Great article, Dillon. I like that you made your own chain whip tool! I learned years ago the importance of having certain bike tools and knowing how to use them. A simple chain break tool in my seat pouch would have saved me a 4-mile walk in bike shoes pushing a bike when I broke a link while riding one day. Speaking tools for chains, I have 2 to recommend. First, a chain checker is a quicker, easier way to monitor chain wear than the measure-with-a-ruler-and-count-12-links method. Next, a special pair of pliers to disengage quick links is nice and not very expensive. There are also methods to open the quick links without having that tool. I sent you a YouTube video of those methods.
Thanks Mikey. I didn't include my crankbrothers M19 multi-tool in the pic above. It has a chain break tool. (Haven't had to use it yet!) I'll likely write a separate post explaining which tools I take with me during rides. I almost went into my desire for a set of master link pliers, but it got edited out of this post. This is very much something I'd like to add to my arsenal. I've pinched my fingers and scratched perfectly new chains -- and cussed through the process -- enough to justify the purchase. But I also don't change chains enough to remember to add it to my to-buy list when I'm headed to the shop. I just watched the Youtube video on the hack, which will likely be my go-to method until I make the purchase. Thanks again!
My mantra is “Take care of your equipment and they will take care of you.” This applies to camping and boating, climbing and exploring, as well as bikes. For your tool set, you can easily add 9mm, 10mm and 15mm open-ended box wrenches to tackle any nut/bolt on most bikes. I color-code the handles so I can instantly grab the right wrench, which also includes 1/2” for old Schwinns and 14mm for seat post nuts. They are faster and more reliable than a crescent. I also use a homemade chain whip. Great read on this article!
That's a good mantra, too. I have a wrench set, but it doesn't have a 14mm or 15mm, so I just grab the crescent for those sizes. Color coding is definitely a good idea.
Great article, Dillon. I like that you made your own chain whip tool! I learned years ago the importance of having certain bike tools and knowing how to use them. A simple chain break tool in my seat pouch would have saved me a 4-mile walk in bike shoes pushing a bike when I broke a link while riding one day. Speaking tools for chains, I have 2 to recommend. First, a chain checker is a quicker, easier way to monitor chain wear than the measure-with-a-ruler-and-count-12-links method. Next, a special pair of pliers to disengage quick links is nice and not very expensive. There are also methods to open the quick links without having that tool. I sent you a YouTube video of those methods.
Thanks Mikey. I didn't include my crankbrothers M19 multi-tool in the pic above. It has a chain break tool. (Haven't had to use it yet!) I'll likely write a separate post explaining which tools I take with me during rides. I almost went into my desire for a set of master link pliers, but it got edited out of this post. This is very much something I'd like to add to my arsenal. I've pinched my fingers and scratched perfectly new chains -- and cussed through the process -- enough to justify the purchase. But I also don't change chains enough to remember to add it to my to-buy list when I'm headed to the shop. I just watched the Youtube video on the hack, which will likely be my go-to method until I make the purchase. Thanks again!
My mantra is “Take care of your equipment and they will take care of you.” This applies to camping and boating, climbing and exploring, as well as bikes. For your tool set, you can easily add 9mm, 10mm and 15mm open-ended box wrenches to tackle any nut/bolt on most bikes. I color-code the handles so I can instantly grab the right wrench, which also includes 1/2” for old Schwinns and 14mm for seat post nuts. They are faster and more reliable than a crescent. I also use a homemade chain whip. Great read on this article!
That's a good mantra, too. I have a wrench set, but it doesn't have a 14mm or 15mm, so I just grab the crescent for those sizes. Color coding is definitely a good idea.