Essential tools

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

In the UK Halfords introduced carbon fibre forks to their mass market Carrera range in around 2014 and more and more CF ever since, I presume that there would be equivalents where you are.

Are these starting to make their way into the donated bike arena yet, if so a torque wrench and collection of bits would be ideal as the settings required are so low that they may not be intuitive?

Bye

Ian

 

[fossyant]

Quite like the quick link tool for undoing and joining the link. Saves oily fingers. Nice luxury really. Torque wrench only sees use on the GXP tightening the bolt as it has to be mega tight and my hex keys aren't big enough.

 

[Drago]

3rd hand tool. Makes setting up cantis a breeze for people that don't know how to set up the simplest brake design in christendom.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Good morning,

In the UK Halfords introduced carbon fibre forks to their mass market Carrera range in around 2014 and more and more CF ever since, I presume that there would be equivalents where you are.

Are these starting to make their way into the donated bike arena yet, if so a torque wrench and collection of bits would be ideal as the settings required are so low that they may not be intuitive?

Bye

Ian

We see very little CF: I've had two donated bikes so far in a year and they were from the 80's and 90's with chromoly joins.

I'm a bit nervous about selling CF to be honest as I can't tell if they're damaged (and my cynical side assumes there's probably a reason they're donated to us.)

That said the Elder Son keeps telling me to get a new torque wrench: we have one but I don't know how accurate it is.

 

[fossyant]

3rd hand tool. Makes setting up cantis a breeze for people that don't know how to set up the simplest brake design in christendom.

Now got two canti bikes out of 5. Fortunately the springs aren't too strong. Could do with one though.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

Money for train home.

 

[StuAff]

Whatever tool you haven't got, where and when you need it.

 

[Andy in Germany]

3rd hand tool. Makes setting up cantis a breeze for people that don't know how to set up the simplest brake design in christendom.

I'm learning to be friends with Canti brakes. It isn't a fast process though.

 

[Fredo76]

JIS screwdrivers (Japanese Industrial Standard) really do fit "Phillips" screws on Japanese components much better than a Phillips screwdriver does.

An honest-to-goodness cable cutter is one of the first specialty tools that will really be appreciated - the kind with semi-circular blades that close to a smaller hole as they are squeezed, not some pair of dull diagonal pliers or 'dikes' that mash the cables and screw up the ends.

I also find additional leverage handy for removing stuck bottom brackets, so made my own tool handle here and used it here.

 

[richardfm]

A workbench with a vise.
Little pots with brake and gear cable ferrules.
A little pot of cable end covers.
A can of GT 85
A can of plusgas for those rusty parts
A grease gun
A pot of anti seize grease
Reinstate the fine nosed pliers - crimping the cable end covers.
A scribe or other pointy tool for pushing in the end of cable outers to make them round again after cutting.
A Vernier caliper
A spoke rule.
A marked peg board to hang all the tools on.
A stool or seat for sitting on to do those jobs, usually involving wheels, that are easier sitting down.

A rule that says no one can go home at the end of the day until all tools are accounted for and the work area is clean and tidy.

 

[Lookrider]

Rear mech gear hangar

 

[Lookrider]

Sorry
Rear mech gear aligner

 

[rrarider]

A workbench with a vise.
...
Reinstate the fine nosed pliers - crimping the cable end covers.
A scribe or other pointy tool for pushing in the end of cable outers to make them round again after cutting.

Or buy a proper bike cable cutter in the first place

 

[T4tomo]

Now got two canti bikes out of 5. Fortunately the springs aren't too strong. Could do with one though.

A pre-emptive strike of making sure you have an inline adjuster in the cable run / on the hanger really helps with the fine tuning of cantis

 

[fossyant]

A pre-emptive strike of making sure you have an inline adjuster in the cable run / on the hanger really helps with the fine tuning of cantis

My MTB has adjusters on the lever, but the CX bike has nothing, and there isn't room for one unfortunately.