Biggest tip I heard is buy the cheaper version of every tool first and when it breaks, then buy the expensive one. That way you only spend the big money on tools you use a lot. Poorly worded but you get the idea.
I tend to do this, and so I own some cheap tools that I only use once per year-perfect, because they’re light use. The ones that aren’t up to the task end up getting replaced real quick.
good advise yeah! this only applys for stuff coming after your basic setup tho.. like for some good pliers, a set of hex keys, torque wrench, floor pump and stuff like that you're guaranteed to use ALWAYS. but for smaller stuff like chain breakers, bearing tools, spoke tools and so on I totally see your point :)
I do this too, but downside is breaking a tool mid repair when you’re already stressed and annoyed that your repair is 10x more complicated than the guy explaining the process on TH-cam lol
What I really appreciate about you Seth is you're constantly thinking about what works best for all the rest of us normal people. You're not out to sell a product to us or act snobby with all the nicer tools that are specific to mtb. You single handedly got myself and my wife into mountain biking a month ago I really appreciate you dude 🙏.
Some of the tools are definite game changers like the bottom bracket tool or crank arm puller. I am 56 years old and still have specialty bike tools I bought in my teens.
I’ve worked at a bike shop for years and seen a lot of customers get by with the simple tools that they have in their garage. The problem is with the non bike specific tools is they end up doing more damage to the bike. Which can be more expensive to fix overtime. Bike parts and components are all made to very fine measurements. Bike specific tools are made to fit those measurements. Just buy the good bike specific tools that you use a lot. The stuff like hex wrenches and screwdrivers are fine to buy at your local hardware store. As long as they are name brand they don’t seem to cause issues. Hope someone found this helpful.
I thnk it is either lifeline or Xtool (i'm not going to my toolbox to look for it) that make a $20 cup remover and inserter. It, ideally, requires a bike stand to get the bottom one in but it works a treat.
@@newttella1043 Same. I still have the washers for the nuts to push against, but scraps of wood are soft so they don't damage headset cups and definitely can be big enough to get past the too-small-washer problem. I've used this DIY tool plenty of times. I also have some PVC scraps that I use to set crown races so it's DIY all around for headsets for me.
@12:10 My homemade cup press used some 1x6 boards cut into squares with a hole in the middle for the cup sides and then a stack of 2 or 3 washers on the nut side. worked "ok". for the number of times i've needed it (once) it was worth the money.
You can always add chunks of 2x4 or other scrap wood under the washers on the faux bearing press. I've also successfully used wood scraps and a clamp to press in cups and bearings.
@@jeffstreck I've definitely cracked brand new headset cups with a hammer. Bottom brackets were never an issue though. I still find the clamps easier though. I just installed a mid bb on my new BMX last week that way. It's even faster than the actual bearing press because you can quick cinch it down and then tighten from there. Less effort and violence than a hammer too.
Plywood is better because natural wood can have variations in softness, which could lead to one side of cup imprinting deeper in wood, which can make misalignment.
I just went to my local hardware store, got a 1 foot chunk of 1/2" all-thread and they had thick nylon washers to fit inside the headset cups, plus some steel washers & nuts, got a perfect headset press for less than $10. The bike tool versions will keep the headset cups straight, this can be tricky with the hardware store version. For master link pliers, I bent the tips of some junk needle nose pliers into hooks the size of chain rollers & ground them narrow enough to fit the links, a quick squeeze and master link open.
Agreed! I have a lots of automotive tools and when I started working on my own bikes I could scrape by using some automotive type tools on my bikes but at the end it does make your life much easier to use bike specific tools for bottom bracket, cutting cable housings, headset remover / press and cassette tools (chain whip etc) oh and also torque socket set 😎
The smallest size Knipex pliers wrench is not only enormously useful for all kinds of things, it is also a better cable crimper than the one in the park needle-nose pliers.
I started packing a shoelace with me on rides after reading "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance". I may have only used it once in 25 years. I have since added zip ties to my long-ride bag. I have definitely used those!
The one marginally bike screw driver you may want is a JIS for derailleur limit adjustments. It looks like a phillips #1 (which usually works good enough), but the geometry is such that it doesnt cam out of the derailleur screws.
I appreciate so much that Seth is asking the right questions! A lot of content out there is geared towards enthusiasts and people with deep pockets. Seth clearly has access to great tools, great sponsor deals, and top shelf equipment, but he's evaluating the Walmart bike; he's providing the rest of us with strategies for doing the most with the minimal resources we have; and he acknowledges diminishing returns & planned obsolescence.
As someone who’s worked on bikes in my dad’s garage my whole life, I can confirm you can jerry up something that will work for a one time repair. On the contrary, now that I’m a mechanic in a shop, repeatedly doing repairs I am sooo happy to be exposed to the right tools all of the time, even for things like pinching cable end caps. Basically, what amount of profesh do you want in your bike repairs is the question to ask yourself
When I was yoi worked at a bike shop for about 3 years building the wheels, the owner hated doing it but I loved it, and when he closed down I was trying to get a bunch of the park tools so I can start my own home shop but some asshole came by and offered him a bunch of money for everything. Luckily I was able to get a few tools but nothing close to as much as I needed, I had to make my own pedal wrenches and stuff.... I've never been so mad at a random stranger.
An angle grinder and stash of scrap metal will also suffice every so often. I've used a spoke spanner made from some bent 3mm thick strap with an appropriately sized slot in it and have recently made and used a cone spanner made from an old lawnmower blade and disk brake straightener made from an offcut with a slot in it. Having access to a lathe to make things like bearing presses that hold bearings square while they are being pressed in or other specialty tools is also a bonus :).
"Bike wrenches" are important with cup and cone hubs, they need to be super thin. On the master link, if you bend the chain to isolate that link you can open it with pliers or channel locks. it's well worth just buying the tool though, and keeping it in your riding pack. Things like BB tools and cassette tools and chain whips are mandatory if you intend to upgrade and maintain your bike often. Park cable cutters are great. They are hardened, and don't crush and unravel cables and housings. They are very expensive though. For the once in a few years most people need to cut cables and housings though, probably not worth the money. The rest is either for "convenience" or expensive highly specialised items for once in 5 year jobs, like derailleur hanger aligners and headset cup removal tools.
Plus 1 for master link removal by isolating the link. Its even possible to use the chain either side to push it together and break the master link by hand...though its tough on newer links!
For home cable housing cutting, I use a Dremel cut-off wheel. It provides an actual square end. It's actually better than the Park nippers, though not as fast. (Still need to ream out the lining though.)
There is no substitute for a cable housing cutter. I've tried. The design of the cutting jaws is critical. It doesn't need to be a _bicycle_ cable housing cutter, but it does need to be a cable housing cutter. Having said that, the cleanest possible cut will actually come from a Dremel because it won't crush the housing, but you will need to flush the housing with spray cleaner to get the metal dust out. Regarding wrenches, every tool kit should include Knipex pliers-wrenches. They are astoundingly useful in any situation where they physically fit, much better than normal adjustable wrenches.
great call on the Knipex brand pliers wrench. those are so handy for putting the chain back together. I usually cut cables with my side cutters , then pinch them back into a round shape using the Knipex pliers wrench! perfect
Very Good Video, I would like to point a couple things: - Bike Tools are much more expensive than good quality "regular" tools (at least here in Chile) - Truing a wheel with an adjustable wrench is horrible, almost impossible on kid's bikes or lighly seized nipples. Unless it's an emergency... don´t do it. - Galvanized Washers are too soft, they work but just a few times before gets deformed. Maybe steel ones? - Channellock for BB? yes but use a thick leather strip instead of a rag. - No matter if you are begginer or just enthusiast: buy the best allen keys you can afford Cheers!
This was a better ad for Park Tools than any other video I've seen. Obviously you want the right tool for the job and there's just no getting around the fact that your common household tools are not bike-friendly
The wire cutters from the store are probably for copper wires and that is softer than the steel inlay of the cable housing. So the damage wont happen if you buy steel cable cutters
For cone wrenches I bought ordinary cheap wrenches and grind them down to the required thickness. I use an angle grinder with the thinnest cutting disk available to cut cable housing. The standard cable cutters are designed for copper cable and so have a sharper edge, I file this edge so that it shears instead of cutting. Ordinary 15mm wrenches can remove pedals but you need to get the longer ones, a mallet assists with the more stubborn pedals.
If you are going to get master-link pliers, the Shimano ones are preferable to the Park Tool ones. The Shimano pliers have three prongs. The middle prong together with one end prong is used to remove the link; the middle prong and the other end prong is used to install the link. In both cases, the handles are squeezed together, which is less awkward and allows more force to be applied than pulling the handles apart.
To overcome the "washer too small" for the bearing or headset press, I have found that some PVC bushings work great since they can be found in many sizes and they are softer than the metal parts so they will not damage the headset cups.
My shop was built around working on cars, and I have lots of shop tools I can reuse, not to mention a compressor with way too much volume. However, I have learned to hate adjustable wrenches with a passion. They just damage whatever they touch. After 3 years working on bikes, I have bought enough of the blue stuff to be able to do pretty much everything.
As much as I hate those adjustable wrenches with screw adjustment just like you, I love the ones that work like pliers. Never damaged a nut with those, cause they fit so nice and tightly around it.
As a headset press I’ve used a mallet to get it started then a threaded rod with washers but two short pieces of 2x4 with a hole in the middle to go against the headset cups.
Grinding down an Allen key to fit the backside adjuster of a single piston brake caliper on an ebike was a trick a shop taught me. Was super helpful. The cheapest electrical wire strippers/cutters that are like $2 have a variety of crimper sizes that will do the cable caps easy. Also I've just used a bench grinder to customize the thickness of various wrenches I get for pennies on amazon I have some hose clamp pliers that easily fit a master link. But that zip tie/lace trick is so cool. Spoke wrench and tire levers are thus far my only truly "do not skip buying these" tools. Same for a spoke tension gauge since I'm a novice.
@sprocketandwheel eh, I prefer durable nylon levers. I don't want to mark up my wheels, and a 3 set with the little spoke locks are dirt cheap and stack together tightly. In a pinch though, that's not a bad idea! If you have metal levers, a trick is to cut up a 2 liter soda bottle or plastic milk jug and use the plastic between the lever and rim. I do that every time I do tires on my motorcycles.
Great video as usual. As I learn more on how to maintain and service my bikes, I've purchased the tools as I need them. However I still use a bunch of non-bike specific tools. The ones I use the most: Klien tool - good for crimping, linesman pliers- really clean cut on cable and non-brake housing (brake housing get the dedicated tool and barb driver), jewelers pliers - a mini version of needle nose pliers - good for picking up tiny delicate springs and ball bearings.
I take my masterlink apart by gripping the chain, thumbs on each side of the link and bending the chain forward and back. Pops out with little force. I would also use a chaingrip on the external portion of a threaded bottom bracket. A socket is still best.
When I was a teenager (in my BMX days)... a headset press was a couple of pieces of 2x4 and a mallet. Removing them was a big screwdriver and a hammer. :P
On spoke wrenches: Park Tool also has the version that has more contact points. Not as quick to slide on and off, but the fit is really tight and the chance of damage is minimal.
I have a cheap pair of needle nose that I bent and filed down to pop master links. They used to be easy enough to do with your fingers, I would imagine they needed to tighten them up when dealing with much greater chain angles.
My dad was a machinist and mechanic since 1958, and the one thing he always taught me, NEVER use an adjustable wrench on anything, unless you have no other tool to be able to use.
thats probably because he knows you and assumed you weren't mechanically inclined enough to tighten the wrench every time you put it on a nut. if used properly its actually a tighter fit than standard wrenches and will clamp onto the nut
I still have bike tools I purchased in the early 80's. They were part of a touring repair kit that was a zipper pouch w/ elastic bands to hold everything in place. Once I had that little tool kit, it was literally all I used when working on my bikes.
You can open the kmc links by Hand perfectly fine, just push them together from the sides, not like you do with a shoelace or pliers but from the actual sides, then push the links like you would to Release. I still have a Tool for that, but im not able to open them without pushing the link together while using the pliers, well, maybe it would work, but its scary high resistance and pushing them together just makes it use like no force at All.
It's the schrader side of the valve core tool that's so helpful. Also, have done masterlinks by hand for years until I got a set of tire levers from Topeak that have that built in....can total undo them by hand, especialy out on the trail.
Yup, you need the valve core tool for Schrader valves. Nice to have for Presta. That said, many valve core packs include the tool, so you might as well just buy a pack of cores that include the tool than buying the tool separately.
Those cable cutters you bought from the store are meant to cut wires really, not so much for steel cables and the like. I've never had any luck trying to cut through anything that is made of steel.
Yeah, on the straight wire housing it’s the only way to go, but don’t you find that it leaves a cleaner cut on solid housing? On certain housing I find that side cutters or diagonal cutters crush the center (unless you leave a cable in it). The housing pictured in the video was Sram, and that seems to work just fine with any cutter.
@@BermPeakExpress Yeah makes sense, at the shop I work at the mechanics always taught me to use the diagonal cutters for brake housing then go back with a park tool pick and open back up the channel for the barb. Appreciated the video man!
Great video and excellent production values as always. The way I undo a master link with needle nose pliers is to set them diagonally. I put one tip on the rounded side of "face A" of the link, on the outside of the chain (like in the video), and the other tip on the opposing rounded side, but on "face B", on the _inside_ of the chain. Squeeze the pliers and it'll come right off, no specialized tool or string/cable required.
If you look at the BMX side of bikes a lot of pedals are impossible to remove with a standard wrench. The contact surface is only about 2mm thick so standard wrenches won't fit. If you don't believe me look at Primo Turbo pedals. We also use Allen keys for pedals but those tend to strip easily
@@robertmisiuk7137 interesting. The more you know i guess lol. Do those style of shocks have issues with blowing out seals? Still seems crazy to me for such pressure lol
I tried to use an adjustable wrench to take out my valve core a while back and it seemed to damage the threads on the core, not letting valve caps to stay on anymore. Love the videos and keep up the great work!
that "phillips head screwdriver" held up at the beginning is actually a JIS screwdriver for shimano derailleur limit screws. it's a slightly different profile to phillips - you can make a phillips driver work but a proper JIS screwdriver works better. and that Park Tool one is by far the easiest to find in north america.
I have some Moody precision JIS screwdrivers that I use for shifter pods after stripping a few screws with Phillips drivers. And a few Craftsman rebranded VESSEL BALL GRIP Screwdrivers for the larger JIS cross and Flatheads screwdrivers.
Great video that many do it yourself bike mechanics can relate to. I always ride with a hydration pack when I am on the Mountain Bike. I am the official tool guy on group rides and when I ride solo no one is going to come get me if I am miles into the woods. Always carry light weight bike tools for chain and valve core. Some small extra parts and always have zip ties, electrical tape, a few strips of Gorilla tape just in case. My best on trail repair was making a splint out of sticks, zip ties and gorilla tape to hold a cracked rear triangle together so a guy in our group could ride 6 miles back to his car.
If you've ever battled with getting a pedal off using an everyday wrench, having all that extra controlled torque on a purpose built pedal wrench is an absolute pleasure. My PW-4 is the best tool in my kit.
For headset cups, I used Seth's method and added blocks of scrap wood for sufficient surface area and protection against damage. Minimal cost and 100% effective.
I am self taught using whatever I had to hand, sometimes making my own tools. The best example, off the top of my dome is my home made caliper spreader for changing my car's brake pads. I used 10mm BMX axle, some washers, nuts and a couple of spanners/wrenches. Worked a treat. Also, I wouldn't give up so quickly on making my own bearing cup tool. Drilled blocks of wood in place of those washers on the threaded rod would work a treat and you can choose how large or small they are.
There are Japanese industry screwdrivers that work so much better on drivetrain screws than the drivers you get at hardware stores. The steel quality is pretty nice on most of theses, too.
@@Cynyr I disassembled a brother CNC machine (japanese) and learned that. ha. There are probably a hundred "phillips" screw driver tips. I have at least 20, and never seem to have the right one.
Unbelievable, I'm going on 20 years now as an industrial mechanic and never knew this. I always thought that some Phillip's screws were just manufactured wrong because of how easily they could strip out since the screwdriver would not fully engage the screw. I just did some research and found that JIS screws have a dimple or cross in the head to denote this. Looks like I will be buying some of these screwdrivers. Thank you!
Yo Seth! My buddies and I have our own small version of Berm Peak in Ohio near Rays Indoor MTB Park. We haven’t filmed much but I do photo/video and I’d love to see a video on some tips for your video making process! Also if you ever get up north, we’d love to give ya the tour of Rays and “Thistle Hill”. We also have a Kenda office nearby!
Master links CAN be removed by hand usually. Also using pliers and the edge of neighbouring outer plates rather than trying to squeeze needle noses into the gap. Park adjustable goes up to 40mm, useful for some threaded headsets. Other adjustables often max out at 30 - 35mm.
The cup press is really easy to made for someone that can work with metal.. I would done one in 2 hours.. The rod you can shorten, bigger washers are easy to find or you can make one from pieace of steel with basic tools... If one cost 50 bucks for example and u can make one out of material for about 10 bucks.. U still save 40
@@simonm1447 Im from Europe and I know that so I was put off by him saying you can't get them.. but can still make washers from a place of steal.. I dont have many tools at garage but I can still make those with little efford..
The thing about bike tools, is that you don't have to buy them at one go, start with the basics like lockring tools and cable cutters etc. As you progress and wear things out, you can expand your skills and tools, and usually by then, you are able to do so much on your own that the savings from not sending your bike to the shop for every small fix pays for the tools within 2-3 uses.
As someone who has gone mechanic to bike tech to mechanic I agree with this 100% sadly I was at a big box store but I built my bikes with as much care as I would rebuild anyone's engine. But I still held the fastest time assembling in the store because I used the correct tools. Everyone would be trying weird tools not built for the job but I would lay out my Park set before hand so I would have everything. Imo the necessary tools that you would need are most definitely the ones he described in the end. And that headset tool is a lifesaver. I would also recommend a trueing wheel but I wouldn't go crazy on a super nice one. But only if you keep up that kind of work Ps. assembly time was 13mins Inc paperwork and tuning, appropriate loctite where needed. Time started when the knife hit the box
Also, master links for basic bikes, like 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 speed master links, are super easy to pull apart by hand. If you want to do your nice 10, 11, or 12 speed chain, you need the tool. Found that out the hard way my first time I bought a full sus.
Great timing on this video. I am looking at purchasing some tools for both my wife's and my bikes...good to see you using each so as to determine actual need (the want vs need rule).
Having been an automotive mechanic for nearly 20 years I have a full set of Automotive tools. A long long time ago I worked in a bike shop so I know there are a lot of specialty bike tools needed. These days I find the best thing for cutting cable housing is a die grinder with a cut off wheel. Cutters tend to leave a slightly janky end on the housing which can affect the way it seats into the barrel Adjusters and noodles. The die grinder leaves a very uniform Edge that sits beautifully into the noodles and Barrel adjusters.
Love the video. I've been improvising for years, and only buy bike specific tools when I need to. I do a lot of auto mechanical work, so tend to have a lot of good tools. That said, you compared a high quality Park Tool cable cutter to an Ace Hardware house brand, so the damage to the generic cutter is to be expected.
I submitted a suggestion to Harbor Freight for them to start offering Park Tool alternatives like they do with Snap-on/Mac for automotive tools. Look at the Park Tool tire inflator chuck for example, $140 for a tire inflator just because bikes use a different valve stem than literally every other inflatable tire on the planet. A good tire inflator chuck should be about $40 - but bike tool prices say it's $100 more? Yeah, you can smell the greed from here.
That's 'bike tool tax' in action. Park are possibly the worst offenders. Their 'specialist ' 32mm flat wrench for old BBs I priced at over £20, when an identical item for (iirc) a Land Rover engine fan was under a tenner.
@@alpd7638 I also use these presta schrader adapters, they are cheap but work fine. You can even inflate bike tires with these adapters at fuel stations
when comes to the cup press/head set press, i made my own, with a mixture of threaded rod, 2 big nuts, metal washers and nylon washers. It ended up costing about $10.00 and works great for multiple sizes of cups/headsets. Another thing you shouldn't waste your money on is a headset extractor. Simply buy a piece of metal conduit (the right diameter of course) cut 4 slits down it and bend the resulting fins out a bit, it cost about $3.00 as opposed to the cheapest one on amazon that's $17.00 and of course Park Tool has one for $38.00, for a piece of pipe, with a plastic cap at the end....
Having a good set of mechanics tools is a good starting point. As you progress is maintenance and repair skills, getting the more specific bike tools will be necessary. Also, do shop around for the best prices.
I’m one to use cheaper alternative tools when possible, but after wasting money on a few cheap pairs of cable cutters, I bit the bullet and bought the Pedro’s cable and housing cutters. It’s really worth it
Generic cable cutters work well... for maybe several cuts. After that they don't cut properly anymore. Bought a nice set of parrot cutters and it gives me joy every time I cut some housing.
great video as always! For brake housing i just use hardened pliers. For Pedals just a normal wrench, for shortening a chain i just bang a flathead into the wider part of the chain with a hammer and it comes apart rather easy. Will get a chaintool tho because it's not as loud, For opening a master link i use needle nose pliers.
The shoe lace hack got me out of a pickle on one of my rides a couple months ago! I watched your videos about it when it came out a couple years ago and glad I remembered it!
I 3d printed a sram dub bsa threaded Bb tool, worked perfectly and allowed me to torque it up to the required spec, one of the few things I didn’t buy bike specific. The file was on “thingiverse”
For a bike mechanic probably not the best but for me? I only need to use the tool once. Maybe twice in my life. I don't need to spend $40 on a bb tool.
Spoke wrench doubles as a valve core tool. Learned this by accident and has been my go to ever since.
Cheers!
You’re right! I never heard that one before
I think George has earned a sticker 😂
I have removed tons of valve cores by accident with the adapter of my air pump. So that'll be my go-to tool
Yeah, specially those spoke tools that have many sizes built in.
@@Knitterfest Typically followed by a "F**K SAKE!" as with using most good tools.
Biggest tip I heard is buy the cheaper version of every tool first and when it breaks, then buy the expensive one. That way you only spend the big money on tools you use a lot. Poorly worded but you get the idea.
Makes sense
genius mate
I tend to do this, and so I own some cheap tools that I only use once per year-perfect, because they’re light use. The ones that aren’t up to the task end up getting replaced real quick.
good advise yeah! this only applys for stuff coming after your basic setup tho.. like for some good pliers, a set of hex keys, torque wrench, floor pump and stuff like that you're guaranteed to use ALWAYS. but for smaller stuff like chain breakers, bearing tools, spoke tools and so on I totally see your point :)
I do this too, but downside is breaking a tool mid repair when you’re already stressed and annoyed that your repair is 10x more complicated than the guy explaining the process on TH-cam lol
What I really appreciate about you Seth is you're constantly thinking about what works best for all the rest of us normal people. You're not out to sell a product to us or act snobby with all the nicer tools that are specific to mtb. You single handedly got myself and my wife into mountain biking a month ago I really appreciate you dude 🙏.
Some of the tools are definite game changers like the bottom bracket tool or crank arm puller. I am 56 years old and still have specialty bike tools I bought in my teens.
Yep. Agreed. I’m still using bike specific tools I bought in the 1980’s.
I’ve worked at a bike shop for years and seen a lot of customers get by with the simple tools that they have in their garage. The problem is with the non bike specific tools is they end up doing more damage to the bike. Which can be more expensive to fix overtime. Bike parts and components are all made to very fine measurements. Bike specific tools are made to fit those measurements. Just buy the good bike specific tools that you use a lot. The stuff like hex wrenches and screwdrivers are fine to buy at your local hardware store. As long as they are name brand they don’t seem to cause issues. Hope someone found this helpful.
For the head set cups I used a 1"×4" piece of wood and a big c clamp ,and it works great. You can get the c clamps at harbor freight
I thnk it is either lifeline or Xtool (i'm not going to my toolbox to look for it) that make a $20 cup remover and inserter. It, ideally, requires a bike stand to get the bottom one in but it works a treat.
Thanks good to know
@@M3PH11 thanks good to know
I have an old scrap block of oak with a hole in it as a "washer". So far it's worked well for the three times I needed to press in a headset.
@@newttella1043 Same. I still have the washers for the nuts to push against, but scraps of wood are soft so they don't damage headset cups and definitely can be big enough to get past the too-small-washer problem. I've used this DIY tool plenty of times.
I also have some PVC scraps that I use to set crown races so it's DIY all around for headsets for me.
Before I bought a set of master link pliers, I did find using the right set of circlip pliers worked really well for breaking the masterlink apart.
That shoelace masterlink trick is neat! I've always managed to get them apart with various pliers and not too much time, but this seems easier.
I used to just use tie wire or old cables and twist them with pliers
You never know when you need to pull out the jackhammer on the ol’ frame
lol
lol
@12:10 My homemade cup press used some 1x6 boards cut into squares with a hole in the middle for the cup sides and then a stack of 2 or 3 washers on the nut side. worked "ok". for the number of times i've needed it (once) it was worth the money.
Seths wife: "why do you keep buying tools?"
Seth: "these tools do things kinda the same, but kinda different, here's why"
Waiting for the day he says ‘kinda the same, but kinda different.’
'So I make money, so you can keep buying shoes and handbags', would probably the politically wrong answer, I guess.
You can always add chunks of 2x4 or other scrap wood under the washers on the faux bearing press. I've also successfully used wood scraps and a clamp to press in cups and bearings.
Yep! I’ve definitely used the ‘ole bmx bb press back in the early 2000’s before they started using threaded.
Hammer did all my BMX bearings 😂 The old US BB and the Mids could take it.
@@jeffstreck I've definitely cracked brand new headset cups with a hammer. Bottom brackets were never an issue though. I still find the clamps easier though. I just installed a mid bb on my new BMX last week that way. It's even faster than the actual bearing press because you can quick cinch it down and then tighten from there. Less effort and violence than a hammer too.
@@sepherus Hammer is absolutely not a good method. Clamps sounds much better.
Plywood is better because natural wood can have variations in softness, which could lead to one side of cup imprinting deeper in wood, which can make misalignment.
I just went to my local hardware store, got a 1 foot chunk of 1/2" all-thread and they had thick nylon washers to fit inside the headset cups, plus some steel washers & nuts, got a perfect headset press for less than $10. The bike tool versions will keep the headset cups straight, this can be tricky with the hardware store version. For master link pliers, I bent the tips of some junk needle nose pliers into hooks the size of chain rollers & ground them narrow enough to fit the links, a quick squeeze and master link open.
Agreed! I have a lots of automotive tools and when I started working on my own bikes I could scrape by using some automotive type tools on my bikes but at the end it does make your life much easier to use bike specific tools for bottom bracket, cutting cable housings, headset remover / press and cassette tools (chain whip etc) oh and also torque socket set 😎
The smallest size Knipex pliers wrench is not only enormously useful for all kinds of things, it is also a better cable crimper than the one in the park needle-nose pliers.
I used your shoelace hack years ago when you first put it on video, and it worked like a charm. I still keep a shoelace in my pack to this day
I use my hands.
I started packing a shoelace with me on rides after reading "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance". I may have only used it once in 25 years.
I have since added zip ties to my long-ride bag. I have definitely used those!
I use a piece of steel cable from shifter to RD in same fashion
The one marginally bike screw driver you may want is a JIS for derailleur limit adjustments. It looks like a phillips #1 (which usually works good enough), but the geometry is such that it doesnt cam out of the derailleur screws.
I appreciate so much that Seth is asking the right questions! A lot of content out there is geared towards enthusiasts and people with deep pockets. Seth clearly has access to great tools, great sponsor deals, and top shelf equipment, but he's evaluating the Walmart bike; he's providing the rest of us with strategies for doing the most with the minimal resources we have; and he acknowledges diminishing returns & planned obsolescence.
As someone who’s worked on bikes in my dad’s garage my whole life, I can confirm you can jerry up something that will work for a one time repair. On the contrary, now that I’m a mechanic in a shop, repeatedly doing repairs I am sooo happy to be exposed to the right tools all of the time, even for things like pinching cable end caps. Basically, what amount of profesh do you want in your bike repairs is the question to ask yourself
When I was yoi worked at a bike shop for about 3 years building the wheels, the owner hated doing it but I loved it, and when he closed down I was trying to get a bunch of the park tools so I can start my own home shop but some asshole came by and offered him a bunch of money for everything. Luckily I was able to get a few tools but nothing close to as much as I needed, I had to make my own pedal wrenches and stuff.... I've never been so mad at a random stranger.
For the press, I think you could just cut some small plywood discs to increase the diameter of the washer.
I'd just use a block of wood and a hammer to press the headset cups.
An angle grinder and stash of scrap metal will also suffice every so often. I've used a spoke spanner made from some bent 3mm thick strap with an appropriately sized slot in it and have recently made and used a cone spanner made from an old lawnmower blade and disk brake straightener made from an offcut with a slot in it. Having access to a lathe to make things like bearing presses that hold bearings square while they are being pressed in or other specialty tools is also a bonus :).
"Bike wrenches" are important with cup and cone hubs, they need to be super thin.
On the master link, if you bend the chain to isolate that link you can open it with pliers or channel locks. it's well worth just buying the tool though, and keeping it in your riding pack.
Things like BB tools and cassette tools and chain whips are mandatory if you intend to upgrade and maintain your bike often.
Park cable cutters are great. They are hardened, and don't crush and unravel cables and housings. They are very expensive though. For the once in a few years most people need to cut cables and housings though, probably not worth the money.
The rest is either for "convenience" or expensive highly specialised items for once in 5 year jobs, like derailleur hanger aligners and headset cup removal tools.
Plus 1 for master link removal by isolating the link. Its even possible to use the chain either side to push it together and break the master link by hand...though its tough on newer links!
For home cable housing cutting, I use a Dremel cut-off wheel. It provides an actual square end. It's actually better than the Park nippers, though not as fast. (Still need to ream out the lining though.)
@@markfisher7962 put a piece of old brake cable into the housing before cutting. The housing won't crush and will be nice and straight.
being a mechanic, and a tool junkie, i love these tool videos.
There is no substitute for a cable housing cutter. I've tried. The design of the cutting jaws is critical. It doesn't need to be a _bicycle_ cable housing cutter, but it does need to be a cable housing cutter. Having said that, the cleanest possible cut will actually come from a Dremel because it won't crush the housing, but you will need to flush the housing with spray cleaner to get the metal dust out.
Regarding wrenches, every tool kit should include Knipex pliers-wrenches. They are astoundingly useful in any situation where they physically fit, much better than normal adjustable wrenches.
great call on the Knipex brand pliers wrench. those are so handy for putting the chain back together. I usually cut cables with my side cutters , then pinch them back into a round shape using the Knipex pliers wrench! perfect
Very Good Video, I would like to point a couple things:
- Bike Tools are much more expensive than good quality "regular" tools (at least here in Chile)
- Truing a wheel with an adjustable wrench is horrible, almost impossible on kid's bikes or lighly seized nipples. Unless it's an emergency... don´t do it.
- Galvanized Washers are too soft, they work but just a few times before gets deformed. Maybe steel ones?
- Channellock for BB? yes but use a thick leather strip instead of a rag.
- No matter if you are begginer or just enthusiast: buy the best allen keys you can afford
Cheers!
The other side of the valve core wrench was for Schrader valves. Those things are a monster to get out without the right tool.
This was a better ad for Park Tools than any other video I've seen. Obviously you want the right tool for the job and there's just no getting around the fact that your common household tools are not bike-friendly
The wire cutters from the store are probably for copper wires and that is softer than the steel inlay of the cable housing. So the damage wont happen if you buy steel cable cutters
Nah, he just got bought tools that's not good for much of anything. Good quality cable cutters will be just as good
For cone wrenches I bought ordinary cheap wrenches and grind them down to the required thickness.
I use an angle grinder with the thinnest cutting disk available to cut cable housing.
The standard cable cutters are designed for copper cable and so have a sharper edge, I file this edge so that it shears instead of cutting.
Ordinary 15mm wrenches can remove pedals but you need to get the longer ones, a mallet assists with the more stubborn pedals.
I think I could literally watch Seth do almost anything 🤣 love it ,great video!!!🤩
yeah, like his omelette pan video :D
If you are going to get master-link pliers, the Shimano ones are preferable to the Park Tool ones. The Shimano pliers have three prongs. The middle prong together with one end prong is used to remove the link; the middle prong and the other end prong is used to install the link. In both cases, the handles are squeezed together, which is less awkward and allows more force to be applied than pulling the handles apart.
To overcome the "washer too small" for the bearing or headset press, I have found that some PVC bushings work great since they can be found in many sizes and they are softer than the metal parts so they will not damage the headset cups.
My shop was built around working on cars, and I have lots of shop tools I can reuse, not to mention a compressor with way too much volume.
However, I have learned to hate adjustable wrenches with a passion. They just damage whatever they touch.
After 3 years working on bikes, I have bought enough of the blue stuff to be able to do pretty much everything.
As much as I hate those adjustable wrenches with screw adjustment just like you, I love the ones that work like pliers. Never damaged a nut with those, cause they fit so nice and tightly around it.
Knipex pliers wrench is the bomb
As a headset press I’ve used a mallet to get it started then a threaded rod with washers but two short pieces of 2x4 with a hole in the middle to go against the headset cups.
Yep. I do the same thing.
Grinding down an Allen key to fit the backside adjuster of a single piston brake caliper on an ebike was a trick a shop taught me. Was super helpful.
The cheapest electrical wire strippers/cutters that are like $2 have a variety of crimper sizes that will do the cable caps easy.
Also I've just used a bench grinder to customize the thickness of various wrenches I get for pennies on amazon
I have some hose clamp pliers that easily fit a master link. But that zip tie/lace trick is so cool.
Spoke wrench and tire levers are thus far my only truly "do not skip buying these" tools. Same for a spoke tension gauge since I'm a novice.
The best hack for tire levers is fork or spoon handles.. They are usually thin and smooth, and the stainless steel ones plenty strong..
@sprocketandwheel eh, I prefer durable nylon levers. I don't want to mark up my wheels, and a 3 set with the little spoke locks are dirt cheap and stack together tightly. In a pinch though, that's not a bad idea! If you have metal levers, a trick is to cut up a 2 liter soda bottle or plastic milk jug and use the plastic between the lever and rim. I do that every time I do tires on my motorcycles.
For the bearing press, try the auto shop for fender washers. Often times fender washers will be large o/d and work great!
Great video as usual. As I learn more on how to maintain and service my bikes, I've purchased the tools as I need them. However I still use a bunch of non-bike specific tools. The ones I use the most: Klien tool - good for crimping, linesman pliers- really clean cut on cable and non-brake housing (brake housing get the dedicated tool and barb driver), jewelers pliers - a mini version of needle nose pliers - good for picking up tiny delicate springs and ball bearings.
Seth has grown so much, helping me win my races and work on my own bike without a shop
Thanks 😎
Tips on how to win races pls:)
He doesn't race so what are you talking about?
I appreciate your legitimate efforts at disassembling the chain, instead of just saying "see it's harder"
I take my masterlink apart by gripping the chain, thumbs on each side of the link and bending the chain forward and back. Pops out with little force. I would also use a chaingrip on the external portion of a threaded bottom bracket. A socket is still best.
When I was a teenager (in my BMX days)... a headset press was a couple of pieces of 2x4 and a mallet. Removing them was a big screwdriver and a hammer. :P
Me too. Plus my dad’s and some of his dad’s too. Good tools are choice.
On spoke wrenches: Park Tool also has the version that has more contact points. Not as quick to slide on and off, but the fit is really tight and the chance of damage is minimal.
Also known as the Slotted or Diamond style, they're pretty good for running up particularly soft nipples like Aluminum, without deforming them.
I really dig when you explain the whys and hows of each bike tool in depth. I hope you do more how to videos.
A wise man told me when I was very young," Buy Quality tools and they will last forever. I'm 63 and still have tools I bought when in my 20s.
The comment I was looking for. Thanks
*but only if you know you are going to use them a lot. A lot of people tend to collect shiny tools more than they use them.
Many of my hand tools were my great-grandfathers…they’re pushing 100 years old now!
I still have a Stanley 99e I bought when an apprentice in 1997
I have a cheap pair of needle nose that I bent and filed down to pop master links. They used to be easy enough to do with your fingers, I would imagine they needed to tighten them up when dealing with much greater chain angles.
My dad was a machinist and mechanic since 1958, and the one thing he always taught me, NEVER use an adjustable wrench on anything, unless you have no other tool to be able to use.
I’m a mechanic as well and the only thing I use a plumbers adjustable wrench on is to break tie rod lock nuts loose.
Allways make sure you use a metric adjustable spanner for metric nuts and vice versa for imperial.
thats probably because he knows you and assumed you weren't mechanically inclined enough to tighten the wrench every time you put it on a nut. if used properly its actually a tighter fit than standard wrenches and will clamp onto the nut
@@matt7775so true. Same applies when trying to put imperial bubble in a metric spirit level. Totally incompatible.
Only thing an adjustable wrench is good for is bending back bent metal. Lol
I still have bike tools I purchased in the early 80's. They were part of a touring repair kit that was a zipper pouch w/ elastic bands to hold everything in place. Once I had that little tool kit, it was literally all I used when working on my bikes.
I can already tell this is gonna be real good! Keep it up Seth :)
Seth really made me nostalgic for old tv shows, he really gives me an art attack vibe
You can open the kmc links by Hand perfectly fine, just push them together from the sides, not like you do with a shoelace or pliers but from the actual sides, then push the links like you would to Release.
I still have a Tool for that, but im not able to open them without pushing the link together while using the pliers, well, maybe it would work, but its scary high resistance and pushing them together just makes it use like no force at All.
It's the schrader side of the valve core tool that's so helpful. Also, have done masterlinks by hand for years until I got a set of tire levers from Topeak that have that built in....can total undo them by hand, especialy out on the trail.
Yup, you need the valve core tool for Schrader valves. Nice to have for Presta. That said, many valve core packs include the tool, so you might as well just buy a pack of cores that include the tool than buying the tool separately.
Pro tip you can also use a spoke wrench for valve core removal
I’m refurbishing a old bike that my parents used to ride and this is the exact video I needed! Impeccable timing
The people telling you they can take master-links apart with their fingers are not lying to you. They are just using very worn master-links.
I love your honesty when you’re reviewing
Those cable cutters you bought from the store are meant to cut wires really, not so much for steel cables and the like. I've never had any luck trying to cut through anything that is made of steel.
the 5" and 6" pliers wrench is very very handy for working on old mtbs. as well as a little ratcheting bit driver.
Seth, for Brake housing you should definitely use angle cutters. You only want the shear effect for the straight wire embedded shift housing
Yeah, on the straight wire housing it’s the only way to go, but don’t you find that it leaves a cleaner cut on solid housing? On certain housing I find that side cutters or diagonal cutters crush the center (unless you leave a cable in it). The housing pictured in the video was Sram, and that seems to work just fine with any cutter.
@@BermPeakExpress Yeah makes sense, at the shop I work at the mechanics always taught me to use the diagonal cutters for brake housing then go back with a park tool pick and open back up the channel for the barb. Appreciated the video man!
Great video and excellent production values as always. The way I undo a master link with needle nose pliers is to set them diagonally. I put one tip on the rounded side of "face A" of the link, on the outside of the chain (like in the video), and the other tip on the opposing rounded side, but on "face B", on the _inside_ of the chain. Squeeze the pliers and it'll come right off, no specialized tool or string/cable required.
Back in the nineties I made a derailleur hanger straightening/alignment tool out of common hardware store supplies 😎
I have used a scrap front wheel with a threaded axle for this once (the thread fit the derailleur mount) with a zip tie in one spot :)
If you look at the BMX side of bikes a lot of pedals are impossible to remove with a standard wrench. The contact surface is only about 2mm thick so standard wrenches won't fit. If you don't believe me look at Primo Turbo pedals. We also use Allen keys for pedals but those tend to strip easily
I know for a fact Seth is using that electric pump to pump his shocks from now on😂 That was just too easy compared to using that hand pump.
Just aim 1psi under and it seems to be perfect
I run over 250psi in the rear shock. That would be nice to be able to use the electric.
@@robertmisiuk7137 I’m a road bike guy so don’t know much abt suspension. But isn’t 250 a lot for the rear??
@@dannygallagher9290 It depends on the shock. Mine is an old Fox Float.
@@robertmisiuk7137 interesting. The more you know i guess lol. Do those style of shocks have issues with blowing out seals? Still seems crazy to me for such pressure lol
I tried to use an adjustable wrench to take out my valve core a while back and it seemed to damage the threads on the core, not letting valve caps to stay on anymore. Love the videos and keep up the great work!
that "phillips head screwdriver" held up at the beginning is actually a JIS screwdriver for shimano derailleur limit screws. it's a slightly different profile to phillips - you can make a phillips driver work but a proper JIS screwdriver works better. and that Park Tool one is by far the easiest to find in north america.
Yeah of all the tools he picked the wrong one haha. He could have picked the park tool mallet, or crescent wrench
I have some Moody precision JIS screwdrivers that I use for shifter pods after stripping a few screws with Phillips drivers. And a few Craftsman rebranded VESSEL BALL GRIP Screwdrivers for the larger JIS cross and Flatheads screwdrivers.
Great video that many do it yourself bike mechanics can relate to. I always ride with a hydration pack when I am on the Mountain Bike. I am the official tool guy on group rides and when I ride solo no one is going to come get me if I am miles into the woods. Always carry light weight bike tools for chain and valve core. Some small extra parts and always have zip ties, electrical tape, a few strips of Gorilla tape just in case. My best on trail repair was making a splint out of sticks, zip ties and gorilla tape to hold a cracked rear triangle together so a guy in our group could ride 6 miles back to his car.
If you've ever battled with getting a pedal off using an everyday wrench, having all that extra controlled torque on a purpose built pedal wrench is an absolute pleasure. My PW-4 is the best tool in my kit.
For headset cups, I used Seth's method and added blocks of scrap wood for sufficient surface area and protection against damage. Minimal cost and 100% effective.
Seth, you rock. It`s so enjoyable watching your videos. Thank you.
I am self taught using whatever I had to hand, sometimes making my own tools. The best example, off the top of my dome is my home made caliper spreader for changing my car's brake pads. I used 10mm BMX axle, some washers, nuts and a couple of spanners/wrenches. Worked a treat.
Also, I wouldn't give up so quickly on making my own bearing cup tool. Drilled blocks of wood in place of those washers on the threaded rod would work a treat and you can choose how large or small they are.
There are Japanese industry screwdrivers that work so much better on drivetrain screws than the drivers you get at hardware stores. The steel quality is pretty nice on most of theses, too.
That's because Shimano doesn't actually use Phillips screws. They use jis (Japanese industrial standard) screws.
@@Cynyr I disassembled a brother CNC machine (japanese) and learned that. ha. There are probably a hundred "phillips" screw driver tips. I have at least 20, and never seem to have the right one.
Love JIS screwdrivers.
Unbelievable, I'm going on 20 years now as an industrial mechanic and never knew this. I always thought that some Phillip's screws were just manufactured wrong because of how easily they could strip out since the screwdriver would not fully engage the screw. I just did some research and found that JIS screws have a dimple or cross in the head to denote this. Looks like I will be buying some of these screwdrivers. Thank you!
JIS, Pz and Phillips might look the same but they're not. Very, very few people know the difference and just mangle everything with Phillips drivers.
That shoe lace hack for the master link is the best tip since changing from a bike hack channel, thanks!
Yo Seth! My buddies and I have our own small version of Berm Peak in Ohio near Rays Indoor MTB Park. We haven’t filmed much but I do photo/video and I’d love to see a video on some tips for your video making process! Also if you ever get up north, we’d love to give ya the tour of Rays and “Thistle Hill”. We also have a Kenda office nearby!
Master links CAN be removed by hand usually. Also using pliers and the edge of neighbouring outer plates rather than trying to squeeze needle noses into the gap.
Park adjustable goes up to 40mm, useful for some threaded headsets. Other adjustables often max out at 30 - 35mm.
You can also get an old pair of Scissors and grind them to the right shape, for masterlink Pliers
I started turning wrenches on bikes more than 25 years ago. I still have some of the tools I bought back then. They really do last a lifetime.
The cup press is really easy to made for someone that can work with metal.. I would done one in 2 hours.. The rod you can shorten, bigger washers are easy to find or you can make one from pieace of steel with basic tools... If one cost 50 bucks for example and u can make one out of material for about 10 bucks.. U still save 40
In Europe you get big washers for statically purpose on construction sites (DIN EN 1052), they have 58 mm outside diameter for M12 bolts
@@simonm1447 Im from Europe and I know that so I was put off by him saying you can't get them.. but can still make washers from a place of steal.. I dont have many tools at garage but I can still make those with little efford..
The thing about bike tools, is that you don't have to buy them at one go, start with the basics like lockring tools and cable cutters etc.
As you progress and wear things out, you can expand your skills and tools, and usually by then, you are able to do so much on your own that the savings from not sending your bike to the shop for every small fix pays for the tools within 2-3 uses.
As someone who has gone mechanic to bike tech to mechanic I agree with this 100% sadly I was at a big box store but I built my bikes with as much care as I would rebuild anyone's engine. But I still held the fastest time assembling in the store because I used the correct tools.
Everyone would be trying weird tools not built for the job but I would lay out my Park set before hand so I would have everything.
Imo the necessary tools that you would need are most definitely the ones he described in the end. And that headset tool is a lifesaver. I would also recommend a trueing wheel but I wouldn't go crazy on a super nice one. But only if you keep up that kind of work
Ps. assembly time was 13mins Inc paperwork and tuning, appropriate loctite where needed. Time started when the knife hit the box
Also, master links for basic bikes, like 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 speed master links, are super easy to pull apart by hand. If you want to do your nice 10, 11, or 12 speed chain, you need the tool. Found that out the hard way my first time I bought a full sus.
What’s the name of that electric pump?
Great timing on this video. I am looking at purchasing some tools for both my wife's and my bikes...good to see you using each so as to determine actual need (the want vs need rule).
Let’s just appreciate the work Seth puts in to entertain us
Having been an automotive mechanic for nearly 20 years I have a full set of Automotive tools. A long long time ago I worked in a bike shop so I know there are a lot of specialty bike tools needed. These days I find the best thing for cutting cable housing is a die grinder with a cut off wheel. Cutters tend to leave a slightly janky end on the housing which can affect the way it seats into the barrel Adjusters and noodles. The die grinder leaves a very uniform Edge that sits beautifully into the noodles and Barrel adjusters.
The screwdriver he showed is actually a special one, it's JIS standard.
Perfect for those derailleur limit screws
@@pjaxy perfect for when you need to really apply a lot of torque to a JIS screw and not have it strip out.
Love the video. I've been improvising for years, and only buy bike specific tools when I need to. I do a lot of auto mechanical work, so tend to have a lot of good tools. That said, you compared a high quality Park Tool cable cutter to an Ace Hardware house brand, so the damage to the generic cutter is to be expected.
I submitted a suggestion to Harbor Freight for them to start offering Park Tool alternatives like they do with Snap-on/Mac for automotive tools. Look at the Park Tool tire inflator chuck for example, $140 for a tire inflator just because bikes use a different valve stem than literally every other inflatable tire on the planet. A good tire inflator chuck should be about $40 - but bike tool prices say it's $100 more? Yeah, you can smell the greed from here.
$1 presta to schrader adapter.
That's 'bike tool tax' in action. Park are possibly the worst offenders.
Their 'specialist ' 32mm flat wrench for old BBs I priced at over £20, when an identical item for (iirc) a Land Rover engine fan was under a tenner.
@@alpd7638 I also use these presta schrader adapters, they are cheap but work fine. You can even inflate bike tires with these adapters at fuel stations
when comes to the cup press/head set press, i made my own, with a mixture of threaded rod, 2 big nuts, metal washers and nylon washers. It ended up costing about $10.00 and works great for multiple sizes of cups/headsets. Another thing you shouldn't waste your money on is a headset extractor. Simply buy a piece of metal conduit (the right diameter of course) cut 4 slits down it and bend the resulting fins out a bit, it cost about $3.00 as opposed to the cheapest one on amazon that's $17.00 and of course Park Tool has one for $38.00, for a piece of pipe, with a plastic cap at the end....
I did exactly that for an extractor, except i reused an old bed frame so it cost me zero $.
For the press, i used wood block with a hole in it
Red handles are for soft metal like copper, blue handles are hardened.
Having a good set of mechanics tools is a good starting point. As you progress is maintenance and repair skills, getting the more specific bike tools will be necessary. Also, do shop around for the best prices.
I’m one to use cheaper alternative tools when possible, but after wasting money on a few cheap pairs of cable cutters, I bit the bullet and bought the Pedro’s cable and housing cutters. It’s really worth it
I absolutely agree. "Regular" cutters flatten the cable and make a huge mess. Cable cutters are well worth the saved frustration.
I just bought hardware store cutters for stainless balustrade cable.
Generic cable cutters work well... for maybe several cuts. After that they don't cut properly anymore. Bought a nice set of parrot cutters and it gives me joy every time I cut some housing.
great video as always! For brake housing i just use hardened pliers. For Pedals just a normal wrench, for shortening a chain i just bang a flathead into the wider part of the chain with a hammer and it comes apart rather easy. Will get a chaintool tho because it's not as loud, For opening a master link i use needle nose pliers.
Should do more rc crawler stuff! Loved that on this channel
The shoe lace hack got me out of a pickle on one of my rides a couple months ago! I watched your videos about it when it came out a couple years ago and glad I remembered it!
A Nice pair of channel lock brand cutters works better than most bike specific tools in that price range. I use them all the for shortening my cables.
Throwing it back to some classic "Seths bike hacks", should this be a mini series in and of itself? Great video!
Not gonna lie, I crimp with side cutters
I am so relieved Seth showed the lace hack :) I was like "but you learned me to use a lace !!!!"
I 3d printed a sram dub bsa threaded Bb tool, worked perfectly and allowed me to torque it up to the required spec, one of the few things I didn’t buy bike specific. The file was on “thingiverse”
For a bike mechanic probably not the best but for me? I only need to use the tool once. Maybe twice in my life. I don't need to spend $40 on a bb tool.
I've used linesman pliers on cable and housing and mine cut like butter also spoke wrenches work on valve cores!