Macgyver Bike Tools

[ghostpoet]

Cobbled together, bodged up, made on the fly or turned up beautifully on your Stepdad's lathe. If you have something that you have made to solve a problem without sepending a fortune please post a picture here so we can all learn. And possibly use ourselves to do a bit of maintenace in the future post economic apocalypse world. Coming soon, my bottom bracket cup persuader...

[HappyHumber]

Anything like this one?

[Mark Kelly]

I've McGyvered a frame building jig, does that count?

[HappyHumber]

Poke around on instructables.com.

There's some absolutely shocking things there - but the odd gem amongst the gravel.

I've seen variations of these DIY lockring pliers with cheapie Bunnings vise grips etc; www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Lockring-Pliers/

[bychosis]

Crank Remover for square taper cranks. Standard Crank puller stripped the thread on the crank, bashing/levering wouldn't work.

Enter Homemade crank remover

Unfortunately Homemade crank remover stripped the thread on the bolt (hi-tens next time?). Slot tube over crank, spanner on nut in device, tighten bolt to push out the crank (in theory)

Effective method=hacksaw to crank (as pictured)

[ldrcycles]

I've used quick release seatpost bolts as tire levers a few times when i couldn't find actual levers.

[Stuey]

I've McGyvered a frame building jig, does that count?

I'd love to see photos. I've considered this myself a few times.

[Mark Kelly]

I've started a thread on Bikeforums.net/framebuilders; couldn't be arsed doing it twice and this forum software is much more difficult to use.

Phots won't be up till tommorrow coz the ones I took today are bad even by my standards.

[lethoso]

Chain slack maker - get an old spoke, clip the fat end off it, bend it like so: /__\ Then when fitting a new chain, put the chain on over the chainring and through the derailleur, hook one end into the back half of it a few inches in, then poke the other end into the front half of the chain about the same distance in. Now you have some slack in the chain to work with while pushing the pin in/fitting the quicklink. Simple, but handy

[ldrcycles]

That's a fantastic tip lethoso, i'm gunna use that one the next time i build up a bike!

[sturmey archer]

Ive posted this before, but here's my torque wrench..


kgf(4.5kg) * Length of ball-ended allen key (.11m) = .495 kg/m = 4.81 Nm

[HappyHumber]

Ive posted this before, but here's my torque wrench..
kgf(4.5kg) * Length of ball-ended allen key (.11m) = .495 kg/m = 4.81 Nm

Awesome.. but be prepared for potential backlash from the 'justify the $$$ somehow' Carbon Fibre crowd. Not using the proper tool for the job risks the downfall of Western Civilisation, you realise?

[Stuey]

Chain slack maker - get an old spoke, clip the fat end off it, bend it like so: /__\ Then when fitting a new chain, put the chain on over the chainring and through the derailleur, hook one end into the back half of it a few inches in, then poke the other end into the front half of the chain about the same distance in. Now you have some slack in the chain to work with while pushing the pin in/fitting the quicklink. Simple, but handy

I wondered what the bit of bent wire was that I got with my Topeak chain breaker. I thought it was just to put through the two end links to keep it out of the dirt until you joined it.

[Mulger bill]

Chain hook is a great idea, been using one for years.
I made my chain whip out of some 1" wide flat bar steel and 50cm of old chain, drill 3 holes in the right spot and you're nearly done. Total cost about 5" labour.

[ldrcycles]

Chain hook is a great idea, been using one for years.
I made my chain whip out of some 1" wide flat bar steel and 50cm of old chain, drill 3 holes in the right spot and you're nearly done. Total cost about 5" labour.

Same , mine is seriously ugly but it's been doing the job for about 3 years now .

[Stuey]

5 inches of labour? Oo-er!

(yeah, I know....)

For a chain whip, I just use locking pliers (Mole grips) and wrap an old chain around the sprocket, then as close as possible to the sprocket, lock the grips onto both sides of the chain.

[HappyHumber]

I can't find a pic now, but somewhere off the net at some stage I got the idea to make a chain whip out of old a single fork blade and length of chain. I just found a nail beefy enough to thread through the old mudguard eyelet & chain rivet hold, cut it with a about a mm or so protruding either side and then mashed over the ends a bit with the ol' bogan multi-tool (4lb sledgie)

[Mark Kelly]

I've McGyvered a frame building jig, does that count?

I'd love to see photos. I've considered this myself a few times.

The thread on Bikeforums now has some phots, more to follow in the next couple of weeks.

Not sure how the mods go with hotlinking to another forum so for now you'll have to navigate for yourself.

[HappyHumber]

Not sure how the mods go with hotlinking to another forum so for now you'll have to navigate for yourself.

I like living life on the edge. So here ya go :
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/820121-The-Mathematicians-Frame-Jig

You need a login to view the pics, however.

[ghostpoet]

Happy Humber wrote,

bogan multi-tool (4lb sledgie)

Good one Humber, this one made me laugh hard enough to wake the dog up, which went nuts barking, which woke young Charlie, which got me a nice scolding from my darling wife. I was going to give you my 23 inch sq 5 Swan, but not anymore...

[Stuey]

I've McGyvered a frame building jig, does that count?

I'd love to see photos. I've considered this myself a few times.

The thread on Bikeforums now has some phots, more to follow in the next couple of weeks.

Not sure how the mods go with hotlinking to another forum so for now you'll have to navigate for yourself.

Cheers

[visrealm]

Seems making your own chain whip is pretty common - here's one I prepared earlier...



Works a treat

[}SkOrPn--7]

Seems making your own chain whip is pretty common - here's one I prepared earlier...



Works a treat

Plus you can measure your chain for wear all in one tool.

[Mark Kelly]

For those interested, I just posted the 2nd slice of the frame jig on bike forums. Third slice maybe Sunday.

[Jean]

1,1/8" crown race installation tool: 25mm PVC plumbing pipe, a 25mm cap and 25mm coupler. Used some shoe glue to paste it together.





The coupler nestles the race perfectly and nicely reinforces the bit that does the hard work. The zip ties are so I can hang it up on my tool board



A headset cup removal tool, made from some aluminium tubing - a few bucks at Bunnings



My workstand - a saw horse, some box steel tubing and a busted Thule bike roof rack



And my wheel truing stand - MDF made to Roger Musson's plans



I tried a DIY headset press last weekend but it was a dud - went with a mallet and piece of wood instead.