Bicycle Mechanics - tool kit.

The sad day i always knew would come has finally arrived ... the friend with the tools is leaving town.

anybody have advice on which tools are best? Which kit will give me what i need? Which one they regret buying? who has the best deals? Is it worth buying the kits at all?

I have a good 150-200 to blow on this month's purchase without getting into too much trouble with the Mrs. But i might want to shave that down as much as possible, as she's still a little touchy from last month's upgrade spree.

any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated ...

Piecemeal the tools you buy, you'll avoid some crappy ones and unused ones that you will find in the kits.

I'd start with screwdrivers, cone and allen wrenches (also torx if you have the need). Pedros, Park are the known name brands, but I have found Spin Doctor (Performance brand) to be decent. A good Park chain tool is nice, the small lightweight one is good enough if your just doing home stuff. Plus you can take it along on rides if you don't have one on a multi-tool.

After that, consider cassette (lockring and chainwhip) and bottom bracket tools. A spoke wrench or two if you are comfortable truing wheels. Decide how you need cable cutters and/or a dremel.

If you don't have one, consider spending a few bucks on a workstand. Alot of people like the Ultimate stands (Pro or Pro Elite). There are others that do well for less, but those Ultimates are pretty nice.

Build from there...

Definitely consider a stand. I use mine more often than any other dedicated bike tool.

+1 on the buy only what you really need,,,instead of the kit,,, that also allows you to let the wifey know that you are not spending frivolously. (without need) whatever.............peace

I sort of went a different route. After getting a stand (which I went cheap on, so am already thinking of getting a better one), I got a basic Nashbar tool kit ($60). From there, the only bike specific tools I've needed to add so far are a bottom bracket tool (which I use for the lockring on my fixed gear bike) and a 1/8" chain whip (also for the fixed gear). Oh, and I added a Park multi-size spoke wrench.

That said, I've only needed a couple tools from the kit, and find myself using my standard ball tip hex keys and box wrenches more often. In retrospect I should have put that $60 into a better workstand and then just added tools as needed...as everyone else has suggested. The only downside to this route is you may find yourself having to order something off the internet (to get the best deal) and having to wait for tools before being able to work on whatever you're doing.

thanks for responding (and so quickly) ...

You just saved me some money. I had a hunch this is what you guys would say, and i'm more than happy to take your advice.

Thanks again.