Alligator has always impressed with the tools they bring to Eurobike. Things like the electronic cable cutter. They’re usually something that pushes the boundaries of how good a tool can be, and it’s usually for a category that seems so stagnant that it’s even more impressive that they can virtually reinvent it.
Starting with the small stuff, their new hydraulic hose cutter is simply brilliant. Using a one-handed design that gives you a perfectly straight cut with maximum force. But that’s not all it does, and that’s not all they had to show off…
At the bottom, a poker cleanly opens the end of it to make it easier to thread in the barb.
There’ve been some interesting wheel truing improvements over the years, but this stands out. A lot. Called Easy Truing, it’s a digital measuring device that captures the wheel’s trueness and displays it on your choice of screens.
As the wheel rolls along the rim, it graphs how flat it is with a real time line set between two flat parameter lines. You can set the limits where you want them.
It’s Bluetooth enabled, so it’ll also send that data to it’s own app on your phone…
…or your computer. As you spin the wheel, the green + follows along so you can see exactly where the wheel needs to be trued.
Turn the spoke nipple and the graph changes in real time to show the progress. Spin the wheel through and the line will smooth in real time to show the overall change.
The baseline true remains as a thinner green line and the “live” true stays as the thicker blue line. Once done, you can save the graph to show the customer the before/after comparison, proving what you’ve done and providing a level of detail never before available. It also ensures things stay true as you balance the tension on the spokes and work out any vertical wobbles.
The whole thing uses simple magnets to attach to your workstand. Other attachment methods will likely be available, too. It’s a prototype for now, but should be available soon enough.
Remember that sweet cable cutter/fuser we showed you last year? It’s still in the line up as well with a few tweaks to make it more versatile. Now with settings for 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, and 1.6mm cables, the machine simultaneously cuts and fuses the end of the cable together to eliminate cable crimps and frayed cable ends. The automated cleaning station cleans the cutting jaws to keep them fresh, and the whole unit plugs into a normal outlet. The only downside is the cutter isn’t compatible with coated cables of any kind since it relies on conduction to melt the cable.
Price will vary depending on the distributor, but we’re told $800-1000 would probably be in the ball park. So it’s not cheap, but look at that cable! Trying to force a used cable through housing would never be the same…
