Forum menu
For me, it's my ultrasonic cleaner. Honestly, I'd recommend them to everyone as they take the drudgery out of normal servicing jobs which involve cleaning shitty, oily components. Just chuck 'em in a bag of degreaser with hot water in the reservoir (the bag helps contain the mess) for 5 minutes, give a quick rinse under the tap, and they look like new again. Definitely wish I'd listened to other people and bought one a decade ago!
So, what's your suggestion? That weird purchase that you wouldn't be without...?
C&H
Not really. TrackSaw
Grease gun. Muddled along without one for decades. For the sake of £20 I'm kicking myself for not buying one sooner!
Knipex parallel pliers. Work properly with minimal faff unlike adjustable wrenches
Bitcoin
And decent bearing presses, so much better than an "about the right size" socket.
Definitely wish I’d listened to other people and bought one a decade ago!
It looks nice but you know that chain is going to be ruined in an hours use unless you now soak it for days in a wax lube yeah?
The cassette does look well though.
What size did you get - I couldn't seem to find a reasonably priced one big enough to take cassette and the like
Bitcoins🤣
.
Pedro's Vice-Whip
Grease gun.
Good call that. Mine is, in itself, it's a little bit of cycling history - reckon it must be well over 25 years old now! Surely can't be the only one with one of these knocking about the workshop...
Yep I've got one of those pace grease guns, circa mid 90s
Someone stole my pace grease gun 🙁
It looks nice but you know that chain is going to be ruined in an hours use unless you now soak it for days in a wax lube yeah?
Yeah, got that covered. You definitely need to give it plenty of time to reabsorb lube, but wet wax left on for 24 hours seems to do a decent job of getting down into the rollers. Certainly, it's stayed nice and quiet which is a good sign.
What size did you get – I couldn’t seem to find a reasonably priced one big enough to take cassette and the like
3 litre - £70 from Amazon. Upside, fine for everything on the road bikes. Downside, won't take anything bigger than a 32t sprocket, so don't expect to get your Eagle cassette in there! TBH, I'm less fastidious about the MTB stuff which, oddly, don't get as filthy as winter road bikes so don't need (or get!) the same level of cleaning.
A grease gun and a decent bike stand were game changers for me (admittedly a long time ago) but prior to that I was trying to fix bikes upside down/resting against the wall/suspended from ropes/etc.
I've got one of those too @daern
I have two, star nut setter, after years of messing with bolts the proper tool just makes it the easiest job ever.
Quick link Pliers, I have some cheapo ones that both open and close, get loads of use especially as I went over to hot waxing chains a couple of years ago.
It looks nice but you know that chain is going to be ruined in an hours use unless you now soak it for days in a wax lube yeah?
If you think a round in an ultrasonic cleaner will ruin a chain then you’d love seeing the strip and clean process on aircraft 😁
There is a brilliant tools thread on pistonheads, defo worth a read - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=&t=1769368
Right at the moment it's a compressor. Always wanted one but didn't have the room. Bought a quiet one which I'm pleased about. In the last two days I've used it at least half a dozen times
- air sprayer to paint a gate I made
- pumped up bike tyres today
- pumped up motorcycle tyres yesterday
- blow gun gets used all the time
- air nailer to make a wooden base for a compost bin
argee
Full MemberIf you think a round in an ultrasonic cleaner will ruin a chain then you’d love seeing the strip and clean process on aircraft
It's not that the cleaner damages the chain, it's that it removes all/most of the grease including inside the links. If you don't relube properly then it's metal on metal, and most lubes aren't great at penetrating into the links.
Yep have a pace grease gun. Pretty standard lots of the same ones with different labels. Can even get a park tools one
https://www.parktool.com/product/grease-gun-gg-1
Worx hydroshot, or a decent battery power washer.
If I had the space, a compressor and ultrasonic cleaner would be in my garage, 100%.
Grease gun is a small thing that if you do any work on bikes gets used so often, my park tools one should be due a refill soon I think.
Have we all got that Pace grease gun then?!
Mine is rarely use now. So many different preps and greases required these days, that they all stay in their own tubs or tubes.
I rode for years with friction shifting after indexing arrived, I rode for years with cantilevers after vbrakes arrived and years on them after disks. I only went to wide tyres and low pressure tubeless a couple of years ago. And 2 months ago I got a dropper post, first time my saddle moved since using a hite rite in the 80's. I thought given I'm all wheels on the ground xc it probably wouldn't make much difference. Just shows all that previous experience taught me nothing!
The only development since I started riding that I don't currently use and don't miss 99% of the time is suspension. All the rest I wish I'd moved to sooner.
e bike for getting round town
laser level
scribing tool
Beaten to it, but laser level. Makes popping picture rail up so much easier. Also used it when laying tiles. Only a cheap one from Amazon but awesome.
Have we all got that Pace grease gun then?!
Mine is rarely use now. So many different preps and greases required these days, that they all stay in their own tubs or tubes.
Certainly seems so! For me, mine has XHP222 in it as it's a good, winter-proof grease for most use cases. It's pretty heavy for bearings, but I still use it for winter use on wheels as it stays put in crap weather! Great for suspension linkages 🙂
Knipex parallel pliers.
+1
If I had the space, a compressor
Had one for years, highly recommended for tubeless fans.
Not sure I should follow this thread though, could prove expensive.
A beto air tank inflator does (part of) the job of a compressor for me, that's another.
I had a couple of years of furious pumping, sweat dripping off me, before I saw the light with a tubeless inflator.
I'm a big laser level fan..
But i've realised it has to be a SELF LEVELLING one... I previously had a non self levelling one, which was pointless!!
DrP
Aldi air compressor.
After faffing with coke bottles and a track pump it has made tubeless a thing for me.
It is super loud and only gets used on tyres which is a shame as I feel it could be used for loads of stuff.
time machine
Tools you wish you had bought years ago - Singletrack World Magazine
(still a good thread though 🙂 )
Houses.
I had a petrol station which was valued at 175K back in the mid 80’s. I should have sold it & bought 3, 40K houses & a 50K one for me.
Never mind though, I’ve still got my Pace grease gun.
The holy trinity of 'proper' wire strippers, soldering iron and a hot air gun for shrink wrap. And solder & shrink wrap obviously.
It still feels like one of the most satisfying processes known to man - strip your wires back using your proper wire strippers instead of a stanley knife or similar, twist the wires together, solder the joint, slide your shrink wrap over the joint and use your cheap hot air gun to shrink it down to a waterproof & solid state. Looks like it was supposed to be there.
When I did soldering at college back in the 80s shrink wrap wasn't even a thing. Almost makes you want to cut wires just so you can unnecessarily join them!
Shoes with Boas.....
@chrispoffer - you can skip a step using these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kuject-Connectors-Waterproof-Electrical-Automotive/dp/B073RMRCC3/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3O1JPGEVOKRG5&keywords=wire%2Bsolder%2Bjoints&qid=1652113675&sprefix=wire%2Bsolder%2Bjoin%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-5&th=1
really handy when you're handfisted (like me)
Wow. Mind. Blown.
They look awesome.
But, hang on a minute - I LIKE soldering, that's part of the joy.
Imma pretend I've never seen that witchcraft......
i found out about them when i called out an automotive sparkie to fix a wire in my car and he used them. got a mixed box for myself and they're as good as they look.
@5lab Damn you! Cost me two sodding sets as I bought one for myself and one for my dad, which will pay back in the long run as it means I won't need to go over and fix stuff for him!
Apple shares in 1994.
A round the world ticket in 1996.
That house just outside Castle Douglas in 1998.
A Volvo.
Bikes wise: a good workstand
Not bikey, but, speedsquare. So speedy and square.
A really high lift jack, for the car- so much nicer to work on.
A really cheap electrical jack, for the car- because it has fine up/down control so is great as a 3rd hand/part lifter.
tall_martin
Full MemberIt is super loud and only gets used on tyres which is a shame as I feel it could be used for loads of stuff.
Get an air duster spray for sure! And put your tools on quick connectors or you'll just never use them
TBH these days I barely use air tools but the air duster gets a lot of use (even just drying stuff). Paraffin gun and air chisel/hammer are situationally very useful, and dirt cheap.
a Ferrari f40
A wife
Apparently they're a lot better than a hot water bottle.
Tefal Toast N Egg. 🙂
An SDS drill.
AA Garage and parts cover or whatever it’s called. Used it for 4th time in 2 years today as water pump on van is leaking. Paid for itself in the first month! (£500 starter motor replacement for £35)
Have we all got that Pace grease gun then?!
Yes because of reading a thread on here a few years ago! Two, one for bearings grease wheels freehubs etc, another for thick "waterproof" grease for headsets bottom brackets etc.
Wish my attitude to bitcoin/blockchain hadn't been its-too-confusing-i-can't-be-bothered for so long.
Those regretting not getting into bitcoin can take some solace they are not one of the late adopters that joined in last year. Mines worth less than half what i put in.
Come on baby, bounce goddamn you!
A digging bar.