What's You're Plan For Major Breakdown?

[PCeBiker]

It's really easy to strip a thread with cheater bar.

Yeah, that's why I like short handles, and I suck at guesstimating torque, so I need to practice using my torque wrench.

 

[PCeBiker]

I will tell you it isn't super lite because of the tool quality but, that is only a factor if you're really trying to save weight.

I thought that I bought a quality tool with my Irwin tin snips but it's useless. It can barely cut a tin can. My $4 pruner from the dollar store works better. Everything is made in China now.



I wanted a new Diagonal cutters, and the only one I could find that wasn't made in China was this Knipex cutter.
I can squeeze the handles with all my might and I won't damage the cutting edge.

 

[PCeBiker]

Yeah, I've got that too.
I used it to put my bike together but I don't want to carry it on my bike, so I need to practice my torque strength using my torque meter.

I remember adjusting my handlebars when I was out riding, using my allen keys that came with the bike.
That made me really nervous, so I checked them as soon as I got home.

 

[PCeBiker]

I have full suspension Emtb
I just need to do owner perform tourqe check.

Yeah, I shouldn't really need to use tools once I get my bike set up the way I like it, so my Crank Brothers tool should only be for emergency repairs.

I've been playing with the seat height and angle, adjustable handlebar stem, and all the stuff on the handlebars while I've been riding.

I tried to adjust my seat in the house.
I had my feet on the pedals and my hand on my speaker for support. The speaker started sliding and I ended falling over and crashed into my TV, router and wifi box.
Luckily I didn't break anything.

 

[Nomad]

Little secret every country makes both junk and good stuff. we joke about things coming from certain countries but it's true.

 

[PCeBiker]

Little secret every country makes both junk and good stuff. we joke about things coming from certain countries but it's true.

That's true. The Crank Brothers tool is probably made in China. It's probably more to do with our throw away society of today.
They just don't seem to make things the way they used to.

 

[Nomad]

That's true. The Crank Brothers tool is probably made in China. It's probably more to do with our throw away society of today.
They just don't seem to make things the way they used to.

They say it's made in Colorado USA

 

[PCeBiker]

They say it's made in Colorado USA

Oh, Well that's good !!

 

[PCeBiker]

Nothing wrong with Chinese made tools.

Avoid the dollar store tools though.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Hey I bummed because one my bikes is not mended properly but for the f*ck of it this is my new bling.

is that to keep you locked in or out?

 

[PCeBiker]

This is the crappy $20 tool kit that I bought from AliExpress,..
Note the fancy black paint job.




I knew that I was buying crap, but I may never need the tools, and I may be able to get a single use out of them?
I figure that I should be OK with the wrench with chain tail, and I'll grease the threads of the crank arm puller to help me get one use out of it, but the other two are gonna snap.

They are aluminum painted black.

(I keep forgetting to post thumbnails)

 

[m@Robertson]

Worth mentioning: When I added my new Bullitt to by bicycle insurance policy (anti theft only; its a cargo bike that gets locked up outside of stores) I made sure it had the towing/pickup coverage. $10 per year.

 

[PCeBiker]

Yeah, that's why I like short handles, and I suck at guesstimating torque, so I need to practice using my torque wrench.

This is the half inch hardened steel adapter that I snapped when I used a 4 foot extender bar on my ¾" drive ratchet to tighten by axle nuts.
It was supposed to be torqued to 200 ft/lbs and I had it over 600. lol

I had to wait a month for a ¾" drive socket to arrive in the mail.

 

[PCeBiker]

I didn't want to spend $150 on a torque wrench to tightening a single axle nut, and I couldn't rent or borrow one anywhere, so I put a 4 foot fence post on my ¾" ratchet handle and jumped on it and striped the nut.

Then I ended up spending $100 on sockets and adapters and waiting a month for them to be delivered.

32mm ¾" sockets are expensive and hard to find.


I'm glad I don't drive anymore.
It was costing me too much money.

 

[indianajo]

I thought that I bought a quality tool with my Irwin tin snips but it's useless. It can barely cut a tin can. My $4 pruner from the dollar store works better. Everything is made in China now.
I wanted a new Diagonal cutters, and the only one I could find that wasn't made in China was this Knipex cutter.

You can get 8" Klein diagonal cutters made in Mansfield TX in the electrical aisle of Home Depot. Not cheap. Chanl-lock diagonal cutters in the tool section are US made, but they downsized the 8" cutter to 7" to cut costs and those don't cut as well as the 8" for me. You can get 4" klein cutters from mcmaster.com, that cost more than the 8" from HD.
I quit buying Irwin when they decided ***** was good enough. Sells a lot of packages that look like tools, don't actually fix anything. Irwin twist drills are **** at the hardware store, as are the dewalt drills from H.D. I buy mcmaster jobber twist drills. I quit buying Craftsman tools when Sears decided ****ese tools were good enough. Sears is closed now. Lowes has the Craftsman brand now, that is 99% ****ese last time I looked. I'm glad Lowes is 8 blocks farther than HD, I don't have to waste my time riding the bike out there.
Mcmaster sells mostly US tools, but they won't tell you what brand or origin. I got a hex impact driver drill chuck labeled dewalt from mcmaster made in *****. Mcmaster combo wrenches are either Wright or Proto. Mcmaster allen wrenches are some little US company you never hard of. Tough enough. Serious drilled point sockets to buy used on ebay are proto, wright, cornwall, armstrong. I like the black ones, I can use them on my 1200 ftlb impact driver. Use safety glasses with power tools.
The name in aviation (sheet metal) snips is Weiss, but haven't bought any recently enough to know if they are still capable. If I buy more snips they will be from mcmaster.
If you need some serious tool not specifically bicycle, catch the Snap-on truck at the mechanic's shop. Hideously expensive. Mac trucks at the mechanic shop are cheaper, but not everything is US or even taiwan made. Park bicycle tools so far have been US made.

 

[PCeBiker]

I'm not sure if we have Klein and Channel-lock at home depot here in Canada and I wasn't sure if they were actually made in the US or just headquartered there?

Irwin used to be great quality but it's made in China now and it's crap.

I did see Klein on Amazon with good reviews, but it was more expensive than the Knipix.
I got the Knipex for $43

 

[PCeBiker]

I put my 8mm allen key on my torque wrench and tried to reef it to the 40 ft/lbs needed for my crank bolt.

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Lol

At least I know that I can't over torque it. That tends to be my problem.


EDIT: It's 30 ft/lbs.
I keep getting mixed up with N/m.

 

[PCeBiker]

The Klein is looking comparable in price,..

I remember liking the 9" version with the bent handle end.



I was worried that it went the way of Irwin tools.

I've had this pair of Irwin Vice-Grips since I was a kid in the 70's.

I can squeeze the handles together with both hands, gritting my teeth, then pound the living snot out it with a hammer and they just keep going.

The hex bolt Vise-Grips are just as good.

 

[PCeBiker]

,.. the dewalt drills from H.D. I buy mcmaster jobber twist drills.

The Dewalt power tools are crap too. The battery packs don't have a BMS and they crank up the 5 cells up over 20 volts.

I like my Ryobi power tools I got from Home Depot. The tools are practical, durable, and the battery packs are 18 volts with a BMS and a smart charger where you can leave the batteries in on maintenance mode.

I quit buying Craftsman tools when Sears decided ****ese tools were good enough. Sears is closed now.

I've still got a Craftsman socket set I got from Sears in the early 80's. I only broke one socket when I put the ⅜" socket on a ½" ratchet handle with a cheater bar.

The name in aviation (sheet metal) snips is Weiss, but haven't bought any recently enough to know if they are still capable. If I buy more snips they will be from mcmaster.

I had a pair of tin snips that I got from my grandfather. They must have been from the 50's or 60's, they would cut through anything. The metal handles would hurt your hands but they never got dull. I remember wrapping the handles with an inner tube trying to cushion them. I lost them about 5-10 years ago.

If you need some serious tool not specifically bicycle, catch the Snap-on truck at the mechanic's shop. Hideously expensive. Mac trucks at the mechanic shop are cheaper, but not everything is US or even taiwan made. Park bicycle tools so far have been US made.

I don't think I have a need for any tools except bike tools now, so I'll keep Park in mind.

 

[Rome]

Translate for me please.

Fooferdoggie is in a league of his own
No electric car or ice. But he gets around