Cgswss

I see a lot of bicycle repair tool kits, but a lot of the tools are just cheap versions of "normal" tools I have (screwdrivers, Allen wrenches,open end wrenchs,and sockets). And I see a lot of bike specific tools that a bike shop might need but I know what stuff I have. Not said well. OK bouth my son and I have Shimano 24 speed bikes plus 21 speed mountain bikes (Shimano) so I will never need a tool for regina freewheel removal or what ever.

I see a Nashbar spanner set that mostly just has bike sounding tools. Would that plus the normal tools I already have be the way to go, or am I buying a set when all I need for my bikes are these 3 or 4 tools in addition to what I already have? My thinking here is if I buy a good chain breakin tool, it most likely is better then what comes in the set and if there are only a few we need, I rather buy just the better tools we need rather then a bunch of cheaper tools, half of witch I don't need.

We do "tune up" type stuff know, but that is just screwdrivers and Allen wrenches. I have never replaced a chain or cassette or done any service on the bottom bracket

seedsbelize 

Most new chains come with a quick link, and a pair of specialty pliers for that goes a long way. A hub vise is nice, if you are doing wheel hubs. And cone wrenches, of course. The tool I use the most is the Park NP 6 needle nose plier. A wonderful tool. A chain whip, or two is nice, and these are easily made from scratch. And a casette tool.

hhnngg1

You will need some bike-specific tools.

Look at the stuff in this kit, and you'll get an idea of what you're missing

https://www.amazon.com/BIKEHAND-Bike...epair+tool+kit

chorlton

Follow your own advice. As you suggest much of it is not specialised. Buy specialised as and when you need it. Buy Branded, seedsbelize mentions Park Tools. It costs but it is good stuff. Ice Toolz is cheaper but in my experience also reliably does the job. I guess it is better to make your own individual choices rather than buy someone else's bargain bucket. You get to suck your own mistakes. Sometimes 'cheap rubbish' is almost just as good as the expensive stuff. $3 vs $30

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cny-bikeman

You need the tools that are required for the type of service you are doing on the specific bikes you own or work on. That can vary by a huge degree. Unless you are planning to do a lot of work for friends just buy what you need as you need it.

Bike tinker man

Fully agree buy what you need to service your & son's bike as you need them, over many years I've picked up tools as I go along, some maybe as old as myself, although I have a tool kit there are tools in there I've never used. Basically you want to be able to remove & service both wheel hubs, BB (pulling off the cranks), remove cassette, freewheel etc.

wphamilton

Some of the useful bike tools aren't likely already in your toolkit. To service the wheels you'll need a freewheel tool the 7-speed mtb and cassette tool for the 8-speed. It's difficult to adjust cone tightness without a thin "cone wrench" - it's just a 13mm-16mm open end wrench but thinner than normal.

We need a crank-puller to get the crank and crank arms off. BB tool for the bottom bracket. Sure, we might do that infrequently enough to just let a shop do it, but the tools are less than labor so why not get the job done AND the tools? A chain breaker is pretty much necessary if you're doing enough maintenance to need the other tools, and while you could get by without a spoke wrench it not a good idea (you'll bugger up the nipples).

Cable cutters and torque wrench would be handy, but I just use what I have for those purposes.

dsbrantjr

+1 agree totally. I would suggest buying a good quality cable cutter; Park and Shimano make fairly nice ones. I sprang for Felco C3 and C7 cable cutters years ago and they are as good as the day I bought them, and not much more than the Shimano ones.

SkyDog75

As you already know judging by the Regina freewheel comment, different bikes may require different tools. Without knowing more about your particular bikes, I don't know if that Nashbar kit with "bike sounding tools" has the specific tools you'll need, but if you've got a decent selection of hand tools already, just pick up the bike-specific tools you'll need for your bikes individually.

I don't know what specific bikes you have, but can make a few guesses since you mentioned Shimano and 21 & 24 speed drivetrains...

Square taper cranks? Pick up a Park Tool CWP-7 crank puller to remove cranks when you need to.

Shimano cartridge bottom brackets? Pick up a Park Tool BBT-22 or BBT-32 to remove & reinstall when necessary.

The 8-speed bike likely has a cassette. 7-speed can be either freewheel or cassette. To remove & reinstall Shimano cassettes, you can use a Park Tool FR-5 and a chain whip. For freewheels, a Park Tool FR-1.3.

You'll need a tool to cut cables and to make clean, square cuts on cable housings. I have a Park Tool CN-10 cable and housing cutter, but I've found that a Dremel with a cutting wheel makes better cuts on housings.

A halfway decent chain breaker is handy since you'll need one to 'cut' new chains to size even if those chains come with a quick link. Speaking of quick links, if you use them, a set of quick link pliers is nice to have (but not absolutely necessary).

You need a spoke wrench to true wheels. You may have bikes with different sized spoke nipples, so you can either pick up a set of spoke wrenches or use a wrench with multiple sizes like a Park Tool SW-7.

JonathanGennick 

How old is your son? Working on bikes is a great way to expose kids to mechanics, and get them familiar with using tools. Maybe pick an easy task like removing the cassette and cleaning it away from the hub where you can be free to get messy with the degreaser. Or you could choose to run fresh cable, maybe with some colored housing for the bling factor. Buy whatever tools are needed for your chosen task. Then get to work and enjoy some father/son time.

Cgswss

When I talk about doing things with my Son, I always give the impression he is a kid. Maybe I should always use "Adult Son". I'm retired and he in his late 30s. But it doesn't change what you said. Not too long from now he will be coming to live with me. And we have always had a great relationship. He helped me convert a 1981 piece of lawn art into a great running Honda CB650. Having learned (and acquired the few speciality tools required ) I helped him completely rebuild and restore an even older Honda CB550. We have done several complete tear out and rebuilds on homes together too. And then there's the '69 Camero ...

hermanchauw

For me the most important bike specific tool to have is the...repair stand. Second choice would be double leg kickstand. Makes everything so much easier.

SkyDog75

Good thinking. I often forget that when thinking about "tools".

If @Cgswss lives near an Aldi store, maybe they still have some of their stands in stock. They started at $39.99 and many places have marked them down substantially.

Cgswss

We have a stand. It a cheepy, but we have made some minor mods to make it work. The biggest problem was that the clamp wouldn't hold the bike from rotating when clamping on The seat post. Simple fix, rotate the clamp so it is right to hold the seat post then drill a hole thru the bracket to act as a index, and put a pin in it. Now it is sucker for clamping on the seat tube. Didn't want to screw the clamp really tight (because it some kind of plastic) so I just put one of those sheets (as seen on tv) they push to make taking off lids easier inside the clamp and now it holds the post better.

As answer to another post... the 8 speed is acera and the cassette is Shimano HG. On the 7 speeds they are Deore XT and the cassette sz Shimano also. The crank has accepts a large hex head on both sides looks like it starts to taper on the back side of the crank arm. The specs I see say "sealed cartage jis"

Thanks!