Satisfying Tools
10-31-16 | 08:45 PM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,589
Likes: 8
Frame+Fork Straightener
Frame and Fork Straightener | Park Tool
I work on college bikes, so many crashed and bent forks straightened out with this tool, I've lost count
also makes a great 'cheater bar' for stuck bottom brackets, etc
Frame and Fork Straightener | Park Tool
I work on college bikes, so many crashed and bent forks straightened out with this tool, I've lost count
also makes a great 'cheater bar' for stuck bottom brackets, etc
11-01-16 | 01:11 AM
#27
glorified 5954
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 736
Likes: 49
From: Zurich, Switzerland
PB Swiss Allen/Hex Keys - I have been a real Bondhus Allen key fan for years; however, I bought a set of the colored PB Swiss Allen keys a couple of months ago and, well, these are noticeably better than Bondhus, if that's possible. They have a tad longer handle which really helps to "dial-in" the tightness of bolts better. They have a silky, quality feel to. Each one fits tight like a Bondhus but the sheer beauty and hand-feel of these tools is what has sold me on them. Made in Switzerland and you to will find they will become one of your favorite tools to.
I like them so much that I ordered two individual 5mm short-shank keys directly from them (PB Swiss Tools US - Hand Tools & Accessories - Count On Tools) to keep in my saddle bags. I love good tools.
As a previous poster said, I, to, have a pair of Felco cable cutters and they are another of my favorite tools.
.
I like them so much that I ordered two individual 5mm short-shank keys directly from them (PB Swiss Tools US - Hand Tools & Accessories - Count On Tools) to keep in my saddle bags. I love good tools.
As a previous poster said, I, to, have a pair of Felco cable cutters and they are another of my favorite tools.
.
11-01-16 | 06:25 AM
#29
Mechanic/Tourist
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,522
Likes: 12
From: Syracuse, NY
Bikes: 2008 Novara Randonee - love it. Previous bikes:Motobecane Mirage, 1972 Moto Grand Jubilee (my fave), Jackson Rake 16, 1983 C'dale ST500.
11-01-16 | 01:48 PM
#30
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 569
Likes: 1
All of the bike specific tools I've ever bought have worked perfectly. I still have a mini-tool I bought like 12 years ago for $6, and it's still going strong. A touch of rust but working perfectly.
I've bought super cheap china bay stuff and it works perfectly, no issues whatsoever, except for a mini tool that completely fell apart. I was able to reassemble it however.
I've bought super cheap china bay stuff and it works perfectly, no issues whatsoever, except for a mini tool that completely fell apart. I was able to reassemble it however.
11-01-16 | 04:44 PM
#31
Keepin it Wheel
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 5,240
From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
I'm very fond of my Park PH-5. I think I'm gonna get a PH-6 to go with it, maybe someday a PH-4. I wanted to love the 3-way park 4/5/6, but there are just too many spots on the bike where I can't get it in there to use it.
Based on recommendations here at BF, I got a used pair of Felco cutters off eBay, somebody was selling off all the tools from a garage they had bought. Unfortunately the cutting jaws are a tiny bit jaggified, so they don't make the cleanest housing cuts. But they certainly are smooth!
I'm actually using all of these a lot right now, volunteer assembling huffy's for my company's annual military kid christmas bike drive. Felco for zipties, PB wrench for axle nuts, pedal wrench for pedals, PH-5 for brake pads. If I got a PH-6 it would be used for stem bolts (into the steerer, and handlebar clamp).
11-01-16 | 08:23 PM
#32
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 879
Likes: 136
From: Peoples Republic of Brooklyn
Bikes: Pinarello Dogma F8 Giant TCR Advanced 2 Jamis Coda
I enjoy working with the Prestacycle ratchet set. I find it much easier to work in tight spaces. Once I have the bit in place I don't have to keep removing it and reinserting it. They are well made and fit just about anywhere.
11-01-16 | 08:38 PM
#33
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
Bikes: Canyon Ultimate CF SL
This is the favorite tool I own, even though I rarely need it. Enduro BB86/92 press and extractor.
Another satisfying tool that I'll probably never use again is a square-taper crank puller.
Such leverage.
Much satisfy.
Another satisfying tool that I'll probably never use again is a square-taper crank puller.
Such leverage.
Much satisfy.
11-02-16 | 07:57 AM
#34
Keepin it Wheel
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 5,240
From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
Reminds me of the Chapman Mfg cyclist's kit, I'd like to get that someday. A Chapman rep showed up at post #61 in this thread, seems like a great tiny US operation.
11-02-16 | 07:27 PM
#35
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 663
Likes: 2
For me, definitely my Bluepoint tap and die set that I bought used from a car shop where the owner was retiring. So nice threading in a bolt or nut after chasing and cleaning the threads up.
11-02-16 | 07:38 PM
#36
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 879
Likes: 136
From: Peoples Republic of Brooklyn
Bikes: Pinarello Dogma F8 Giant TCR Advanced 2 Jamis Coda
That looks pretty sweet. Why are there three ratchets?
Honestly I don't have the answer to that question. I just randomly grab the closest one to me when I'm working.
Honestly I don't have the answer to that question. I just randomly grab the closest one to me when I'm working.
11-02-16 | 10:22 PM
#37
Me duelen las nalgas
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,519
Likes: 2,832
From: Texas
Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel
That looks pretty sweet. Why are there three ratchets?
Reminds me of the Chapman Mfg cyclist's kit, I'd like to get that someday. A Chapman rep showed up at post #61 in this thread, seems like a great tiny US operation.
Reminds me of the Chapman Mfg cyclist's kit, I'd like to get that someday. A Chapman rep showed up at post #61 in this thread, seems like a great tiny US operation.
That cycling kit looks identical to Chapman's gun kit, but with a more sensible roll up pouch rather than the familiar red vinyl padded spring loaded clamshell box.
11-03-16 | 03:11 PM
#38
Keepin it Wheel
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 5,240
From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
Well it's the exact same ratchet driver, screwdriver, 'spinner' and standard bits, the only thing cyclist about it is the packaging and selection of bits (metric2-8 and torx for disk brakes)
11-05-16 | 07:09 AM
#39
Banned
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 1,066
From: Lincoln Ne
Bikes: RANS Stratus TerraTrike Tour II
Having the right special tool for the job at hand always saves time and frustration. I was an office machine tech for 47 years. I worked on everything from electric typewriters to main frame computers. I cant tell you how many times I had to assist someone with a problem they couldnt fix, because they were not using a special tool that went with the machine.
11-05-16 | 09:37 AM
#40
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 3,543
Likes: 456
From: SF Bay Area
Bikes: Now: HPV Gecko FX 20 w/ assist.. Old: Trident Spike 2 recumbent trike w/ e-assist
Great stuff. I've had a Chapman gun screwdriver kit for decades. Top quality. The hollow ground flat blade bits are made to be modified to suit a particular screw so it fits perfectly without risk of buggering up the slot. So the steel is just soft enough to file or grind as needed, yet tough enough to avoid chipping or bending. Absolutely essential for those thin slot screws on Berettas and some other fine European arms.
That cycling kit looks identical to Chapman's gun kit, but with a more sensible roll up pouch rather than the familiar red vinyl padded spring loaded clamshell box.
That cycling kit looks identical to Chapman's gun kit, but with a more sensible roll up pouch rather than the familiar red vinyl padded spring loaded clamshell box.
11-05-16 | 02:47 PM
#42
glorified 5954
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 736
Likes: 49
From: Zurich, Switzerland
I like it and that sounds like a very cool idea but wouldn't the color get quickly scratched off?
11-05-16 | 08:04 PM
#43
Keepin it Wheel
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 5,240
From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
I was helping a pile of young employees assemble bikes for our military kid christmas bike drive yesterday, and one of the guys had this cool little S-shaped allen wrench, like this, but 6mm on one end, and 5mm on the other. One of our tasks on every bike is to put in a threaded stem with a 6mm top bolt. This little S-shaped jobbie made it super easy to spin that thing in. I'd like to find one (even of poor quality), but eBay doesn't seem to have them. Any idea what else they might be called other than "s-shaped allen"?
11-05-16 | 10:17 PM
#44
Member
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Left to right:
5mm, 4mm, 3mm hex screwdrivers. These are faster and easier for cap screws than my Y wrench. These Unior screwdrivers are nice, I got them on a closeout sale.
An older Sears jewelers screwdriver. This one is forged, with a precise, smooth blade. I actually use it for applying small dabs of grease and other similar tasks, kind of like a micro putty knife.
The new ones at Sears or Lowes are junk -- cheap stamped blades, and no swivel end.
A cheap Lowes 8mm ratchet wrench, for the 4mm cap screw's nuts for my rear rack. The ratchet works great.
Next photo:
I got my Abbey Tools cassette tool at the Handmade Bike Show a few years ago, partly as a souvenir of the show. And I liked it's design. An expensive extravagance.
I swap cassettes on my touring/gravel bike quite often. It's fast, I don't even remove the quick release, it fits right over the quick release nut. It's a solid fit into the cassette lockring, no slipping. A moderate pull on the handle is close enough to the torque specs that I don't need to check it. Nice.
I now have a Shimano and a Campagnolo bike, so I use both sides.
Years ago, I got the small Park Tool cassette tool. What a pain to use, I partially stripped it the first time I used it when it slipped off. After that, I would lock it in place by disassembling and inserting the quick release, very annoying. And it needed a 1 inch socket.
I needed a digital caliper, so I got one at Harbor Freight. I use it a lot more often than I expected. Precision!
5mm, 4mm, 3mm hex screwdrivers. These are faster and easier for cap screws than my Y wrench. These Unior screwdrivers are nice, I got them on a closeout sale.
An older Sears jewelers screwdriver. This one is forged, with a precise, smooth blade. I actually use it for applying small dabs of grease and other similar tasks, kind of like a micro putty knife.
The new ones at Sears or Lowes are junk -- cheap stamped blades, and no swivel end.
A cheap Lowes 8mm ratchet wrench, for the 4mm cap screw's nuts for my rear rack. The ratchet works great.
Next photo:
I got my Abbey Tools cassette tool at the Handmade Bike Show a few years ago, partly as a souvenir of the show. And I liked it's design. An expensive extravagance.
I swap cassettes on my touring/gravel bike quite often. It's fast, I don't even remove the quick release, it fits right over the quick release nut. It's a solid fit into the cassette lockring, no slipping. A moderate pull on the handle is close enough to the torque specs that I don't need to check it. Nice.
I now have a Shimano and a Campagnolo bike, so I use both sides.
Years ago, I got the small Park Tool cassette tool. What a pain to use, I partially stripped it the first time I used it when it slipped off. After that, I would lock it in place by disassembling and inserting the quick release, very annoying. And it needed a 1 inch socket.
I needed a digital caliper, so I got one at Harbor Freight. I use it a lot more often than I expected. Precision!
11-05-16 | 10:24 PM
#45
Member
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
I absolutely love my Hozan chain pliers. They're so much nicer that any regular chain breaker tool. What's even better is that I got them brand new at a Hot Rod swap meet tool booth. The guy who sold them to me did not even know what they were. Ten bucks!
11-06-16 | 02:45 AM
#46
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 16,767
Likes: 85
That dishing tool looks the bee's knees. I am only guessing that it has some mass/weight to it, and that is probably as much a measure of a tool's quality and longevity. I have a Park Tool dish measurer, and I was a tad disapponted when I unpacked it to find how lightweight it was. I just can't plunk it down on the rim and have it stable while I manipulate the centre depth gauge, which also is pretty tacky in its feel.
Sorry to Park Tool fans.
Sorry to Park Tool fans.
11-06-16 | 11:24 AM
#47
afraid of whales
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,306
Likes: 6
From: Front Range, CO
11-06-16 | 04:23 PM
#48
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,111
Likes: 298
From: Bloomington/Normal IL
I was helping a pile of young employees assemble bikes for our military kid christmas bike drive yesterday, and one of the guys had this cool little S-shaped allen wrench, like this, but 6mm on one end, and 5mm on the other. One of our tasks on every bike is to put in a threaded stem with a 6mm top bolt. This little S-shaped jobbie made it super easy to spin that thing in. I'd like to find one (even of poor quality), but eBay doesn't seem to have them. Any idea what else they might be called other than "s-shaped allen"?
Sunlite 5/6mm Hex Wrench
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AO5L0U...I3IM97RLKVQ08R
11-06-16 | 05:54 PM
#49
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 6,017
Likes: 925
From: Nor Cal
Left to right:
5mm, 4mm, 3mm hex screwdrivers. These are faster and easier for cap screws than my Y wrench. These Unior screwdrivers are nice, I got them on a closeout sale.
An older Sears jewelers screwdriver. This one is forged, with a precise, smooth blade. I actually use it for applying small dabs of grease and other similar tasks, kind of like a micro putty knife.
The new ones at Sears or Lowes are junk -- cheap stamped blades, and no swivel end.
A cheap Lowes 8mm ratchet wrench, for the 4mm cap screw's nuts for my rear rack. The ratchet works great.
Next photo:
I got my Abbey Tools cassette tool at the Handmade Bike Show a few years ago, partly as a souvenir of the show. And I liked it's design. An expensive extravagance.
I swap cassettes on my touring/gravel bike quite often. It's fast, I don't even remove the quick release, it fits right over the quick release nut. It's a solid fit into the cassette lockring, no slipping. A moderate pull on the handle is close enough to the torque specs that I don't need to check it. Nice.
I now have a Shimano and a Campagnolo bike, so I use both sides.
Years ago, I got the small Park Tool cassette tool. What a pain to use, I partially stripped it the first time I used it when it slipped off. After that, I would lock it in place by disassembling and inserting the quick release, very annoying. And it needed a 1 inch socket.
I needed a digital caliper, so I got one at Harbor Freight. I use it a lot more often than I expected. Precision!
5mm, 4mm, 3mm hex screwdrivers. These are faster and easier for cap screws than my Y wrench. These Unior screwdrivers are nice, I got them on a closeout sale.
An older Sears jewelers screwdriver. This one is forged, with a precise, smooth blade. I actually use it for applying small dabs of grease and other similar tasks, kind of like a micro putty knife.
The new ones at Sears or Lowes are junk -- cheap stamped blades, and no swivel end.
A cheap Lowes 8mm ratchet wrench, for the 4mm cap screw's nuts for my rear rack. The ratchet works great.
Next photo:
I got my Abbey Tools cassette tool at the Handmade Bike Show a few years ago, partly as a souvenir of the show. And I liked it's design. An expensive extravagance.
I swap cassettes on my touring/gravel bike quite often. It's fast, I don't even remove the quick release, it fits right over the quick release nut. It's a solid fit into the cassette lockring, no slipping. A moderate pull on the handle is close enough to the torque specs that I don't need to check it. Nice.
I now have a Shimano and a Campagnolo bike, so I use both sides.
Years ago, I got the small Park Tool cassette tool. What a pain to use, I partially stripped it the first time I used it when it slipped off. After that, I would lock it in place by disassembling and inserting the quick release, very annoying. And it needed a 1 inch socket.
I needed a digital caliper, so I got one at Harbor Freight. I use it a lot more often than I expected. Precision!
Experimental cassette tool inspired by your post.
11-06-16 | 09:19 PM
#50
Keepin it Wheel
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 5,240
From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
Note 'similar items' shows a version by origin8 with a clip-on 4mm bit as well