fourth hand tool

bikeit65

I am looking to buy one, but as usual the Park tool one seems to be the best one on the market, but as i am so stingy what other makes are good to buy?

sungod

i've got the lifeline one...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-third- ... le-puller/

...works ok

tbh the reviews on wiggle for the park one don't make it sound any better, given the massive price difference i think i made the right choice

silverpigeon

I have the Pedros one after comparing both in my LBS.

Having said that, it is the only tool I have, that I never use and I'm always building bikes up.

bikeit65

Do the Lifeline and Pedros tools have a similar ratchet system to the Park tool?

silverpigeon

Identical IIRC, like I say though you'd be be better off spending the money on something more useful.

carl_p

silverpigeon wrote:

Identical IIRC, like I say though you'd be be better off spending the money on something more useful.

I tend to agree.

I've got one and can't make up my mind whether it's useful or not.

I find you have to leave cables a bit longer than you might like just to get the cable stretcher to work.

Berk Bonebonce

I think people have to buy and then try using one before realizing that third hand tools are pointless bits of kit.

giant_man

The Park one is a good tool, had one for a while. Nice.

And bloody handy, unlike the above poster's opinion.

sungod

i use it infrequently, fitting new cables or doing an overhaul

prefer it to pliers as there's less chance of mangling the cable, the ratchet makes it very easy to pull the cable to the right position then hold it there while doing up the retaining bolts

antfly

I have the lifeline one, it's only useful because my rear mech adjustment bolt hole thread is buggered, otherwise I would never use it. It's a simple tool so no need to splash out.

dennisn

If it's for your home shop I think you'll find that there isn't a need to buy a shop quality tool
at a high price. I've got a cheapie that works just fine plus I hardly use it anyway. I think, at least in my opinion, that it's a tool that was invented to solve a problem that doesn't really exist. Something along the lines of a 3rd. hand brake tool, which I have and never use. They sucked me in.

FransJacques

do you really need one? just squeeze the brakes with your fingers and use the 5 mm with your other hand.

even in shops I didn't use the tool much. you normally have to do brakes twice anyway - do them right to the rim the first time - then really yard on the lever to stretch the cable and bed in the cable end ferrules, then repeat the process. housing is so much better quanilty/stiffer than it was on bikes 15 years ago.

rhext

I got the Lifeline one. It works and it only cost £10. If it broke I'd buy another one, but it's not the kind of tool that gets any abuse in normal use, and it doesn't get used very often, so I fully expect it to last me the rest of my life.

And as for whether you need one or not: suffice to say that doing the brakes was a job I used to hate with a passion and avoid at all costs. I'm not particulary mechanically adept, so every time I needed to replace pads or cables, I was generally in for at least 15-20 minutes of cursing, swearing and barked knuckles, culminating in brakes which always required that I use at least half of the play on the adjuster barrels to get exactly right - meaning that I only had half as long before I had to repeat the whole sorry process. The first time I used this tool, it took all of about 30 seconds to get them absolutely spot-on, which justified the £10 spent on it in the first place all on its own as far as I'm concerned. I was so pleased I did the other brake too, despite the fact it didn't really need any attention, just for the pleasure of getting something exactly right without having to expend any blood to get there. Oh, and it also made replacing the cable my rear mech a doddle, despite the fact that the barrel adjust on that has long since siezed up: the fact that you can get it spot on first time means you don't need to play with the adjusters at all.

derosa

+1 for Lifeline.
Don't use it often, but a real godsend when needed.

Smokin Joe

I've had one for years and it must be well over a decade since I bothered to use it.

Wheelspinner

It's a tool. The Rule Book says clearly that "a man can never have too many tools."

So, buy one. Use it once or twice, marvel at the ingenuity of the mechanism, then chuck it in the drawer like the rest of us do, and forget it's there. You can be safe in the knowledge that your grandchildren will find it one day and give you a chance to reminisce about the good ol' days when Real Men Had Sheds Full Of Tools.

Berk Bonebonce

Wheelspinner wrote:

It's a tool. The Rule Book says clearly that "a man can never have too many tools."

So, buy one. Use it once or twice, marvel at the ingenuity of the mechanism, then chuck it in the drawer like the rest of us do, and forget it's there. You can be safe in the knowledge that your grandchildren will find it one day and give you a chance to reminisce about the good ol' days when Real Men Had Sheds Full Of Tools.

Spot-on.

Just been up in the loft and found my Park Tool version lurking. Had to feel a bit sorry for it. Keeping it company was one of those little chain clips that give you an inch or so of slack chain to work with.

rhext

Smokin Joe wrote:

I've had one for years and it must be well over a decade since I bothered to use it.

That's nothing. I had a crank-puller in my tool-box for well over 20 years (resorting to my trusty hammer when I needed to get the cranks off - they were never quite the same after that). Then I found out what it was and how to use it :oops:

I've always felt that a hammer was something of a 'universal tool' in that if you can't do a job with a hammer, it's probably not worth doing. But I'm starting to suspect that some of the other things might have their uses after all!

rhext

Incidentally, thinking about it I reckon you could use a hammer instead of a third-hand tool! Might have a go at that next time my brakes need adjusting!

dennisn

I forgot to add that they are pretty good at pulling wire / cable ties fairly tight. Not their intended use, but........