IceToolz Y-shaped hex key set

 

Today, while I took delivery of the Garmin speed and cadence sensors from Exad Sports, I also got for myself an IceToolz 3-in-1 hex key set called  70Y2. It's basically a Y shaped tool with each end being a hex key. This makes wrenching easy because you can hold it in your palm and put considerable torque by twisting your wrist. This is useful where there is room to work on the bolt. In certain situations you might need to use a longer wrench. I think the original design was developed by Park Tool. But they are super expensive.

This is the most commonly used combination of wrenches for a modern cycle. All the bosses, the stem, head cover, the carrier etc use 4 mm bolts. The seat post and the seat need 5 and 6. I have one set of metric hex keys from. I have two T-shaped hex keys in size 4 and 5. Both from Taparia. I also have a Crank Brothers multitool that has all the hex wrenches one could need. Now this :-) 

Am I obsessed with tools. Of course yes, I am. Too bad that modern cycling tools are not stocked by any retailer in Calcutta. And right now even Exad has run out of stock with IceToolz.

Various Specialist Shops

There are various specialist shops in Calcutta that deal only with a particular line of products that you don't find anywhere. Of course Amazon is there but sometimes even Amazon can be difficult to deal with. For example, recently I needed a very small lithium ion button cell battery. It was available in Amazon but you had to buy 5 of them for Rs 350. I went to this shop in Chandni and bought it for Rs 40. You don't get such things every where. So here I go with my compilation. It's a work in progress. As and when I find more such shops I will write them down.

I will not write here the commonly found items and well known shops here. For example I will not mention the details of camera shops or engine oil shops here. There are many. And most Calcuttans know them. At least the ones that are worth knowing are known already. I will only write here about the odd items that you don't find commonly. 

If you know of any such shop please let me know.

Only caveat - most Indians don't realise the value of maintaining the same phone number. They change their service provider at the drop of a hat and change the number. So phones may not always work. 

Batteries of Various Types (Dry Cells and Lithium Ion etc) - 

Plastico - 16 Dharamtalla Street; Calcutta 700013 - 9163912254. This is a tiny shop in front of Chandni Market. 

Elgin Road - 9831146695. This is a tiny shop in front of Bhowanipore Education College, next to Titan showroom. Needlessly terribly expensive. Buy only if you cannot go to Chandni. A Panasonic 2032 that costs Rs 40 at Chandni costs Rs 140 here. Daylight robbery.

Chandni Wholesaler of button cell batteries - 8777368424 (largish shop somewhere on Chandni Chowk Street)

Nuts & Bolts

Princep Corner - 17, Prinsep St, Esplanade, Chowringhee North, Bow Barracks, Kolkata, West Bengal 700072

The Prinsep spelling is wrong but the shop stocks a very wide range of industrial grade nuts and bolts of every kind. It is very unlikely that you won't find a bolt or nut here.