The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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Dingdong
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Dingdong »

Park Tool portable chain splitter. Absolutely bomb proof
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Audax67
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Audax67 »

My first Bosch router, a wee 400W job I bought in 1989. I'd never dreamt a single tool could do so much. Running a close second was the East German bandsaw I bought about the same time: it was an el cheapo that just happened to work perfectly once I'd bought a replacement blade for it. It went on working perfectly for 25 years until the motor went phut and I couldn't find a replacement. The Metabo saw I bought to replace it is Chinese rubbish.

Oh, cycling tools? Not much of a revelation but an adjunct to one was the 20€ slow cooker I bought to melt the wax/PTFE mix I use on my chains these days. The absence of gunk in the drive train is wondrous and the chains seem to like it. I just hope some brain-dead LBS mechanic doesn't think one day "chain's dry, I'll do him a favour and oil it".
Have we got time for another cuppa?
VinceLedge
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by VinceLedge »

Gerber Dime multitool - got one as a gift, it is tiny with pliers, knife blade , scissors, bottle opener, tweezer, a tool for cutting parcels open and a couple of other bits. The scissors are of limited use but the rest are all handy.
I leave it in the coin pocket of my trousers/shorts and have used it loads - the parcel opener is Reay useful, the wee blade is good once sharpened and the pliers are fine for light and fiddly work.
It isn't the best tool for everything but is always to hand!
peetee
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by peetee »

Dingdong wrote: 5 May 2022, 8:33am Park Tool portable chain splitter. Absolutely bomb proof
Wish I could say the same for their Campagnolo bottom bracket remover. That £80 tool looked like a bomb had hit it the second time it was used. :evil:
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
gbnz
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by gbnz »

A Torx 5. Delivered today, got the Heart Rate Monitor fitness thing stripped down and new battery within an hour (Nb. No "suppliers" would change the battery, official service centres somewhere in Taiwan! So out of use since July last year)
rogerzilla
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by rogerzilla »

Dingdong wrote: 5 May 2022, 8:33am Park Tool portable chain splitter. Absolutely bomb proof
I bent the handle of one in half.
Stradageek
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Stradageek »

A decent pair of cable cutters - absolutely invaluable
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simonineaston
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by simonineaston »

After much pondering on this subject, I think the answer is: a bench vice!
I was a medical physics tech. at a local hospital. All sorts met up at the social club, including Paul who worked for BT, the hospital being a large consumer of telephone services. One evening I wished I had a good sturdy vice and a few days later Paul turned up with a such a thing, albeit rusty and unloved, in his boot. "It was just lying around in the yard." he said.
The number of jobs I could do once I had cleaned and greased it and staightened the screw handle was impressive. Many a bike frame has been held firmly in place, holes drilled, parts straightened & brazed, bottom brackets and freewheels removed. Worth its considerable weight in gold...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Dingdong
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Dingdong »

Park cable cutters. Still going strong after 10 years hard labour :lol:
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sussex cyclist
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by sussex cyclist »

simonineaston wrote: 6 May 2022, 8:50am After much pondering on this subject, I think the answer is: a bench vice!
Really wish I had one of these. Alas no place to put it.
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simonineaston
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by simonineaston »

Understand. Mine stayed put in the back garden for all the time I had it. I now live in a modest 3rd story apartment, without it. Much missed... although with the advantage of experience and knowledge, I've been able to improvise - just.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
iandusud
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by iandusud »

sussex cyclist wrote: 6 May 2022, 5:47pm
simonineaston wrote: 6 May 2022, 8:50am After much pondering on this subject, I think the answer is: a bench vice!
Really wish I had one of these. Alas no place to put it.
I wouldn't be without a good bench vice but not specifically for bike use. I have a good selection of bike tools but I would say that most day to day maintenance can be done with non specific bike tools until you start doing bottom brackets or pulling cranks. However I would say that a good pair of cable cutters are probably the best bike specific tool for every day maintenance.
millimole
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by millimole »

Well into my adult life I considered that the only cycle tools needed were hammer, screwdriver & adjustable spanner.
Every cycle specific tool I bought was a revelation - and a cure for both parsimony and stupidity.
Leicester; Riding my Hetchins since 1971; Day rides on my Dawes; Going to the shops on a Decathlon Hoprider
Cyclewala
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Cyclewala »

sussex cyclist wrote: 6 May 2022, 5:47pm
simonineaston wrote: 6 May 2022, 8:50am After much pondering on this subject, I think the answer is: a bench vice!
Really wish I had one of these. Alas no place to put it.
You don’t necessarily need a bench. A foot or so of roofing beam will do if the vice is mounted in the centre. It’s also more portable this way.
Cyclewala
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Re: The tool you bought that proved a revelation ??

Post by Cyclewala »

Not necessarily a new purchase, but an old spoke bent into a U shape is great at holding opposing sections of a chain as you join the ends.

I struggled for years until I saw this little tip somewhere.
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