Can anyone recommend a chain ring nut tool good for Campagnolo chainring nuts?

[Oxford_Guy]

Hi - can anyone recommend a chain ring nut tool good for Campagnolo chain rings (to hold the slotted nut at the back)? The official tool is UT-FC040, but the only place I've found that for sale is at Mercian for £20, which seems a bit excessive for what it is. Would the Park Tool Chainring Nut Wrench (CNW2) fit just as well, or are there better tools for the job from other brands? Thanks

[Brucey]

if you use the right technique you don't need such a tool.

cheers

[rafletcher]

I’ve used the flat side of a large screwdriver if one has spun, but often they tighten sufficiently without the need to do more than press firmly on the nut whilst tightening the screw.

[jsabine]

if you use the right technique you don't need such a tool.

That's not your most helpful answer ever, Brucey ... Any clues as to what *is* the right technique?

[Oxford_Guy]

if you use the right technique you don't need such a tool.

That's not your most helpful answer ever, Brucey ... Any clues as to what *is* the right technique?

Yes, please assume I know nothing, and you won't be far wrong. I just don't want to damage my nice Campag cranks and chain rings...

[Brucey]

you need to do two things;

1) make sure that the bolts and sleeve nuts will mate without binding at all (eg by screwing them together fully as a test before fitting them) and

2) greasing the screw threads only in the assembly. The outside of the bolts and the chainring interfaces work best if they stay bone dry. A tiny bit of grease under the head of the male part of the bolt does no harm, but grease elsewhere in the assembly just causes problems.

If you do this then the sleeve part of the bolt won't need a spanner on it, either when tightening or loosening the bolts.

The fine pitch of the screw thread ensures that friction alone is enough to stop the sleeve from spinning if you perform 1 and 2 above

cheers

[Oxford_Guy]

you need to do two things;

1) make sure that the bolts and sleeve nuts will mate without binding at all (eg by screwing them together fully as a test before fitting them) and

2) greasing the screw threads only in the assembly. The outside of the bolts and the chainring interfaces work best if they stay bone dry. A tiny bit of grease under the head of the male part of the bolt does no harm, but grease elsewhere in the assembly just causes problems.

If you do this then the sleeve part of the bolt won't need a spanner on it, either when tightening or loosening the bolts.

The fine pitch of the screw thread ensures that friction alone is enough to stop the sleeve from spinning if you perform 1 and 2 above

Thanks, that's useful to know for installation (BTW would something like Park Tool anti-seize grease, which I already have, be the stuff to use on the threads?), though what I actually need to do is to remove the rings from some cranks they're currently (factory) fitted to, and then mount them onto another set of (shorter) cranks that I've acquired.

[Brucey]

in which case there is only one way of finding out if the bolts will come undone easily or not, and that is to try them. If you use a penetrating oil, just put one drop on the inside of the each bolt; any more will just help the sleeve to spin.

You may need a tool to get the bolts out if they are not in a good state; for occasional dismantling use even a cheap one will do. However if the bolts are seized up through total neglect any tool may just break; for dismantling (other people's) chainsets, I grind up a tool from hardened steel; that way it definitely fits the bolts (they vary) and if it breaks it isn't the end of the world. For my own chainsets (with well greased bolts) this is never needed.

When reassembling, anti-seize is OK provided the clearances are not too small; if they are then the anti-seize can (weirdly) make the threads a bit draggy. Normal grease works a bit differently to that, and is arguably better for this particular job. Just be sure to coat both threaded surfaces and make sure that there is no binding in the thread.

cheers

[Oxford_Guy]

Thanks Brucey. Thankfully the donor chainset is in a good state and the bolts and nuts don't look corroded. I've not started to attempt to undo them yet.

BTW by ordinary grease (as opposed to anti-seize) do you mean something like red bearing grease or white lithium grease?

[Brucey]

anything that doesn't wash away too quickly. Red TF2 grease (if that is what you have) is Ok for this sort of thing.

cheers