The compact chain tool is based on the ones included in their multitools, is compatible with everything from 5 to 12 speed chains, and has a little surprise too, in the form of valve core removers concealed in the handle.
Another useful but small tool Unior are introducing this year are these spoke driver bits for a drill or electric screwdriver (even though it’ll let go of the spoke as it tops out, still probably best to not use an impact driver though). Depending on where exactly you want your initial spoke tension, they come in 1.5mm and 2.5mm lengths. The guy at the stand said “these really make sense if you build a dozen wheels a day”, but honestly we’d use them for one compared to a standard nipple driver!
Another tool Unior were showing for the first time at Eurobike were their Hub Genies, for pulling out hub end caps. Some end caps come out easily with finger strength but not all, and in such cases, these are a cleaner way to remove them than (for instance) hitting them with a screwdriver poked through the hub. The smaller one is for 12 – 15mm axle end caps, and the larger one for 20mm inner diameter caps.
If you’re familiar with blind bearing pullers you’ll understand exactly how these work. Sadly, they’d mislaid the Hub Genie they had on the stand for demos, but did make this video before it went missing:
[fbvideo link=”https://www.facebook.com/uniorbike/videos/1426179430752956/” width=”650″ height=”400″ onlyvideo=”1″]
Unior already make various tools for rescuing cranksets with stripped pedal threads, but for the first time they’ve made them available together as a kit in a case. Given how often a mechanic is likely to need these tools, and that they’ll need all of them at the same time, this makes a lot of sense compared to having them rattling around in a drawer.
The tapered, smooth-tipped taps in the kit are self-centering, and prepare bust crank threads at the right size to receive a helicoil in standard pedal thread size.
The 2 For 1 Disk Brake Tool is a handy space saver for mobile mechanics. As well as functioning as a disc brake pad spreader, the slot cut down the middle is for truing brake rotors too.
Shimano say “hand tight” in their instructions, but Unior mentioned that if you do enough digging, there is a torque specification for the part of a Shimano crankset you tighten with this, and it’s 2Nm.
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Well, that’s Xmas sorted… 🙂
I like the half inch adaptor/tool thing, that’s been done before but badly.