Tool kit

Tonyandthewhale

I'm in the market for a new toolset. I had this park tools starter set: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/park-tool-ak-37-advanced-mechanic-tool-kit-prod13492/
but it went missing while I was shipping my stuff home from Holland (where I'd been living for the last while). It looks like the courrier's insurance will cover part of the cost of the tools so I'm looking for a replacement set but preferably a little (or a lot) cheaper. Anyone have any recommendations?

oconnpad

I'm in the market as well for some tools for changing BB and Cassette and came across this, i haven't bought it yet so can't rate it but it might interest you.
Obviously a smaller range than the park but i thought it looked good for the money
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/x-tools-bike-tool-kit-18-piece/rp-prod40997

Tonyandthewhale

Yeah, that's one I've been looking at. Looks like deceptively good value. Would love to know what the quality's like.

jamesd

I've that set - quality is ok for the odd jobs.

SomeFool

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Yeah, that's one I've been looking at. Looks like deceptively good value. Would love to know what the quality's like.

Nothing like Park Tool, why not replace the kit bit by bit over time starting with the essentials?

kingoffifa

look like the same as the planet x kit:

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJWTK/jobsworth-shimano-specific-18-piece-cycle-tool-kit

bought the lidl/aldi one. have to agree with the buying of park tools bit by bit as you need them. the only things you really need out of those tool boxes are the chain whip, chain breaker, cassette tool bottom bracket tool - if it fits your bb, and the cone spanners.

the chain whip, cassette tool and bottom bracket tool are all that is left as the rest just fell apart or were not fit for purpose. if i had bought the park equivalent of the above tools i wouldnt be much over the 30 euro i spent on the tool kit from lidl/aldi....

27cyrix

kingoffifa wrote: »

look like the same as the planet x kit:


bought the lidl/aldi one. have to agree with the buying of park tools bit by bit as you need them. the only things you really need out of those tool boxes are the chain whip, chain breaker, cassette tool bottom bracket tool - if it fits your bb, and the cone spanners.

the chain whip, cassette tool and bottom bracket tool are all that is left as the rest just fell apart or were not fit for purpose. if i had bought the park equivalent of the above tools i wouldnt be much over the 30 euro i spent on the tool kit from lidl/aldi....

planet x shimano 18-piece kit
this is what i have, very good quality.

doozerie

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

I'm in the market for a new toolset. I had this park tools starter set: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/park-tool-ak-37-advanced-mechanic-tool-kit-prod13492/
but it went missing while I was shipping my stuff home from Holland (where I'd been living for the last while). It looks like the courrier's insurance will cover part of the cost of the tools so I'm looking for a replacement set but preferably a little (or a lot) cheaper. Anyone have any recommendations?

I've gathered quite a few Park Tool tools over the years, I have all but a couple of the ones in that kit plus more. My opinion on those ones, from using them for several years now, is as follows:

* Spanner wrench - I don't like it, you have only one set angle, the same one, on each side to attack the pedal. That's a real problem with a stuck pedal. Their other pedal wrench, the PW-4, is a lot better and a similar price to buy individually.
* The spoke keys - very good, but you may not need all three of them depending on your wheels.
* The cone spanners - good. You probably don't need all of them though, you might not need any of them depending on the wheels you have.
* The chain wear measuring tool - convenient but unnecessary, a measuring tape is less convenient but more accurate. I see it as costly padding for the toolkit.
* Tyre levers - padding, other brands are far better.
* Chainwhip and cassette lockring tools - chainwhips are ten a penny, personally I prefer the Pedros one which is like a vice grips, it's not cheaper, I just consider it far better. My current personal preference though is the dual-sided crombie and its matching chainwhip - they have added shiny appeal!
* Chaintool, the CT-3 - it's good, I like it, I used it in preference to the CT-4.2, but it doesn't handle 11-speed chains (you need the CT-3.2, CT-4.2 (no longer available), or CT-4.3 for that). Your money would be better put towards a more versatile tool, of any decent brand, which will handle any chain.
* Screwdrivers and allen keys - there are many good quality generic tools available (Wiha, Wera, etc.), they are not necessarily cheaper than Park Tool but in some cases I reckon they are better.
* Cable cutters - I have the previous generation of those, they are good.
* Toolbox - ten a penny, I wouldn't pay Park Tool prices for their one, I see it as more padding for the toolkit.

In short, based on my experiences, personal preferences and biases, I wouldn't buy that toolkit, I think for similar money you could build a kit which is better and more versatile from brands which include Park Tool. Mind you, I am very fussy about tools, that toolkit is not bad I just don't consider it the best value for money.

doozerie

Further thoughts on the CT-3 chaintool, specifically on the question of whether you actually need am "official" 11-speed chaintool: If you are joining an 11-speed chain with a pin, you want to have faith in the tool you are using, for me that means using an approved 11-speed tool. Some people use 10-speed tools for that, I'm not willing to take that risk.

If you intend to always use split links to join 11-speed chains then you just need a tool capable of breaking an 11-speed chain. A 10-speed tool will do that.

Personally I prefer joining chains with a pin rather than a split link. Also, I've yet to find a re-usable 11-speed split link, so I carry one for emergencies on the road but don't see any advantage in joining a chain with one otherwise. So for me a reliable 11-speed chaintool is a necessity.

smacl

If you are using split links, a chain pliers makes life so much easier. There's been a lot less cursing involved in maintaining the bikes in our house since getting one.

Slightly off topic, but what do you do with a bolt that keeps working itself loose? Happening to me currently on the non-drive side crank bolt after changing the BB even though I've tightened it as hard as I easily can by hand. Was wondering whether a compressible washer, or something applied to the threads would sort this? I notice something that looked like a yellow paint applied to the BB, which got me thinking on this line.

27cyrix

smacl wrote: »

If you are using split links, a chain pliers makes life so much easier. There's been a lot less cursing involved in maintaining the bikes in our house since getting one.

Slightly off topic, but what do you do with a bolt that keeps working itself loose? Happening to me currently on the non-drive side crank bolt after changing the BB even though I've tightened it as hard as I easily can by hand. Was wondering whether a compressible washer, or something applied to the threads would sort this? I notice something that looked like a yellow paint applied to the BB, which got me thinking on this line.

Loctite/Threadlocker
you are looking for mid strength which is the blue version.

smacl

27cyrix wrote: »

Loctite/Threadlocker
you are looking for mid strength which is the blue version.

Thanks for that, just ordered some up.

CramCycle

27cyrix wrote: »

Loctite/Threadlocker
you are looking for mid strength which is the blue version.

I used plumbing tape myself which is a convenient alternative, probably not as secure but presumably easier to remove?

quozl

The blue loctite is easy to remove. I think it works by preventing vibrations working things lose rather than by being any kind of strong glue, which it really isn't.

tomasrojo

CramCycle wrote: »

I used plumbing tape myself which is a convenient alternative, probably not as secure but presumably easier to remove?

Is that Teflon tape? Might try that if so. Have some left over.

tomasrojo

smacl wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but what do you do with a bolt that keeps working itself loose? Happening to me currently on the non-drive side crank bolt after changing the BB even though I've tightened it as hard as I easily can by hand.

The crank didn't get a knock, did it? Happened to me, and new crank was required.

tomasrojo

doozerie wrote: »

Personally I prefer joining chains with a pin rather than a split link.

I thought I was the only one.

quozl

Smacl, I'm far from an expert on this but from http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/installing-cranks.html it's normal for a crank bolt to loosen (particularly the left one) and isn't a problem. In fact it's a problem if you then keep tightening it up.

The crank arm shouldn't be lose but I think it's OK if the bolt is (within reason). From the above article that will normally happen over time but as the bolt has already done it's job of pressing the crank arm on it doesn't matter as long as it's not lose enough to fall off, or if it's retained by a dust cap.

I'm assuming a normal square taper mount and I'm really emphasising here that I'm no expert on this, just that I had to figure out the correct method for putting cranks on a JIS square taper and the above advice seemed legit. As is almost everything on sheldonbrown.com really.

smacl

quozl wrote: »

Smacl, I'm far from an expert on this but from http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/installing-cranks.html it's normal for a crank bolt to loosen (particularly the left one) and isn't a problem. In fact it's a problem if you then keep tightening it up.

The crank arm shouldn't be lose but I think it's OK if the bolt is (within reason). From the above article that will normally happen over time but as the bolt has already done it's job of pressing the crank arm on it doesn't matter as long as it's not lose enough to fall off, or if it's retained by a dust cap.

I'm assuming a normal square taper mount and I'm really emphasising here that I'm no expert on this, just that I had to figure out the correct method for putting cranks on a JIS square taper and the above advice seemed legit. As is almost everything on sheldonbrown.com really.

Isis splined cranks, one of which fell off on a turbo training session the other night. Pretty sure it shouldn't really do that...

smacl

tomasrojo wrote: »

The crank didn't get a knock, did it? Happened to me, and new crank was required.

Nope, but just fitted a new bottom bracket over Christmas. It could well be something as simple as not generating sufficient torque on the cheap and cheerful allen key I used when installing. I'm hoping the thread locker will do the trick once it arrives.

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

Is that Teflon tape? Might try that if so. Have some left over.

That's the stuff,

asteroids over berlin

Howdy guys,

Any recs on a decent tool kit. Looking at the X-Tools Bike Tool Kit - 37 Piece on CRC. Anybody have this? Using it on a full sus mtn bike.

Are park tools that much better?

ford2600

asteroids over berlin wrote: »

Howdy guys,

Any recs on a decent tool kit. Looking at the X-Tools Bike Tool Kit - 37 Piece on CRC. Anybody have this? Using it on a full sus mtn bike.

Are park tools that much better?

If you do all your own maintenance, you'll get by with that kind of toolkit.

However IMO it's worth spending for decent tools on the ones you use most, 4mm, 5mm & 6mm T piece allen keys with a ball end, screwdrivers. Cable cutters while infrequently used should be decent also.

I've bought all my quality tools bit by bit in a decent engineering shop; just like bearings/grease etc you'll get better quality for similar money.

Although there is lots of crap for sale in lots of hardware stores to

asteroids over berlin

ford2600 wrote: »

If you do all your own maintenance, you'll get by with that kind of toolkit.

However IMO it's worth spending for decent tools on the ones you use most, 4mm, 5mm & 6mm T piece allen keys with a ball end, screwdrivers. Cable cutters while infrequently used should be decent also.

I've bought all my quality tools bit by bit in a decent engineering shop; just like bearings/grease etc you'll get better quality for similar money.

Although there is lots of crap for sale in lots of hardware stores to

cheers. Upgrading everything other than the frame and shocks so looking for a kit now. going to go with a birzman. Will update the thread with a review at some stage

https://www.evanscycles.com/en-ie/birzman-travel-tool-box-20-pieces-EV230988

doozerie

ford2600 wrote: »

However IMO it's worth spending for decent tools on the ones you use most, 4mm, 5mm & 6mm T piece allen keys with a ball end, screwdrivers.

Absolutely. For allen keys my current favourites are Wera HexPlus ones. Wera claim they have far better holding power/grip than any other brand. I can't vouch for that but I've found them consistently good when using them, they have a reassuringly snug fit in every bolt I've tried them on. The colour coded individual keys also appeal to the magpie in me!

I've been similarly impressed with Wera screwdrivers, bits, and ratcheting socket handles. They are far from the cheapest but they are a pleasure to use and feel like they'll last well. For the tools of theirs that I've used I'd rate Wera ahead of Park Tool, and by quite a bit when it comes to screwdrivers and allen keys.

doozerie

smacl wrote: »

Isis splined cranks, one of which fell off on a turbo training session the other night. Pretty sure it shouldn't really do that...

Did you grease the splines? Greasing/not greasing press-fit parts is a controversial topic - get a room full of engineering nerds together and I suspect you could cause a riot by loudly suggesting either option as "the right way".

Personally I do grease press-fit parts, whether it helps or not I can't say but I've never had an Isis or square taper crank fall off in the time I've been doing so.

mirrormatrix

asteroids over berlin wrote: »

Howdy guys,

Any recs on a decent tool kit. Looking at the X-Tools Bike Tool Kit - 37 Piece on CRC. Anybody have this? Using it on a full sus mtn bike.

Are park tools that much better?

I have it. It's great, does the job. I bought a park tools cable cutter separately and use a cheap set of allen keys I bought from a tool shop. I routinely use the chain whip, cone spanners, chain breaker etc and have had zero issues. Have never once used their screwdriver or allen keys though. Screwdriver is pretty crap, and the allen keys aren't long enough to get any decent torque.

smacl

doozerie wrote: »

Did you grease the splines? Greasing/not greasing press-fit parts is a controversial topic - get a room full of engineering nerds together and I suspect you could cause a riot by loudly suggesting either option as "the right way".

Personally I do grease press-fit parts, whether it helps or not I can't say but I've never had an Isis or square taper crank fall off in the time I've been doing so.

Slightly old post now, but after also having a crank fall off on the road, I went for some thread-lock blue on the crank bolts and problem solved. FWIW, I did grease the spines and tend to grease any parts that are liable to get removed at a future point.