Chainring Bolt Spanners

[colinr]

Is a chainring bolt spanner absolutely necessary, or can i bodge it with a screwdriver across the slot? How tight do they actually need to be? Don't really want to spend cash if I don't need to.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

just try it, and if no joy, lbs should do it for peanuts (mine did it for nowt)

 

[BigSteev]

No. To be honest I've never had an issue either tightening or loosening them without one.

 

[colinr]

Great, that's what I wanted to hear. My LBS would have definitely done it for nothing but has somewhat disappeared

 

[02GF74]

I have used a slotted screwdriver to hold the hollow bolt in place whilst I turned the allen key.

Didn't realise there was a special tool .... but then I wuold have made my own. probably.

 

[Globalti]

The tool is pretty cheap, surely?

 

[colinr]

A fiver, give or take. Don't see any point buying it for the sake of it though.

 

[Will1985]

Great, that's what I wanted to hear. My LBS would have definitely done it for nothing but has somewhat disappeared

Eh? The LBS has disappeared? I've got a chainring bolt spanner which works well with Campag but not FSA. Used to make do with a screwdriver...

 

[ASC1951]

Screwdrivers are ok if you can get one with a wide enough blade i.e. much wider than most domestic screwdrivers. If it's too narrow you just chew up the heads. OTOH if like mine the other part of the stackbolt is an Allen-slot, you can do all the work with an Allen key and just hold the slot with something like a table knife.

TBH I prefer to have the proper tool, if it's cheap enough. Just like it makes me shudder to see people using adjustables instead of having a proper set of spanners.

 

[colinr]

Were I to buy the tool, is this what I need? (guessing the raised prongs go in the slots)
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10182

Eh? The LBS has disappeared?

I used to go to a guy in Eaton, last time I went there he said he was scaling down the bike business and moving on. So it's hit and miss if/when he's open.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I have one exactly like that. I bought it out of desperation with some really stuck bolts. It works, but not so well designed because as you can probably tell from the photo/scale it is very small and hence offers little leverage. Mind your knuckles if you end up using one!

 

[colinr]

I splashed out £3.49 on that tool in the end. Leverage / reach was no problem with a single cog, job done.

 

[mickle]

You're not a real cyclist until your toolbox contains a TL-FC20.

 

[longers]

*googles*

I'm a real cyclist!

There's only one bike with bolts that need it, the others will nip up and tighten with just the allen key.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I've got a CNW-2, am I a real cyclist too? Just find it makes life easier. (N.B. you use the tool to hold the nut firm, the allen key to undo/tighten.)