A week or so ago, I posted my new bike, the 2022 PVD F-16 Fighting Falcon. Within the photoset and the breadcrumbs posted on Instagram was a photo of me finding a missing snap ring that got scuffed off against a rock or something.
A discussion ensued on how and what to use to work with these snap rings. A few fancy names were in the discussion and in private messages.
It’s a pretty tough tool to find.
To be fair, I’m no slouch on having the right tool. Years ago, frustration with retaining rings forced me to order the SK Hand Tool 7612, 12 Pc Retaining Ring Pliers Set. It’s got all the sizes. This thing has served me well, but it doesn’t have anything close to this.
I did an exhaustive search for the right tool, and a quality tool. While several tools exist that will work in this case, one tool is different from the others.
I chose the Knipex 4931A0. Knipex is a very high quality brand so I didn’t have to worry about it being junk. It looked like the pins were going to work.
One specific detail that I liked about this was the limit screw. That will ensure that the ring wouldn’t get over flexed and too damaged during removal and attaching. It make it easy to work with the tiny rings. Using the screw, I could keep the deflection to an absolute minimum even if grabbing the pliers tight in my hand. The other tools do not have this ability and, from my perspective, makes this the right tool for the job.
The tool works very well. It’s easy. It’s does everything you’d expect without any drama. That’s what we wanted.
