Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Prototype Bike Tool
Playing around this week a little. This isn't done yet, just a quick mock up to see what it might look like. Still needs to be surface ground to smooth the flats. It's about 4 inches long, CPM 3V, with a 15mm wrench for standard bicycle axle nut and room for one bit. I'm thinking 5mm for the insert bit but I may try another slightly different design and see if I can fit two bits in there.
Oh I gotta be the first to comment,
ReplyDeleteSweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
Since most of the fasteners on bikes (mid-higher end anyway) are metric allen, it might be neat to see what you can do that incorporates one or more allen heads.
ReplyDelete- Chris
Very nice. Not sure there's room, but a double-ended (2") Allen bit would be mighty handy on a bike tool such as this.
ReplyDeleteChris, the insert bit would be either 5mm or 4mm allen and if I can get two bits to work then you could have both. That would fit most of the critical screws I think.
ReplyDeleteSo these would be for removing tires from the rim -- I'd guess you'd need two of them, right?
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing. Wow. Exactly what I've been scouring the bike shops looking for. And now begins the constant refresh of atwoodtools.com so I don't miss out!
ReplyDeleteWhoa giant Biketon hehe I'm a bike newb so as Todd asked is this for the tires? if not then what?
ReplyDeleteMaybe a nice Atwood Bike Tool would make me wanna go out and get a bike ^_^
Thanks! :) It will be a while yet and I may make some changes like I said. Just trying to give a sneak peak of possible things to come...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking more like for prying pieces apart after you crash and burn. To be honest I do not know how well something like this would actually work for changing tires. Maybe it needs an XL bend.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I made this because a number of people have asked for some sort of bike tool. I still think it needs a bottle opener as well but haven't figured out how to incorporate it in a way that I'm happy with.
As a cyclist who has been dying to pick up a BOBlade.. this would be even nicer. .. Thanks for trying this!
ReplyDeleteMy bike has no straight screws in it, but does have small phillips screws for adjusting the derailleurs, so a phillips would be useful. I also vote for the "tire iron" function.
ReplyDelete-CXC
(sorry if this is a duplicate, it was unclear if my first attempt succeeded)
Maybe you can make special 2 sided bits to fit inside, so you dont need to have 2 bits. Then you can just make the insert hole a little longer. It would be a pain to have special bits made though.
ReplyDeleteAs a bicycle commuter I must say I love the looks of this tool. Like others before me, I believe an allen wrench bit would be more useful. If not a metric allen, then I would recommend a philips head.
ReplyDeleteTire levers are used for removing the tire from the metal hub. They are useful for flats. I wouldn't recommend using a screwdriver to do so as it could damage your tire, with that said, I've done it once or twice.
Nice looking tool!
awesome! i was hoping you'd do this! i bike commute to work every morning and would love to add this to my arsenal.
ReplyDeleteSweet Peter - can't wait to see how it develops!
ReplyDeleteI used a Keychain XL Prybaby (among other tools) last weekend to remove a motorbike tire. For this to work well as a bike tire lever, you don't need the XL bend as much as a small curve on the tip (about 3-4mm bent at an angle of 30-45 degrees), so it can grab the lip of the tire and pull it over the rim of the wheel.
ReplyDeleteStandard tire levers for bikes usually come in pairs, and have a hook on the non-curved end, so you can start prying with one and then hook it to a spoke of the wheel, leaving your hands free to pry around it with the other.
This thing is MONSTER! Good job, Peter.
ReplyDeleteI'll take it! Please put me on the list :) Kidding ...
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try to get a bottle opener on there for the after ride brews. Great work, keep it up.
Curtis
Peter, this is great!
ReplyDeleteI find myself using a 4mm Allen most often- Seat post bolts, faceplate bolts, stem bolts etc. I think a derailleur adjustment screw would probably be a #1 or #0 Phillips. It would be cool to have both but if not, I'd stick with the 4mm.
I think I might make the wall at the thin side of the 15mm just a bit thicker- Now that I really think about how the force is applied in a box end wrench, that might not be neccesary.
I didn't see it mentioned in any of the other comments but a spoke wrench might be easy to incorporate.
Of course, a bottle opener is nearly essential!
Personally, I would only use a tool like this as a tire lever as a last resort- Plastic levers are easy on inner tubes and are small, light and cheap.
For us cyclists, this is the coolest tool yet! I can't wait to see the finished product!
I've been trying to think for some time about what I would like to see in a bicycle tool. Trouble is there are too many different fasteners. Most cyclists I know carry a multi-tool already. However, a single tool with a pedal wrench (15 mm *open end*) and a 6mm allen for handlebar stem bolts would serve a useful purpose for those who pack bikes on planes or trains and need to reassemble them.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Maybe you could make a second tire removal component out of Kydex that could also serve as a sheath.
ReplyDeletemost things on a bike that need field work with a screwdriver have heads cut to take philips or flat. no need for philips. 4 and 5 hex, as others have stated, handles brakes, stem, bars, seat, seatpost, deraileurs.
ReplyDeleteI am a long distance biker (Randoneer)and I would like this as a supplement to my current multitool. I ride singlespeed and need the 15mm wrench. as a second tool, simple is important, but I would like a spoke wrench cut into the tool. How can I find out if/when I can purchase one?
ReplyDeleteI too originally thought a spoke wrench would be easy to add and useful to have. Then I recalled that my 3 bikes require 3 different-sized spoke wrenches, so one size doesn't fit all, unless maybe with a Crawdaddy-style multi-wrench. Or adjustable.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Crawdaddies, while changing a flat this morning I managed to take off and put on the wheel with the Crawdaddy, what a handy little guy. Of course I don't happen to tighten my bolts to the nth degree. I'm baffled, though, by the decision to make all 3 screw blades on the Crawdaddy exactly the same width, and all flat.
My voluminous experience with tire irons is that with normal tires on normal rims, a single iron is all I use, though they are generally sold in 2's and 3's...
Back on bike tool, does it really need a bottle opener? I can't think of a single bottle I've handled in years that didn't have a screwtop, even if it looks like a pop top.
Inspired by another commenter, I looked closer at my road bike and determined that he is right, the screws are double-flat-slotted, so no Phillips is called for. My bad.