Walk into a prestige car workshop and you’ll likely find high-end tool boxes filled to the brim with quality ‘trade brand’ tools. Professional mechanics rely on these tools to make an income, day in, day out. As car technology has rapidly changed, so have the tools offered.
Yet, if you walk into some bike stores (and, in all probability, if you open up your toolbox) and you’ll likely find plenty of cheaper, lower grade tools that are just making do and haven’t really changed for a few decades – despite the fact that your bike certainly has. It's worth bearing in mind that even high-end bikes are more delicates piece of engineering than Porsches are!
Related: more Home Wrench on BikeRadar
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Jason Quade, the man behind Abbey Bike Tools is one (but not the only) strong advocate for better tool quality in cycling. Sure, he has strong monetary motivations to make such a statement – but he’s absolutely right. Of course, good tools in the wrong hands will almost always cause more damage than poor tools in the right hands. But I digress.
“It’s an overall quality issue," says Quade. "Nice bikes deserve nice tools – sometimes they require them. I'm sure you've seen a outboard bottom bracket that's been thrashed by a heavy hand and a poorly fitting tool.â€
As Quade points out, many bolts in cycling come oversized from standards, and the tools arrive undersized. Combining these factors results in obvious fit issues.
- Always watch how a bolt, nut, lockring or spline is handling a high torque. If it changes feel, stop and assess. Are there signs of deformation to the tool or the bolt? If either occurs, don’t keep pushing.
- Are you using the right tool for the job? The limit screws in your Shimano derailleur aren’t actually Phillips, they’re JIS (Japanese International Standard) – that’s why they’ve always stripped (a good, sharp Phillips does work though). The chainring bolts on new XTR are T27, not the T25 you commonly use on your bike.
- If you’re continually stripping or rounding screws, it’s most likely your tools are in need of replacement or an upgrade. If the tools are fine, it’s your technique that’s the problem – be sure to push down (or ‘in’) on the tool when applying torque.
- When working with press-fit items such as bearings and bearing cups, always take your time. It’s often easiest to do one side at a time, using the opposite face as a guide for the press. If it’s not aligned from the start, try it again – never assume it'll 'come right'.
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