Ratchet Wrench 1/2"

The 1/2" drive ratchet is the largest of Unior's three bike-program ratchets, and the one its bike-specific sockets are built around. Unior's bottom bracket sockets, cassette lockring tools and suspension top-cap sockets all take a 1/2" square, so this is the ratchet that turns them. With the 1613/2CF crowfoot on the square it also works as a pedal wrench.

The 1/2" Ratchet Wrench (Unior 190.1/1ABI-US) has 75 teeth and a 4.8° working angle, the same tooth count as the 3/8" version, so it keeps working where the handle can only swing a few degrees. A safety lock holds the socket on the square until you press the release button on the head. At 260 mm overall and 423 g it is the longest and heaviest of the three, against 200 mm for the 3/8" and 157 mm for the 1/4".

What the 1/2" handles

• Pedals with 15 mm wrench flats, with the 1613/2CF crowfoot pedal wrench on the square
• Cassette lockrings and freewheels: Unior's instructions for its lockring and freewheel tools name the 1/2" ratchet as the handle to use
• Bottom bracket cups, with Unior's 1/2" drive bottom bracket sockets and cartridge bottom bracket tools
• Suspension fork top caps and e-bike motor lockrings, with the 1/2" drive top-cap sockets and the Bosch and Fazua lockring tools
• 3/8" drive sockets, through the 190.7/2 adaptor (1/2" ratchet to 3/8" socket)

For 3/8" drive sockets and 3/8" hex bit sockets (236/2HX), the 3/8" is the direct fit. For small fasteners and bit sockets, the 1/4". All three share one construction; the drive square decides which sockets each one turns.

Specs

• 1/2" square drive
• 75 teeth, 4.8° working angle, with a push-button safety lock that holds the socket until released
• 260 mm overall length, head 36 mm thick and 45 mm wide, 423 g
• Drop-forged premium flex chrome vanadium steel body, hardened and tempered, made to ISO 3315
• Trivalent chrome plated to ISO 1456:2009
• Double-component handle
• Article number: 190.1/1ABI-US (the 1/2" member of the family; 1/4" is 188.1/1ABI-US, 3/8" is 238.1/1ABI-US)

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. Unior publishes the same construction for all three bike-program ratchets: a drop-forged body in premium flex chrome vanadium steel, hardened and tempered, trivalent chrome plated to ISO 1456:2009, on a heavy-duty double-component handle. The 190.1/1ABI-US is that build around the 1/2" square, with 75 teeth and a 4.8° working angle, the same as the 3/8", and it carries Unior's lifetime warranty.

Pro tip from our mechanics

A pedal that has been on for years is usually held by corrosion in the threads, an over-torqued install, or both. Fit the 1613/2CF crowfoot to the 1/2" ratchet and it works as a pedal wrench. If the pedal still won't move at full hand leverage, the next step isn't more leverage; it's penetrating oil and a day's wait, the sequence our pedal removal guide walks through. If the 75-tooth mechanism ever needs attention, Unior lists a spare-parts set for it (190.11). Our workshop hand tools guide covers heavy-torque tool selection and the rest of the workshop tool layer: Workshop hand tools every bike shop needs →

FAQ

Which Unior bike tools does the 1/2-inch ratchet drive? The ones built around a 1/2-inch square: Unior's aluminum bottom bracket sockets, cartridge bottom bracket tools, cassette lockring and freewheel tools, suspension top-cap sockets, and the Bosch and Fazua motor lockring tools. Unior's own instructions for its cassette lockring and cartridge bottom bracket tools name the 1/2-inch ratchet as the handle to use.

Can I take pedals off with the 1/2-inch ratchet? Yes, with the 1613/2CF crowfoot pedal wrench on the square. It fits pedals with 15 mm wrench flats. Unior describes the crowfoot as a regular pedal wrench when it is used with a 1/2-inch ratchet or fixed handle, and as the way to check pedal torque when it is on a 1/2-inch torque wrench.

How does the 1/2-inch ratchet differ from the 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch? By drive size, length and weight. The 1/2-inch 190.1/1ABI-US is 260 mm long and weighs 423 g. The 3/8-inch 238.1/1ABI-US is 200 mm and 239 g, and the 1/4-inch 188.1/1ABI-US is 157 mm and 111 g. The 1/2-inch and 3/8-inch both have 75 teeth and a 4.8-degree working angle; the 1/4-inch has 40 teeth and 9 degrees.

Can the 1/2-inch ratchet's mechanism be repaired, and what warranty does it carry? Unior lists a spare-parts set for the mechanism, article 190.11, which also fits the flex-head 190.1/1FBI; it is not currently listed on uniorusa.com. The ratchet carries Unior's lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship.