Willis24

Does anyone know of a cycling retailer or tool shop in the states that carries a 4x5 S Bend Allen Wrench? I currently have a 5x6 that is Surly branded and really enjoy the practicality over other multi-tools when on the roadside.

Zef

I can totally see the extreme amount of practicality of carrying an "S" bend allen wrench compared to the burden of carrying a regular 4mm allen wrench along with your current "S" bend one, and doubling up on the 5mm end will provide endless benefit over any other possible combination one can dream up.

Get out and ride.

-j

Willis24

Maybe I should have mentioned also that I never use the 6, but always find myself reaching for a 4 or 5. So the 5x6 would be left hanging on the shop wall.

Zef

And carrying two individual allen keys in 4mm and 5mm is somehow problematic to the point that one is spending any amount of energy searching for this holy grail of tools.

-j

Sixty Fiver

Spoken like a man who does not understand tools...

fietsbob

There is a much larger longer set of folding allen-hex wrenches , that offer more leverage.

joejack951

Have you considered cutting the 6mm bit off a Park AWS-1: https://www.parktool.com/product/3-way-hex-wrench-aws-1

Wilfred Laurier

check ikea

Zef

Actually I am a tool fanatic and firmly believe in having the correct tool for the job/part as a matter of principle I detest adjustable wrenches. But...I am also driven by practicality...for instance there are "s" bend screw drivers that I have found necessary when working in tight clearance areas on various projects where a normal screw driver will not work. The dual length ends of a normal allen wrench provides this type of benefit when tightening/loosening water bottle cage bolts and those other rare occurances of tight clearance areas on bikes....but other than not having to keep track of an extra tool while doing repair work on the side of the road there is little practical benefit to seeking out a special allen wrench when standard ones are widely available, come in a variety of lengths, and for the sizes needed for work on bicycles they are small/compact enough and weigh relatively little that there is no practical benefit in wasting time, energy, or money in a seeking out a special version of this type of tool.

Now if the OP had not mentioned "practicality" in the opening post and instead stated he was a tool junkie with lots of money to burn or had an uncontrolable urge to purchase a tool like he wants then this whole thread could have gone in a totally different direction.

To the OP....I am sure what you are looking for exists but finding one may prove difficult...BUT if there is a ski shop near you that sells Head ski boots, the Head Adaptedge ski boots come with a couple of allen wrenches one of which is 5mm on the long end and the short end is machined down to 4mm....for bicyle use it would probably be better if the combination was the other way around though but perhaps a Head dealer has a spare floating around.

Here is a link to a company that supplies what you want:
https://www.taiwantrade.com.tw/sptool...l/en_US/597272



-j

Zef

How about this?

https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Hex-Co...5mm+hex+wrench

-j

Zef

Or this:

https://www.amazon.com/IceToolz-Allen...5mm+hex+wrench

-j

Willis24

Dear Greenfieldja, come on man pay attention.

The link you provided is exactly the link I put at the top of this thread. I also posed the original question on the availability of this item in the states, as in order it online today and have instant gratification in the good 'ol American way. The item in the link is exactly what I am looking for, no substitutes, or sorta likes, just a good old 4x5 S-Bend allen. I live in the land of corn and cattle, not ski shops and chalets. I am stubborn like that, in fact, Missouri is called the "Show Me State" for more reasons than you can imagine!

Please forgive me for needing just the right tool for me.

Willis24

Perfect! Thank you for being more persistent than me. You are awesome!

Zef

Oops...totally forgot about the link in your first post and I didn't explore the page to see if it was available or not in/to the US. Sorry.

Living overseas (Morocco for a bit over 2 years and now Belgium) one quickly gets over the ability to have instant gratification that exists in the US. Nothing over here is instant except the expectation of how fast you are expected to pay your taxes and other bills...service, product delivery, any notion of customer service...not a chance, and no one to complain to if it does not pan out for you as a customer. Billing error on your electricity bill? not the responsibility of the person at the call center...ask to speak to a supervisor and they tell you "not possible" and if you press they just hang up and you start from scratch with the another person the next time you call...and all this in French btw. It was interesting to find that on the other side of the frustration spectrum there is nothing but humor, because the alternative is to become homicidal.

I am glad you were able to see the glimmer of humor in my facetiousness, and I am glad in the end I could help you find a product that approximates your desires.


Cheers,

-j

Oh yeah, I used to live in U-city. How far is Polo from there?

TheReal Houdini

this is my favorite:

https://www.parktool.com/product/multi-tool-mt-1

Willis24

Never heard of U-city, but Polo is about 50 miles NE of Kansas City. Some of the best gravel grinding roads around.

Zef

U-city = University City which is a suberb of St Louis near Clayton and Creve Coeure....Way on the other side of the state....I had never heard of Polo MO before and when I google mapped it I reallized why, it looks to be a postage stamp carved out of the surrounding terrain. Looks like a nice place to retire.

-j