Honestly, I think there must be some type of competition over at Park Tool headquarters, because every year around Interbike, Park rolls out an incredible amount of new tools. Now, obviously the world of bicycles and bicycle wrenching is rapidly evolving and as such, new standards bring new tools.
However, when you look at a new tool like the BO-5 bottle opener shown above you could say that no one really needs a bottle opener with a built in cap catcher, but damn it, I want one! The idea is simple, mount the BO-5 on your wall and every time you open a beverage with the top of the bottle cage, the cap falls into the specially made water bottle and doesn’t end up rolling around on your workshop floor. Simple, yes. Clever and awesomely executed? Definitely.
Tired of plastic Hollowtech II tools? How about searching for pedals or Torx keys? Find a solution after the break!
When it comes to the BBT-10, I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for this tool. Specifically a metal version of either the Park or Shimano versions for installing or removing the preload bolt on a Hollowtech II crankset. If you work in a shop, or just swap cranks a lot eventually the splines on your plastic tool will strip out, especially if the factory or previous owner felt it necessary to He-man it on. The plastic splines weren’t the only problem with previous designs, as the small diameter disc was nearly impossible to grasp with they inevitably greasy hands of a bike mechanic. While Cyclus an possibly some other tool companies already have their version on the market, availability issues have made those all but impossible to get a hold of. The Park version should be more widely available and due to the wing nut design, should be easier to use. Granted, the new design will make it easier for people to over tighten their bottom brackets, but like your mom says, you should know better.
This one is self explanatory. As more and more companies go to Torx bolts rather than Allens, you will need Torx wrenches. Get the 3 most popular sizes (T10, T25, and T30) in an easy to use 3-Way.
The I-Beam 1and 2 mini tools gain two siblings in the smaller, lighter, and lower profile IB-11 and IB-12. The IB–1 features the same tools as the popular IB-1 I-Beam Mini Tool, but in a slimmer, lighter (28% lighter), more compact version, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm hex wrenches and a straight blade screwdriver. The IB-12 gets a 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm forged hex wrenches, T25 Torx compatible star-shaped driver, and a straight blade screwdriver
Park has always been pretty straight forward with their naming scheme, as BO-1 may lead you to believe it is a Bottle Opener One, which it is. Their new hammer may take the cake though, accidentally or on purpose I don’t know. I feel like it may be an inside joke, as I can hear it now as a seasoned shop wrench asks the newbie for the hammer-4, to which the noob asks “whats a hammer-4?” (rimshot) The actual hammer though is extremely nice, and is exactly what I’m looking for in a shop hammer: good weight, rubber grip, large hard plastic head, and a decent sized standard head.
I know, you’re thinking “pliers and side cutters? I can get those at any hardware store!” You’re right, I have a feeling that these will be shop use only, as many service managers may not have access to a store credit card to go to the local hardware store and buy new pliers, but they can drop a pair on a QBP order. This means that new guy I mentioned earlier might not have to live with that joke pair of side cutters that no longer cut anything, that is, once you give him the new pair.
Bladed spoke holders are actually fairly hard to get a hold of, and there are few truly good ones currently on the market. The Park BSH-4 looks to change that with an ergo shape, and slots for the 4 most common spoke widths. The slots are also tapered so you can still get a good grasp on those ‘tweeners.
Obviously the saw guides aren’t new, that is until you look closely at the blade slots. More and more pro mechanics have transitioned to the carbide grit composite saw blades for use on carbon components due to the reduced splintering effect of the blade. The only drawback is that the carbide blades are much wider than a traditional hacksaw blade and have trouble fitting into the saw guides. The new guides have wider slots for the carbon blades, and the oversized guide also retains the traditional hacksaw blade slot. Park will also now be offering their own carbide grit carbon blades.
No, this isn’t a joke. It’s actually a brilliant idea for bike shops that sell high end bikes that don’t come with pedals. The Dummy Pedal keeps you from having to run around the shop looking for matched pedals in the right thread, just so you can run the bike through the gears on assembly. Stick the DP-1 in to the pedal bore, turn crank, done.
Another shop only tool, but an extremely necessary one. Post mount rear disc brake tabs are becoming more and more accepted, and in my experience these have been the absolute worst when it comes to being square with the disc rotor. Unfortunately the old disc tab facer could not do post mount tabs, so enter the new DT-4. If you own a frame that has post mount rear disc brakes and you just can’t seem to adjust the brakes properly, don’t blame the shop, the tools on the way!
Finally, a couple of new whips. The SR-11 on the left is compatible with, you guessed it, 11 speed! The SR-11 will also fit everything from 5 speed to 11 speed cassettes, and freewheels. The SR-18 fits 1/8th single speed cogs and freewheels, and would be considered the BMX or Fixed gear whip.
