If you can still afford new bearings after buying those....
Tool Nerds, Questions and Tool Snobbery
- Thread starter HardtailHack
- Start date
How much was the set on the left?
I'm surprised you didn't just machine a set of pucks/caps and use a nice threaded rod for the press.
That's what I had been doing for years for pressing in bearings/BBs/headsets, and never had an issue. The press was definitely an impulse purchase, along with a lot of other Park stuff I just bought during my bike shop revamp.
The extractor though is something I never even knew existed and wished I always had (something) for removing bearings easier than the vise/socket combo or tapping out with a drift. Was never a fan of that. The set was $400, but between myself and loaning out to my non-hamfist friends, will get my money's worth on it. I looked at it as a worthwhile investment given how expensive frames and bikes in general are these days. It's nice being able to do things the "right" way if you can.
Do you follow Park Tools youtube channel? They're always releasing short videos of new tools, revisions etc.
$400 for just the puller set? That is steep but yeah worth it if you will use it a few times per year. And it's not like bearings are going to magically go away one day.
I have seen them recently, they definitely have a ton of cool stuff. I've loved Park Tools ever since I got into riding, and always wished I had a lot/all of their stuff. It makes working on bikes a lot more fun.
The irony of the extractor set is, I have 3 bikes: one is a hardtail, and 1 has bushings (Turner).... I'll just have to get more bikes with bearing linkages to justify having it I guess
What is nice about the extractor set is the expanding collet style extractors cover a range of 6-32mm ID bearings in only 5 extractors. So it can cover just about every bearing from the smallest linkage bearing up to BB bearings. Pretty versatile.
I have wheels mfg presses, in part because I can piecemeal it as needed. I bought the press handles by themselves, and can then acquire the drifts as needed.
The wheels manufacturing stuff looks really nice, I'd rock that stuff in a heartbeat. Only reason I went with Park is my previously mentioned OCD and going with all matching stuff. My previous rendition of bike shop tools was 50 to 60% Park already, and needed some new stuff to bring myself to current times, like taper steerer, and press fit bottom bracket related stuff.
Picked up a 1975 Wilton Tradesman vice for restoration/usage over the weekend. Shows signs of use, but is in decent condition. Got plans to fab up some new hardware for the lockdowns, screw, and handle, just need to find a friend with a lathe or a kindly shop.
anyone have a hanger alignment tool they like?
I have the Park DAG 2.2 and it's fine, although I feel like there's a bit more play in the part that threads into the hanger than I'd like. Also, using an o-ring as a stop/reference when you have to move the sliding rod around a chainstay/seatstay works ok, but doesn't really scream "precision". The new DAG 3 looks nice but haven't read much about it and the Abbey one is reportedly great, but obviously expensive.
Comparison here which is a little old but still relevant:
The best derailleur hanger alignment tool: 9 tested - CyclingTips
Once thought to be only for workshop use, a hanger gauge is now a commonly needed tool to achieve perfect shifting.
cyclingtips.com
good find. kinda confirms what i suspected. i currently have no alignment tool. so i'd rather get something of high quality the first time around, rather than cheap out and have to replace it 10 years down the road.I have the Park DAG 2.2 and it's fine, although I feel like there's a bit more play in the part that threads into the hanger than I'd like. Also, using an o-ring as a stop/reference when you have to move the sliding rod around a chainstay/seatstay works ok, but doesn't really scream "precision". The new DAG 3 looks nice but haven't read much about it and the Abbey one is reportedly great, but obviously expensive.
Comparison here which is a little old but still relevant:
The best derailleur hanger alignment tool: 9 tested - CyclingTips
Once thought to be only for workshop use, a hanger gauge is now a commonly needed tool to achieve perfect shifting.
CyclingTips and Dave Rome's articles are definitely the best sources I've come across for tool related stuff. His posts on IG, if you do that whole thing, are also really informative. Deep dives into things like tolerance differences across brands of allen keys.
On a separate note, how is everyone handling shop vs traveling tool storage? I have most of my stuff in a benchtop toolbox and then typically throw a random assortment of tools into my gear bag before traveling anywhere. Don't really want to have 2 of all of my most used tools. Also don't want my good tools in a travel setup where they're inconvenient to use when I'm working in my garage, which is like 95% of my bike repair work. Maybe there's a way of doing a small travel kit that still works well for "shop" use?
I have a Park tool box that I work out of in the shop, then make a few adjustments to contents and take with me. It's too big to be grabbing for anything less than a multi day trip though.
i will say this, i got a shipping notification email 18 minutes after the order confirmation email. those Abbey fellas are prompt.
That usually just means they created a shipping label which is often done at the same time the pick order is placed.
that usually comes from UPS, not the company you order from.
I ordered a helmet from Skirack in Burlington, VT during off hours, and received a similar email from them right after ordering with a tracking number. I think westy is right.
Not to discount them as being competent and on top of things of course
They have always been fast with my stuff.
Case in point.... order placed Saturday night at 8:30pm (store closed), email with UPS tracking number received 30min later. Email from UPS received the next day.
so in what i can only describe as a total space cadet moment, i ordered a 10mm bearing extractor instead of a 15mm and didn't discover my error until i received it.
correct size ordered.
Seemed like the perfect excuse to buy a new frame with 10 mm ID bearings....so in what i can only describe as a total space cadet moment, i ordered a 10mm bearing extractor instead of a 15mm and didn't discover my error until i received it.
correct size ordered.
i'm sure one of the frames i already have has 10mm id bearings that need replaced
I also recently procured a Wheels Mfg press and some of their bearing pullers. They're more expensive than the cheap ones I got from Bearing Pro Tools a couple years ago, but they're much nicer. Especially the drifts... being able to free spin on the drift handles rapidly instead of slowly rotate them on due to tight fit is worth it alone. And the blind pullers work better too. The old ones I had to crank like crazy, and there was still good odds that the damn thing would slip out rather than pull the bearing out.
That is super sweet. I'm sorta constantly on the lookout for a really nice old bench vise just like that. Haven't found one yet.
I could see replacing some of the hardware but unless there's a problem I personally wouldn't touch that main handle.
The brand new Park one they just updated?
Abbey.
I don't know if there's been a bench vise Renaissance, or if people are just tired of paying for imported garbage, but the old stuff is still fetching pretty good money. I paid $300 for mine. My preference would have been for a machinists vise instead of a utility vise, but practically speaking, this should be more than sufficient for my purposes.
I made the mistake of following @cavemanwelder on Instagram, which has served as my inspiration to rehab this thing. If you like machining, welding, and vintage vise restorations, I highly recommend checking his work out. Or don't, custom machining work gets expensive quickly.
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Been lusting after one of these. Going to try and scan a free one out of Orange if we go that route for our new horizontal mills tombstones
www.orangevise.com
Also just grabbed a set of these, working on finding a real hardness tester, but always wanted a set of these as well
Orange Bench Vise
An American manufacturer of premium single and dual station CNC machine vises, machinable quick-change soft jaws, and quick-change fixturing solutions.
www.orangevise.com
Also just grabbed a set of these, working on finding a real hardness tester, but always wanted a set of these as well
Seems that way, particularly for Wilton stuff. I picked up a Chas Parker locally still for pretty cheap and it's serving me well.I don't know if there's been a bench vise Renaissance, or if people are just tired of paying for imported garbage, but the old stuff is still fetching pretty good money. I paid $300 for mine. My preference would have been for a machinists vise instead of a utility vise, but practically speaking, this should be more than sufficient for my purposes.
I made the mistake of following @cavemanwelder on Instagram, which has served as my inspiration to rehab this thing. If you like machining, welding, and vintage vise restorations, I highly recommend checking his work out. Or don't, custom machining work gets expensive quickly.
I've also been following @cavemanwelder and his restorations are pretty over the top impressive.
For vise restoration specifically? I have a few others that I follow: @the.hobby.garage, @jeff_zariczny, @biggeese72.
Gotcha. Only welding and hobby machining stuff that I really follow is This Old Tony.