You've been subscribed to our newsletter. create an account First, a foot lever switches inflation modes between high-volume (ideal for quickly inflating larger mountain bike tires) and high pressure so you dont have to muscle the pump to get road tires to optimal pressure. Riders on modern bikes likely wont get much use out of the cone wrenches. We dont know if these high-quality cable cutters are actually made by the well-regarded Swiss brand Felco. Even if you clean it only once a month, thats more than most people do. Youll need to supply your own tool heads, however. This kit is super complete and it even includes Park Tools Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair that will help new home mechanics learn the ropes. Use it to repair stiff links and to take your chain off for serious cleaning and so prolong the life of your chain and parts. [product-block handle="park-tool-tws-3-torx-compatible-3-way-wrench"/]. Its great to see a torque wrench included too, and we found the chain tool particularly good for helping to free sticky links. PrecisionMemory Personalized 12-in-1 Hammer Multitool. These are necessary for very basic repairs and general maintenance. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Usually, cable tension can be changed by twisting the barrel adjuster found at the point where the cable meets the hand lever. Alright, we're exaggerating, but bicycles can feel that way to a lot of peopleeven die-hard cycle commuters who mount up and ride to work every day. (There's a third type called a Dunlop valve that is esoteric and uncommon.). A good maintenance routine paired with a great set of tools can go a long way in ensuring your bike is kept in top condition and never rendered redundant.Whether you are in need of instant repair on a ride, or if you want to maintain your bike to ensure it doesn't break down, we have all the bike tools and essential equipment that you need! The tools in the LifeLine X-Tools all have a quality feel that exceeds this kits budget price. 3. The Best Mechanic Tool Sets for Auto, Bike, and Home Repairs. The case is sturdy, with foam cut-outs for each tool and zipped covers. On the flip side, if only the slightest pressure on the levers causes your brakes to clamp downor if your brake pads rub when you spin the bike's wheel without squeezing the brake lever at allthen you need to decrease your cable tension. You can also stick one in an electric driver/drill and whizz disc rotor bolts up really quickly without worrying about overdoing it, but you didn't hear that from us, right? $45.95. [product-block handle="park-tool-fr-5-2g-cassette-lockring-tool-with-5mm-guide-pin"/]. They dont have complete offerings, however. Personally, I use a 3-sided chain brush. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. All you need to solve this issue is an air pump. But if the shop is far away or busy with other jobs, it's probably easier to take care of the problem yourself. Reclaim your precious minutes with these strategies for in-person and virtual meetings. This lets you set up your sag and dial in your suspension for your weight, riding style, and terrain. Swapping out worn V-brake pads for new ones takes no more than a few minutes, and all you usually need is the right size hex key. Using the sliding guide on the arm, you then tweak it using your wheel as reference point until it's square. The high-quality cast-steel construction wont round or mar BB cups. Planet Cyclery Amazon The Park Tool AK-5 Advanced Tool Kit is a comprehensive mountain bike tool kit that can be delivered straight to your door. The MZ-32 takes all the guesswork out of knowing when to replace your chain to ensure most reliable shifting and longest drivetrain life. Sometimes, it can be so frustrating that you want to throw your bike in the dumpster (hopefully this doesnt happen too often!). A chain whip holds the cassette in place and stops the freehub from spinning when removing the lockring of a cassette. The one thing Ill recommend is to get a pump with a built-in tire pressure gauge. About the only thing it doesnt fit is Campagnolo cassettes. Quality brake bleed kit: Epic Bleed Kit, 15.99, 10. Park Tool PCS-10.3 Deluxe Home Mechanic Repair Stand $280 at Amazon BEST VALUE BIKE HAND Bike Repair Stand $110 at Amazon BEST CLAMPING MECHANISM Feedback Sports Pro Mechanic HD. Air air pressure drops very gradually over time, whether you ride regularly or not. Do enough work on your car or around your home, and you'll quickly learn some things are easier to accomplish with the correct specialized tool for the job. Thanks! Vice grip and or water pump pliers. This guide won't tell you how to turn every wrench or fix every issue, but it can help you start piecing together your bike maintenance toolkit and provide some basic repair knowledge. One day, after you've mastered the above basics and are feeling a bit more ambitious, you can try your hand at tuning the gearing on your bike. Most people won't want the hassle of wrestling new tires onto the rims, but changing a tire is a useful skill to acquire. The writing on the worn pads should give you a hint about what to buy. Cone wrenches, for example, with their thin wrench flats for adjust hub-bearing cones, used to be a vital tool even for home mechanics. And if you're getting a whip, this is the best solution that doesn't involve a lump of chain and a big handle which inevitably slips and either skins your knuckles or chips the paint on the chainstay. You want to be able to perform what bike shops typically call a complete overhaul. You will be working on your friends bikes as well as your own, so you may need more equipment than just for your bikes. REPAIR BIKE STAND. Quality, ball-ended Allen keys: Bondhus, 19, 2. Strap wrench: Machine Mart Baby Boa Constrictor, 7, 9. Temperature changes can swing the air pressure too. 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Avoid extra laundry duty (or buying new clothes) with a good shop apron like this one from Park. 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,181. Many important bolts on your bike (e.g., stem, seatpost, suspension bolts) have a recommended torque spec. Spark Plug spanner if not part of the bike OEM toolkit. So price sometimes played a key role. Simply fill the reservoir with degreaser (or even just warm, soapy water), fasten around the chain and secure the top cap, and backpedal until the rotating brushes scrub your drivetrain clean. This handy little item replaces your rear wheel during maintenance to keep your chain from dragging over the frame and damaging the paint. Whether youre skiing in the backcountry or trampolining in the backyard, we have an activity tracker for you. [product-block handle="feedback-sports-pro-truing-stand-w-t-u-axle-adapter"/]. [product-block handle="park-tool-vc-1-valve-core-tool"/]. I use all these tools regularly and cant keep my bikes running without them! Ebikes don't come with any unique maintenance demands. If you intend to do basic shock servicing at home or try to tweak your suspension with volume spacers, this is a tool that'll save you a lot of time and effort. When in doubt, bring your bike to a professional bike shop and ask about a specific procedure or tool. Making sure your brakes are properly bled is the best way to avoid this fate and using a decent quality kit makes a fiddly job an awful lot easier. Plus, save 25% off the subscription price! This isnt one tool, its two. Save 25% + Crankbrothers Stamp 1 pedals (worth 49.99) when you subscribe to MBUK magazine. These bike maintenance skills also involve cleaning bikes, as keeping things dirt-free and lubricated is essential if we want headache-free miles. One absent-minded brush of a dirty hand and that clean shirt youre wearing has bike grease on it. What we do know is that theyre visually similar, and less expensive. And even though electric bikes are more intricate than their analog forebears, they too are easy to care for. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Those can be useful, but bike-specific tools exist for a good reason: many parts on bikes today require specialized tools to properly service. Be aware though that some hangers are made of purest cheddaranium and break under even gentle force. Removing your cassette makes it easy to give it a deep clean. Quality brake bleed kit: Epic Bleed Kit, 16, 10. Frequently bought together. Tools to Fix Your Bike At Home 1. To test the tension of your brake cables, give your brake levers a squeeze. A Repair Bike Stand provides a stable way to hold nearly any bicycle for adjustments, cleaning, and repair. Bicycles are complex, but the maintenance they require is often quite simple. [product-block handle="lezyne-rap-ii-18-multi-tool-black"/]. Many possible sizes and options. Chain whip/Cassette removal tool should be high on everyones list even if you are only cleaning and lubing your won bike. off-road.cc is dedicated to bringing you the best coverage of all off-road riding, Our sister site for road bikes road.cc The skinnier Presta valves have an additional safety measure built in: after you remove the black plastic cap, you have to also unscrew the tiny metal stopper that keeps the valve itself closed. The custom-cut foam inlay keeps the tools firmly in place, while the metal clasps on the carry case are robust and secure. PARK TOOL and the color BLUE are registered trademarks of Park Tool Co. All other referenced trademarks and trademark registrations are the property of their respective owners. There are a ton of single-purpose tools out there that can be quite handy for specific repairs, but most of us will never need a headset press or a hydraulic brake-line cutter, for instance. But, those kits only draw from a single brands offerings, and may include tools you dont really need, either because theyre general tools you already have (like an adjustable crescent wrench) or because, like cone wrenches, theyre just not as essential anymore. 1. There are several sources of tools. You'll need to get a kit to work with your specific brake setup, as they all differ slightly. Let me know in the comments! This five-piece set includes the essentials, like a large frame brush, a paint brush for derailleurs and other nooks and crannies, and long-handled brushes for hard-to-access spots like hub bodies and between the crankset and chainstay. How to set up a Dev Drive. While hydraulic brakes are not impossible to maintain at home, they're a bit more than most people want to tackle. I also regularly swap cassettes/wheels on my bikes and wouldnt be able to without this tool. A decent T-handle set with a ball end on the long side is a good place to start this allows you access to awkward bolts with reduced risk of rounding. They make sharp, clean cuts in everything from derailleur cables to compressionless cable housing, and even handles precise cuts on reinforced housing like the Yokozuna Reaction. CCP-44 is for round, splined ISIS Drive or Shimano Octalink only, CWP-7 works with either square or round spindles, 20152023 Park Tool Co. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Do Not Sell My Info | Patents and Trademarks | Park Tool Trimmer. Buyer's guide to mountain bike pedals - which are best? 1 Essential Tool List There are several sources of tools. We've rounded up our pick of some of the most important things that should be living in your toolbox but might not be. Floor pump Skip to main content But two nifty features put it over the top. Support the channel and pick up some stickers (and Future Shock spacers if you need them). Drawing from my experiences, I've put together a list of essential bike specific tools, some of which you'll use everyday, and some of which you'll use only once in a while, but will be excited to do so.Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list of all bike specific tools (there are hundreds), but rather my take on what would constitute a practical and very respectable home mechanic's toolkit. You can replace most all parts as well as cut and install new fork. Used carefully, they're excellent for removing the low profile top caps on your forks, without having to have specially machined down sockets for each size. Companies are constantly coming out with new tools, both to improve existing designs and to adapt to new technologies emerging in the sport. A dirty chain will kill your whole drivetrain, grinding grit into every part and eventually destroying shift quality. Its the Age of Ozempic. 200+ bought in past week . And if the brake fluid reservoir on your handlebars looks low, take it to a bike shop soon. How we test gear. The only extra thing to learn is how to properly charge your battery. Disc brakes offer superior stopping performance, but they can be fussy to maintain. In some cases, theyre more affordable than tools from cycling-specific companies; in others, we picked them because they do broader duty than some cycling-specific options. Fancier disc brakes use hydraulic mechanisms to pinch the discs. [product-block handle="park-tool-pfp-8-home-mechanic-floor-pump-blue-black"/]. The 5.2 is 9 inches in length, uses a 3/8" drive, and what get used the most with an adjustable torque range of 2-14 N*m. The 6.2 is just over 14 inches long, also uses a 3/8" drive, and has an adjustable torque range of 10-50 N*m. The larger TW-6.2 comes in handy when torqueing down both the bottom bracket and crankset. Many stands fold for easy transport and storage and allow the height to be adjusted so you can work comfortably. Maybe I should keep them in a magnetic dish (see below). Star-shaped Torx bolts are increasingly common on bikes; SRAM uses them widely on many of its components. It's pretty easy to overtighten components, especially carbon bars and posts, so even if you're not from the school of 'tighten-til-it-makes-a-noise' a torque wrench of some description is a fine idea. If they touch the handlebar grips or get close enough to crush a finger slipped underneath, you need to increase your cable tension. You don't need to oil it, and you don't need to use any chemical cleaner on it. Those are a fine option, especially if you want to simply buy one time and not worry about it. 23 Piece Bike Tool Kit - Bicycle Repair Tool Box Compatible - Mountain/Road Bike Maintenance Tool Set with Storage Case. Highly satisfying and precise to use on limit screws too. The kit includes two screws, two bolts and an Allen key, along with repair instructions and a QR code link to an installation video. It allows more airflow for seating tubeless tires, It allows you to clean and clear clogged tubeless valves, It allows you to inject/add tubeless sealant (usually with an applicator bottle or tubeless syringe) without unseating the tire, Theres nothing more annoying than a disc rotor constantly rubbing during a ride. However, it provides a range of tools that should cover most car park bike-tinkering needs. From Hyrule to Hallownest, these are our absolute favorite escapes for the best portable console. Shimano Hollowtech II is arguably the gold standard with many brands opting to use it for external bearing and threaded bottom brackets. Quality, ball-ended Allen keys: Bondhus, 18.99, 9. Any lube will work (read the linked article if you want to get nerdy), and the key is to just keep the chain clean and to lube it whenever it starts making noise (lubing more often is better). If youre only going to buy two tools, make it a pump and hex wrenches. In both cases, you should readjust your cable tension after putting new pads on. We like the Topeak Smarthead Digital Gauge D2 as it's easy to use and small enough to pop in your pack when out riding. He's previously been technical editor at BikeRadar.com, editor atWhat Mountain Bike Magazine and also web editor at Singletrackworld.co.uk. Lower manufacturing tolerances mean the tools dont have the same high-quality, durable feel as some of the others on test, and removing and replacing tools in the plastic box is fiddly. The Halfords Essentials Tool Kit is an 18-piece kit that combines a large number of tools (Allen key sets, etc, are counted as single pieces) in a sensibly priced package. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. Price: $100.00. If you need 100 percent to get where you're going, that's fine, go ahead and charge it up all the way. This is why it's helpful to use a pump with a psi gauge. Advertising and commercial: sales@off-road.cc, Mountain bike, bikepackingand gravel bikes. Also, you can familiarize yourself with your new toolkit by giving your bike the tune-up it probably needs. Fitting a press-fit headset or bottom bracket is often a job that has even pretty experienced home mechanics turned to their local shop, but it's possible to get an inexpensive press that still does the job, such as this X-Tools model. . It also works with any multispeed chain, even the new Campagnolo 13-speed system. With durable steel barrel, a stable tripod base, and an oversize gauge, the Dual Charger already checks most of the boxes we want from a good floor pump. This is where the wrenching journey starts for most cyclists. I like the Lezyne Steel Floor Pump Drive ($70) because most of the inner bits aresurprise, surprisedurable steel and not flimsy plastic. 11 tools every home bike mechanic should own Make life simple with these must-have tools Jon Woodhouse | May 14 2022 | Feature Updated May 14, 2022 There are very few bike-fixing tasks that you can't do at home, provided you've got the right knowledge - and the right tool for the job. For chain whips, I really prefer Feedbacks cassette pliers to the traditional whip-style tool. Non-bicycle specific tools are usually available at better hardware stores, automotive shops, tool stores, and some department stores. A rider's legs and feet were the only things keeping them from careening into people, trees, and traffic. It allows us to feel more secure out riding, knowing we can handle any problem the ride may throw at us, like repairing a flat or fixing a chain. [product-block handle="feedback-sports-team-edition-tool-kit"/]. Check Price. Understand AI advances with our Fast Forward newsletter, Our new podcast wants you to Have a Nice Future. A right combination of tools to help a home mechanic clean, adjust, maintain, and perform necessary repairs on their bike and maybe the neighborhoods. Its marked in both imperial and metric dimensions, and the sturdy one-inch wide tape holds its shape when extended, so its ideal for measuring things like reach to the handlebar. As they use a clutch style mechanism, they just slip when the correct torque is reached, meaning it's virtually impossible to overtighten bolts. One example: the range of 12-speed drivetrains, which feature narrower chains and cassette spacing that require slightly different tool interfaces for things like chain whips and chain breaker tools. Just the job for car park maintenance and garage tinkering. ALWAYS know where your 5mm hex-head / allen key is! Need an excuse to get outside and enjoy the sunshine? Select smallest size that fits. There are a few types of brakes, but you're most likely to have rim brakes or disc brakes. For fans of lists, here's the executive summary of our recommendations: We'll kick our list off with arguably the most obvious, but probably the most important. A small set . That way, you can spend a beautiful Saturday morning riding your bike instead of waiting around for a mechanic. This is the skill Im most excited about honing this year. 2. telescopic magnet - So useful for threading internal cables and finding bolts that may have dropped inside a frame. You can pull bearing apart and service them. Torx T25 Wrench. Most mechanics consider them the best tire lever in the business. If you get a flat and need to replace a tube or you want to change your own tires, then you need tire levers to unseat and seat your tire beads. Although cable lubers aren't terribly expensive, they are worth their weight in gold when it's time to lubricate your motorcycle's cables. Home Mechanic Tool List: Advanced Maintaining your own bike can be fun, but it can also be confusing at times to know which tools you will need to perform the service you want.