Park tools question

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal
tool, and just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it
felt like a "good" tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought
another brand, lets call it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I
got two uses out of it before the pin mushroomed over. If all park
tools are this good they have a customer for life.

Ken

My wife bought me a Park tool set for Christmas several years ago. It's my
opinion that Park builds the best general tools for bicycle use. There are a
few specific tools that (IMO) are better than Park, but that are
considerably more expensive. I am a practitioner of the 'buy the very best
tools you can afford' school, and 95% of mine are blue.

Park also supports their tools better than anyone else, has the 'Park Tools
School' to train riders how to wrench their own bikes, has a fantastic
website *and* book regarding bicycle maintenance and has wonderful customer
service. What's not to like about the blue tools?

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal

tool, and

Quoted message said:

just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a

"good"

Quoted message said:

tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand,

lets call

Quoted message said:

it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it

before

Quoted message said:

the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

Ken

--
For my real email address just remove "-dispose-trash"
More of my mind dribbles at my blog:

http://mind-dribble.blogspot.com/

Quoted message said:

My personal website: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/

Park does make good consoumer tools, I think their shop level stuff is
a little weak and I really don't care for their 'politics', don't think
it belongs in the market.

Pedros is making great tools now as well, better shop level stuff, and
I swap to Pedros each time the Park one wears out.

stock pins-available from nashbar, biketoolsect and loose screws.
the freewheel tool (or tools)are not made from japanese ufo steelso
tackling gaulled freewheel? try propanew torch heat to smoke the
freewheel off before relying on the strength of the freewheel tool.

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal
tool, and just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it
felt like a "good" tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought
another brand, lets call it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I
got two uses out of it before the pin mushroomed over. If all park
tools are this good they have a customer for life.

My Octalink-stylee crank extractor shed the "mushroom" on the end, but I
still have the one for tapered cranks, and a Several of small coins...

Natch I only found out about this trick /after/ buying the second one. Bah!

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
und keine Eie.

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal tool, and
just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a "good"
tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand, lets call
it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it before
the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

I've never been particularly happy with Park Tools. Perhaps my opinion
is tainted by my first experience with a Park crank puller I borrowed
from a friend many years ago. After years of working on race cars with
specialized tools, my first thought was, "This is a cheesy piece of
[censored]."

I must admit that I now own a (very) few Park tools, but pretty much
without exception all the "important" ones are other brands. My crank
puller is Shimano, as is my cassette lockring tool. My cup-and-cone BB
tools are Sugino. I have Kingsbridge cone wrenches (the best!), and a
VAR pedal wrench. Also an old faithful Cyclo Rivoli chain tool. Oh
yes, my metric allen wrenches are in a folding set made by Eklind, and
purchased at the local Ace Hardware.

For pretty much everything else I rely on the tools I acquired over
years of building race cars.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal tool, and
just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a "good"
tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand, lets call
it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it before
the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

Yes, all park tools are very good.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal tool, and
just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a "good"
tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand, lets call
it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it before
the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

I would go on a tool by tool basis. I've had two park wrenches break on me,
which is really inexcusable since I was using the tool for it was designed to
be used.
------------
Alex

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal tool, and
just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a "good"
tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand, lets call
it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it before
the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

Most of Park's tools are "that good" in my experience. The sole
(partial) exceptions I've found thus far are their inexpensive series
of cone wrenches; like all such, the narrow edges make them
uncomfortable to use. Even those have been durable, however.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Ken said:

I just bought my first and only park tool (fr-1) freewheel removal

tool, and

Quoted message said:

just feeling the tool in my hands and then using it, it felt like a

"good"

Quoted message said:

tool. Are all park tools as good as this? I bought another brand,

lets call

Quoted message said:

it the "triangle" brand chain breaker and I got two uses out of it

before

Quoted message said:

the pin mushroomed over. If all park tools are this good they have a
customer for life.

Ken

<<SNIP>>

I have a few Park tools, routine maintenance oriented stuff - - no
heavy lifting.

They have all held up very well; the gem is the Park pedal wrench. It
has a broad comfy grip, really hard metal. It gets funny looks at the
airport. It could pass for a medieval weapon. : )

I did not go for the Park truing stand(s). I don't build wheels and
the cheap Minoura model was enough for tweaking & repair.

rsquared

yeah park tools are ok and when yawl order 3 chains, two links blah
blah and $150 of stuff from nashbar and yawl need a tool,then parks is
there to save your butt!
butt tell me, does the pin on your shimano 20 buck chain tool wander
over the chain pins head left right upside down with each 1/8 turn on
the screw? divintity deleted pass the screwdriver!
man isn't that crank puller outasight?

Quoted message said:

what kind of yawl did ya'll get?

making the smart move to split the basic tool order between american
and the trade deficit i choose a CT-5 Mini Chain Brute Chain Tool
which drives me expletive deleted as the pin head wanders [censored] nilly
all over the expletive deleted pin.
do or duz owl chain tool's pins between $15-$30 wander [censored] nilly
or do i buy one from walmart for $3 and solve the wandering pin problem?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

what kind of yawl did ya'll get?

making the smart move to split the basic tool order between american
and the trade deficit i choose a CT-5 Mini Chain Brute Chain Tool
which drives me expletive deleted as the pin head wanders [censored] nilly
all over the expletive deleted pin.
do or duz owl chain tool's pins between $15-$30 wander [censored] nilly
or do i buy one from walmart for $3 and solve the wandering pin problem?

That little CT-5 is pretty clearly designed for emergency use only
(despite what Park says). I have one and treat it as such. It's
been used a few times and works fine. I also have the shop grade
CT-3 and have used it many, many times and am still using the original
pin. Now, about the only thing I use it for is to size new chains.
SRAM Powerlinks are the way to go. No doubt about it. I was
taught to be REALLY careful using chain tools. Get the pin centered
on the pin and push it just a tiny bit. Check your alignment. If
good, go a tiny bit more. Go very slowly. If things don't look
perfect, back off and re-align. The same professional that taught
me also stated that if you put the chain in the tool and just start
cranking you will ruin the pin and possibly the tool in short order.
My experience with both Park chain tools has been problem free, but,
then again, I am extremely careful. The forces involved in removing
a pin are very strong and any misalignment will cause problems. If
your pin is wandering, it's almost certainly bent. Don't waste your
time - replace the pin.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

what kind of yawl did ya'll get?

making the smart move to split the basic tool order between american
and the trade deficit i choose a CT-5 Mini Chain Brute Chain Tool
which drives me expletive deleted as the pin head wanders [censored] nilly
all over the expletive deleted pin.
do or duz owl chain tool's pins between $15-$30 wander [censored] nilly
or do i buy one from walmart for $3 and solve the wandering pin problem?

The $3 walmart one works better than any other I've had for under $12. I really
should get a _good_ one, but it seems to be the best of the cheap ones.

Ron

According to Qui si parla Campagnolo <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Park does make good consoumer tools, I think their shop level stuff is
a little weak and I really don't care for their 'politics', don't think
it belongs in the market.

Could you elaborate on Park's politics? I'm in the dark.

----
Lars Lehtonen

i got replacement pins-sheeet i gotta cabinet 4x18"x3-and a new pin
sure as^%%&^% works better than a bent pin and your advice is right
on!! i think of a part of Park's anatomy here
Butt!! the pin shaft and the chain tools body have excessive
looseness-the cause of the [censored] nilly pin wandering- that is frankly
greater than what i would turn out using two rocks and a piece of wood.

Quoted message said:

According to Qui si parla Campagnolo <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Park does make good consoumer tools, I think their shop level stuff is
a little weak and I really don't care for their 'politics', don't think
it belongs in the market.

Could you elaborate on Park's politics? I'm in the dark.

----
Lars Lehtonen

Picture a Christian version of the Taliban. Gays should be either
"fixed" or shunned, man is the head of the household, no abortion, no
stem cell research, no sex except for procreation, denial of evolution,
etc.

--
Ted Bennett

"Ted Bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

According to Qui si parla Campagnolo <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Park does make good consoumer tools, I think their shop level stuff is
a little weak and I really don't care for their 'politics', don't think
it belongs in the market.

Could you elaborate on Park's politics? I'm in the dark.

----
Lars Lehtonen

Picture a Christian version of the Taliban. Gays should be either
"fixed" or shunned, man is the head of the household, no abortion, no
stem cell research, no sex except for procreation, denial of evolution,
etc.

--
Ted Bennett

And this has what to do with the quality of the tools they produce?

Ken

Ken wrote:
<<SNIP>>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Could you elaborate on Park's politics? I'm in the dark.

----
Lars Lehtonen

Picture a Christian version of the Taliban. Gays should be either
"fixed" or shunned, man is the head of the household, no abortion, no
stem cell research, no sex except for procreation, denial of evolution,
etc.

--
Ted Bennett

And this has what to do with the quality of the tools they produce?

Ken

Ken,

Every day, people make what an economist would call "irrational"
purchasing decisions.

For instance, I know of a few Christians (and others) who choose not to
purchase goods from China. This is because they have evaluated enough
evidence to convince them that China is utilizing slave labor.

Not every aspect of a purchasing decision is based upon perceived
quality, utility, and price.

I think Ted (and others) was just supplementing the information for the
broader aspects of your decision, in the same way someone else might
ask you, "Ken, are you aware of the misery that is upstream from that
$5 Chinese golf shirt you are about to buy?"

You can make an *informed* purchase decision without it being a
*rational* one.

As far as Park tools are concerned, I have used a few of their
products. Every model I have used was of sufficient quality, utility,
and value to satisfy my needs.

rsquared

Ted Bennett said:

Quoted message said:

Could you elaborate on Park's politics? I'm in the dark.

----
Lars Lehtonen

Picture a Christian version of the Taliban. Gays should be either
"fixed" or shunned, man is the head of the household, no abortion, no
stem cell research, no sex except for procreation, denial of evolution,
etc.

I see the little "Rest of the Story" blurb on the bottom of their
"About Us" page, but that doesn't seem like anything extreme, just a
mention of their Christian beliefs.

Where'd you read about those extremist views? I couldn't google
anything about it...