You might not think a $130 pedal wrench would be a hot commodity. Just 30 minutes after NAHBS 15 opened on the first day though, Jason Quade had already sold his allotment for the day. Granted, he is limiting sales to just three pedal wrenches per day for the length of NAHBS since he only had 9 to sell. Still, one of my very first conversations of the day included a friend asking if I had seen the Abbey Bike Tools pedal wrench, and that he had already bought his.
Yes, the Abbey Pedal wrench is finally being sold but on a very limited basis. Calling it an extension of the prototype, the wrench will be going into full production very soon with an expected retail price of $130. Why is any pedal wrench worth more than some mid level pedals? For starters, it’s an Abbey tool so you know you won’t be buying a new one any time soon, and the wrench is one of the first that we’ve seen to incorporate a 15mm pedal wrench plus a 6 and 8mm allen wrench for pedals without flats. The hinged design of the allen wrench section allows the user to break the pedals loose or torque them down with the bit at a 90º angle, then swing the handle out and quickly spin off the pedal. Made with American White Oak on the handle, the pedal wrench seems tailor made for NAHBS 2015 with the local bourbon barrels crafted from the same wood.
In addition to the pedal wrench, Abbey had few additional tools that we haven’t seen yet, next…
If you haven’t purchased a titanium hammer yet but plan on it, Jason said he is only doing one batch per year and still has some left. Another tool that seems hard to justify at $180, holding it in your hand may very well change your mind. Perfectly weighted and small enough to travel but large enough to do some work, it is one nice hammer. A replaceable soft head and ESI silicone grip finish it off.
All new for Abbey is a second BB socket which is necessary thanks to the increase in BSA30 bottom brackets. To the uninitiated, BSA30 uses a 30mm crank spindle in a standard BSA threaded bottom bracket shell and as a result needs a larger tool to fit over the bigger cups. To make things as difficult on shops as possible, there are (at least) two standards for BSA30 tools with 12 notch and 16 notch. Currently most companies such as Zipp, Rotor, Praxis, and a few others use the 12 notch standard while FSA uses the 16 notch version. Jason personally feels the 16 notch is the better option just due to the division of work with more teeth, but the new Abbey BSA30 socket addresses both needs with a dual sided design.
Like their other BB sockets, the inner nub is perfectly sized for 30mm bearing bores which keeps the tool from trying to slip off of the cup – saving the tool and the BB cup. Large enough to easily hold to start the cups by hand, the sockets use a 3/8″ drive and will sell for $55 starting later this month.
Shown as a prototype just about a year ago, Abbey is green lighting their Campagnolo Power Torque crank puller. After Jason was approached by Dan Large with Campagnolo, the two worked together to create a shop quality crank puller for the Power Torque cranks. Built with an Acme thread, Jason says the tool is built to withstand repeated back and forth for years of service.
If you’re familiar with Abbey Bike Tools, then you probably know the Crombie tool and the matching chainwhip. Jason wants his tools to be perfect and after having a few failures of the original chain whip design he went back to the drawing board to update the tool. Now with one piece tang that is welded to the chainwhip handle, the Crombie tool still stores inside but the over all design is easier to produce and more durable in the end. The new chain is held in place with stainless aircraft rivets as an additional improvement.
Lastly, Jason has been working with the local SmartStop team to develop a new bike rack. That might seem like a stretch, but most of Abbey’s tools are developed for the race circuit mechanics who are often in need of ways to store bikes. Sort of a “we’ll make a few and see how it goes” project, the rack is made to fold flat when not in use. Production models will have two rubber coated hooks per bike on either side of the stands which hold onto the bike’s chainstay and seatstays. Capable of holding bikes with or without the rear wheel, the production models will likely have round hoops that offer teams, shops, or businesses a place for advertising.
That’s it for Abbey from NAHBS, but if you’re hoping to get your hands on one of those pedal wrenches you had better show up early!
