Threaded's Eclectic Blog

My main bicycle is a "bitsa", bits of this, bits of that. Most of the bike is brand new, but some parts I just like and have transfered over from the old one. So the bike has become quite a hodge-podge of parts I have had for years and years with mainly new bits. Now the old parts are so old they are sized in imperial. Obviously the new parts are metric. I cycle quite a long distance everyday, hence, rather than carry two sets of tools around I thought why not buy an adjustable spanner...

Off I go to buy an adjustable spanner. There I am in the tools shop faced with an entire wall of adjustable spanners. Denmark is like that, find a shop that sells what you want and they have just about every type you can think off. Immediatley I pick up a Swedish one 'cause, hey, when I were a lad I was told them Swedish tools are best.

Oh my! Waggle the jaw, 1mm play, that I don't like. Picks up another with a flashy rubber grip, 1.5 mm. Wanders along and in a not so flashy package was one of Spanish manufacture, nice and tight, just enough play to let you slip it on and off the nut in question, but not too much you might take the corners off, long enough to achieve good leverage, not too long one would strip a thread. In fact, just perfect.

Also it was the cheapest. Which I liked a lot.