S&S Couplers

[Dan Driscoll]

I’m looking for a bigger tool…… For my S&S Couplers.

Looking at the S&S website the biggest they offer is 6”, and I’m not able to get the torque I’d like with it.

Here’s their link http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_wrenc.htm

I remember a Texas Rando Stampede 1,200 km when a friend could not get his S&S loosened, so he could get to the airport with his bike in the box ;=)

So I’m not the first to need this.

Any ideas?

Thank you, DanD

[Craig Robertson]

S&S advertises a 12 inch version, but I've seen folks use old style lock ring spanners like the Hozan c205.  Or you could try something like this 

https://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/faucets/tools/fwhd.shtml?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0caCBhCIARIsAGAfuMweu9OeLTFXtlPObo1q7IjOQiqWaTc63oRyaycjPur0jarn6rl1WtoaAjEAEALw_wcB

Craig

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[Jake Kassen]

The trick plumbers use is to take a metal pipe and slip it over the wrench handle to extend it. (Aka a "cheater bar") That will get all the torque you need.

I wouldn't want to ride with a 12-24" section of pipe but in a pinch it's something that can be purchased for a few dollars at any big home improvement or supply store. You could also use a pedal wrench and a few hose clamps to attach it to the S&S wrench. Even a broom handle would do.

If it's taking that much force on a S&S coupler I'd question if enough lubrication was being used when it's first assembled.

Jake "Breakaway" Kassen

[Benz Ouyang]

On Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 1:18:37 PM UTC-7 Jake Kassen wrote:

If it's taking that much force on a S&S coupler I'd question if enough lubrication was being used when it's first assembled.

I think Jake hit this nail on the head. S&S couplers work so much better with the sanctioned Finish Line's Extreme Fluoro Teflon lubricant, than any fancy conventional grease one may have on hand.

[mickeg]

I have never had a problem with a 6 inch wrench.  I use the S&S recommended grease, but I do not know if that is really needed.  

I am also careful to keep dirt out of the coupler threads, I have some sleeves made from pieces of old inner tube stretched over the ends of the S&S part that rotates to keep dirt out.  I attached a photo with my first generation rubber sleeves, I have since cut them longer so they are less likely to shift and make a gap where dirt could get in.

If I had trouble with getting a coupler loose, I would firmly hold the wrench on the coupler with one gloved hand and I would use the closest thing I had to a rubber mallet in the other hand to give it a good whack.  The heel of a hand held shoe would probably have to make do as a substitute for a rubber mallet in most situations.  That said, I have never had to do that, perhaps because I use the S&S recommended grease and keep the threads clean.

I have never had a coupler come loose while riding in the eight years I have had that bike, but I have always carried a wrench (packed with my spare tube) in case I needed to tighten up a loose coupler.

[Dan Driscoll]

Ingenious solution for keeping Dirt Out, thank you for the photo, I’ll give it a try. 

To be clear it is the lower S & S that is the issue, so it could be due to dirt infiltration.

Never had an issue with S & S loosening since 1998, when I got them on a tandem. 

After a couple of years of no issues, on this single bike, this one is problematically loosening, and I agree with you and Jake, probably due to the grease that the shop used when I asked them to clean and check the couplers. 

I’ve cleaned and regressed with the proper lube, and have fingers crossed. 

They do say that after a cleaning/re-lubeing , you should check tightness frequently, especially after the first ride, so I’ll be packing the tool. 

Thank you, DanD 

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[mickeg]

You are welcome.  

I found a better photo, attached, this is my current setup with longer sleeves of inner tube rubber.  This is on my heavy duty touring bike, I run 57mm wide tires on this bike so I have blown some bigger inner tubes that fit better on frame tubing.  If you lack wider tubes to be the donor for sleeves, bike shops often have a bin of punctured tubes and will often give you one if you ask.

The way I use two sleeves, you can still use the wrench on the coupler to check tightness without shifting the rubber sleeves.

[Ronald Long]

I like the cover idea! 

Perhaps I am the only one who has had a coupler come loose. As I remember, it was 2015, post PBP, which suggests that I didn't tighten it well enough after returning home. I was noticing "something strange", and finally figured out what had happened at a stoplight. It was the lower coupler. Hand tightened it, and rode home uneventfully. No damage to the bike. Could have been a very different story if it had happened on a descent.

[Jacques Bilinski]

I have no first hand experience with this, but something like this might be useful: 

 

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-to-4-ADJUSTABLE-STRAP-WRENCH-use-to-grip-loosen-or-tighten-almost-anything/273312626728?hash=item3fa2b3b828:g:sKAAAOSwLhZbK8Ml 

[mickeg]

I would not recommend the strap wrench.

This is the wrench I bought to carry on my S&S bike when I am not on a bike tour, this is what I carry when riding near home.  I had to use a file to make the imprecise punch press manufacture of the wrench fit the S&S couplings better, but it is light and adequate.  I bought this solely to get me home if a coupler loosened up on a ride, I envisioned no other real purpose although it can also function as a pedal wrench.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-Practical-Bike-Pedal-Spanner-Wrench-Cycling-Bike-Bottom-Bracket-Locking-Ring/383692261965

This is the wrench that came with my bike frame that I carry on bike tours, this is what I use to disassemble and re-assemble the frame after flying international, etc.  Pedal wrench (15mm) built in, and I can use it to adjust my eccentric bottom bracket to adjust chain tension.  The wrench was designed to handle all unique purposes for that specific frame.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/thorn-s-and-s-5-in-1-spanner-wrench-special-coupling-eccentric-tool/?geoc=US

Not really sure why they put an 8mm box wrench in that S&S wrench, but I cut a stub of an 8mm allen wrench that I can put in that box wrench to remove my crank arm bolts (square taper).  I have to remove the crank arms to pack the bike in the case, I bought a crank arm extractor (XLC brand) that uses the 15mm wrench, so that S&S wrench is one of two tools I need for crank arm removal.  

And don't suggest that I consider self extractors for my crank arms, tried them and one of the two self extracted somewhere in the middle of Iceland.  After that I decided to carry real tools instead.

I suspect that even if the coupler was not tightened adequately, with those inner tube rubber sleeves, the coupler should not be able to freely rotate, so it should not be able to loosen up significantly.  I still check the couplers once or twice a year to make sure they are still tight, but I certainly do not check them for every ride.

[NickBull]

Several years ago on a ride, I was having a problem with "autoshifting".  Then on a very steep climb (Fox Hill Rd, near Catoctin Mountain Park) that had been recently chip-sealed the autoshifting got worse to the point that I decided in frustration to just look back at the derailleur to see what was going on, even though it meant I wasn't looking where I was going.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that I could see the road through a gap in the frame near the bottom-bracket, where the coupler had come undone.  Ack!  Good thing I caught it before the 50mph downhill that was coming up.  Of course, I'd left the coupler wrench at home.  I tightened as far as I could by hand, and then put my multi-tool screwdriver against the lockring and hammered it with a rock.  That worked fine, but it kept loosening every ten miles or so, but was good enough to finish the ride.

[Dave Thompson]

I carry the wrench with me.  I've had them loosen a couple of times -- (because I didn't tighten, not because they loosened on their own) -- but usually noticed before it got to the same stage as you by the bike creaking. 

[debra banks]

I also carry my wrench with me. I’ve owned three S&S coupled bikes over the years, and have had some creaking, but no uncoupling! thank dog!  Fun tidbit: I own an S & S coupled mixte, and those petite couplers on the twin top tubes are so dang cute! 

Cheers,

deb

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[David Lafferty]

Hi Dan,

Some coupler wrenches allow for easily adding "cheater bars" that you might otherwise have handy. The coupler wrenches from Cycles Chinook include holes for 6, 8, and 10mm hex keys. The theory is that you can use your bike multitool as a handle to get some more leverage on the coupler wrench. The latest editions include a 3/8" square for socket driver or torque wrenches. 

https://www.cycleschinook.com/product/coupler-wrench/

I'd encourage anyone riding a bike with couplers to always carry a suitable tool on rides. Each time you put the bike together, tighten them after your first hour or so of riding. Check or tighten the couplers again every 100 hours of riding, or more frequently if you’re on rough roads. Always clean out any dirt from the coupler teeth and use the manufacturer recommended grease.

Cheers,

David

Disclaimer: I'm the designer of these wrenches and part owner of Cycles Chinook.  

[Bruce Bowman]

I drilled holes in the wrench and mounted behind the water bottle so it is always there. R&E has wrenches. Never had as issue with loosening or tightening.