Tool porn

Looks very much like the Park one.

Var and Park had (have?) an agreement to ‘own label’ several tools within their own market strongholds.

Look like all the great tools designed by noble wheels are going to shift over manufacturing to abbey bike tools of Oregon.
I saw the story on Instagram Probably going to be a significant price rise especially factoring shipping and duty. But should stay to same exacting standard thankfully.
The wheel lacing jig is a great piece of kit and the bearing press/extractors were price of art.

Didn't know this. When googling both the VAR and Park models, I found that the VAR was heavier, but as @Kimmo says, they are really similar.

Need an impact wrench to impress your buddies in the LFGSS Golf Club Bar?

Interesting talk about K factors.
I haven’t tried the more standard Milwaukee torque wrench yet because they are very expensive and I already have Snap-On. Going to a trade show in March and hope to try one then.

Yep, I've learnt more from Torque Test Channel than any other yt feed.

Is your Snap-On a manual torque wrench?

Yes, just the regular kind you yank on.
I would never use any power tool on bicycle stuff.

Milwaukee has motorized ones in their M12 range. But they are huge.

Good for working on motorbikes or cars tho where stuff gets tight as fuck or is so rusty!

I’ve seen Abbey IIRC recommending that you use an impact driver/dak-dak to take SRAM cranks off rather than using a conventional wrench

Pedals as well I think

I have no problem removing pedals with an 8mm hex and an extension bar. I get the bar close to the crank and squeeze them together with both hands.

Choose grease, choose life.

Sram cranks are a bastard. Have had to use a scaffold pole for enough leverage in the past.

Dakking is likely to be kinder to the drive interface on fasteners, especially aluminium ones. I'm pretty sure I've noticed that the impacts usually allow the fastener to move with less torque...

You only need to remove SRAM once, put it in the bin and fit Shimano, so does it matter what damage is inflicted?

(secretly harbouring dark thoughts about fitting AXS to Stanton and needs punishing)

How about the fact that even though you might argue that GXP is technically inferior, I've never seen it matter, while even the nicest-looking HT2 crankset (7800 of course, with the blind clamp holes and ally preload fastener) looks a bit shit next to the sleekness of that one-bolt interface?

...Oh, and speaking of cranks, if you want the heel clearance of yesteryear, before routine crank scuffing was a thing, Shimano refused to join the BB/PF30 party.

Don't get me wrong; of course Shimano is still king. But SRAM definitely give em some what for. Bugger AXS with a broken stick, tho - not enough buttons and too many batteries.

Bugger AXS with a broken stick, tho - not enough buttons and too many batteries.

MTB flat bars suck. I can't get the shifter position to a place where my thumb isn't in pain after a ride so I'm looking to move to electronic and SRAM is a more logical choice when no MTBs come with Di2 routing. It seemed to die on most of the hitter's bikes in last years TD which doesn't bode well.

Shimano has tested their wireless technology with DA9200.
Wireless XTR must be close.

Problem is I'd need another mortgage to be able to afford XTR and I need to solve the problem now, not soon.

I long ago gave up on wireless XTR

You mean you gave up waiting for wireless XTR

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/where-is-12-speed-mtb-di2

I now have a borrowed SRAM AXS RD installed on my Stanton for testing out.

no MTBs come with Di2 routing

So get jiggy wiv it

Pretty sure the from china version will give you exactly the same tool.. but definitely going to sharpen up a hook end of one of them

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