Comments on: Make Leverage Your Friend!

By: Cheap Bathroom Taps

Cheap Bathroom Taps — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:19:16 +0000

Excellent ideas here, have emailed my mum so expect a big reply!!

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:05:09 +0000

Yeah, good and useful post. My wrenching life improved when I learned to position my hands so as to avoid injury when the fastener finally gave way.

By: kerbouchaud

kerbouchaud — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:31:45 +0000

I can’t say that I have ever used or seen beater bars and pipes on a bike, but the post was about leverage, and those are the best leverage that I have ever seen in the manual wrench turning area.
Personally I have a Ryobi 18v impact wrench with a socket attachment that I use almost exclusively on my bike. It turns fast, can break stuff loose really easily and torque it back down nicely too. It’s also nice becuase they were orginally designed for installing sheet metal screws so unless you just sit there and hammer on it you don’t have to worry about overtightening things either.
Failing the use of the impact wrench, I have yet to come across any part on a bike that good ole’ thunder and lightnin’ can’t fix.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Yeah, when you’re skinny it helps Seriously though - other than standing on the adjustable wrench to remove a Freewheel (I’m without the luxury of a vise) I can’t think of an easier way to remove one.

By: Art

Art — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:35:57 +0000

…you guys really use pipes and cheater bars working on bicycles?

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:08:48 +0000

As a righty I usually stand behind the wheel (even a 29er) and start a bit lower and “push” towards the bike with a long handled ratchet on the drive side. Been using pipes, etc. for leverage for as long as I can remember. Makes life so much easier as mentioned above. Also, there’s a less pronounced “break” when the nut/screw/bolt in question loosens. Less skin is lost that way.

By: Art

Art — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:05:38 +0000

Shaking in the forest, what have you to fear
Here there may be tigers to punch you in the ear
Gloves of stainless steel, bats carved out of brick
Will knock you down and push you up and give your ass a kick
When push comes to shove
You’re afraid of love

JG GD

When Push Comes To Shove

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:06:13 +0000

Pete: Well, push vs. pull in the “bad leverage” scenario wouldn’t make any difference with the exception that pulling the wrench would put your body in a weird position, making matters worse. (Right handers would probably put their back towrds the handle bars to “pull” the wrench in that example)

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:30:02 +0000

Hi Ted. I’m missing something here but maybe that’s because I don’t appreciate leverage (the very thing you are pointing out to us!). In the bad example, the wrench is being pushed vs. the good example, where you are doing a pull? Maybe push/pull doesn’t matter but I think intuitively, a lot of us would put the wrench even with the chainstay (a little bit higher than the bad example) and push down.

Does push/pull matter?

Thanks for the good tip.

By: kerbouchaud

kerbouchaud — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:30:09 +0000

Right you are Ted…. Also not a bad idea to keep a long handled “breaker bar” for socket applications and a piece of 1-1/2″ pipe for crescent wrench apps.
It’s amazing how much your force is multiplied when you’ve go a 12″ to 18″ moment arm to work through.