I know it’s been discussed on here before but I can’t find it. Bugger

Anyway, I want to buy a set of tools, or build up a set by buying a few pieces then adding to it month by month.

So what do you need in a basic toolkit to maintain/service a hardtail?
A list of items would be really help.
cheers

Every now and then lidl do a complete tool kit which is good value

anyway

A set of allen keys halfords professional range are a good quality / cost compromise. Cheap allens are a false economy. Make sure you get the tiny ones for brake lever adjusters and the like.

Chain whip and cassette removal tool.

Decent snips / cable cutters ( good pliers will do)

Depending on the bike you might need spanners – maybe an adjustable and a pedal spanner

Maybe a chainring nut tool

Crank extractor depending on the type of crank. Some HT11 don’t require a special extractor – octalink and some FSA HT11 type do

Spoke key

BB tool if you want to remove it but can be bought when erequired

Set of screwdrivers – small and medium cross and flat
Thats all I can think of

My trick, and often copied by friends… Buy a bike specific tool kit that has everything you could ever need. As bits break replace them with quality tools. That way you’re not spending loads of money on tools you only use once. Granted you will replace often used items, but only you can know which bits you use most. Also, for generic tools stay away from specialist bike tools. My 10mm and 8mm allen keys cost £2 each, have big handles on them and don’t say Park on the handle.

A decent multi-tool should keep you going for a while, providing it has a chain splitter & T25 torx key.
The rest:-

5mm Hex Key.
The rest of the Hex Key set.

Spoke Key.
GOOD Cable Cutters.
Chain Splitter.
Cassette tool.
Chainwhip.
Cone Spanners.
Pedal spanner.
BB Tool.

“A set of allen keys halfords professional range are a good quality / cost compromise. Cheap allens are a false economy.”

Oh yes. Cheap allen keys = stripped bolt heads, first time that happens on a tiny wee bolt in an expensive part you’ll wish you paid £10 more for a better set.

It depends what you want really. I bought the smaller Lifeline kit, it’s very good, not too much filler (most bike toolkits come with loads of utter crap so they can say “40 piece tool kit” but actually what you want is the 10 bike-specific tools not the magnetic parts bowl and the wobbly adjustable wrench. Not such good value as it was… But other than lacking a HT2 BB tool it’s enough to strip and build bikes into their component atoms and all of the tools are of decent quality. The cable cutters are surprisingly good.

The Icetoolz one is OK too.

Commonly people will recommend you to buy tools as you need them, but that can work out a lot more expensive, if you buy well a £40 kit can give you a lot more than 4 £10 tools will. Not to mention that when you suddenly discover you need a 14mm cone spanner the night before your holidays, having a full kit is nice!

Check out Superstar for tools, don’t assume they’re the best prices mind but quite a lot of the stuff they sell retails under different brands for a fair bit more. other stuff looks like tat though.

get yer allens from snap on, bondhus, britool or facom.

Silverline.
Stanley.
Park.
Pedros.
Icetools.

Lots of my tools are from each of them.

Silverline are spot on for Allen keys,
Stanley are great for screwdrivers or anything similar
Park for your cable cutters, don’t buy shit as you crimp the cable rather than cutting it and they’ll last forever.
Ice tools / Shimano for your crank extractor tools/bb removal tool ect (Cast Items)

HTH!

Definitely recommend bondhus allens – gorillaproof indeed.

I picked up one of these recently for odd-jobs. Thought it was pretty good value / quality.

IceToolz Essence Tool Kit – £33.95 inc

Lots of good advice here

essential tools you should aim to have

Obviously they’d like you to buy Park tools, (and there’s nothing wrong with that, they’re good quality and they last) but they’re are cheaper alternativs

As above, I also find a soft hammer invaluable for all sorts of jobs.

Spoke key for some home truing

Also when you start doing a few more things like build your own frame I really would recommend buying a half decent headset press (mine was from wiggle at £30…) 5 min job used to take me hours with wood and hammer

what northwind said is sound advice. I have been in various positions in bike shops and can vouch that having the right tool to hand is hugely useful. One instant upgrade in cheap kits for me would be allen keys. Get the best you can afford. The other bits can be replaced as and when.

thanks for the help

I’ve taken the ‘build over time’ approach, where “time” is about 25 years, longer if you include the tools I inherited from my grandad.

If I were starting from scratch I’d buy a kit. For me, when I started bike fettling I had all but the specialist tools; bought a pedal wrench and a multitool, that’s about it.