Bike Tools

[Lurkin]

I have decided I will not be buying any more cheap tools. Allen keys that round, tools that lack bike specific shapes, spanners that give before tightening etc.

I have recently started buying Park Tools and have been impressed with the quality so far. However, they are pretty expensive. I have been buying them from ebay and chain reaction cycles but I'm wondering if I'm just doing it wrong. Is there a decent competitor out there?

- I have recently purchased a brake piston pusher tool for pushing hydraulic brake pistons back into the caliper. Whilst it can be done with a tyre lever or screwdriver, it's just easier and a nicer job with the right tool.
- Park tool tyre levers are also stronger than the cheapo ones and are the perfect shape for the breaking the bead from the rim.

What brand do you buy? why?
Do you have a preferred supplier? why?
Is there a special/ specific tool you have which you consider special? why?

[KGB]

In my experience, nobody makes the best tool for every job. Read, search and shop around for each item. Park are generally very good, I have a few Pedros tools which are also very good (pedal spanner, chain breaker).
The Bondhus allen keys from Bunnings are excellent quality and are under $20 a set.
The best tyre levers I've found are still the old yellow, flat, wide michelin ones. The Pedros "milk levers" were the same but made of recycled milk bottles but you can't get them anymore that I know of.

Some items you can get away with cheap brands. I have Lifeline chain pliers (for removing joining links) and also their derailleur hanger alignment tool, which is just a copy of the Park tool anyway.

Ps, I can't stand the park tyre levers! Too thick at the tip and they bend and round off after a while.

[DavidS]

Good tools are well worth the extra cost. Having fixed cars and bikes for decades I know that quality tools are worth the extra cost.

DS

[jacks1071]

There are certain tools where its worth having really good quality, like allen keys and screw drivers for example. I have a few sets of snap on allen keys and they fit so much better than anything else I've used. If you manage to round one off the snap on rep replaces it for free.

A good 1/4" torque wrench is worth it and buy the most commonly used allen key drivers from snap on.

These are expensive tools though, incredibly expensive compared to something from Bunnings. If you are on a budget you're best off buying individually the allen keys and screw drivers you use most and use the rest of a cheaper set for those rarely used items. That way you can upgrade your existing tool kit for not too much expense.

I should add that some "bike specific" brands are not that great on the tool quality, I would only use bike specific tool brands for bike specific tools. Everything else I would stick to a well known tool brand, the kind of brands a proper automotive mechanic would use.

[apsilon]

I have Park Tools for all my bike specific stuff. it's not that expensive when bought OS (or at least it wasn't, I bought all mine some years ago) but for more generic tools I just stick to quality brands. eg I have a couple of sets of of Wera screwdrivers, Knipex cutters and pliers, Bondhus hex and torx drivers again all bought OS. Then for bigger tools more commonly used on the car etc rather than the bikes I have things like Kincrome socket and spanner sets.

Tools will last a life time (and then some) if not abused so buy decent stuff as you can afford and need it rather than trying to buy every tool up front.

EDIT: oh and I also have a lot of cheap junkie but functional stuff for loaning to other people. The sort of stuff you buy from Supercheap Auto, Kmart etc.

[simonn]

I'm doing similar after a recent experience.

I recently splashed out on a Park Tool PW-4 Professional Pedal wrench, due to stock and meh difference in cost when reaching free postage from a UK online store was taken into account.

Compared to my old Super-B, it is awesome. Had a "stuck-with-the-super-b-wrench-anyway" pedal on my CX and it came off easily with the PW-4. I mean really easily, like the pedal wrench equivalent of a knife through butter. Probably saved me $15-30 (~ 1/2 to 3/4 of the cost of the wrench) as I would have taken it to a bike shop.

So, +1 for that.

[Lurkin]

I've just worked out there is a pdf available on the Park Tool website comparing what tools are available in all the different kits and I'm now going through systematically to identify which tools I'll be buying next... it'll be expensive but worthwhile...

[ball bearing]

I'm of the opinion that buying cheap tools and replacing them with quality when they fail is a waste of time and money. I don't wish to discover that a tool is not up to the job when I need it to keep me cycling. Buying a better replacement seems to be a double dip.

When my trusty bike shop sold up I bought a PK-63 piece Park Tool set from Amazon when the dollar was around parity with greenbacks. The shipping was delayed so they refunded that and then when the box arrived it was torn and in really bad shape - a few tools were missing. Amazon compensated me for the missing tools and they sent replacements. Talk about customer service! I have since added to the toolkit with more Park Tools. I don't think that Amazon is currently shipping Park Tools to Oz.

Even though my bikes don't need some of the tools I have used all of them on other peoples' bikes.

[}SkOrPn--7]

I have always had good quality tool that have served me well but over time touring etc the tools had become rusty so while the $AU was still good I took that as a time to up grade so buying up big on park tools. Even thumbing through ebay you can still find park tools at a few dollars more than many of the other brands with free shippjng so still pretty competitive. I have always purchased what I wanted rather than sets that way I'm not wasting money on tools I would never use.

Ricky

[boyracer]

Tools are money or time well spent i feel. I may be biased as a tech' teacher though.
I service and build road, track, BMX, CX and MTB - disc, canti and caliper.
I have Campagnolo, Park, Pedros and Shimano tools for bike specific jobs.
I've made some of my own tools and cutters too to be used on 'modern' bikes.
I'll be passing on my tools to my kids one day.