Tools you need: Quaxar’s cable crimper

By Ellis Blackman, head cable crimper at Fibrax

There are a decent number of items on the market that every mechanic should have in their workshop, but that for one reason or another tend to fly under the radar. I’m a bit of an aficionado for a tool that makes the job a dream, whether it increases quality, efficiency, or is just plain rad.

First on my list to introduce you to is the Quaxar Cable Crimping tool, it’s certainly one of my favourites and so commonly used.

This tool has a 4-point mechanical system in the centre that will give a perfect repeatable crimp every time.

Now I, as most readers do, previously crimped cables with a set of side cutters or with the proper Park Tool CN-10 – These tools clearly do the job, but I’ve always wanted more.

To me crushing a bit of metal on a wire just wasn’t and isn’t, right. Sure, you can change the colour of the bit of metal, or you can even crimp on your special little pattern, so you know if it was you that last touched the bike, but you’re still damaging a component so the wire doesn’t fray.

Enter this nifty little thing: the four equal depressions in the wire end cap do not deform the cover outward, they give a nicer look, a stronger feel and, it just looks like it’s the proper way of doing things. I’ve built Halfords’ bikes, I’ve built ten grand bikes and everything in-between.

This crimp tool gives all bikes an edge, you might not notice it at first, but when you do, it makes a hell of a difference.

Show your most awkward customer his/her bike after a service and point this out. The added attention to detail really makes a difference, something that separates a “proper” bike shop from the rest.