Derailleur hangar alignment tool, chain breaker, cassette removal tool, maybe a pedal wrench and whatever tools you prefer to do cables and housings. Most other specialty tools you can buy as needed depending on the specific bike you buy. There are just too many standards in the cycling world. I don't try to own every bike tool but like to have tools to do nearly every aspect of maintenance for the bikes that I own.
The Bicycle (Specialty) Tools Thread
- Thread starter neersighted
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Derailleur hangar alignment tool, chain breaker, cassette removal tool, maybe a pedal wrench and whatever tools you prefer to do cables and housings. Most other specialty tools you can buy as needed depending on the specific bike you buy. There are just too many standards in the cycling world. I don't try to own every bike tool but like to have tools to do nearly every aspect of maintenance for the bikes that I own.
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
This. Yes you have a good start.
Buy tools as you need them and you'll have all you need.
Meursault74
Well-known member
He can likely find a gently used bike for a deal. Maybe someone got into cycling and then stopped.
Replacing a bunch of parts at once can get expensive and cost more than a complete new bike.
Years ago I wanted to try my hand at building a wheelset. It was not cost effective if I had to buy everything. I had Colorado Cyclist (now gone) make me the wheelset. If I sourced the hubs (Shimano), Rim (Mavic), Spokes/******* (DT Swiss) all separately from Colorado Cyclist and ordered them, it cost more than the built up wheel (which included labor). I think at the time Shimano and Mavic did not allow discount on their components by authorized dealers, but a wheel built up was a different story.
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
Wow, I hadn't planned on servicing the fork on my 2018? bike. I have ridden 31mi. or more the last 5d, casually.
I need to figure out if my bike fits me, or if I need to adjust seat, post, bars, or stem. Its an XXL mtn. bike. The saddle, which is my 4th of the same one no longer keeps pain away , but I had the same one for years on diff. bikes.
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
Servicing the lowers on a fork is very easy, you just need to acquire the right oil for your model. There are tons of guides out there to help you with the process.
RalphInCA
Well-known member
Kind of a thread hijack, but I’ve been following bikefarmer on YouTube lately.
Love his attitude/personality.
He’s the Bob Ross of bicycle repair.
Love his attitude/personality.
He’s the Bob Ross of bicycle repair.
Odd-job
Well-known member
So yesterday I learned a good lesson - Nexus/Nexave rear hubs have a 3/8-26 thread and front hubs are a "M9-CF" and they are not compatible. The 3/8-26 will go on the M9 CF, but will slip at around 5 NM, but the M9 CF will not go on the 3/8-26 willingly. Never would have thought that SAE and Metric would be mixed in such a way to booby trap the unwary. I now have extra axle bolts that I think I am going to add to a special thread checker for the next time around. None of the thread checkers sold on Amazon cover these oddball sizes (including pedal spindle threads apparently). McMaster Carr also doesn't stock these sizes either.
Oh and also learned another good lesson yet again... watch youtube before doing anything. I tore down the hub to try measuring the axle (because I thought it was stripped) only to realize the dynamo appears to be integrated with the axle and is only sold as one unit which isn't stocked anymore. I guess I needed to check and repack the bearings anyways
Oh and also learned another good lesson yet again... watch youtube before doing anything. I tore down the hub to try measuring the axle (because I thought it was stripped) only to realize the dynamo appears to be integrated with the axle and is only sold as one unit which isn't stocked anymore. I guess I needed to check and repack the bearings anyways
My collection of vintage chain breaker tools. The one on the left is virtually new only seeing very little home shop use. The two red ones came from an old school bike mechanic who used to work for Schwinn back in the day and is still wrenching after all these years. I should check if he has more tools he might part with.
acer66
Well-known member
Look like NOS to me.My collection of vintage chain breaker tools. The one on the left is virtually new only seeing very little home shop use. The two red ones came from an old school bike mechanic who used to work for Schwinn back in the day and is still wrenching after all these years. I should check if he has more tools he might part with.
Dave Rome is probably the best bike tool writer these days, he just did an article on essential tools: https://escapecollective.com/author/daverome/
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
^^ Meh.
Anyone just starting or getting back into it, get a decent multi tool, a pump, tire levers (Park, the Pedros ****), and that really should do it for bare bones, then fill in as needed/desired.
Anyone just starting or getting back into it, get a decent multi tool, a pump, tire levers (Park, the Pedros ****), and that really should do it for bare bones, then fill in as needed/desired.
You did not just go there. I've been using the same set of Pedros levers since 2013. They have seen hundreds of tires including many other bikes. I only bought additional sets to keep in other bikes and in the toolbox. Highly recommend the Pedro levers. Not sure about their mini levers but the regular size have served me well. The same can't be said for my buddy who didn't have good tire levers and had to walk/hitch hike to the nearest town after he broke his levers. I only ever carry a single lever as I don't need both and I'm that confident it won't fail me.
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slowtwitch73
Well-known member
They last, but there are waaay too wide imo (and overly large to fit in a tight bag). Not good for certain pita tire/rim combos.
That is certainly a valid concern in my experience as well. I do struggle with some of my older 23mm Conti road bike tires. For a dummy tough lever without going to something made out of metal they are hard to beat.
What are your go to levers?
The half size park that come in threes or the really cheap ones so when you snap them in half it doesn't matter as much
www.parktool.com
TL-1.2C Tire Levers
A strong tire lever set with a classic reliable design — essential for removing tires with tight beads.
www.parktool.com
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
I picked up an "Adjust-a-box" wrench at a garage sale. My Park cassette lock-ring tool lives in it permanently now.
Neff Adjust-A-Box Wrench
Well, I did a search first, because I think that’s always the right thing to do before posting (gives credit to those who came before us with finds, and, it preserves continuity of discussions and concentrates information rather than further proliferates it in multiple threads, which makes it...
www.garagejournal.com
HannibalLecter
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A shimano TL-CN42 chain checker, accurate also for special Sram Flattop chains
Mecha
Well-known member
My bike toolbox. I have some other vintage bike tools too floating around not pictured.
the shifty jesus
Active member
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Hands down my favorite lever. Stays In the shop though.
And for those times when only brute force will work to get a bead over the rim. They are a bit crappy, and only last about 10 installs, but they are a life saver as a last ditch effort:
And for those times when only brute force will work to get a bead over the rim. They are a bit crappy, and only last about 10 installs, but they are a life saver as a last ditch effort:
Squirrel!
Member
My retirement job is at a bike shop and am an avid rider (mostly mountain) for over 30 years. I do a lot of the maintenance on my husband’s and my bikes.
At the bike shop, we all use Pedro levers. Hands down, easiest lever to use to get enough leverage and not scratch or damage a rim. It’s difficult to break one and only need 2 levers to remove or seat a tire. Please do not use a screwdriver. Best way to wreck a rim. If a tire is hard to seat, use a spray bottle with soapy water on rim.
I do like the tire jack for those stubborn tire/rim combinations.
For essentials tools;
Good set of metric t-handle hex wrenches with ball bottoms. A good T25.
Pedal wrench.
Bike grease for bolts and dry lube for the chain. No WD-40, it only attracts dirt.
A bike pump with gauge that fills both presta and Schrader valves. The ones sold at a bike shop have heads that do both valves without switching anything. $50 bucks and will last forever.
A multi tool to carry with you on bike, tube and portable pump, CO2.
At the bike shop, we all use Pedro levers. Hands down, easiest lever to use to get enough leverage and not scratch or damage a rim. It’s difficult to break one and only need 2 levers to remove or seat a tire. Please do not use a screwdriver. Best way to wreck a rim. If a tire is hard to seat, use a spray bottle with soapy water on rim.
I do like the tire jack for those stubborn tire/rim combinations.
For essentials tools;
Good set of metric t-handle hex wrenches with ball bottoms. A good T25.
Pedal wrench.
Bike grease for bolts and dry lube for the chain. No WD-40, it only attracts dirt.
A bike pump with gauge that fills both presta and Schrader valves. The ones sold at a bike shop have heads that do both valves without switching anything. $50 bucks and will last forever.
A multi tool to carry with you on bike, tube and portable pump, CO2.
duneslider
Well-known member
What are you all using to remove sealed bearings from hubs?
It's been a while for me and I've only done a small handful. I just used a pin punch where possible to carefully remove bearings. I've also once used a very cheap blind hole bearing puller kit.
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There are a ton of tools for this, really depends on how much precision you want and how often you'll be using it.
Park's Slide Hammer Extractor kit is pretty good for a wide array of bearing sizes, but it's not cheap. There are blind pullers / extractors for use with hammers from Enduro, WheelsMFG, and bearingprotools.com, among others.
Abbey Bike Tools is now manufacturing the Noble Tools - out of stock at the moment but very nice.
Then there are a bunch of inexpensive options (under $50) on Amazon and Aliexpress.
HannibalLecter
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Punch and hammer, but if I were to do it regularly I'd get a blind puller or a bearing kit from aliexpress
duneslider
Well-known member
I have been using the punch and hammer method and I have had a few that were a real pain to get that way, the inner spacer didn't seem to have room to slide over and it was really tough to get the punch on the edge of the bearing. I don't mind spending a little money on a good tool but I hate spending money on crappy tools that don't work great. I have seen the wheelmfg pullers and they seem to have good reviews. The parktool slide hammer puller set seems awful expensive, I have generally been happy with my parktool stuff but it some stuff seems a bit pricey. I haven't seen the bearingprotools before, I will look at that a bit.
Gebirgekind
Well-known member
We use a Wheels Mfg set at our shop, it's solid stuff. At home when a punch doesn't fit I can usually find the right size socket to drive it out, just put an old extension on it and tap from the back.
^ This
Gebirgekind
Well-known member
There are a few tools I haven’t seen posted here yet so thought I’d share for reference and some experience working with them.
PB Swiss 1208 Hex and 1407 cross handles - these are lower profile than the Park P-handles and way more comfortable with the soft grip. They are my go-to after using others for years.
PB Swiss 1204 sliding T-handles - extremely well made and helpful when you need them.
The popular Beta 951tx T-handles for torx - these don’t have a center detent which is mildly obnoxious, but overall nice. PB Swiss don’t make a torx version.
And the Abbey Tools Hanger Alignment Gauge (H.A.G.) - This is incredibly well made with almost zero play in the brass bushing. Honestly the newer Park DAG-3 is quicker and less fiddly to use, but I like how compact the Abbey is for storage and throwing in a field kit.
PB Swiss 1208 Hex and 1407 cross handles - these are lower profile than the Park P-handles and way more comfortable with the soft grip. They are my go-to after using others for years.
PB Swiss 1204 sliding T-handles - extremely well made and helpful when you need them.
The popular Beta 951tx T-handles for torx - these don’t have a center detent which is mildly obnoxious, but overall nice. PB Swiss don’t make a torx version.
And the Abbey Tools Hanger Alignment Gauge (H.A.G.) - This is incredibly well made with almost zero play in the brass bushing. Honestly the newer Park DAG-3 is quicker and less fiddly to use, but I like how compact the Abbey is for storage and throwing in a field kit.
Attachments
acer66
Well-known member
I have the HAG from Abbey and that is a joy to use.
Where are the PB Swiss made?
Where are the PB Swiss made?
Gebirgekind
Well-known member
All in Switzerland. Best-fitting and well-wearing tips.
HannibalLecter
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The problem with blind bearing pullers is that one must have at least 3 or 4. And sometimes especially for carbon bottom bracket shells a blind pullers will do damage.(there are other extractors for this which are better and cheaper)
My problem with pb swiss t handles is the ball end. On bikes, sometimes, one must put enough force even with the long end and a ball is not ideal. I only accept balls on normal L keys.
A good alternative to the Abbey hanger alignment tool is the Unior one.
Also I really don't like park tools. Maybe the L and T keys are okay and their specialty tools are a necessity sometimes (fork crown pullers, bottom bracket thread cutters, headset presses etc) but nothing creams louder I don't know anything about tools than someone using park tool torque wrenches and thinking they are premium (they are the same as the 20$ ones and priced 10 times as much)
My problem with pb swiss t handles is the ball end. On bikes, sometimes, one must put enough force even with the long end and a ball is not ideal. I only accept balls on normal L keys.
A good alternative to the Abbey hanger alignment tool is the Unior one.
Also I really don't like park tools. Maybe the L and T keys are okay and their specialty tools are a necessity sometimes (fork crown pullers, bottom bracket thread cutters, headset presses etc) but nothing creams louder I don't know anything about tools than someone using park tool torque wrenches and thinking they are premium (they are the same as the 20$ ones and priced 10 times as much)
Gebirgekind
Well-known member
I started experimenting recently with 1/4” ratchets and bits instead of hex keys, and it’s honestly been a game changer. We’ve tended away from that in the bike industry for some reason but I’ve found a roto ratchet really nice for things like seatpost bolts, stems, cockpit controls, etc. I’m curious what others’ experiences have been?
I’ll load up a couple ratchets depending on the bike so I’m not swapping sockets out very much. The one-piece here are Hazet and Stahlwille from Germany, and the long are Snap-on and Ko-ken to keep colors differentiated between hex and torx.
For the travel box this little Titan roto bit ratchet is super!
I’ll load up a couple ratchets depending on the bike so I’m not swapping sockets out very much. The one-piece here are Hazet and Stahlwille from Germany, and the long are Snap-on and Ko-ken to keep colors differentiated between hex and torx.
For the travel box this little Titan roto bit ratchet is super!
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HannibalLecter
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The problem with ratchets for stems, seatpost clamps and so is that it's very easy to overtorque. For aligning brakes any slop at all makes them worse than L keys. I use both, but the ratchets I use are tiny (koken 1/4)I started experimenting recently with ratchets and bits instead of hex keys, and it’s honestly been a game changer. We’ve tended away from that in the bike industry for some reason but I’ve found a roto ratchet really nice for things like seatpost bolts, stems, cockpit controls, etc. I’m curious what others’ experiences have been?
I’ll load up a couple ratchets depending on the bike so I’m not swapping sockets out very much. The one-piece here are Hazet and Stahlwille from Germany, and the long are Snap-on and Ko-ken to keep colors differentiated between hex and torx.
For the travel box this little Titan roto bit ratchet is super!
Gebirgekind
Well-known member
Great point for sure, that’s where both the cross handles and the sliding T’s are helpful - the ball end is great for most things but I’ll grab the other when it’s needed.
Ha! Yes, beyond their specialty tools everything is mainly rebranded Taiwan or other tools. The L-keys are (were?) supposedly made by Bondhus though, and some of their stuff is ok but seems like quality has declined a lot. Their brake mount facing tool is maddening and has caused some fair consternation in the shop
!duneslider
Well-known member
I know this isn't totally tool related but sort of...
Shimano brake levers. I am not a pro bike shop guy but we have a lot of bikes (currently 20+ in the garage I think) and I do all the work on our bikes. Most of our bikes are shimano brakes and I am mostly happy with them all things considered. I have been running into an issue pretty much forever where the lever appears to be leaking from the lever piston. I am presuming this is due to dirt and grit getting in there and getting under the seals and allowing it to leak. In the past I thought the levers were just toast and I would replace them. I have now started cleaning them super good and then they seem to work fine after a bleed. Is this just a shimano brake thing, are we not cleaning them well enough in general (need to make some maintenance adjustments), is there something else I should be doing?
I don't see that shimano considers that part serviceable but I see there are Chinese companies that make replacement pistons, I have never torn one of these apart to see how "serviceable" the levers are. Can these be disassembled nad cleaned and seals replaced without ruining them, or is my method of cleaning the "option"?
What are you pros seeing and doing here? I know my LBS's are just telling me to replace the levers when they are leaking. I have been unimpressed by the local shops for multiple reasons and that is one big reason I started doing my own work.
Shimano brake levers. I am not a pro bike shop guy but we have a lot of bikes (currently 20+ in the garage I think) and I do all the work on our bikes. Most of our bikes are shimano brakes and I am mostly happy with them all things considered. I have been running into an issue pretty much forever where the lever appears to be leaking from the lever piston. I am presuming this is due to dirt and grit getting in there and getting under the seals and allowing it to leak. In the past I thought the levers were just toast and I would replace them. I have now started cleaning them super good and then they seem to work fine after a bleed. Is this just a shimano brake thing, are we not cleaning them well enough in general (need to make some maintenance adjustments), is there something else I should be doing?
I don't see that shimano considers that part serviceable but I see there are Chinese companies that make replacement pistons, I have never torn one of these apart to see how "serviceable" the levers are. Can these be disassembled nad cleaned and seals replaced without ruining them, or is my method of cleaning the "option"?
What are you pros seeing and doing here? I know my LBS's are just telling me to replace the levers when they are leaking. I have been unimpressed by the local shops for multiple reasons and that is one big reason I started doing my own work.
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
^^^ I've noticed the same.. just clean em and don't worry about it. They last for years.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I feel like I constantly have to lever bleed Shimanos. I've also had bad luck with their pads not breaking in. I've always been a Shimano guy, but I think my next bike will be Sram for a change.
duneslider
Well-known member
I have some sram brakes as well, just 90% shimano, sram have their issues as well. Neither is perfect. Everytime I think I want to try magura I read about their issues and decide to just stick with the issues I know.
I have been using mtx brake pads lately and like those probably a little better than shimano pads.