Product Review

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BY: Rob Smith

Published: 4th February, 2011

After hours of fruitless struggle with a set of hydraulic brakes the other weekends I set about that world wide shopping mall that is the internet to look for a suitable tool to reset the pistons and make changing pads and wheels a painless fussy free evolution rather than the pad wrecking, expletive strewn debacle that it had turned into.

Now I know a lot of you will be tutting as you read this; what's wrong with a screw driver, or an old chisel?  Well I tried those and all I did was take gouges out of both the pads and my fingers, as I was only trying to open the pads up to reinstall a wheel (After someone who shall remain nameless had pulled the lever when there was no disc on the wheel) and not replace them I hoped there had to be a better answer.

It will come as no surprise that Park Tools does just the tool I was after, the "PP-1 Hydraulic Piston Press", which in all honesty does look like a very stubby 32mm chisel but with the handle bent at 45 degrees.  RRP was £24.99 but Evans had them in stock for £19.99 with free P+P. As there are four hydraulically braked bikes in the (very well protected, pad locked and secure) garage and with some Christmas money left over I thought for my sanity, salvaged brake pads and the skin on my knuckles I bit the bullet and for once rather than make do get the actual tool for the actual job.

So the question you are all asking yourselves, well maybe one or two of you are. Does it work?

Let's look at the evidence.

The tool comes in its own card board tube with a set of instructions which put simply say:
Remove wheel
Stick tool between pads to re set pistons
Replace pads
Replace wheel

 

Picture from Park.com

Job one - replace the butchered pads from Jane's long stored Stump jumper (Juicy 5s for the brake spotters amongst you). What a revelation after the other weekends struggle I just followed the instructions and with a small amount of twisting the pistons re-set and I was able to replace the pads before my coffee had gone cold. 

Job two - reset pistons on Epic (Avid Elixir)(again heavy handed lever grabbing without the wheels fitted). Gently slide the wide shallow blade between the pads, wiggle, piston re-sets and no fighting with trying to replace the wheel.

 

Verdict - Does what is say in the tin. 
Worth the money? - with more 12hr racing in this year plan there's the potential for quick pad or wheel replacements mid race so  yeh a worthwhile addition to my small washing up bowl of touring tools. 

Should probably say as I close that I have no connection with either Park Tools or Evans Cycles but should either of them wish to show their appreciation for my favourable review, the webmaster know how to find me!