With the Right Bicycle Tools, Maintenance Becomes a Breeze
A good mechanic also needs good tools. You should always consider first if a certain work requires the expertise and know how from an experienced specialist with professional bicycle tools. Otherwise feel free to buy the tools you need and do the maintenance yourself.
Anyway, it is recommended to supplement a set with basic tools including bike care products and lubricants for diy-maintenance. This way everything remains clean and movable in the long term.
Bicycle Repair Kit – The Basic Equipment
Check out which tools you already have ready to use in your tool box and which can be used as bicycle tools, too. </p>
For all bicycle enthusiasts who start from scratch, bike tool kits or tool boxes are the perfect start and serve as great benchmarks for your own DIY equipment.
Your basic bicycle repair kit should contain the following:
- Tire Lever, Patch Kit
- Chain Whip + Cassette Tool
- Wrench for external and internal splined, threaded Bottom Brackets
- Shimano Style Hollowtec II Tool to adjust Bearing Play
- Wrench: 15 mm Pedal Wrench, 14/15 mm Socket Wrench, 28/32mm Wrench for Threaded Headsets, Chainring Bolt Wrench, double sided Cone Wrenches (13, 14, 15, 16 mm)
- Allen Keys with Ball Heads (2, 2.5, 4, 5, 6)
- Torx-Set T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T40
- Nose Pliers, Slot Screwdriver, Philips Screwdriver
- Spoke Wrench 12G, 13G, 14G, 15, Shimano 4.3 & 4.4
- Chain Rivet Extractor for up to 12-speed and Single-Speed Chains
This list of bike tools does not claim to be complete and can be extended with special tools for specific areas of application
Useful Additions to Your Cycle Tool Kit
A good example for useful additions is the disc brake bleeding kit: Many current bicycles are equipped with powerful disc brakes, but these can also require more servicing. If the brake performance decreases, you will probably have to bleed your brakes.
For this purpose, specific disc brake bleeding kits are available.
Bowden cables are another important bike component that require maintenance from time to time. Hanging or sticking shift and brake cables can quickly spoil the cyclist's fun. New Bowden cables are affordable and can also be installed by the cyclist himself with a Bowden cable cutter. Afterwards you will feel a significant improvement in shifting and braking performance and maybe you will even get a bit of a new bike feeling. Please note that some manufacturers offer a cutter for the casing and one for inner cables.
Furthermore, your start as a serious bicycle mechanic is completed by a tape measure or folding rule, a hammer, a caliper and a work stand.
The work stand is definitely a really good investment. On this special stand your gem is hung on the frame or seat post by means of a clamp. This makes your bike accessible from all sides and prevents it from rolling away. In addition, the force that you want to exert with your bike tool can be optimally transferred to all screw connections and yet all rotating parts remain movable.
Bicycle Tools for Professionals
On the other hand, high-priced professional bike tools are recommended for straightening damage, for the specific service that some bike parts require and for secure bolting according to the manufacturer's specifications. The necessary torque wrench is especially recommended for carbon frames and lightweight components.
Ball bearings are often used when something is turning on the bike, e.g. the wheels and at the headset, crank or bottom bracket area. These can wear out after many kilometers or due to rough conditions and show so-called play.
Then it is necessary to dismount the mostly pressed-in bearings with extractors or removers. Via special press-in tools the new bearings will be installed and your bike is ready for many more kilometers.
Lacing and truing of wheels requires masterful work. For the sustainable building of a wheel, a so-called bicycle truing stand is needed. In this case it is recommended to invest in professional bicycle tools.
E-Bikes are becoming increasingly important as a means of individual transport. The used battery and motor technology as well as proprietary assembly standards entail special demands regarding the bicycle tool and the bicycle mechanic / mechatronics technician.
The Right Bicycle Care
The right lubrication is essential for all moving parts of your bike!
This includes the right oil or wax for chain and cassette, various greases for headset, hubs, crank and bottom bracket. There exist special requirements for the bicycle tools as well as for oils and greases for suspension parts such as suspension fork and rear shock.
For the sake of eco-friendliness: when applying lubricants, use as much as necessary and as little as possible.
Your bike should be as clean as your bike tools before maintenance.
For this reason it is highly recommended to regularly clean the surface with water, a soft sponge, some washing-up liquid or, even better, a 100% biodegradable bicycle cleaner and an electric high-pressure bike cleaner.
Stubborn dirt on the drivetrain and moving parts can be removed with a dry cloth and, if necessary, oils with low viscosity and a narrow screwdriver while carefully turning the crank.
An easier solution: use a chain cleaning device. This is a bicycle tool filled with cleaning agent and equipped with internal brushes.
Finally, the cleaning agent should be thoroughly removed and the chain should be relubricated with suitable oil.
During bike care you will probably discover some parts that need some maintenance, , e. g. worn tires and brake pads, worn drive train parts or hard moving bearings.
You can complete the bicycle care session with some special paint protection sealants or protective wax for all painted parts. Depending on the initial condition and maintenance equipment you should see a clear improvement and your riding experience should be almost like on the first day.
Everything Under Control – Practical Bicycle Tool Kits
Extensively equipped bicycle tool kits are available online at BIKE24 at an affordable price. They provide everything you need for basic repairs, maintenance and assembly of bicycles. For sure, tool sets in professional or workshop quality have their price, but despite their compactness they offer a particularly wide range of features and therefore are ideal for mechanics working at competitions as well as for ambitious hobby mechanics.
Bicycle Multi Tools – Practical Gadgets When You Are on the Road
A breakdown on the trail or in the mountains is annoying and, depending on the weather and time of the day, also very strenuous and dangerous. The practical and handy bicycle tool sets, also called bicycle pocket-, multi- or mini-tools, provide a quick fix when you are on the way. Depending on the model, you get a light, pocket-sized tool box.
They often include the following tools: various Allen keys, common Torx keys, Phillips and flat screwdrivers and tire levers. Some bicycle multi-tools come with a highly recommended chain rivet and spoke nipple wrench.
Of course, ultra-light multitool are also available in a more minimalist version. This type of bicycle tool is ideal when every gram counts.
An equally interesting alternative to the bike multi tools are so called bicycle tool bags. They can be equipped individually, extensively and yet can be stowed in a space-saving way in the bike backpack.
Buy Tools and Maintenance Products at BIKE24
Bike tools and everything related catches your attention and you would like to take care of the maintenance of your bike by yourself? You are the owner of a bicycle repair shop and would like to expand your equipment with professional bicycle tools? At BIKE24 you will find everything your cyclist’s heart desires.