Posted at: May 16, 2022
For those who will be servicing their road bikes, we have compiled a list of hex wrench sizes that are commonly used for road bike maintenance and that you should have available.
Table of contents
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The 5mm Allen wrench is the most commonly used tool for road bike maintenance.
It is used for a wide variety of parts such as seat post clamps, saddle attachment lugs, stem bolts, brake wire tightening bolts (some brakes have 4mm, etc.), and chainring bolts. Depending on the parts used on the vehicle, about half of the parts can be serviced with a 5mm Allen key.
| Parts | Size of Allen Wrench |
|---|---|
| Seat post clamp | 5mm |
| Brake wire clamp | 5mm, 4mm |
| Brake mounting bolts | 5mm, 4mm |
| Chainring bolt | 5mm |
| FD wire bolt | 5mm, 4mm |
| RD wire bolt | 5mm, 4mm |
| Wheel hub | 5mm, 10mm |
Since it is used so often, if you frequently perform maintenance yourself, you should have only a 5 mm hexagonal wrench with a T-type wrench, which will greatly improve your work efficiency.
The next most commonly used type of wrench is the 4mm Allen key.
The bottle cage bolt is 4mm, and the rim brake brake shoe bolt, brake wire retaining bolt, and rear derailleur wire retaining bolt (some models have a 5mm bolt) are also 4mm.
| Parts | Size of Allen Wrench |
|---|---|
| Brake shoe bolts | 4mm, 5mm |
| bottle cage bolts | 4mm |
| Brake wire clamps | 5mm, 4mm |
| FD wire bolt | 5mm, 4mm |
| RD wire bolt | 5mm, 4mm |
A 6mm Allen wrench is used to tighten thicker bolts and shafts.
On road bikes, most pedals that can be tightened with an Allen wrench instead of a pedal wrench are 6mm (8mm for some manufacturers). Also, Shimano STI levers have 6mm bolts that attach to the handlebars.
| Parts | Size of Allen Wrench |
|---|---|
| Pedals 6mm, 8mm | |
| STI lever mounting bolts | 6mm, 8mm |
The 8mm is used to tighten fairly large bolts; on road bikes, the square BB shaft cover and some pedals are adjusted with an 8mm.
| Parts | Size of Allen Wrench |
|---|---|
| Pedals | 6mm, 8mm |
| Shaft cover | 8mm |
As we have seen, 4, 5, 6, and 8 mm Allen wrenches are often used in road bike maintenance, so it is a good idea to have those available.
Even simple hexagonal wrenches are often available up to 6mm, and some stores have sets up to 8mm, so you can cover almost all of them. For simple maintenance and installation, simple hex wrenches are usually sufficient.
However, when performing maintenance on deep parts such as STI levers or brake mounting bolts, a hexagonal wrench with a short handle may not be able to reach them, so it is better to buy a special hexagonal wrench for easier maintenance.
For more serious maintenance, for example, disassembly of wheel hubs may require hexagonal wrenches of unusual sizes such as 10mm or 12mm, but such special wrenches can be bought individually when such work becomes necessary. Hexagonal wrenches can be sold individually on the Internet for as little as a few dollars, so it is not cosmetic to buy them in pieces.
Phillips and flathead screwdrivers should be used with tools that you can worry about as much as possible, because low-quality tools can lick the screws, but hexagonal wrenches are not highly aggressive to almost all bolts with Phillips or flathead screws, so cheap tools are usually fine.
However, when loosening a bolt that has become stuck, be aware that if the accuracy is not high enough, the bolt may be ruined.
In addition, since expensive tools are not only more accurate but also easier to use, getting a full-fledged hexagonal wrench will speed up the maintenance process if you start doing maintenance frequently. In particular, although they are more expensive, T-type wrenches are recommended because they are really easy to use.
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