How To Choose A Basic Bike Tool Kit - Bicycle Maintenance

A good tool kit for being able to repair and maintain your bike is one of those things that every cyclist should have, however few of us have.

If you've recently started cycling and have been following our maintenance Monday series on bike repair, you might wonder what tools you need to complete most bicycle repairs. Here Daniel goes through the basic tools you'll need to keep your bike in good working order.

The full list is as follows:

Track pump
Good set of allen keys
Puncture repair kit
Chain tool
Good quality cable cutters
Torque wrench
Screwdriver (normally phillips head)
Spoke key
15mm pedal spanner

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[AndyMJF]

Great thanks. Its been over 20 years since I last got on my bike and my son has suddenly developed an interest in cycling and wants me to help him repair on old bike in the shed for practice. I see a new hobby starting for 2017

[gcn]

Thanks for the suggestion - we'll try and have a look at this in one of our bike fit videos.

[Torontoflatlander]

Chain wear indicators are the best when determining this. I will replace a chain at .75mm stretch and no less. This is to preserve the condition of your cassette and chainrings to make sure they don't become overly worn down. New chain on worn teeth will skip and not shift properly. Your local shop will have the tools necessary to check this for you.

[gcn]

Most manufacturers state it on the part - if you're looking at a stem, or seatpost clamp, the manufacturers tend to put the recommended torque on it.

[gcn]

Hi Romi, I use an Alien multitool personally, but why don't we put it out there for everyone else to answer in the comments?

What's the best multitool you guys have ever used?

[markwilliams]

Buy a chain wear indicator and you can easily tell when its time to replace a chain. These will tell you once a chain has stretched by .075mm or 1mm (depending on what side you use). As a rough guide you can usually get 2-3k miles out of a chain.

[sturedman]

I'm very happy with my Unior t-handle ball end hex key set and the Pedros Y wrench 4-5-6mm also I have the Unior cable cutter, the IceToolz missing link opener 62D3 and the Lezyne Macro Floor DV pump (220psi)

[plazio]

Bearing tweezers are a really nice to have when replacing the loose bearings. These tweezers stay closed, holding the bearing, until you squeeze it open, the opposite of regular tweezers. This makes it easier to place the bearings after you put grease in the cup.

[gcn]

You're looking at from 4nm for a seatpost to 40nm for cranks. So it's pretty broad!

[PARTYWIZARD]

Along with a good alan key set, you may have to buy a torque key set because some manufacturers are switching from alan keys to torque wrenches, just depends on the parts you have.

[TumshieHeed]

There are variables in terms of replacing chains; you current chain and its quality, how many km you ride yearly, how well you maintain your chain. I change mine after 5, 000 km.

[panzerveps]

I'd say a tire lever is pretty high on the basic tool kit list..

[audiofella]

Add BB tool, crank puller, chain whip, bent spoke for installing chain, another sharpened spoke for poking housing, truing stand. If you only have high end bikes you won't need the crank puller. If you dont have any high end bikes you wont need the torque wrench.

[jjeffcoate]

i would get a chain checker, it fits on the chain and between a certain number of links if the chain is worn to about 0.75%. so basically if it fits then you need a new one! takes all the guess work out and fiddling around trying to measure it and they are pretty cheap to buy

[robbiedunder]

In good weather about 10 000 - 15 000km. Which can be quiet often if you ride a lot. Since I'm on a super tight budget, I go about 30 000km before I start thinking about it. With cyclocross or bad weather the mileage decreases dramatically.

[danielmiller]

I might add that needle nose pliers, regular pliers, plumber pliers, and multi purpose screw driver (Philips/flat head) screw driver. What I have been looking for is the torque wrench. My road bike is a carbon fiber, and I really do not want to damage it. Suggestions please?

[rocbola]

I'd say a wheel truing stand is something that anyone who rides a lot of miles needs. A chain breaker tool and the wrenches needed for servicing your wheel bearings help, too. A mechanic stand with a clamp makes a world of difference.

[Aureas]

GCN, I love your videos, i'vel earnt so much thanks to you guys. I'm hoping you will put out a "How to clean your bike" video at some point. There are SO many opinions on the web that i just dont know what to do anymore.

[cebax]

Get a chain checking tool, everyone will put different kinds of wear on the chain. Someone like me who weights 140 can get far more miles from a chain than someone like my friend who is 210 but keeps up with me on all but the steepest climbs. I had 4, 000 on my last chain and still had not gone past 50% wear (you replace between 60-70% if you go to 100% you will be replacing your cassette and chain rings as well. I only replaced it because I went to 11 speed.

[joffinvarghese]

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