Bicycle Mechanics - Best place to buy park bike tools

I'm not a professional bicycle mechanic. I don't work in a bike shop. But I do appreciate having the right tools to work with when I need them. And so, I'm looking constantly for one piece of this, a piece of that, and maybe something else next month.

Is there a best place for a shade-tree bicycle mechanic to buy individual pieces of Park Tools? I can't afford to pop the mega-bucks and buy an entire tool set all at once. Rather, I'm a semi-retired guy who's looking for my next marina management job - and I enjoy working on my own bikes. I am forced to buy one item at a time. Call it my "installment plan".

Right now, I'm looking to buy a Park chain tool. A good quality one that will accurately push pins in Shimano XTR 9-speed chains. Where should I look? Is there one really reliable source for genuine Park bicycle tools, at lowest price?

Craigs List.

Just bought six Parks tools off Craigs List last week. I have bought a couple of Park repair stands off C/L as well.

I had amazon prime and used their "free" 2 day shipping to send me all the tools I need when I needed them.

I had amazon prime and used their "free" 2 day shipping to send me all the tools I need when I needed them.

+1 on this suggestion. My LBS has a limited range of tools. I have purchased the Park cable puller from them, but the rest of the tools so far I have purchased through Amazon, with a prime membership shipping is free and I get the item within two working days. The prices also tend to be lower as well, though if the LBS had a better selection I would probably buy more from them.

Your local bike shop does not add shipping, as they hand things to you over the counter.

If you have a Performance Bike close to you, I would definitely suggest going there for 3 reasons:
1. They will price match other advertised prices
2. They carry a good selection of Park Tools (at least all the ones near me do)
3. They sell Spin Doctor tools, which I find are great substitutes for certain park tools

ebay

If you can't find what you need on the auction/private sale sites, register with bikenashbar. They will notify you of sales and send you special deals as well. Recently I was able to get $10 off a floor pump plus 15% off the rest of my order. Nothing was excluded except already heavily discounted items (returns/closeouts, etc.)

Your local bike shop does not add shipping, as they hand things to you over the counter.

Neither does Amazon, when you have a prime account. Further Amazon doesn't charge sales tax. All of that on top of a 15-20% discount from the suggested retail the LBS charges. That said if my LBS had the tools in stock that I needed I would probably buy from them anyway.

http://www.biketoolsetc.com
or your local bike shop.

Your local bike shop does not add shipping, as they hand things to you over the counter.If I need it TODAY and the bikeshop has it, I'll get it there. But I don't particularly feel like paying a bike shop to order it for me so I will be able to drive to their shop when it finally comes in and pay a markup on it so if they don't have it in stock, I'll just order it myself, pay less, have it shipped free, and not worry about it.

By the way, since Amazon keeps Park Tools (and Garmin) in their own warehouses, any orders over $25 for these products are shipped free.

I get most of mine from my LBS.

I also try to support my LBS but if they have to order it becomes a bit of an inconvenience ... for me. I just picked up three Park tools from performancebike.com. They were on sale, plus I had a "we miss you" additional 13% off total purchase coupon. That combined with free shipping when shipped to a local store, or free home delivery if over $150, is a deal that's pretty hard to beat. FWIW, Performance also offers an in-store lunch time discount on Tuesdays between 12 - 2 of 10%. This can be combined with all other offers.

OP, I think that I'm similar to you.

Here's my thoughts about buying tools strategically.

If you have a good LBS, one with management that encourages customer care and has a decent mechanical staff, you should try to buy some tools from them. They can be a great resource at the moment you need advice or help. Having a bit of a relationship can occasionally pay off more value than your savings elsewhere.

Having said that it's no sin if you can save significant money on a high dollar tool elsewhere, IMHO. But things like chainwhips, cassette keys, pedal wrenches, etc. purchased face to face builds a valuable relationship for the money.

I use tree fort bikes. Cheaper or comparable to amazon, even with shipping.