So my 21st fast approaches and I'm getting a full socket set with all the sizes and extras I could need however every year my sisters get me a little present that I usually just use as a chance to get another little bike tool for around 20 quid.
Things like a chain whip and cassette tool for example. I have most of the non bike specific ones such as a really good set of facom allen keys and adjustable spanners but am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for any tools I might've overlooked. Initially I was thinking of some proper cable cutters but rarely change my cables so then thought a bb tool for shimano cranks as all my bikes run em.
Cheers for the advice
Have you got a decent set of proper, strong workshop tyre levers? I'm glad of mine after seeing how well they coped with the tight bead on that last tyre I changed.
So my 21st fast approaches
Mods! Ban him/her please. Too young and flaunting it! 😉
Cable cutters is a good shout. I very rarely use mine but I'm glad I have them when I do. Chain quick link removal tool is pretty handy too. Definitely BB spanner if you don't have one. Nice pedal spanner too
Chain whip and cassette tool as you suggest are essential. A spoke key to tighten the occasional spoke. Chain splitter. Topeak do little torque wrenches at set torque ratings - choose one for the stem bolt rating for example. Cable cutters are invaluable - they will last for years too. Torx wrenches. That's a start anyway...
A decent set of cable cutters are worth it. You? will change cables more often and have a better working bike. Expense though for a good set.
Quick link pliers. I have the park tool ones but there'll be other brands. Why in gods name I didn't get these years ago I will never know.
Have a look at the decathlon chainless chain whip. Brilliant tool, much better than a normal chain whip.
Also, if not too much over budget, a torque wrench is handy.
Knippex Pliers Wrench or a soft-face mallet.
Really good cable cutters are a good tip. None of your bike-specific bollocks though, the best cable cutters are just standard wire rope cutters. (or you can buy the exact same thing with Pedros branding for 3 times as much...)
It's not popular on here but a well specced little toolbox isn't a bad idea. They're not the best value, compared to buying just a handful of specific tools but they come into their own at 9pm on a friday night when you suddenly discover these stupid hubs that came with your new bike need a cone wrench for some reason, and it turns out you already own one...
steerer tube cutting guide, can use it for bars etc too.
Topeak Ratchet rocket lite DX. It's so cute and amazingly useful!
John
Quicklink pliers (as already mentioned) - really useful and less than a tenner.
Flush cut side cutter for snipping the end of cable ties, you can get a perfectly good pair for less than a fiver.
Bleed kit for your brakes from Epic Bleed Solutions?
Soft faced mallet is a great shout.
Torque wrench is good idea but possibly over budget.
Set of picks for removing seals for regreasing bearings?
Grease gun?
Lots there to be getting on with!
Si
[url= https://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Park-Tool/BBT-102-HollowTech-2-Bearing-Adjuster-Cap-Tool/VIA ]Park Hollowtech 2 tool[/url] - it's a thing of beauty
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TBH though it's a worse tool than the cheap-as-dirt plastic one I have- it looks nice but the wings could almost be designed to encourage overtorquing. And pretty much everyone overtorques shimano cranks at the best of times.
Agreed, but it looks and feels lovely (as long as you have a light touch). The point for pulling the locking tab up is great too.
It [i]is[/i] nice. I do like a well cast tool.
The Lezyne version is lovely and works (if you have a big spanner.)
It's a cassette and bb tool in one: [url= http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-External-BB-and-Cass-Lockring-Tool_53647.htm ]here[/url]
Quicklink pliers - I took the piss when they first came out. It's a quicklink designed so you don't need a tool... but then 10 and 11 speed came out, and they're impossible to undo without pliers! (Wiggle have KMC ones cheap)
Cable cutters definitely, if you've not got a good set.
Grease gun or a decent pedal spanner otherwise, perhaps.
I specifically bought one of those Park BB preload tools above to deal with removing over torqued caps, far easier than dealing with them using the little plastic one. Park link pliers are also available in a version with an extended tip (LMP1.2) that's shaped for closing as well as opening, making it even more useful. Wire rope cutters? They all look identical, but some don't last long before blunting (the expensive Pedro's version mentioned above has to be the shortest lasting pair i've owned), Knipex, Felco, and Draper all seem to last a fair time before dying.
Sfn installer. you can think of your sister every time you wallop it with a hammer.
Toppeak Tyre Pressure Guage?
Not a tool in the sense you mean maybe, but I've had one years now and I've come to realise that tyre pressures make a really big difference to your ride. A digital guage is best way to know what the pressure is.
Park Tool Pro Bottle Opener.
A small torque wrench - mainly for handle bar stems - to prevent you breaking; bolts, nuts, stems. less than £15.
[url= http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Topeak-Combo-Torq-Wrench-Set_61547.htm?sku=178989&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=COXIhvDr1tMCFcgy0wod9DkEhw ]Torque wrench[/url]