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Unpopular opinion: I finally gave up on the old school cone wrenches for cartridge hubs

For years I used the thin 13mm and 15mm cone wrenches on loose ball hubs, thinking that was the 'proper' way. Last month I had a customer's bike with a cheap cartridge hub that was seized, and I spent 45 minutes fighting it with those wrenches and a mallet. A guy at the co-op saw me and just handed me a big adjustable wrench and a bench vise. Had the whole axle out in under 2 minutes. The adjustable gave way more leverage and didn't slip. I felt like an idiot for sticking to the 'right' tool for so long. Has anyone else found a simpler tool that just works better on modern parts?
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3 Comments
caseywalker
caseywalker21h agoMost Upvoted
Sometimes the "wrong" tool is just the right tool for the job.
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webb.hannah
My grandpa used a butter knife to fix a VCR in 1998 and it ran for another five years. I mean, a flathead screwdriver is basically a tiny pry bar and a chisel. Where do you even draw the line? Is it more about the tool's design or just the person's skill with it?
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kevinw94
kevinw9420h ago
Ever try a pipe wrench on a stuck bottom bracket?
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