Suggested Tools (maybe a candidate for a FAQ?)

EdH51

As a mechanically adept (inept?) hobbyist in many different areas (but never before with bicycles), I've accumulated a wide variety of tools over time. I've always bought quality if there were any question of needing it again. And I've always considered the "wrong" tool worse than no tool at all.

I'm about to begin building (and maintaining) my first from-scratch bike. I looked at the Park Tools website and buying a kit seems like stupid duplication of much I already have: there can't exist an allen or torx, metric or otherwise, that isn't already well-represented in my tool chest, not to mention the many more for which I would unlikely ever find a need. However, there are a number of specialty tools unique to bicycling and necessary for their assembly and maintenance which I will need. I request (and propose as a FAQ) a list of suggested tools and their application, e.g.,

• Park Tool - Bottom Bracket Tool BBT-9 - for use with all (Shimano) HollowTech II type bottom brackets (Shimano's TL-FC25 adapter - supplied w/ SH-BBR60 - needed for the new Ultegra 6800 series as it's weight loss was partially gained by shaving the cups; TL-FC24 adapter needed for XTR series BB93, same reason)
• Park Tool - Master Link Pliers MLP-1.2 - replaces both both KMC Missing Link pliers for installing and/or removing the conjoining chain link

... such that we can pick and choose to meet current needs easily without having to bumble through awkward searches to locate an esoteric tool or purchase unnecessary duplicates.

keezx

Something went wrong here.....

keezx

Never buy a kit because half of it you already have and the other half is either poor quality or too expensive.

1-Tools you need:
Bottombracket tools for your system
Cassettetool for your system, incl. chain whip.
Chain punch for shortening new chains
2-Useful for building up:
Cable cutter
3 Universal tools like hex wrenches, torx wrenches, spanners, screwdrivers and so on...

Some will come up with torque wrenches and missing link pliers, but I don't need them nor use them.

You would laugh hard if you could see my workshop......

Working on bikes is really childish simple and doesn't cost much.

rolf_f

Keezx wrote:

Never buy a kit because half of it you already have and the other half is either poor quality or too expensive.

I bought a kit. I used every part in it and most of the tools are still fine after over 40,000 miles of cycling. It was excellent value. Yes, they could be better quality but they are no worse than some of the made of cheese Park tools I've bought. Infact, some are rather better designed.

For a starter, a decent kit is a great idea. £40-£50 should get something durable enough for most peoples needs

keezx

I wouldn't think EdH51 is a starter in general, he just needs som dedicated stuff.

EdH51

I'm a starter with mechanics of bicycles; however, I probably have well over £2,000 in small hand tools and small power tools of all varieties, both metric and SAE (US standard - sorry, Imperial specific tools are hard to come by on my side of the pond) and can handle dis-assembly and re-assembly of anything from a small lawn tractor down to a fully mechanical watch. The watch I rebuilt works perfectly as long as one is satisfied with 71-minute hour. But it does work! And it didn't at all before my operation upon it. (It's allowed to be a bit slow; it's well over 100 years old.)

I'm quite confident that I can assemble all the bits that make up a bicycle (given acquisition of the proper tools); what I've yet to determine is my ability to get all the adjustments and alignments in proper order such that I don't damage the finished product on first ride. What I may end up doing is all the mechanical assembly and leave running the brake & derailleur cables, aligning the derailleur mechanism and adjusting shifters & wrapping the handlebar to a professional. But I want to feel my way first and see just how far I can get.

What I don't have are the bicycle-centric tools. Over-indulging in the internet knowledge-base gave me the impression there were dozens of bicycle-specific tools. And while Park Tools may not be up to snuff, they seem to have developed a reputation for having everything well covered. Therefore, I perused some of their packaged kits, only to discover that much of their content I already have. Thus this thread and my quest to identify what I might actually need to augment what I already have rather than waste money buying a packaged kit. I'm now getting the message that there are really only a very few bicycle-specific tools needed -- probably less than £100 worth. Considering what I've already spent on the bike's parts, that's a very good thing.

Edited to add: A packaged kit of tools, including the bike-centric bits, makes perfect sense for someone who hasn't a collection of tools already at hand; however, that's not my situation.

keezx

EdH51 wrote:

I'm now getting the message that there are really only a very few bicycle-specific tools needed -- probably less than £100 worth. Considering what I've already spent on the bike's parts, that's a very good thing.

Yeah, THAT was my message indeed.
For the start you can buy the things I mentioned because you need them anyway....
Building a racing bike (or whatever bike) is really no rocket science...
Adjustment and alignment? and not to forget maintenance is a matter of expierience.

Giraffoto

EdH51 wrote:

What I may end up doing is all the mechanical assembly and leave running the brake & derailleur cables, aligning the derailleur mechanism and adjusting shifters & wrapping the handlebar to a professional.

Those are all very straightforward jobs, the last of which doesn't even require tools. Bicycle specific tools tend to be the ones you need for bottom bracket cups, cassette lockrings, spokes and chains. Nearly everything else should be generic - hex keys, torx keys or screwdrivers - unless you're reaming, threading or facing bits of your frame.

t4tomo

The watch I rebuilt works perfectly as long as one is satisfied with 71-minute hour.

We'd get a lot done in day and have time for more rides if this was adopted as a standard worldwide.

StillGoing

EdH51 wrote:

I'm quite confident that I can assemble all the bits that make up a bicycle (given acquisition of the proper tools); what I've yet to determine is my ability to get all the adjustments and alignments in proper order such that I don't damage the finished product on first ride. What I may end up doing is all the mechanical assembly and leave running the brake & derailleur cables, aligning the derailleur mechanism and adjusting shifters & wrapping the handlebar to a professional. But I want to feel my way first and see just how far I can get.

As Keezx has posted, you don't need much in the way of tools to do your own servicing and builds. A chain whip, cassette socket, BB tool, some hex sockets, chain tool, cable cutters, pliers and a torque key/wrench. If you're going to service your wheels then some cone spanners.

With regards to the jobs you intend to leave to a professional; why? Knowing how to index your gears may one day benefit you on a ride so learn how to do it. Cable routing isn't rocket science and whilst integral cable routing can be a bit of a job when there are no sleeves, you soon learn the tricks to get it done.

964cup

Here's what I came up with when asked this question by a mate, based on looking through my toolboxes.

Really decent allen key/torx set – ball-headed, T-handle. Doesn’t need to be a bike brand, get from Toolstation or Screwfix. You need 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm and 10mm allen keys and T15, 25, 35 torx as a minimum. You will need more than one 5 and 6mm allen key.
Decent ring spanner set. Sizes will vary, but 10mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 17mm, 25mm as a minimum. Halfords Pro-series ratchet spanners are good.
Cone spanners (thin spanners, mostly for hub maintenance); Park Tool do inexpensive double-ended ones. Unit mm sizes from 13-19.
Quality adjustable spanner (don’t buy cheap here, or you’ll round off your nuts. Oo-err. Matron.)
Cassette tool (Shimano or Campag as appropriate)
Chain whip
BB tool (for external BBs, again Shimano or Campag)
Torque wrench, bike specific (mine is BBB). With 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm allen and T25 torx as a minimum. 1-20nm range.
Cable and outer cutter; also third hand (cable puller) if you like, but I find I use mine less and less
Shimano hollowtech II crankset tool (sounds grandiose, is made of plastic and costs £2)
Bearing race pick (for getting the seals off cartridge bearings so you can re-grease ‘em)
Chain breaker
Chain wear guide
Spare Dura-Ace chain rivets (or use a magic link, in which case you don’t necessarily need the chain breaker)
Magic link pliers (if you're using magic links)
Pedal wrench
Electrical tape (for securing bar tape)
Helicopter tape (for protecting the frame from cable rub)
Rubber mallet
1/4" socket set
Metal file
Scissors
Fine-tip tweezers (for, e.g., catching cable when threading internal cabling in bars/frame)
Stanley knife
Valve key
Sidecutters
Pack of assorted zip ties
Tyre levers (Lezyne are good)
Proper track pump – don’t skimp here, cheap ones are shit
Dry lube (Pedros Ice Wax or Muc-Off G3 Ceramic)
Wet lube (Green Oil or Muc-Off)
Mineral oil (sewing machine oil is good)
Lithium grease
GP red grease
Carbon assembly compound (if you have carbon parts)
#1 and #2 Phillips and Pozidrive screwdrivers (not bits + handle, but proper drivers with reasonably long shanks)
WD40
Muc-Off or a similar detergent
Citrus degreaser
Chain cleaner (device and liquid)
Microfibre cloths
Bag of spare cable ends (they’ve got a proper name which temporarily escapes me – they’re the bit you crimp over the end of a brake or gear cable to stop it fraying)
Emery paper
Blue loctite
Mechanic’s gloves and/or latex disposable gloves
Sharpie
Grease pencils (black and white)
Velcro strips (for, e.g., holding forks straight by tying wheel to frame)
Handlebar holder for workstand
Small parts tray/bowl (Park do a magnetic one)
…and, yes, definitely a decent workstand. (or two - one for working on, one for washing on)

Other things you might want, if you do a lot of builds, build wheels or want to completely strip bikes for servicing:

Big torque wrench (at least 60nm capacity); you only need this for fitting cranksets and threaded BBs
Bearing press (for headset cups and PF30/BB30 bearings)
Bearing removal tool (for BB30/PF30)
Green Loctite (for PF30/BB30 bearing cups) & Loctite 7063 surface prep
Steerer cutting guide and hacksaw
Micrometer/vernier gauge
Circlip pliers
Brake cleaner (basically a more aggressive degreaser)
Scales (tabletop and hanger)
Wheel truing stand, spoke keys, tensiometer and dish gauge (I went Park Tools TS-2, but that's expensive)
Derailleur hanger alignment tool (again, I went Park Tool for this)
Pressure washer

There’ll be more. There’s always more… (tub glue, tub glue remover, tub tape, heatshrink, dielectric grease, di2 installation tool, crank pullers for square taper cranks, tub repair kit, patches, spare tubes, spare spokes & nipples, spare tubeless valves, latex sealant, co2 cartridges, penetrating oil, rivnut tool (for replacing bottle cage fittings, and yes, I did buy one…), Speedplay grease gun and grease, grease syringe for easy regreasing of bearings, framesaver (holds the chain off the chainstays when you have the rear wheels out), and so on, and so on…) Oh, and endless ^&%$£&!$£! toolboxes to keep it all in.

The only thing I have recently needed an LBS to do is reaming and facing a headtube. Reaming kits (especially when you need all the different bearing sizes) seem unlikely to make sense for a home mechanic unless you're going to build at least a dozen steel/alloy framed bikes a year. Ditto BB facers and thread cutters, given that so many modern frames are press-fit. I might get both headset and BB tools if I was to start restoring old frames routinely.

EdH51

964Cup wrote:

Here's what I came up with when asked this question by a mate, based on looking through my toolboxes . . .

Based on your comprehensive list, I can see why Keezx was so dismissive of the need for specialty tools. Most of what you've listed are things any serious tinkerer (including me) would already have. And, with only one bike in the immediate future, only those few specialty tools unique to its assembly need be purchased. Regardless, It is nice to have so complete a list for reference. Thank you.

philthy3 wrote:

. . . With regards to the jobs you intend to leave to a professional; why? Knowing how to index your gears may one day benefit you on a ride so learn how to do it. Cable routing isn't rocket science and whilst integral cable routing can be a bit of a job when there are no sleeves, you soon learn the tricks to get it done.

I fully intend to learn. If I decide to enlist the help of a bike mechanic, I plan to make it a joint project. I'll pay him well for his guidance and allowing me to look over his shoulder (and him to look over mine) in completing the project. What I'm afraid of is that, unlike the watch which was old but of little value, I might expensively and/or irreparably damage parts of the drive train and/or screw up the brakes. Not much point having a posh bike if I destroy it on first ride, or, worse, launch myself over the handlebar and crack my head open. As for the bar tape, well, it's a posh bike -- I want it to look appropriately well-wrapped.

Giraffoto wrote:

Those are all very straightforward jobs, the last of which doesn't even require tools . . .

True, they are; however, to do them well requires experience -- something I lack. I suspect my inexperience is why my grand old watch has a 71-minute hour (at least it's consistent). Its regulating mechanisms are probably its most delicate parts and, in spite of my pride in getting it working, the truth is that I probably bungled it. I don't want to do that with a £3000 bicycle.

StillGoing

You don't need to pay someone to do the job while you watch in order to learn. Somewhere on the internet will be a video showing you how to do things. I learned how to index gears purely from watching a couple of videos. There are also books on maintenance and guidance sheets on the various manufacturers web sites.

Bar tape wrapping is also not difficult. If you're really unsure, do a dry run first or use a bit of old tape to practice how you're going to the turns around the shifters and decide whether you're going to go from inside to out, or outside to in with your wrapping. Personally I go inside to out so that when gripping the bars on the drops the force is always going in the direction of the wrap rather than against it.

If you enjoy tinkering just have a crack at it all yourself. You're not going to break anything or do irreparable damage and the satisfaction that you did everything will be worth a lot more to you than a few quid thrown at someone else.

964cup

philthy3 wrote:

If you enjoy tinkering just have a crack at it all yourself. You're not going to break anything or do irreparable damage and the satisfaction that you did everything will be worth a lot more to you than a few quid thrown at someone else.

Couldn't agree more.

Bikes are astonishingly simple machines, and the little precision engineering involved is both robust and requires no input from the user or mechanic. As long as you take it slowly, *and never force anything* you'll be fine. There's plenty of help on here, and no shortage of videos and how-to guides on the net.

One thing I can promise you is that you will take more care and do less damage than many LBS mechanics. Some are very good; many are dreadful; all are under time pressure that you do not experience.

There are certain things it's worth practising with cheap/spare kit - notably wheel-building (it's much easier to relace a wheel with external nipples and round spokes than one with internal nipples and CXRays) and bar tape wrapping - because quite a lot of tape is intolerant of rewrapping. BBB gel is cheap as chips, survives rewrapping well, and is actually not a bad bar tape. Deda, for instance, falls to bits as you take it off.

Always measure several times - and *think* before cutting seat tubes and steerers (or you'll forget to account for e.g. the thickness of the top cap and cut too long, or get too ambitious about your flexibility and cut too short), and always use a cutting guide.

On a final note, on high-end bikes, carbon assembly paste is your best friend, and be OCD about checking the torque setting on your wrench before you use it. The torque range on a bike (excluding the BB) can be from 2.5nm to 12nm across different components, but because most of them are either 5 or 6nm it's easy to assume that's where the wrench is set, forgetting that you've just torqued up a Ritchey one-bolt seatclamp to 12nm. I may have done this...