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Interbike 2004
Las Vegas, USA, October 4-8, 2004
Tooled up in Vegas
The two biggest players in bike tools, Park Tool and Pedro's had plenty of
new toys for those of us who love do our own wrenching or work in the backroom
and basement arm of the bike industry keeping other people's rides running sweetly.
Park Tool's new PRS-20 workstand
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Probably the most interesting introduction from Park was the PRS-20 workstand.
Every Park workstand since, well, forever, has used a variant on Park's clamp
that grabs a handy part of the bike such as the seat tube or seat post. The
PRS-20 breaks the mould with a design based on the stands popular with European
pro team mechanics. It holds the bike by the bottom bracket and the front or
rear dropouts and includes a 'sleeping hub' so that the wheel can be removed
and the chain cleaned.
On the subject of portable stands for pro mechanics, Park has created a host
of accessories for its PRS-15 folding workstand. If you wrench at races and
use a PRS-15 your life is now not complete without a BTK-1 Bucket and Tool Kilt;
a TS-15 Truing Stand Attachment; a PTH-1 Paper Towel Holder and a BAG-15 Travel
and Storage Bag.
Good news for those of us who repeatedly lose Allen keys (where do they go?)
is that Park's P-handled ball-end Allen keys are now available individually,
so you don't have to buy a complete set next time your 6mm goes AWOL. Park also
introduced 11mm and 12mm sizes, as needed for the innards of some hubs.
At Cyclingnews we've been serializing Park's guides for
repairing your bike for the last couple of years, and the wisdom and information
contained therein is now in Park's Big Blue Book of Bike Repair, written by
Calvin Jones, education director at Park Tool.
Pedro's new crank arm puller
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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Other new stuff from Park that caught our eye included the company's foray
into chain lubes, a new consumer-level truing stand and a special plier for
chains with master links such as Wipperman and SRAM. These links are intended
to be opened without tools, but often get a bit clogged with crud and sticky.
The MLP-1 solves the problem.
From the Big Blue of tools to Old Yella, and Pedro's had a few new bits and
pieces for 2005, including a portable wheel truing jig that can be clamped to
any handy flat surface.
In a nice bit of 'doing more with less' Pedro's also has a new crank puller
with a built-in 8mm Allen key for removing crank bolts and inserts to cope with
both square taper and splined axles - one tool to pull them all.
Getting the placement of the star-fangled nut in a threadless headset just
right is always a headache so Pedro's has a tool for it, a star-nut setter that
includes a guide so that the star nut goes in clean and square.
Photos
Park Tool's new PRS-20 workstand
Photo ©: Park Tool
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New accessories for the PRS-15
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Park's bucket and tool kit
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Park P-handled Allen keys
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Do it yourself
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Park Chain Lube
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Park Master Link Plier
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Park's TS-8
Photo ©: Park Tool
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Pedro’s showed off
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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Pedro's new star nut setter
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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Pedro's new crank arm puller
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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Pedro's grips
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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The Domestique Pump
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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This nifty portable truing stand
Photo ©: Jon Devich
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