As we're all master cycle mechanics, how important is a hammer in your tool box?

I realised yesterday when removing a bar grip clamp just how easy it was to ‘float’ the grip off with a hammer as the ‘end’ clamp is shit once the torx head is scuffed from crashing/dropping (sons jump bike)

I’ve got loads of hammers – jeweller’s hammer, normal hammer (a brickie’s hammer I found at the side of the road) club hammer, a couple of mallets, and a BFH.

Customers have been known to go stand outside with their fingers in their ears when I start using the BFH on their bike 😀

Occasional use of a rubber mallet but have never had to use a hammer on a bike

4 in mine, claw, smashing, rubber Mallet and park tool soft headed. A good mate is making beautiful turned hammers so I might get one of those. After that there is the ice axe hammer. Back home for real stubborn problems is “Arthur’s big hammer” given to my dad when the village blacksmith retired. You’d give thor a run for his money with that one.

Rubber mallet and club hammer get more bike maintenance use that a claw hammer

Dead blow hammer, Crucial bike fettling tool. No marking, good weight, solid ‘whack’ to persuade.

Yep i use hammers on my bikes from time to time. Haven’t got any bikes specific ones just the normal diy claw hammer, lump hammer and the rubber mallet that is the usual bike choice as well as the camping mallet.

I have several hammers – but I think I’ve only ever used the Rubber Hammer on a bike component.

Some form of soft-faced hammer is essential – for fitting cranks (to make sure they’re properly seated) and ‘persuading’ them to come out again…

Use one for putting headsets (with blocks off wood), gentle knock to a stubborn crank and that’s about it.

Use a heavy large head mallet so the weight of the head does the work and is nice and wide.

I’ve got a rubber mallet, that’s it. Doesn’t get used very often.

Yep – the rubber mallet I bought for camping gets used loads to encourage things to come undone…..

‘Proper’ metal hammer though – nope, can’t remember ever having to use one.

Dead blow hammer here. I sometimes use a small lump hammer for bearing drifting, but thatmores to do with letting the tool do the work so I can control the strike better.

I’ve got a handle which I snapped off a hammer in my bike toolbox. I use it to remove headset cups (by hitting with a rubber mallet which I keep in my general toolbox).
I can only think of a pretty small list of other things that need a hammer. Shock seals, suspension bushings, and cartridge bearings maybe.
I serviced an Amp fork once, that required quite a lot of hammering to get the old bushings out.

Rubber mallet usually for cranks etc.
Metal hammer for seating brake hose inserts and, er I can’t think of anything on the bike it’s used for.

Even the Pros love a persuader: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/ews-tool-mechanic-round-4-la-thuile-italy.html

My collection includes medium and large rubber mallet, 2 lb mash, claw, ball pein and large (4 lb?) copper and hide. Mostly just rubber mallet on the bike but the copper face is very handy for drifting out stubborn bearings. Pivot bearings came out last night just with the rubber mallet which was pretty handy with the wee one sleeping above the garage 🙂

Lump hammer here, gets a lot of use for removing/installing bearings etc… Also gets used for anything that is being even remotely stubborn. Really should buy a rubber mallet…

Hammers?
That’s what the back of the molegrips is for.

Yep, dead blow hammer and a rubber mallet get used for the odd hard to remove crank or seating a headset with a delicate thump.

A smallish soft face dead-blow is a brilliant addition to any tool box, so much more precise and kind to parts than a traditional steel hammer.

Best of all, some of the best are made by a 100 year old company actually called ‘Thor Hammer company’ and they’re made in Solihull!

Thor Hammer Co.

Deadblow, rubber, ball peen, course grade Hammer of Thor that my grandad stole from the RAF so I felt it appropriate to steal it from him, and fine grade little tiny tacking hammer. All get used but tbh it’s luxury, just about having the right one. There’s a claw hammer, a sledgehammer and some massive mason’s hammer with a tiny handle in the house too but they’re not Official Bike Tools

Rubber mallet mainly on the bike. Knocking out crank and steerer, or to whack headset removal tool.

Small hammer for occasionally tapping bushings back into my Vaults, as I just never get round to replacing them.

I use proper hammers for removing bearings (with wood or something over the axle if that’s what I’m hitting) and (with sockets for drifts) to refit them.

I also use them to remove traditional headsets – no point in messing about with a soft faced hammer or a rubber mallet, you need a good sized hammer to get them moving (and if you were going to put a soft bit on, it’d need to be at the end of your drift anyway).

I’m not an animal so I only use a rubber mallet, but the Chris king headset went in a treat last night………..

Rubber mallet only, useful for coaxing things out. Have access to other hammers from the non-bike tool box too but they rarely get used on the bike.

Rubber mallet for cranks and steerer, think I used a normal hammer for knocking bearing out as well.

Hammers? That’s what the back of the molegrips is for.

Don’t you find they glance off the screwdriver handle?

Good point on bearings. Yeah normal hammer and screwdriver for bodge bearing removal 😀

I use a press to push them in though.

Anybody got a Titanium hammer? I wanted one but i couldn’t justify it for the relatively small amount of framing i was doing so i got a 20oz Estwing instead.

My hammer is used usually in conjunction with my bashing rock, for fitting bushings and stuff.

A mallet is usually the correct tool for the job. Except when a hammer is the correct tool. I have a variety of both. And I know how to use both correctly.

I haven’t had to use either “The Big Mallet” or “The Big Hammer” for quite a while. This saddens me.

This lot live in my roll-cab – I’ve got a few more in various other tool boxes, including a couple of rubber/soft-faced mallets etc.

One of the 2 most important tools…
If something needs to come apart, use a hammer
If something needs to be held together, use gaffer tape

Club hammer for hitting tools
wooden mallet for hitting bits of bikes

Job done.

Its the people who cant wield a hammer without breaking things that keep bike shops open, well done you inept gorilla fisted oafs 🙂

dead blow is the most useful for bike stuff, though I have a big toffee hammer and a geological hammer for things like bearing setting and that sort of stuff where a little bounce is nice.

Yeah I had to use a metal one to get my pro 2 apart, the rubber one was too soft to budge the axle. I always use a rubber one for fitting headsets.

Cranks, headsets, bearings. All can use a bit of persuasion from time to time.

A toolbox is not complete without some sort of hammer.

We’ve got rubber, nylon-faced, ball pein, jeweller’s (good for small roll pins inside forks) and a BFH for stubborn stuff/percussive realignment.

Percussion wrench…