Useful home made bike bits/tools??

[bobg]

I just bought one of those liitle grease guns from Chain Ractions and when I got it I realised that it only took little tubes of grease for about £5 each when I had a gallon tub in the shed. The gun uses gas pipe thread so its not easy to modify with a home made container . Useful solution - use a 50 mm syringe with a 16 gauge blunt needle for oil and a thicker gauge for grease like http://kansai.anesth.or.jp/gijutu/kousaku/easyweb.easynet.co.uk/chrish/syringe.jpg

it gets into all those awkward places on a bike that shop bought gear wont .. and its free(ish). Anybody else come up with handy hints?? I just love to save a couple of quid
NB Chain whips are dead easy to make too with a bit of old beadstead iron an angle grinder and a worn out length of bike chain

 

[Keith Oates]

After the past couple of days telling cyclists to go around using syringes may not be the best advice to give. On a more serious note how can you get free syringes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[John the Monkey]

My LBS makes a handy tool out of an old spoke and nipple. Basically the nipple goes on until the spoke threads protrude 3-4mm (enough to thread the nipple you want to put in the rim on, basically). Bend the opposite end of the spoke into a hook shape, and you've a really handy tool for putting nipples in aero rims without losing the bloody things inside 5 times[1]

[1] I speak from bitter experience.

 

[gbb]

Most of my bike spanners are made from normal spanners, then using an angle grinder with a flap disc, sanded down thinner to fit pedals, wheel cones etc.
Most spanners can be picked up from carboots for 25 or 50p each and will be infinately stronger than most bike specific tools...if you get reputable brand spanners ( there are plenty out there). I think i have 13,14,15 and 16mm...covers most things.

 

[mickle]

Old spokes can be turned in to lots of useful tools;
A short length with a hook at each end is great for holding two ends of a chain together when inserting the rivet.
A short length formed into a U shape which we use to remove those two hole crank bolt caps.
My favourite, and the most useful is the 'jibber', a spoke with the nipple end bent round and hooked over itself to form a handle and the threaded end sharpened to a point. We use them to clear the ends of freshly cut cable housing.

 

[rikki]

After the past couple of days telling cyclists to go around using syringes may not be the best advice to give. On a more serious note how can you get free syringes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best source of syringes is the vet. Bigger sized needles are also more common at the vet's. Vets are practical people and aren't (usually) hung up about needles and syringes.

These are also useful for refilling inkjet printer cartridges with black Quink (the Parker pen product with the necessary ingredients to stop the nozzles blocking)

 

[ChrisKH]

Not a homemade tool but one that took my eye in a cheap shop for £2.99 was a very small halogen bulb on the end of a flexible end that you can bend to get in all sorts of small out of reach places. It has been an invaluable addition to my kit and is always being used to look into small dark places that would otherwise be difficult to see.

 

[bobg]

I like your "gibber" Mickle, much better than my old sharpened metal coathanger... I'm off down the Vets GGB for some bigger syringes. Those big plastic fabric conditioner bottles with the wide neck are ideal for shaking a chain in solvent, you can get the chain out easily too. A buffing mop on a drill/grinder etc + some cutting paste does a wonderful job on old aluminium bits, they come up like new.

 

[Mr Pig]

black Quink (the Parker pen product with the necessary ingredients to stop the nozzles blocking)

Does that work? What 'magic' ingredients?

I don't have any handmade bike tools. I have the ALDI bike tool kit, masses of non bike specific tools and buy Park Tools when needed or if I see them cheap.

Talking of daft names for tool though, years ago at work I started calling the hammer the 'micro-adjuster' and it stuck. Just about everyone calls it that now.

 

[bobg]

Talking of daft names for tool though, years ago at work I started calling the hammer the 'micro-adjuster' and it stuck. Just about everyone calls it that now.

Its a Dock Road spanner round here

 

[Brains]

"The patented Crompton Automatic Wheel Locking Device"

A 2" section of an old inner tube kept on the handel bars and slipped over the brake leavers to lock the brakes on when propping the bike up and you don't want it running away

also the Panteneted "Crompton Anti lock rattle device"
an 18" section of said old inner tube threaded around the U lock

The Bike lock holder - a 6" section of old seapost mounted between the dynamo bracket and the mudguard lug to hold the D lock