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TIL those $9 no-name chain tools from the swap meet in Tucson were the biggest waste of a Saturday I've had in years
Back when I first started wrenching on my own stuff, I got suckered by a guy at the swap meet in Tucson selling a whole folding tool kit for 9 bucks. I figured it was a steal, but the chain breaker bent the very first time I pushed a pin on a 9 speed chain, and the pin went flying into the gravel. Lost about 3 hours digging around for it and ended up walking the bike home. The little spoke wrench rounded off two nipples before I gave up on it, and the tire levers snapped cold in my hand in like 40 degree weather. I know cheap tools are tempting when you're broke and just starting out, but that kit cost me way more in time and messed up parts than a decent single chain breaker ever would have. These days I'd rather buy one solid tool at a time than a bag of junk. What's the worst bargain bin bike tool you ever got burned by?
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barbaraschmidt6d ago
Did the swap meet guy have any kind of return policy or was it cash only? Sounds like the kind of place where once you walk away, that's it. Curious if you ever went back and tried to get your money back.
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