Back in the days when I didn’t work in a bike shop, when I was simply the guy on the team with the most tools at home, I had an $8 chain tool. Sure, you could buy nicer ones that could handle heavy daily use, but you didn’t really need anything more to take care of your bike. I miss those days.
Now as head mechanic of a shop, I keep a small collection of expensive chain tools to deal with various manufacturers’ specialty chains. One for Shimano Hyperglide, one for Camp 10, one for Campy 11. I have a special drawer where I hide these so that they don’t get misused, because I need those tools to be in perfect working order for repairing top-notch bikes. If we were talking about cone wrenches or allen keys, I’d just buy a set for every mechanic’s bench, but those chain tools cost too much. And I’m talking about the shop’s money, not my own.
I don’t think that many cyclists are gonna drop $200 for a Campy chain tool to keep in their own tool box at home. As much as I love bikes all tech’ed out, I lament how bikes are becoming things that an average guy, even one mechanically inclined, cannot maintain without a specialty shop. I realize this sounds odd coming from someone whose livelihood is derived from specifically providing those services, but I got started as the guy on the team who did his own wrenching and could be bribed to fix others’ bikes after the bike shops closed. And I got a long way by teaching myself. But that doesn’t seem practical for a novice home mechanic anymore.
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I hear ya! I used to work at events as a volunteer support mechanic. 10 years ago my Howe case was fairly light and had enough spare room for me to carry along extra deraileur and a few other small parts. Now the case is packed, largely due to the need to carry so many specialized tools. I’ve actually gotten to the point that I don’t bother working events because it’s just too expensive for me to keep buying new tools every season that are only used for one limited task. I’d rather stay home than show up at an event and have to turn down a rider request for help because I don’t have the special $50 tool that only works with one particular part. Even ordering at cost through UBS it’s still too expensive.
On the other hand, think about how many tools you don’t need as a home mechanic if you stick with modern components. Almost all of the new tools are better than having to dial in your bearings with a head wrench/pin spanner or futzing around with crank pullers and cotter extractors.
For that matter, I’m not sure how often even the shops pull out their facing and reaming tools…
Some of my fellow riders give me crap about having a 25yo bike. Tempting, and re-tempting, and and flat out bugging me to get something new and all-carbon. They claim a new bike would be creak-free and require little maintenance. But frankly, I enjoy working on my bike and collecting odd tools that I need along the way. I also feel that maintaining my bike and it’s aging parts keeps the relationship intimate (short of the maids bursting in on me ;-). And to be honest, I’m not sure I, a professed amateur in bike mechanics, would know where to start on a $1000+ setup.
My race bikes must not creak. The only acceptable sound is the tires on the pavement, wind whooshing over the rims, and the chain and gears. While they roll smooth and fast, my cargo and folding bikes can creak away. Riding the [Bettie](http://bikehugger.com/2008/06/the-bettie-20-download.html) is like a Bootsie Collins, slow, funky bass line and the [Hotspur](/tag/hotspur) is Kraftwerk. I’ve never been a retro-grouch. More interested in the new and if there’s new tools than ok. The price of progress. With computers, I’ve got a different dongle for every one I own and the day you buy one, it’s outdated.
The bike industry has never been compatible you can bet it never will.
There’s a sweet spot between rare vintage and bleeding edge tech. Personally I prefer shimano hubs and pedals due to them using loose ball bearings. I don’t subscribe to some scientific believe loose ball with cup/cone are superior - but with a couple cone wrenches I can repack them for almost zero cost. Just some grease and maybe $0.35 of Phil’s grease.
I’ve sworn off crank brothers pedals because I was averaging 2 or 3 rebuild kits annually across my bikes. That’s not a mint at $15 each - but it just irked me that I had to buy some proprietary replacement parts on a routine basis. Way simpler for consumable parts (tires, tube, cables, chains, bearings) to be generic and interchangeable.
It’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools (for being too expensive!)
Just kidding. Keep them locked up.