This little cylinder from Ridgid takes care of that and a host of other issues. High-quality headsets like those from Chris King have tight seals inside the dust-cap to keep moisture and soil outside, and a poorly cut steerer will catch on that seal and damage it. The cutter takes about two minutes to be hand-spun through alloy tubes, and the reaming and facing tool can clean that edge to as smooth a surface as you need. Pipe cutter and facing toolĪt some point, your alloy bars or fork steerer will need a trim and a classic plumbers pipe cutter like this one from Kobalt paired with a reaming and facing tool from Ridgid will provide a precise and clean-cut surface for under $100 all told. If you dig in further and learn to rebuild the damper and air spring those savings multiply quickly. All told those goods should cost less than a lower service at the shop, and they will take you through countless refresh sessions.ĭropping the lowers of your fork is something anyone can learn to do, and at roughly $50 a pop at the shop, you’ll save money fast with a few simple tools and specific lubes. For example, if you want to service a set of fork lowers you will need some flat-faced sockets like those above, some smaller sockets to knock the foot nuts loose, a seal driver, cleaning supplies, and some oil. Suspension instrumentsĪny work you’re comfortable performing on suspension components will pay for itself almost immediately.
In short, the value of owning a torque wrench is both immeasurable and worthwhile.
This tool can be used on every fastener that’s included on your bike, and overtightening any of them may cause damage.
Just make sure yours is rated for the lower torque specs that bikes require and is properly calibrated. This one from Syncros has served me well to cinch things up without over-tightening on those precious carbon bars, and there are loads of less expensive options at your local automotive or hardware store. When they do, it’s great to be able to get a warranty replacement, provided you followed all of the torque specs and didn’t throw the component in a microwave to “see what it could really take.” Purchasing a torque wrench with a wide range of force values is an easy way to satisfy your warranty. It’s a simple fact of things that are made as lightweight as possible. Torque wrenchīike parts are going to break. Shops can charge over $100 to replace pivot and linkage bearings, $15-20 for wheel bearings, and another $30 for pressed BB bearing swaps, so a well-made bearing press is well worth the investment given the number of jobs it can handle.
Pipe bike workshop install#
Some bearing press tools can be used to install headset cups, saving an additional $15 each time that need arises. If you ride full-suspension bikes or like to pedal in the wet, a press like this one from Enduro Bearings will pay for its roughly $224 cost lickety-split. Sure you can press bearings with the right spacers and vice, but this tool will allow you to do so with far less chance of damaging that fancy carbon frame. They can be used to press bottom-bracket bearings and hub cartridges into place, keeping everything rolling smoothly without the massive shop bills. On the expensive side, a bearing press and requisite drifts will pay for themselves in 1-2 uses if you’re swapping out pivot cartridges. There are a handful of great options for this tool from Pedros, Unior, and Pro, all for somewhere around $40.Ĭable and housing swaps at a lot of bike shops cost roughly $20, so this purchase will pay for itself rather quickly. It’s great for cable and housing and I also use it to cut brake hoses, cleaning up the end with a razor if needed. The Park Cable and Housing Cutter above has been hard at work for more than a decade and it still creates a flawless snip. Cable cutterĪs mentioned above, a precise cable cutter will undoubtedly save a purse-load of scrilla.
Pipe bike workshop pro#
At an average cost of around $30 per wheel build, some of us might be better off paying a pro to lace spokes and make things round while saving money on most of the other bike fixes.īelow are some examples of tools that quickly pay for themselves, allowing you to save heaps of cash for more fun things. Conversely, a pro-level wheel truing stand can cost heaps of money, and the task of building and truing wheels requires a level of patience and precision that not everyone possesses. For example, a proper pair of cable cutters will allow you to refresh a few hundred drivetrains in their lifetime, and just a couple of those cable swaps would cost the same as the tool if you pay someone else to do the work.
While most home mechanic tools will eventually reduce your bill at the local bike shop, some cut that number more effectively than others.