Assembly Tools for Bike

[Rohloffboy]

Yep Andy88 when I built my bicycle back in 2004 I used a SKF Stainless ISIS Bottom Bracket, back then £50 but today's prices are well over £100! If you can find one even.

I have read of SKF BB's still being good after 17,000 miles, no wonder they came with a 10 year warranty.

Sadly the Swedish SKF firm no longer produce BB's which is a shame for such a well known bearing manufacturer, and there was no other ISIS BB as durable not even to this day.

I guess that the SKF ISIS BB's were just to well made, for today's market of products with built in obsolescence.

Pity I only bought the one at the time, as would have been nice to have a spare, although the one I have will probably see me out in any case.

 

[Andy88]

Yes, the world and products changing and not really so much for the better.

I'm very familiar with SKF from the days I worked in the motor factoring business.

 

[flecc]

How is it possible? Material? Way it's engineered? Or clever marketing ;-)

Mostly clever marketing preying on consumer's false notions and their often elitist snobbishness.
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[Andy88]

Mostly clever marketing preying on consumer's false notions and their often elitist snobbishness.
.

100 thumbs up for that, agree completely.

 

[Rohloffboy]

The problem with many premium bicycle components is that to gain a 10% increase in performance there is a 100% increase in price.

So common sense would dictate in buying the lesser product.

Of course that theory goes out of the window, if a lesser component fails, mid way through a long cycle tour.

 

[Andy88]

Well, I guess in terms of professional racing or trials then a 10% increase in performance may make the difference between winning or losing hence the high tag.

Frankly I'm quite amazed in a fascinating sort of way at all of the different brands, bike types and components, it's impossible to keep on top of it all.

I don't remember it being like this when I was 16 LOL

 

[Rohloffboy]

Yep Andy88, a good event to visit is the Cycle Show, that is held at the Birmingham NEC each September.

 

[flecc]

Frankly I'm quite amazed in a fascinating sort of way at all of the different brands, bike types and components, it's impossible to keep on top of it all.

When I entered the trade in 1950, we were lucky if there was a choice of 1 for any component in our war recovering country. Spokes were just long and had to be threaded further down and cut shorter for smaller wheels. Most spares/components were unbranded generics, but gears were Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub, bike lamps were Ever Ready as were the batteries to go in them, pumps were Bluemels. We did have brand choice for tyres though, such as Dunlop, Avon, John Bull, but most were not up to much and Dunlop bought the other two brands anyway.
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[Rohloffboy]

Yep Flecc, I did 5 years from 1980 working for Ever Ready, one of some 400 reps covering the UK, 8 of us alone just to cover the Manchester region.

No company car, just a Bedford FG Van that ran on Petrol 5mpg on a good day!

Bicycle shops were some of my best customers, the Ever Ready cycle lamps were first metal, then the all plastic ones came out, what a revolution that was.

Sometimes the batteries would last longer than the bulbs, no such thing as LED back then.

But it all went pear shaped, they changed the Brand name to BEREC, and let Duracell get a head start with Alkaline batteries.

The rest as they say is history, and Ever Ready is now just a zombie brand, such a loss for a company that started out in 1901.

 

[flecc]

Yep Flecc, I did 5 years from 1980 working for Ever Ready, one of some 400 reps covering the UK, 8 of us alone just to cover the Manchester region.

No company car, just a Bedford FG Van that ran on Petrol 5mpg on a good day!

Bicycle shops were some of my best customers, the Ever Ready cycle lamps were first metal, then the all plastic ones came out, what a revolution that was.

Sometimes the batteries would last longer than the bulbs, no such thing as LED back then.

But it all went pear shaped, they changed the Brand name to BEREC, and let Duracell get a head start with Alkaline batteries.

The rest as they say is history, and Ever Ready is now just a zombie brand, such a loss for a company that started out in 1901.

We had exactly the same van delivery service from Ever Ready in the 1950s, the only direct supplier of a component at the time, all other bike components came from factors like Brown Brothers, who now only supply car based stuff.

The bike makers like Raleigh delivered direct to shops though.
.

 

[Rohloffboy]

Yep Flecc, working for Ever Ready was a job that I really enjoyed, I first started as a mobile rep with them, and was posted to various locations around the UK, to cover for holiday and sickness, before getting my own territory.

But when Hanson Trust took over the firm in 1982, the writing was on the wall and that's why I got out in 1985.

I think all the 400 vans were taken of the road in 1987, and that was the end of that.

As you may well remember the Ever Ready van would arrive at your shop, at the same time each week, so much so that certain customers would even have a cuppa and a slice of cake ready for me when I arrived.

Those were the days.

 

[Tabs]

It's got hydraulic brakes, does this require special tool?

To be honest I don't know how they do it for the money it was under £100 but it's a Philippine made bike so I guess no importing cost.

It's got hydraulic brakes, does this require special tool?

To be honest I don't know how they do it for the money it was under £100 but it's a Philippine made bike so I guess no importing cost.

Will it not cost a few bob to ship that back to the UK with you? Or do you just put all your stuff in a container and its the same price regardless of whats in it?

 

[Andy88]

Will it not cost a few bob to ship that back to the UK with you? Or do you just put all your stuff in a container and its the same price regardless of whats in it?

I have a house here and will travel frequently so won't be shipping anything back to the UK. The girlfriend will use it im sure.