After, well, years of messing about with pliers and/or old bits of gear/brake cable, I splashed out on a seven quid quicklink tool from eBay. What a joy to use, so simple, so quick, why was I such an idiot for not buying one sooner?
I have a few quid knocking about in my eBay account, so what else should I treat myself to tool-wise that would be equally satisfying?
start nut setting tool.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375551966948
One of these things for pressing the pin into disk brake hose. So much easier than molegrips/clamp/little hammer, well that's how I used to do it.
Also, a really big man sized hammer. I always owned a hammer but my first toolkit only had one medium sized hammer. It was ok for most things but for real hammering jobs, you need a proper hammer. Plus a little one for delicate work. And maybe a jumbo one for really teaching stuff who's boss. Oh, and a rubber one.
Not bike related but a couple of decorating (mainly) ones.
First is a little lever for opening paint tins. Like a bottle opener, but I got it at my local Dulux shop and it can fit on your keyring. Much better than a screwdriver and I keep it next to my special paint-stirring stick.
The other is a reamer for the screw holes in light switch and socket back boxes. Whenever you put a screw back it usually feels to be cross-threaded or the wrong one. 3 quid for a Forge Steel Re-threader from Screwfix and you'll be looking forward to the next time.
And if, as above you're going to get a rubber hammer get a white one as well. So you can tap back the seals around double glazing units without getting indelible black marks everywhere.
I bought one of these (or at least a knock-off one for £5) and it's one of those tools that's really nice to use compared to those annoying plastic wheels on the end of a BB tool.
One of these things for pressing the pin into disk brake hose. So much easier than molegrips/clamp/little hammer, well that's how I used to do it.
Lovely, that's one of them ordered
A shot filled hammer “deadblow hammer”. Useful. Look it up. Don’t bounce back.
I imagine this thread might be inspired by the recent one about hating working on bikes. In that one I rattled off a number of fancy specialist bike tools I own.
Funny thing is, the only ratchet I have is on my two Topeka digital torque wrenches. For all this time, I've been getting by without a ratchet driver
Pipe cutter, £10 eBay, bars and seatposts done in seconds with minimal effort
Another useful decorating item is a 5 way tool.
Ali Express is good for selected things
Bearing press tool set
Spoke tension tool - not for absolute value but good for a relative check
Hose pin thingy
I bought one of these (or at least a knock-off one for £5) and it's one of those tools that's really nice to use compared to those annoying plastic wheels on the end of a BB tool.
That has the potential to provide far too much preload on the bearings. Them little plastic wheels are designed so you can't do more than than nip up the cap, which is all that's needed.
Side cutters for properly trimming cable ties without any sharp ends
+1 for hose pusher thing, that's such a frustrating job to do without and so nice to do with.
A second set of good allen keys for when you can't find the 4mm. A third set for when you can't find those.
Wire rope cutters! Just your £8, generic ebay red handled wire rope cutters. Best cable cutters there is. Perfectly good at hoses and outers too. And lasts forever, they don't really blunt, mine have done dozens of bikes. If you're really pernickity, you can get a set from Draper for £15 that's the exact same as the £8 but is pretty much Park Blue, or you can buy Pedros ones for £35 that are exactly the same but are an Official Bike Tool. I have a set of Park cable cutters, they weren't as good on day one, and then they went blunt. (awesome cable-end-nipple squishers though, and great spoke cutters)
I can't quite call this cheap, but, a depth adjustable spoke nipple driver. Mine was about £30 but for what it does, that's cheap, it's way more useful than a wheel building stand frisntance. Stick it in a drill driver, spin the nipples onto the spokes, your wheel is about 9/10th built and the final process is super easy and way more pleasant. Just bloody brilliant.
I'm quite partial to quality bodge tools, sometimes free, sometimes they cost a few quid. Like, I still have some old locking grips I don't use, and 2 locking grips make the <perfect> bar cutting tool. One is all you actually need, but 2 is perfect.
And I <think> it's old rear QR axles that use the same thread and pitch as mechs do, which makes these an ideal mech hanger straightener. Stick a straight edge through the frame (a bit of 10mm threaded rod is best because you can just plonk it in like a wheel, you can even add nuts and washers so you can tighten it in place if you're fancy) and then you have a perfect parellelising thing with the axle threaded into the dropout. AND a perfect bending lever to boot.
A bit of M6 threaded rod comes in useful often, spin it through a star nut, drop it through the fork, and it's a star nut installer- you can't go more than a couple of degrees squint. Again if you're fancy, add a washer to widen it out and you can get that down to 0.
This is the needle driver I bought for hose barbs. Makes the whole hose-trimming experience much better! You can even get a replacement pin if you lend it or a friend who then loses it...
Brake piston spacer tool.
+1 on deadblow hammer. Picked up a Lifeline rubber coated one a while back; works well as a general purpose mallet and no bouncing/scuffing.
I bought one of these (or at least a knock-off one for £5) and it's one of those tools that's really nice to use compared to those annoying plastic wheels on the end of a BB tool.
That has the potential to provide far too much preload on the bearings. Them little plastic wheels are designed so you can't do more than than nip up the cap, which is all that's needed.
That stopped me buying one just in time.
That stopped me buying one just in time
just remember to go steady and unwind a tiny bit once you've got to the "stop" (even for the plaggy ones)
A second set of good allen keys for when you can't find the 4mm. A third set for when you can't find those.
Not a tool as such but I am going to treat myself to a workshop apron with special hex key/tool slots in the hope I will stop losing tools within seconds of putting them down within arms reach. It'll be like the workshop equivalent of a pelican bib 😀
Bearing press tool set
I have that same set.
And +1 to quicklink pliers
I have 2 bearing press sets. 1 on workbench, 1 in van.
Funnily enough i have 3 sets of quicklink pliers, but that's only because 1 of the sets only does disconnect, so i bought a 2nd pair with connect as well 😀
Cushcore bead bro is worth a mention.
Makes getting those bloody awkward stiffer casing tyres on when you’re chasing the tyre bead round the rim trying hold the one side in place with one hand and then trying to lever the other side on. So much easier.
That bearing press tool from AliExpress...that only does the installation and not the removal, is that right?
Yes installation only. Also doesn't have drifts for some headsets e.g lower cup on a zs56 headset.
Bead seating tool, something like this. Don't normally have an issue with MTB tyres but some CX and road are super tight, even when in the groove. The challenge version of this tool worked surprisingly well!
A cheap Brand X saw guide. So much easier than using an old stem or going by eye. Handy for bars too.
+1 for the saw guide.
I also recently bought the correct tool for removing bushes from NP pedals. Not that cheap, but cheaper than replacing entire pedals when you've bent the whole thing trying to get bushes out with bearing pullers and a lump hammer.
Also - a cheap set of picks/spikes. They've been used in so many ways I could never hope to list them all.
compared to those annoying plastic wheels on the end of a BB tool.
I thought the point of the plastic wheel was so that you weren't tempted to tighten it too much. That tool from Park Tools looks specifically designed to 'tighten it too much'
as other's have said
echo comments about a star nut setter. Should've bought one , oooh about 20 years ago
I have thought about about buying a bearing press kit, but it's one of those jobs that I know, regardless of what tools I have, I will make a pigs ear of. It's pretty much the only thing I use a shop mechanic for. They do it all the time, they know what they're doing and all I need to contribute is money. Works out better for everyone
No one's mentioned a headset press. Not 'cheap' in an absolute sense (especially if you go down the Park route) but I picked up a Cyclus one (around £50 at the time) and added a few other inserts to it later.
It's probably only been used half a dozen times and the handle's gone a bit rusty but I've been happy with it.
While we're on the topic of cheap tools, can anyone point me to some affordable but reasonable quality tools to enable me to change the bearings in my DT Swiss G1800 wheels (370, 3 pawl hubs)? The official DT ones seem about £60 a pop and you seem to need several tools (once it's all added up it's almost easier to buy a new set of wheels).
A set of nail clippers for trimming zip ties. No more pointy edges!
Old ironing board as temporary stand for laptop/tools/etc that stashes away easily.
No one's mentioned a headset press. Not 'cheap' in an absolute sense (especially if you go down the Park route) but I picked up a Cyclus one (around £50 at the time) and added a few other inserts to it later.
It's probably only been used half a dozen times and the handle's gone a bit rusty but I've been happy with it.
Can't say i've ever needed a headset press, all modern bikes i've seen have drop-in bearings only. Even the Canyon Sender which had removable cups was little more than 'snug'
Brake piston spacer tool.
Just bought the sram copy/clone, though haven't tested it yet. It's got to be better than using a lever
No one's mentioned a headset press. Not 'cheap' in an absolute sense (especially if you go down the Park route) but I picked up a Cyclus one (around £50 at the time) and added a few other inserts to it later.
I bought a cheap press from Ebay for £15, has been excellent even though I've only needed it a few times, much better than a lump of wood and a hammer. I still knock them out with whatever long metal object I can find though.
Not bike related, but hose clamp pliers. Far better than normal pliers for them springy buggers. Although on the flip side because they don't slip off, my swearing vocabulary has shrank.
I'm trying to find a handlebar/front wheel holder thing for attaching to my workstand, it's the kind of thing where cheapies must be available on eBay (cos the cheap workstands on eBay come with them), but I'll be buggered if I can find one. I'll have to keep using my shoelace for now...
Old ironing board as temporary stand for laptop/tools/etc that stashes away easily.
Or, as I've done, a table for the consumption of an Indian takeaway in a hotel room 🙂
Can't say i've ever needed a headset press, all modern bikes i've seen have drop-in bearings only. Even the Canyon Sender which had removable cups was little more than 'snug'
There's definitely a few tools that are less essential now than they were 15 years ago. I haven't used my star nut setter / headset press / cone spanners in years.
On the other hand my suggestion is an internal cabling kit. I didn't actually buy it, but I have amassed a collection of cables, string, fine tubes, hose fitments and poking implements that make up my set. I don't even mind internal routing that much.
Off the back of this thread I've bought a Bead Bro and a bead lever tool. Hopefully that'll make fitting a summer tyre (with Cushcores) a bit less of an ordeal.
(with Cushcores) a bit less of an ordeal.
I was going to stab my mate as he needed a cushcore tyred wheel sorting.... For the love of GOD that was horrific.
I bought one of these (or at least a knock-off one for £5) and it's one of those tools that's really nice to use compared to those annoying plastic wheels on the end of a BB tool.
That has the potential to provide far too much preload on the bearings. Them little plastic wheels are designed so you can't do more than than nip up the cap, which is all that's needed.
That stopped me buying one just in time.
Try using the end of a Pedros tyre lever instead, works perfectly well IME
reasonable quality tools to enable me to change the bearings in my DT Swiss G1800 wheels (370, 3 pawl hubs)? The official DT ones seem about £60 a pop and you seem to need several tools
The bearing press set above should do it, then one of the cheap ring removal tools if you need it to get to the inner bearing (some newer hubs allow access to the inner bearing without removing the drive ring). Use punches or similar to push the old ones out.