Bike Tools and Gear – The essential tools and gear you need for your home workshop
This is part 2 of the guide to setup your own bike workshop – focusing on the bike tools and gear you need to kit out your workshop
Click back to learn how to setup your own bike workshop
The following is a list of some of the essential tools and gear you will need for your workshop. It should provide you with a basic assortment to get you going…
A Workstand
You will need a workstand of some sort or another. Find something simple, solid and a reasonable price. You wouldn’t want to be paying much more than $400.
When you clamp your bike remember to always use the seat post. Having a carbon seat post I find is useful to have an old, cheap steel post to use (NEVER clamp to a carbon seat post)
1mm to 8mm Allen Keys
As I said in part 1, you get what you pay for. Don’t waste your money on cheap ones. You will use allen keys for nearly everything so get a decent set
Screwdrivers
Same deal as the allen keys. Make sure you get a set of both Philips head and flat bladed screwdrivers
Chain Breaker
Get some spare pins and links when you get your chain breaker. Generally if you are going to be using a chain breaker, you are going to need the spares (try to ensure they match your chain)
Pedal Spanner
People often think they don’t really need one, but I have found that one of the most common creaks on bikes comes from pedals that aren’t done up properly
Bottom Bracket Splined Tool
This little number is used for removing your bottom bracket from your frame.
Cone Spanners
As with the allen keys, you are going to use these a lot so get some quality ones. You will likely need 13, 14, 15 and 17mm sizes.
Spoke Key
Don’t rush out to get one of these. It can be very easy to ruin a wheel if you get it wrong.
Multigrips
These little beauties are handy for countless number of things
Lubricants
For a good general purpose grease on moving parts I recommend Pedros Synlube. For cables and pivot points Pedros Extra Dry is another good one. You will also want to get a decent chain lube. There are a number of good varieties on the market.
Safety Glasses
Don’t try to be a hero. It’s hard to ride your bike if you are blind!
Other Bike Tools
A number of other handy bike tools to have include:
- Scissors
- Stanley knife
- Cable cutters
- Long nosed pliers
- Crank puller
- Floor pump with pressure gauge
- Tyre levers
- Assortment of cleaning agents, brushes and rags
- Wire for securing grips
- Pipe cutter – for trimming bars and seat posts
- Files and sandpaper – for cleaning up rough edges
- And finally… an apron
