The caliper is easily one of the top ten essential tools of custom bike building and fabrication. It's not flashy or chrome and you never see any of the big-name bike builders using one on TV, but most of them are using a caliper behind the scenes. There's a reason why the saying goes, "Measure twice, cut once."
A caliper is useful all the time, from measuring wheel spacers to checking a steering neck shim. If you don't have a caliper in your garage right now, it should be the next tool you buy!
There are thousands of new tools made by hundreds of tool manufacturers. Some of these tools are extremely specific, some work on a variety of parts, others are straight out of a catalog, and a few are handmade, but all of them can make your life easier. Each month, STREET CHOPPER will feature a new tool that will help builders of all calibers, from garage to professional, get their bikes finished faster and with less hassle.