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Park Tool Releases Three new Must-Have tools for your Shop!

Written by Ron Frazelle
Park Tool BBT-49.3-2Photo c. Park Tool
20 Comments
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Park Tool just announced a few new tools for your workspace. The End Cap Crimping Pliers, a New Bottom Bracket Tool, and Thru Axle Adaptors.

Check out the details below.

The EP-1 End Cap Crimping Pliers

This is a purpose-built cable end cap crimping tool that looks like it would work well on all cable end caps, be it brake, derailleur, or dropper post levers, or whatever other end cap crimping you want to do. There are two crimping positions on the short jaws helping to make it easy to crimp in tight, hard-to-reach spaces. Park Tool says that it is built from forged machined steel. Finishing it off is the classic signature “Park Tool blue”-colored vinyl-dipped handles.

Retail: $29.95

BBT-49.3 Bottom Bracket tool

This bottom bracket tool is CNC-machined out of aluminum and is used for 16-notch bottom brackets like Shimano XTR BB93, Dura Ace BB9000, and Token bottom brackets. The tool is made in-house by Park Tool. It also has a 3/8″ ratchet/torque wrench-compatible drive.

The BBT-49.3 tool also has integrated threads for full compatibility with the Park Tool BBT-RS Bottom Bracket Tool Retaining System which is sold separately. This tool will work with chainring lockrings on Shimano STEPS square spindle ebike systems including E6000, E6002, and E6050.

The BBT-49.3 replaces the Shimano TL-FC38 tool.

Retail: $26.95

TS-2TA.3 Thru Axle Adapters

Park Tool TS-2TA.3

Quite simply, the TS-2TA.3 Thru Axle Adapters will work in the Park Tool Professional Truing Stands, TS-2.2 and TS-2. to quickly and easily make them fully compatible with thru axle hubs.

Retail: $20.95

See all of the bicycle-specific tools that are offered by Park tool by hitting the link below.

ParkTool.com

Ron Frazelle
Ron Frazelle
637 articles

Ron Frazelle is the Cycling Lifestyle Editor for Bikerumor, he has been writing about bicycles and the cycling way of life for 7+ years. Prior to Bikerumor, he worked in the bicycle industry, living and breathing bicycles since 1995. He is based in Anaheim, California, Frazelle is an avid cyclist of all disciplines, camper, father to 6 children, husband, musician and self-proclaimed retro-grouch.

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Hexsense
Hexsense
2 years ago

I much prefer Feedback Sports Pro truing stand design over Parktool style for home use. It pack smaller. And the included kit, not only can be used for truing wheel (regardless if it’s QR or TA), but it’s also useful for truing disc rotor and even for changing tire, sealant, rim tape etc. All that just out of the box, without requiring to purchase all the optional add on that Parktool stand needs (disc truing gauge, adapter etc.)

4
Reply
Will Ferrule
Will Ferrule
2 years ago
Reply to  Hexsense

Yeah, but after the upcoming nuclear war, the only things left will be rats, cockroaches and TS-2 truing stands.

9
Reply
LemondRider
LemondRider
2 years ago
Reply to  Will Ferrule

True that!

0
Reply
veloaficionado
veloaficionado
2 years ago
Reply to  Hexsense

The single arm one? You mustn’t true that many wheels then. It’s only good for putting in your Feedback Sports bag along with your stand, and even then I think I’d prefer to true a wheel in the frame with a zip tie as an indicator, given you can get the same accuracy thereby. Worst $100 I ever spent. The TS 2 that lives in the workshop OTOH, has built 00s of wheels with nary a quibble.

0
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joby
joby
2 years ago

you know what also works pretty well with thru-axles on a truing stand?

the through axle. and it’s free.

14
Reply
Greg
Greg
2 years ago
Reply to  joby

Or a large Allen wrench, or a wooden dowel. One could use almost anything.

5
Reply
KM2022
KM2022
2 years ago
Reply to  joby

The thru axle is not free, you paid for it at some point. And p.s. not all wheels/hubs come with thru axles.

-1
Reply
veloaficionado
veloaficionado
2 years ago
Reply to  KM2022

Look up ‘useless contrarianism’ in the dictionary.

2
Reply
josh 2
josh 2
2 years ago

Finally!
I couldn’t figure out how to crimp my cable ends, thanks Park Tool!!

9
Reply
Czechmate
Czechmate
2 years ago
Reply to  josh 2

Careful there, some people may interpret your comment as being sarcastic!

4
Reply
john hansen
john hansen
2 years ago
Reply to  josh 2

I use bull nose dykes, I put them on a grinder to make them dull, works great,

0
Reply
LemondRider
LemondRider
2 years ago
Reply to  josh 2

I prefer to put a XX with sharp dykes.

1
Reply
Ribald
Ribald
2 years ago

I’m a bike mechanic by profession since nearly twenty years. My personal experience with nearly all Parktool tools is most of the time there’s an other tool that makes a better job but nearly never a tool that is more expensive. I guess their business model is giving a fussy warm feeling to people that lack the experience to decide them selfs what tool they actually need

2
Reply
KM2022
KM2022
2 years ago
Reply to  Ribald

I’ve longer professional experience than you. And I can tell you that their business model is something else, and that while sometimes they do indeed drop the ball with their products, many of their tools work better than many others, last longer, and have spare parts easily available. Maybe you’ll figure out this when you get to 20+ years, although I learned this around a decade ago.

3
Reply
Dann
Dann
2 years ago
Reply to  KM2022

When I managed a shop, we went through Lezyne, Pedros, and Blackburn floor pumps, before eventually only stocking Park ones, because you could get space parts for them super easily. They all inflated a tire just fine.

As far as crimping pliers go, a Knipex pliers wrench does that just fine and – wait – your shop does have at least one of those, right? Hopefully more than one?

1
Reply
whatever
whatever
2 years ago
Reply to  Dann

My Park Tool floor pump was more expensive than the competition at the time, was a P.O.S., and when it failed after a couple years, learned it was built to to be repairable by the end user. In short Park Tools are all over the place, and experiences vary. I have some Park Tools, but mostly not because I have not had the best experience with them as a whole. Often cheaply made, for a a price premium.

0
Reply
veloaficionado
veloaficionado
2 years ago
Reply to  whatever

What’s that saying about bad workmen blaming their tools? All track pumps are made in Taiwan: they just put different labels on them. Caveat emptor. I have a 50 year old grandpa’s axe Silca (not the modern massively overpriced badge-engineered ones sold nowadays) which whilst good for about the first 40 years of its life, is really shown up by even mid-range ones from Giyo nowadays.

0
Reply
veloaficionado
veloaficionado
2 years ago
Reply to  Dann

The Knipex cable cutters have the best crimping jaws in the industry, & yes, I think I’ve tried them all. The Park Tool needle nose plier one is an honourable mention.

1
Reply
veloaficionado
veloaficionado
2 years ago
Reply to  Ribald

Well, I’m one of 30 years, and can say that there’s tools they make better than anyone else, tools they make that are good value (their cone spanners, e.g.) , and tools you can buy from Wera, Wiha, Knipex, Pedros, Unior, Cyclus, VAR etc. that are better than theirs. No-one has made a repair stand more solid than the PRS 4.2 M (go look it up if you have to). No-one’s forcing you to buy them, and shitcanning the industry leader is just plain immature. I sense that you’re grinding an axe, & that you tinker in the shed on your teenage mates bikes.

0
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sean
sean
2 years ago

Quality tools but are a bit excessive, specific pliers for crimping is a classic example, buy bike cable cutters (essential) with the built in 3 point crimping tool – https://jagwire.com/products/tools/pro-cable-crimper-and-cutter. That said, I do like their freewheel/rotor locknut tool with the handle and 5mm guide pin built in!

1
Reply

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