You don’t require a large number of specialized cycling tools. Most tasks can be completed using a few high-quality standard tools and a small number of bike-specific tools. Here’s a list of fundamental bike repair tools. Bike tools are one area where the cliché “buy once, buy quality” holds true. Good tools perform better, last longer, and do less harm to the parts you’re working on. Although each bike is unique, practically all bikes share several tools. For simple tasks like replacing cables, gear, and brake adjustments, altering saddle height and angle, setting handlebars, switching and inflating tyres, and changing your chain and sprockets, here’s what you’ll need:
Allen Keys With A Ball End: Don’t skip these; you’ll need them frequently. Ball-end keys make it possible to spin a bolt at an angle, which helps to speed up various tasks. High-quality Allen keys feature a smaller neck for the ball, which allows them to work at sharper angles, making them more adaptable. They are also tougher and more precisely manufactured, making them less likely to bash the bolts tightened with them.
Combination Spanners: Good-quality bikes no longer have bolts with spanner flats. If you have bolt-up hubs, you’ll almost definitely never need more than 8, 9, and 10mm, plus a 13mm. If bike fettling is your only need, buying individual spanners will save you more money than opting for a complete kit of spanners.
Screwdrivers: You’ll need a few flat-blade screwdrivers, as well as Phillips (plus) number 1 and 2 screwdrivers, and probably a size 0 as well. A more extensive set will contain measures that can be used throughout the house as well.
Pliers: A pair of combination pliers can be used for various tasks, including gripping and pulling parts and crimping cable ends. Long-nose pliers have a lot of uses, so a pair of three with side cutters is a wise investment.
Tyre Levers: You’ll need two sets of tyre levers, one for your home toolkit and the other for your on-bike tool bag.
Torx Fittings: Torx fittings are getting more popular. You can obtain them with a ball or plain ends, much like Allen keys.
Floor Pump: Using a floor pump or a track pump to keep your tyre pressures in check is considerably easier than using a portable pump.
Cable Puller: Owners of hydraulic-braked bicycles with electronic shifting can overlook the cable puller. The cable puller pulls the cable snug and grips it in place while tightening the clamping bolt; fitting and adjusting brake and gear cables become much easier.
Pedal Spanner: If your pedals have 1.5 cm flats, you’ll need a 1.5 cm spanner to put them on and get them off. Some pedals will fit with a conventional 1.5 cm spanner, but others require a pedal spanner with thinner jaws.
Gauge for Chain Wear: By measuring the distance of your chain across 12 full links with a decent quality ruler, you can keep track of how worn it is. If it’s 12 1/16 inches long, it’s time to replace it, and if it’s 12 1/8 inches, the sprockets will very certainly need to be replaced as well. A wear gauge makes this process easier by indicating when your chain needs to be ditched.
Summing Up:
It’s convenient to get a large bike tools kit because it includes everything you need and probably more, but it isn’t easy to spend several hundred dollars all at once. Because of the cost and the possibility of paying for items, you will never use, buying a few tools at a time is sometimes the best alternative. You only buy what you require, and the cost is spread out over a longer duration.
