"MacGyverisms"

"Hey bud, Gimme a hand?"


As anybody who has worked on bikes knows, there are a few places where an extra hand above and beyond those you were born with could really be usefull. Well, there are special tools you can buy to do these jobs, but why spend more when there are cheaper, even free options available?


These tools are known by the descriptive name of "third hands", and their job is simple: hold something in place while you adjust or install something that needs your other two hands. The places these tools are most usefull are rim brakes, derailleurs and chains. Here are a few inexpensive and simple solutions for these simple problems.

Brakes

When installing and adjusting brake cables, it is necessary to hold the brakes closed, that is, the brake pads against the rims. This can be done with a small strap, like a toe strap. You're local bike shop should have a few of these lying around. On side pull, dual-pivot, centerpull and cantilever road brakes, thread the strap between two spokes and wrap it around the brake pads, the rim and, if it is on the wheel, the tire. On ATB linear pull or "V" brakes, it might be easier to wrap the strap around the two upright arms of the brakes above the wheel.

Now, holding the pads against the rim with one hand, hold the strap from turning with your thumb and tighten it with the other hand, tight. This should hold the pads firmly against the rim while you pull the cable taut and tighten the bolt. It's a good idea when tightening cables to screw the cable adjusting barrel in all the way, and then loosen it two or three turns first to alow a little leeway for fine tuning.

While we're at the brakes, when you are adjusting the position of the pads themselves, you can also automatically add a toe-in to the brake pads to prevent squeal by inserting a coin or washer between the back end of each pad and the rim before you clamp it closed. This will hold the pads in the toed in position while you tighten them down.

When trying to hook the lead end of the brake cable into it's holder in the brake lever, the strap can also be used to hold the lever in the "squeezed" position by wrapping it around the end of the lever and the handlebar and tightening it as necessary.


Derailleurs

While taking the slack out of the derailleur cables, you don't heed anything at all to hold them, just tighten the limit screws a few turns! Use the low gear screw for the front mechanism, and the high gear screw for the rear. Just remember how many turns you used so you can unscrew them the same amount when you're done.

As with brake cables, screw in the cable adjusting barrels and back off a couple of turns for finer adjustments.

Chains

When connecting chains, or dissassembling/assembling special connector links, its always nice to have something holding the ends together so you can work with the tool or link! This can be done with a piece cut from an old spoke or wire coat hanger. Bend the spoke or hanger into a tight "V" shape, with small hooks on each end.

Now, take this "tool" and hook each end into the chain a couple of links from each of the two ends of the chain. This will hold the ends of the chain more or less together, leaving your hands free to work.

"Thanks, I needed that! Got any more?"-->

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