Greetings from Tucson, Arizona

[BeninTucson]

Hi all . . .

In the process of researching tool purchases, I've found myself reading many posts here over the last month or so. This is now influencing what I'm buying and about to buy. Time to finally join The Garage Journal Forum, ask questions and (eventually) show some interesting pictures. This post is my first here.

Hobbies and professional experiences are varied and wide ranging. I've outlined a lot of it in my bio here . . . everything from wood and metal crafting, to mechanical and electronic. Tools of all sorts have made it happen. Some of my tools are unspectacular and boringly ordinary. Others are unusual, specialized and quite unique. It's rare that I sell tools and I've been collecting them for most of my 55 years.

The activity that I'm pursuing currently is the complete overhaul of my bicycle and, as I have done so often in the past, I'm wanting to buy my own tools for everything in that realm.

Beyond some of the specialized bike stuff, the desire to finally get really good basic mechanical tools is high on my list right now. Nothing wrong with my Craftsman sockets, mind you, (some of them I've had since high school and used on some interesting auto projects in the ensuring decades,) but I'm wanting to revamp what I have there. The latest purchase, consequently has been a set of Koken Z-EAL 1/4" sockets, which are beautiful pieces sourced from Frank's Tools. I'm still tossing around ideas on some new ratchets to go with them.

Since there are so many metric hex fasteners on bicycles, I'm wanting to get the best and most complete wrench set of this type that I can find. The plastic baggies of loose hex wrenches I've accumulated (ubiquitous Craftsmen sets mixed in with Ikea furniture leftovers) - while surprisingly complete - are simply not cutting it anymore and neither are the various bike-marketed fold-up multi-tools I've gone out and bought. As soon as my bank account replenishes, I'm going to buy the somewhat pricey Beta Tools sliding T-handle 2mm to 6mm hex set (yup, I really do need a 3.5mm and 4.5mm hex on occasion and this is about the only quality set that has those, in addition to all the really common sizes.)

Beyond getting nicer tools that will stay at home, putting together a good lightweight traveling bike toolkit (again, better than a pocket multi-tool, but not too much larger or heavier) is another project I'm pursuing. To that end, I recently came across a Kickstarter page for a guy who is making- here in the US - what looks like a splendid micro T-handle hex bit wrench for a very reasonable sum. When I get my copy of this tool next month, I'll give it a test and write a review here.

More to come . . .

Ben Nead

Tucson, Arizona

 

[upndown]

Welcome southern neighbor...

 

[1/2 Cup]

Welcome to the GJ Ben, from downunder, enjoy..

 

[ChevyEFI]

Welcome Ben.

I have no experience with Beta tools.

But I will say Apex makes some amazing bit insert products.

 

[BeninTucson]

Thanks for the welcomes, guys.

I have seen listings for Apex insert bits, ChevyEFI, and they look very good. Interestingly, the site where I found them also offers a rather unique ratchet, which I have made a separate post here on the GJ just a few minutes ago, asking for more information on it . . .

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244701

Ben in Tucson

 

[rudy88]

Been a while since I've been to Tucson. You spend much time at bicas? There was another shop I used to go to a little ways south, I'll remember it later...

Anyways, welcome, I just joined too. Make sure you have a spoke wrench in there! I like your idea about the traveling toolkit, but the thing I like about a multitool is it's compactness and "one-ness". By that I mean when you reach in your pouch you don't have to rummage through and find your screwdriver and then find your allen wrench and whatever tools, you just grab one tool and open it up. May not sound like a big deal but when I get a flat tire or need to stop for anything I usually want to get moving again ASAP.

 

[BeninTucson]

Hi Rudy . . .

Bicas is a fun place to rummage around and I like everyone I’ve met down there associated with the place. But it is largely where old bicycles go to die and get dismembered . . . often, it appears, by sledgehammer, chisel and broken hacksaw blade. Perhaps this is the way parts arrive there, as it’s mostly donated stuff. If you’re looking for a critical drivetrain part, you will first have to spend hours sifting through all those cardboard boxes and then - more likely than not - discover that nothing on hand that day is going to fit. Invariably, if you do find the matching item after all that sorting, the one they’ve got is likely to be in far worse shape than the one you’re attempting to replace. That said, I got lucky there once when looking for a handlebar stem. After grazing through the boxes, I found one that cleaned up beautifully for about $6 (nicer, in fact, than the $30 new one I had ordered online and, subsequently, mailed back for a return.) So, yeah, Bicas is cool, if you approach it with realistic expectations.

The large shop you might be thinking of on the south side of town (kinda far from where I live and not all that approachable by pedaling) is probably Ajo Bikes. They’ve got a lot of accessories hanging on the walls that nobody else in town stocks, a massive assortment of new mechanical replacement parts that are logically sorted (not to mention a helpful staff that can pinpoint those parts for you, if you can’t find what you’re looking for,) a bazillion tires in all types and sizes and their selection of bikes for sale - especially recumbents - is very good. An old friend who worked there for years passed away recently. He was behind the counter when I first went in there, just as I was getting back into bikes after not riding for almost 30 years and after not seeing him for about 20. So, Ajo Bikes now has a special sentimental value for me as well.

When I got a flat tire on my way home during my short work commute last fall, I was only a couple of blocks away from Arizona Bicycle Experts . . . a tiny shop staffed by friendly folks and knowledgeable mechanics. When it came time to overhaul my son’s bike and rebuild the wheels, they had the ball bearings for me and sold me the freewheel tool. It turned out, though, that the tool sealed in the package wasn’t the right one and, when they didn’t have the one I needed on hand that same day, the mechanic lent me a spare he had on his repair table! I made sure to return it when I was done and, when he restocked his retail tool display a few weeks later, I made sure to give him my business then as well. This is where go when I run across a repair that I don’t feel qualified to do on my own or one where the investment of an expensive specialized tools might outweigh the advantage of doing it myself just once . . . and ABE is super close to my house.

Oh yeah . . . I also live very close to Bookman’s Sports Exchange, who have quickly emerged over the past year to become one of the better used bike shops in town, and a Performance Bikes franchise store, which has a very large selection of the Park bicycle tool line.

The spoke wrench I have right now is the triangular cast steel one that Park makes. Like so many other inexpensive spoke wrenches, though, it only grips those tiny spoke nuts on the two flats and, hence, there’s a danger of rounding off those little brass guys if you’re in a hurry. I’m getting new wheels on my bike this summer and, when I determine the spoke nut size, I’ll get the proper sized Spokey. These are the ones that slip over the spoke and addresses the spoke nut like a micro flare wrench.

As for my recalcitrance regarding folding all-in-one multi-tools, I’ve found the ones I own to be awkward to use when I’ve really needed them. Case in point is when dealing with the 6mm hex head seat post bolt underneath the saddle. The floppy folding handle with all the other hex keys attached on those tools are a miserable interface that skins knuckles far more effectively than doing anything else. The few times I’ve had this seat bolt come loose or wanted to adjust it away from home, I ultimately had to wait until I got back to the house for the trusty full-sized L key to apply the necessary torque.

The small T-handle wrench with replaceable insert bits I was talking about above is this one . . .

http://www.fixitsticks.com/products/fix-it-sticks-t-way-wrench-pre-order-only

Other products that the inventor/manufacturer, Brian Davis, offers in his Fix It Sticks line are collapsable for even greater portability. But the “permanent” T-Way wrench is the one that looks like it would work best for me. Nothing too revolutionary here, but it’s smaller that other T-handle insert bit wrenches I’ve seen and, I’m sure, will easily disappear inside my messenger bag. If the magnets hold those insert bits securely, the hex-shaped holes on the 3 ends are machined properly out of good metal and it ergonomically passes the above 6mm seat bolt tightening test, then it will be my go-to tool on the road and, perhaps, even first call on what I’ll use at home. When my copy arrives in the mail (late May or early June,) I’ll give it an honest run through and write a review on a dedicated thread here on GJ.

Ben in Tucson