Weight Weenies

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:21 pm**

It might be worth looking at the Bike Radar forums and seeing what 'newbie' cyclists need? Look at catering for the bottom of the pyramid as well as the top. Look at the basic mechanic features in bike mags and see which tools are most used.

I'd suggest a decent chain tool, 10 & 11 speed and cassette remover. Apart from allan keys and torx wrenches, these are probably the most needed by people who ride regularly. Bear in mind a chain lasts 6 months before being properly worn in most cases. The majority of newbies that I encounter just ride until failure then pay a shop to replace. Making this job easier by supplying decent tools at a good price would be ideal.

Look at engaging someone with an established supply chain into the cycling trade. You could co-brand the parts so that people see a recognisable name. Wiggle might be worth a try? Cover lots of Europe, good distribution and well known name.

Or look at a PR company like Shift Active Media who already look after lots of the cycling industry and do PR for amongst others Colnago, 3T, Giro d'Italia, Mekk, Fizik.

Good luck

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:09 pm**

There's already good 10 and 11 speed tools out there, and as far as a good cassette remover goes, the excellent Pedros Vise Whip is all you need.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:09 pm**

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Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:45 pm**

There are good tools out there for every job already, I thought the OP wanted to produce quality tools at a lower retail price?

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 2:05 pm**

Think about marketing / pricing interaction - the easiest way to signal better quality is to charge a higher price. It seems to work for most bike brands.

If we are talking about affordable luxury, I would like:
- A nicer version of a Rohloff revolver with chain checker in a proper wooden case for £30.
- Combination press set covering bbs, hubs, headsets including inserts at 1mm intervals to fit all bearing sizes, again in a nice wooden box
- Cruet set of thread locks / press fit / slip fit compounds plus primer and remover
- Properly rigid workstand with stainless parts and integral seatpost inner clamp
- Spoke tension gauge with tension chart, spoke diameter gauge, wheelbuilding wallchart
- Wheeljig with run out indicators, either dial or digital. A neat trick would be to add some sort of rotational sensor to the wheel, then show runout as a chart on a screen. Then the jig could pretty much tell you exactly where to tighten / loosen Not sure where the previous comment about rigidity came from - my tackx cheapo one works just fine and is not rigid at all.
- Quiet, cheap electric compressor which runs up to 150psi. One I've seen are very noisy.
- Foolproof track pump chuck. Something like that Japanese one which goes for £50.
- A track pump with a huge cast iron base wrapped in rubber shaped so it could never fall over (like those egg shaped kids toys with a weight in the bottom which right themselves when you push them over).

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:29 pm**

A derailleur alignment gauge that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount of money. Park's price is so cost prohibitive for such an easy to make and simple tool.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:49 pm**

mrfish wrote:
- A nicer version of a Rohloff revolver with chain checker in a proper wooden case for £30.
- Combination press set covering bbs, hubs, headsets including inserts at 1mm intervals to fit all bearing sizes, again in a nice wooden box

Make your own wooden case?

- Properly rigid workstand with stainless parts and integral seatpost inner clamp

I think you are looking the wrong work stand. Look at the bike shop work stands. Huge heavy steel base the one you can stand on.

- Spoke tension gauge with tension chart, spoke diameter gauge, wheelbuilding wallchart

Park Tool tension meter has the tension chart and spoke diameter gauge of which you will use to look up the spoke diamer for the right tension.

- Wheeljig with run out indicators, either dial or digital. A neat trick would be to add some sort of rotational sensor to the wheel, then show runout as a chart on a screen. Then the jig could pretty much tell you exactly where to tighten / loosen Not sure where the previous comment about rigidity came from - my tackx cheapo one works just fine and is not rigid at all.

Err you don't need one if you know how to build wheels in the first place.?

- Quiet, cheap electric compressor which runs up to 150psi. One I've seen are very noisy.

Good luck with that one. Buy one that runs with oil rather than no oil. Put it in an out of the way room and get a long air line.

- Foolproof track pump chuck. Something like that Japanese one which goes for £50.
- A track pump with a huge cast iron base wrapped in rubber shaped so it could never fall over (like those egg shaped kids toys with a weight in the bottom which right themselves when you push them over).

Strap a 50 lb. weight to it. That will go no where. But who want to lug that to the track.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:02 pm**

KWalker wrote:A derailleur alignment gauge that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount of money. Park's price is so cost prohibitive for such an easy to make and simple tool.

The Park tool is also an alignment adjuster, so it has to be sturdy enough to bend the d-hanger while threaded into the d-mounting hole.
I just bought one a few months back. I am all for cheaper, but $60 didn't seem all that bad.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:00 pm**

You can make one for under $20 if you have the right tools. Its quite the rip. Same with a bb30 press.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:08 pm**

I second a cheaper hanger alignment tool. The Park one sells for ~$85 in the UK which is just too much for a tool used so sparingly.

Posted: **Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:43 am**

A good lightweight multi-tool. I have a couple of these 46g Ritchey CPR-9s:

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They're no longer in production and I didn't stock up when Performance was selling them for $5. Nothing else is as light and has all the allens and a chain tool. Most tools weigh 2-4x as much. A modern version, with a 10sp chain tool and slot that forms a spoke wrench, would be really nice. I have yet to need the chain tool myself but it's saved other rider's rides. The only problem I've had with it is that the spoke 'wrench' slot is a bit loose on my Sapim nipples and has rounded out some with use.

Posted: **Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:11 am**

Hanger alignment gauge- for an alignment gauge, $80 or whatever is not a lot, if it did its job well. Park's doesn't. The threaded part bends, when you unscrew it you can see it oscillate. You want quality? It'll be expensive. Look at Efficient Velo Tools. Expensive, but most of his tools are perfect or nearly so. Also, he doesn't make anything just for the sake of making a me-too product.
I'd like to see certain things:
Bb bearing alignment gauges. FSA makes them, almost never available.
A high quality, adjustable torque key shaped like the cheap plastic CDI ones. PBswiss makes the closest thing, it's $280 with bits.
A fork/stem alignment gauge.
A dishing tool similar to Var, but readily available.
A 4th hand tool like the hozan, but with a clamp part shaped so it doesn't try to jam the cable into the tool.
A 14/15mm ratchet like the hozan one that is reasonably priced.
Parallel jaw pliers like Knipex, adapted to keep spokes from twisting.
A set of torx "ballstar" (see bondhus) wrenches with pistol grip handles.
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I got for now.
Greg

Posted: **Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:15 am**

KWalker wrote:A derailleur alignment gauge that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount of money. Park's price is so cost prohibitive for such an easy to make and simple tool.

I look forward to purchasing inexpensive tools from the KWalker tool company...

Posted: **Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:27 am**

A Campagnolo chain tool for under $100 (the one that you need to bend the link in place)

Posted: **Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:31 am**

Similar to the hozan 14/15mm ratchet, it would be nice to have a double-sided ratchet with an 8mm hex on one side and a 10mm hex on the other, for current cranks.

Posted: **Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:31 am**

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Posted: **Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:05 am**

eric wrote:A good lightweight multi-tool. I have a couple of these 46g Ritchey CPR-9s.

I second this. A rendition of the CPR-9s, perhaps improved in some way, would be great.

Weight Weenies

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Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?

Re: New bike tool company - what tools do you want?