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In most cases, a standard open-end or adjustable wrench can be used for cone locknuts, but the cones themselves can be adjusted only with a cone wrench, because of narrow flats and close clearances.

Cone wrenches usually come in 13 x 14-millimeter, 15 x 16-millimeter, and 17 x 18-millimeter sizes. If you intend to do your own maintenance, you should have at least one and preferably two of each size needed for your hubs. The safest way to buy cone wrenches is to ride your bicycle to a well-stocked bicycle shop and check the fit as you are buying the wrenches.

Cheap tools are never a bargain, and this is especially true of cone wrenches. Because of their extreme thinness for the nut sizes they fit, cone wrenches must be made of especially high-quality steel to stand up to the normal stresses that they will be subjected to in use. Inferior cone wrenches will bend, often the first time that they are used, and so become useless.

As with so many other bicycle tools and parts, Campagnolo is the standard for comparison. I have been using my Campagnolo wrenches for 12 or 13 years now, and they still fit as well as they did when they were new. I bought the Campagnolo wrenches after going through several sets of cheap French cone wrenches in just a few' months of professional use. At that time, I could find nothing else that would hold up to serious use.

There are times when two cone wrenches of the same size are essential -- for instance, Campagnolo Record rear hubs use a 14-millimeter wrench for both the cones and the locknuts; the locknuts have narrow flats and taper in such a way that you must use a cone wrench for the locknut as well as for the cone.

Even when two identical cone wrenches are not essential, they are a great aid in adjusting the cones quickly and exactly.

There is a supposedly non-rotating washer between each cone and locknut, which you might think would keep this system from working, but it does not in practice, as long as you start with a reasonably good rough adjustment.

The correct adjustment for solid-axle hubs is to get the cones tight enough to reduce play to a minimum without causing the axle to bind when turned. You should first judge the freeness of the bearing when the cones are too loose, so that there is a little bit of play.

Despite the locknuts, this kind of hub is non-adjustable. It should turn freely, and if installed in a wheel, there should be a very slight amount of play at the rim. If it binds, that is probably because the bearing balls are riding on the side of the raceway. This can occur if the cartridge is not properly seated due to dirt or burrs, or if the axle is not exactly right for the hub.

If you have quick-release hubs, this is just the starting point. When the quick-release skewer is tightened, it slightly compresses the axle, making the cone adjustment tighten. If your cones are perfectly adjusted with the skewer loose, they will become too tight once the wheel is installed and the quick release is tightened.

Axle compression is a particular problem with some cartridge-bearing hubs, because these are non-adjustable. The better cartridge-bearing hubs have an extra-rigid large-diameter axle.

Because cone wrenches come in generally useful sizes, and are very light, it is often tempting to use them for other purposes, such as saddle adjustments and tightening axle nuts or even pedals. Resist this temptation! These tools are only for cones, and any other use constitutes abuse of a fine tool. All of these other uses require substantially more torque than is needed for cone adjustments, and these thin wrenches are not made for such heavy use. Good quality tools should last a lifetime if properly cared for.