Top tip of the day: allen keys
N0bodyOfTheGoat
Posts: 6,057
Make sure you have not got any old imperial sized keys lying near or in your bike tool box...
While fettling with my Pylon8, ahead of the Recon Race fork arriving, I have discovered that I have cleverly rounded off the head bolts (to various degrees) on both Shimano 485 brake levers and the Alfine shifter! It appears that I had somehow thrown an imperial allan key or two in the box, which are similar (but fractionally smaller) than a 6mm. D'OH! :?
The bolts on the "Dumbo" butterfly bars do not look much better, although I did not try them. I was hoping to swap the Dumbos and the Race Kooka stem back for the original oversize stem and bars this afternoon, as a step in the direction of XC mode.
In conclusion, it looks as if I have rounded off bolts last summer before my Sealey torque wrench and ball-end Sealey allen bits arrived. Either that, or I have been using the ball-ends badly.
So, time for some new (M6?) bolts... Hmmm, http://oscommerce.tibolts.co.uk/product ... cts_id=119 ?
While fettling with my Pylon8, ahead of the Recon Race fork arriving, I have discovered that I have cleverly rounded off the head bolts (to various degrees) on both Shimano 485 brake levers and the Alfine shifter! It appears that I had somehow thrown an imperial allan key or two in the box, which are similar (but fractionally smaller) than a 6mm. D'OH! :?
The bolts on the "Dumbo" butterfly bars do not look much better, although I did not try them. I was hoping to swap the Dumbos and the Race Kooka stem back for the original oversize stem and bars this afternoon, as a step in the direction of XC mode.
In conclusion, it looks as if I have rounded off bolts last summer before my Sealey torque wrench and ball-end Sealey allen bits arrived. Either that, or I have been using the ball-ends badly.
So, time for some new (M6?) bolts... Hmmm, http://oscommerce.tibolts.co.uk/product ... cts_id=119 ?
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo
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Comments
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Similar story. I rounded some Hope mini lever resevoir top cap bolts using a metric hex key. A quick search of the web showed that loads of other folk have also had to resort to hacksawing a groove in them to get them out with a slot screwdriver. Oddly, I later found that an imperial hex key fitted the undamaged bolts fine. I've since replaced them all with the newer style torx bolts. Sorted.0
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Hucking Fell wrote:Similar story. I rounded some Hope mini lever resevoir top cap bolts using a metric hex key.
Hope supply their parts with Imperial spec Allen cap bolts?
In the modern world where 99.9% of anything manufactured uses Metric threads and fittings I though Hope would have abandoned the near redundant Imperial type stuff0 -
Did I make a "schoolboy error" in buying ball-end allen bits?
Do they have a reputation for chewing up bolt heads?
Maybe I overtightened the bolts before purchasing the Sealey wrench and bits, so by the time I loosened them with Sealey and then fettled with brake/shifter angles on the bars, I had gone past the point of no return?================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
Ball end Allen keys have their uses and are ideal for tightening hex bolts from an angle or when the hey bolt is slightly obstructed. If I am not mistaken most ball end Allen keys also have the traditional Allen key face on the other end?
Beware that not all hex wrenches and other tools are created equally.
When it comes to tools I think it's better spending money on quality like SnapOn and Park Tools, cheaper tools tend to wear ever so little over the long term and this causes them to screw up the hex bolts0
