Adjusting hub bearing preload requires a wrench thin enough to fit on the cone locknut without interfering with the locknut next to it, and a standard open-end wrench is too thick for the job. Park Tool's DCW-3 Double Ended Cone Wrench puts 17mm and 18mm sizes on opposite ends of a single tool, covering 2 of the most common cone sizes on rear hubs. The heads are offset at an angle to clear the axle and give you room to work without your knuckles hitting spokes or the frame.

The wrench is built from thin steel that's been nickel plated and heat treated, so it resists corrosion and holds up to repeated use without spreading at the jaws. You need parallel, flat tool faces to grip a cone properly, and the DCW-3 maintains that contact surface even on narrow adjusting cones where thicker wrenches won't fit. The compact size also makes it easy to stash in a toolbox, seatpack, or travel kit if you're overhauling hubs away from your home workbench.

Hub adjustment typically calls for 2 cone wrenches at once, or a cone wrench paired with a standard wrench on the locknut side. If you're working on hubs that use 17mm and 18mm cones, the DCW-3 handles both without swapping tools. For hubs using smaller cone sizes, the DCW-1 (13mm/14mm) and DCW-2 (15mm/16mm) round out the range.