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Handiest bike tool
06-05-09

Park Tool AWS-1

Peer behind the service counter at most bike shops and you’ll see a Park Tool workstand. There’ll be a waist-level tool tray on the stand, and unless it’s already in the hands of a mechanic, the triangle-shaped AWS-1, which features a 4-, 5- and 6mm hex wrench, will likely be one of a handful of tools resting in the tray.

While many general tools are too general, this one is specific and functional enough for excellence. It’s useful enough to be taken for granted, one of my hallmarks for a real Cool Tool. So many maintenance and repair jobs on bicycles involve these three hex wrench sizes that it’s easily the most used tool in the shop.

Details that make this tool great include a grip-friendly ball in the center (I own an older version without the ball, and it’s not as comfortable to hold and also provides less leverage) and color-coded rings at the base of each wrench, so the user can quickly choose the correct size.

I still use my Craftsman T-wrenches when I need a hex with more leverage, and particularly on an 8mm crank bolt, which the AWS-1 doesn’t cover. I also use a great set of Pedro’s L-wrenches with a ball end on one side for offset access. But the convenient Park Tool AWS-1 is so much my mainstay that it doesn't ever get put away. The company’s website also hosts an array of helpful repair how-tos.

-- Elon Schoenholz  

Park Tool AWS-1
$11

Manufactured by Park Tool

Available from Amazon


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Comments

 
#1 | Fri, 06-05-09 05:34
jgodsey

Usefulness depends on how old the bike is. hex heads don't appear much on vintage bikes. When i have bought accessories with hex head bolts, i usually end up throwing those bolts away and using stainless steel philips head bolts.

However Park does make some nifty tools, the Triple Spoke Wrench fits the three most popular spoke nipple sizes 0, 1, 2. lovely tool.

 
#2 | Fri, 06-05-09 05:42
William

A great, oft-overlooked detail of this tool is the length of the exposed shaft on the tool. Too often these Y-shaped tools have short shafts, and this makes them useless for things like brake-hood adjustment.

 
#3 | Fri, 06-05-09 07:22
Iain Cheyne

My local bike shop recommended this tool to me and it's been great. It has the most used hex sizes and you can get lots of torque with minimal effort. Unfortunately it does not replace a regular set of hex wrenches, as it will not fit in confined spaces.

 
#4 | Fri, 06-05-09 09:14
Mightysinetheta

I work in a bike shop, and I keep one of these in my apron at all times. Sure, it's not a full toolbox. But it is super handy.

 
#5 | Fri, 06-05-09 03:08
Andy M-S

I have two of these, through happy accident--a slightly older version--and they are the most useful bike tools I own. They cover at least 90% of the fasteners on my bike.

 
#6 | Sat, 06-06-09 03:10
christopher

I suppose the logical extension to this tool would be one that allows you to swap out the three sizes for a range of sizes 5-15mm

 
#7 | Sat, 06-06-09 09:48
zack

@jgodsey - you may find that you are able to get more (and proper) torque, with less stripping if you use the proper hex bolts, rather than swapping with phillips head bolts.

either way, it is good practice to use grease on bolts before tightening them in places like stems, cranks, seatpost collars, brake-arm bolts, braze-ons,etc.

 
#8 | Sun, 06-07-09 09:48
Jess

One of these tools (or a generic version, maybe) recently arrived with a bike that I purchased online. The tool is so versatile and small enough that I've carried it with me whenever I ride the bike.

So far, it hasn't been needed for emergency repairs, but having it along for the ride has allowed me to tweak components until everything fits just right.

 
#9 | Sun, 06-07-09 01:35
George Cochrane

This post has inspired me to pick one of these up. You use these three sizes of hex wrench *so often* when working on bikes, and I find that I'm always putting, say, the 5mm someplace where I'll forget it, etc. The really large sizes get used relatively seldom, and it makes sense to have a larger wrench around for things like unsticking a manky crank bolt, etc.

Good tip!

Oh, and @jaygodsey- hex-head bolts seem much more durable and easy to torque on than phillips. I'd be pretty freaked knowing that I might strip the crap out of my brake adjuster bolt, etc.

 
#10 | Mon, 06-08-09 09:37
Cecil Hayduke

For an extra $1.50, splurge and get the AWS-8, which is the same tool with ball-ends on the hexes so that you can use your tool at an angle.

 
#11 | Fri, 06-12-09 05:27
Bill Peyton

I second Cecil's comment. The AWS-8 with ball ends is the only good tool for adjusting Shimano shifters, as one example.

 

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