Bicycle tools

[vavet]

I have a trek 820 mountain bike from ~1996. I bought it in college and kept it all these years. I’ve ridden sporadically, but I’m in a riding-more phase right now. By that, I mean I’m riding 4-5 days a week, 6-10 miles each day.
i took it to a local bike shop about 6 years ago where they started with a tuneup and discovered many more components were worn and needed to be replaced.
iirc , I got a new front derailleur, chain ring, bottom bracket, and chain. Don’t remember if the rear cassette or derailleur were replaced at that time. The local bike shop who did that work is closed indefinitely after their shop was broken into and looted last year during the protests.
anyway…I have a clicking noise coming from the bottom bracket at slow speed, but accelerating…so high torque load on the pedals. I’d love to pull off the crank arms And bottom bracket and clean and grease it up….but bike tools are kinda special.
the only specialty bike tools I have are those spoons to remove/reinstall tires. Am I fooling myself to think I can figure out the right tools to buy, the right way to use them, etc? if I do this, I’m starting with buying a bike stand. I know this is GJ and the answer is always to buy more tools, but I don’t want to spend $300 on tools if all this can be done at a LBS for $150.

 

[CallumRD1]

If you have a square taper bottom bracket (likely given the vintage) then you'll need a few specialty tools to remove the crank arms and bottom bracket. I'll leave recommendations to others because I have little experience there, all the bikes I've worked on coming from the cartridge BB and hollow spindle era. Beyond that the only specialty tools you'll likely need are a set of good hex keys. Bikes are quite simple in almost all respects. Best case scenario, you have a loose crank arm or the BB needs some grease, worst case scenario you need a new BB. Neither are a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

[FMB4]

Skip the bike stand. Make sure that the pedals are tight. Follow RD1's wise advice above. The tools to service the bottom bracket are not that special today. Park Tool products is what I'd recommend, but other brands will often do at a lower price. Btw, the 'bike shop' most likely ripped you off. I say this because most of the components they replaced are some of the last to wear out under heavy long time use.

Also keep in mind that a vastly improved bicycle can be purchased new for a reasonable price these days. By 'vastly' I mean very much better brakes, better tires, etc, etc.

Ride safe.

 

[captain14]

I had a similiar vintage Trek mountain bike and I did enough riding each year for a tuneup. About 11 years ago, they gave me a list of parts to replace that was almost the equivalent of a new bike that had disc brakes. So I made the decision to upgrade.

Have you checked Youtube to see what’s there? I’m sure someone has completed a video on that area of bike repair?

 

[PFSard]

vavet​

I can't speak directly to your issue. I ride older "junks" every day that I have picked up for low or no money. I have a bunch of bicycle tools that I picked up at estate and garage sales for cheap money; they can be relatively expensive new. I do have a Park PCS-10 bike stand (bought used three years ago), but I got by without one for years. That said, here are a few sites that I find useful.

Bike Pedal Clicking? Chain Rattling? Here's How to Diagnose and Fix Some Common Bike Noises

A bike that squeaks, rattles, and clicks is annoying and frustrating. Use these tips to troubleshoot the most common and mysterious bike sounds.

www.bicycling.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/RJTheBikeGuy/videos

https://www.youtube.com/c/parktool/videos

 

[Meursault74]

I bought a kit similar to this over 20 years ago. I still have some of them and upgraded other bits. If you want to do the work yourself. You can do the work you mentioned with the kit.

Foundation Standard Bike Tool Kit | Jenson USA

Wrench it yourself with Foundation Bike Tools From pedal wrenches to repair stands Foundation Bike Tools offers a collection of quality tools that are essential to keeping your bike in top shape and ready for adventure. Foundation Bike Tools are here to give you an extra set of hands for basic...

www.jensonusa.com

I can't vouch for that particular kit, but if all my tools were stolen, I'd start rebuilding with this. I think the likely weak point in that set would be the chain tool.

There are plenty of videos on bike repair. I learned years ago from a book. Imagine that. If you have mechanical inclination, you can fix a bike if you have the knowledge.

PS, That bike shop likely ripped you off. Unless you crashed on the front derailleur, I'd don't think you'd have worn one out.

 

[Pexto]

Don't bother buying a workstand for now. I've worked on bikes for decades, including in several bike shops, and it was only a few years ago that I finally got a workstand. I got by for many, many years with a simple loop of rope hanging from a hook in the ceiling, with the loop at about head height. Put the nose of the saddle through the loop and your bike will hang there in a position where everything is easy to work on. Sure, it's not as nice as a good workstand, but it works quite well and is dirt cheap.

 

[Jeepster04]

Bought a stand and I hardly ever need to work on my bikes. Love it

 

[jonesg]

I can't just flip my bike over because it has a 4 stroke engine in the frame.
Ratchet straps from a beam in the garage ceiling are ok or this method .

 

[slowtwitch73]

Just rig a sling in the garage to put the nose of the saddle into.. hang it from a rafter or otherwise affix to ceiling... lifts the rear wheel off enough to work on bike.