Originally Posted by
WizardOfBoz
All good. cycocommute's list is awesome.
He lists a needle-nose wire cutter. If this is a needle-nosed plier with a wire cutter I agree. Very nice to have, Also standard pliers are nice for grabbing the end of a brake or derailleur cable.
For some things, it's useful to have a micrometer. 0-1 inch, or 0-25mm. Digital versions have the advantage of doing both. I use snooty high end stuff (Starrett) cuz I'm a machinist wannabe, and there's other great high end products (Mitutoyo is probably the standard now) but you can get a digital electronic version from Harbor Freight for $35. Or buy an old analog Starrett mechanical version of ebay perhaps for less.
A digital caliper can also be useful. A 0-6" should be fine. Measure BB widths and dropout spacings.
The needle nose pliers I like are the
Park NP-6. Not for their cutting capability but because they are useful for pulling on cables (and other things) and they are the best cable end crimper I've ever found.
A caliper is nice to have and use but I've never used a micrometer in 40 years of mechanicing.