![]() These can be bought easily, with the major cost being the solvents to fill them. For most, an ice-cream container, a brush and some simple-green will do the job just fine, but if you want a more permanent solution, consider a basic bench-top or freestanding parts washer. Once you’ve got the tools to remove a cassette and cranks, you may as well have a place to clean them. This works slightly differently to a drill (it’s an impact driver), but a drill is a far more useful purchase. A tool-free chuck and adjustable clutch are both useful features.įor rotor bolts, I personally use a Milwaukee adjustable-torque driver. You don’t need the power of an industrial model, a basic cordless drill is adequate. Electric drillĪn electric drill is great for drilling holes, but many shop mechanics will also use a drill to install and remove disc brake rotor bolts that are covered in Loctite, and make for tedious work with hand tools. ![]() I personally own a DT Swiss Proline truing stand, and while I love it, given its price, I would recommend the Park stand. ![]() If you’re serious about tweaking those nipples, this stand is a good buy. Park Tool’s TS-2.2P is based on a true classic that the majority of shops use - it’s the same stand, just powder-coated instead of chromed. The Feedback Sports single-sided stand is good for working with basic quick-release axles it’s compact, accurate and will last, but thru-axles users will need to buy special adapters. There’s no point getting a cheap road wheel stand if you need to true 29in mountain bike wheels with thru-axles. When buying a truing stand, be aware of your needs and bike type. Truing, or even building, wheels requires a fairly high skill level, so a truing stand is something that only a more dedicated home mechanic needs. Wheel truing standīasic wheel truing can be achieved with the wheel in the bike, using a zip tie or similar as a gauge, but for more involved and accurate repairs you can’t beat a truing stand. These will let you safety hold pedal and wheel axles without damaging the threads. Once you’ve got the vice, get yourself a simple set of axle jaws, the ones from Park Tool are good. Fixing bikes rarely calls for an industrial vice and so a reasonable quality 100 or 125mm width vice will do the job.Īn Irwin Record is a proven and good value option that’s quite widely available.Īxle soft-jaws make a workshop vice ‘cycle specific’ David Rome / Immediate Media Bench viceĪ decent vice bolted to that sturdy workbench will regularly prove useful and should last a lifetime. We recommend building the work surface from something like marine ply, or covering it in stainless steel - both are expensive, but easy to clean and will keep for a long time. Solvents, oils and other muck will quickly seep into cheaper unfinished wood surfaces. Drawers are perfect for keeping small parts in check, but cabinets provide space to keep solvents, cleaners and other bottles. The space under the worktop should serve as storage. I use a steel bench from Ikea that I’ve modified slightly and reinforced over the years – it’s not perfect, nor the cheapest, but it serves its purpose. Repurposing kitchen bench tops and cabinets is another way to find a bargain. My humble home set up: a customised and reinforced kitchen bench from Ikea (fastened to the wall), a small vice and tools galore David Rome / Immediate Media There are plenty of sites that will provide inspiration for this, such as. That said, more bench space is always better, so if you have room for a bigger bench, get one!īig hardware stores offer pre-built options for workbenches, but a cheaper option is to build your own from wood, or metal if you’re really handy. Ideally, you want a bench that’s at least a 120cm (47in) wide and 60cm (23.6in) deep - this will give you enough space to lay most of a wheel on the bench, work on other large items and still have a vice mounted to it. So despite what it might say on the box, simple snap-together plywood shelving units do not make a good workbench. WorkbenchĪ workbench should be solid enough for you to smack stuff on it, spill oil on it, support your weight and withstand years of abuse. If you have a little more to spend and want a stand that’s easier to fold and carry (to races, for example), the Feedback Sports Pro-Elite is my pick. It can be found reasonably cheaply, its clamp fits nearly every bike, it can be folded down and it’s built to last. For this, the Park Tool Home Mechanic PSC-10 is the stand to beat. This sort of workstand allows you to fix bikes with both wheels in place. The Park Tool PCS-10 repair stand is an obvious choice for many Colin Levitch / Immediate Mediaįor most home mechanics, a tube clamp stand is the way to go.
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