tool:

nlerner is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 03:21 PM
  #6  
martl
Strong Walker
 
martl's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Munich, Germany
Posts: 1,317

Bikes: too many

Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 332 Post(s)
Liked 482 Times in 253 Posts
Nothing found on a tool originating off a country that does imperial will surprise me. And by "nothing", I mean *nothing*.
martl is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 04:01 PM
  #7  
clubman 
Phyllo-buster
 
clubman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 8,843

Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic

Mentioned: 133 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 2,043 Times in 1,252 Posts
In my experience, it's for the end of coaster brake axles for adjustment.
clubman is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 04:53 PM
  #8  
gugie 
Bike Butcher of Portland
 
gugie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,630

Bikes: It's complicated.

Mentioned: 1299 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4677 Post(s)
Liked 5,790 Times in 2,279 Posts
MAFAC tool kits (at least the "full" version) had one of those as well. Doubled as a tire lever.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
gugie is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 05:13 PM
  #9  
Bianchigirll 
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,844

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2924 Post(s)
Liked 2,921 Times in 1,489 Posts
I always thought it was for those square bolt heads on old tricycles and kids bikes
__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 05:59 PM
  #10  
The Golden Boy 
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,641

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2607 Post(s)
Liked 1,694 Times in 933 Posts
Something round has GOT to fit in that hole. I'll ******g make it.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 06:01 PM
  #11  
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 inherited a couple of those tools from my dad. And some other, similar gems. Haven't yet found a use for them. I will take one on my next tour.
__________________
Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
Auto-pause is a honey-tongued devil whispering sweet lies in your ear.


seedsbelize is offline  
Old 05-27-20, 06:57 PM
  #12  
oneclick 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 2,812
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1105 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,325 Times in 782 Posts
The crank turned out better than I expected:




Now it will get a final polish and clean, then sit on the top of the boiler for a few days (absolutely the driest place in the house), then clearcoated on the next decent very-dry day. It'll still rust, this is not for a showpiece bike, but a time-capsule survivor. More photos when it's done, probably different thread.
oneclick is offline  
Likes For oneclick:
Old 05-28-20, 08:13 AM
  #13  
thumpism 
Bikes are okay, I guess.
 
thumpism's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 6,938

Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Giant CFM-2, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT

Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2647 Post(s)
Liked 2,446 Times in 1,557 Posts
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
Something round has GOT to fit in that hole. I'll ******g make it.
I was going to say the square hole is for hanging the tool on a round peg on the workbench.
thumpism is offline  

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


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

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.