That is pretty awesome.

I never realized that chain whips came in specific chain sizes. I made my own from used chain off my bike so it fits what I ride,

Chain size shouldn't matter too much. I suppose trying to use a 12 speed chain whip on a 7 speed cluster would be difficult, the opposite shouldn't be a problem. Personally, I prefer the Pedro's Vise Whip to a regular chain whip.

And a place to keep the bench.

If older loose ball and cup/spindle bottom brackets, then a bottom bracket tool with the correct lockring spanner.

If cartridge bottom bracket bearings, then the Shimano splined tool

If external bottom bracket bearings, then the Park tool for them, and some of those require little plastic insert adapters for the smaller size.

Torque wrench

Breaker bars for the size socket wrench drive(s) you use.

vinyl/latex gloves to protect against chemicals and grease

tub of bearing grease

spray can of lithium grease

Shimano cassette lockring splined tool

got to use my vise & angle grinder to modify a new locking hitch pin for my bike rack cuz the tolerances for fit were too tight. needed to grind off less than 1mm to get it to fit inside the tongue that slides into the.receiver tube. a little surprised cuz the last one I had fit into 2 diff. racks. this new one fit an old rack but not the new rack. so I think the Allen rack spec was off a smidge?












is anyone needs one

Let's Go Aero (SHP 2080 1/2" Silent Hitch Pin with Lock

I went through the same ordeal. Instead of repeating everything that's been said I tried to plan ahead and buy the tools for the jobs I knew I was going to do so I didn't have to wait long to have them available (i.e. 15mm pedal wrench to replace the cheap stock pedals that come on the bike; a torque wrench for carbon fiber). That may not matter if you have a LBS nearby with everything you need.

If you got the itch to buy stuff, get things you'll need down the road like a chain wear indicator or a valve core tool (for tubeless)...once you start using this stuff you'll find out things like, "Crap! My chain wear indicator doesn't show 0.5% wear" so you'll have to go out and buy another one.

Or, "Crap, my chain wear indicator reads 0.5% on a new chain, so I have to toss it and use a steel rule to get an accurate measurement".

For a long time,I had no need for tools for pulling and pressing cartridge bearings. But now that I have a frame and hubs with pressed in bearings, I have acquired a good puller and press. DIY versions are viable options.

Imo, The most essential tools are a good pump, lube for the chain, a rag and a set of allen keys. From there on out the most essential tools is the one that fit what ever job you are doing on your particular bike. From my experience 90% of maintenance is related to tyres, cables and the chain.

If you want to do everything, you will need a lot of tolls that aren't bicycle specific. My two cents is that there is no point in buying Park for anything not bicycle specific. Vessel screwdrivers that fit JIS screws. SK or Gearwrench (or Husky or Craftsmen for cheaper stuff) for combination wrenches, ratchets and sockets. Bondhus or any of several others for allen and torx wenches. And don't forget used tools. My favorite cable crimper is a pair of ancient Bell System pliers originally intended for linesman to crimp telephone connectors.

As an alternative to chain whips I prefer a cog wrench which uses 3 pins to grab the outer 11 or 12 tooth cog in the cassette. These are easier to use but less universal. My cog wrench is a long discontinued Pedro's item with a pedal wrench on the other end which can also save a lot of aggro if you change pedals often.

If you want the bare minimum to work on your bike, take a good visual inventory of everything that you would need to adjust, replace, repair, etc. Make a basic list of just the tools required for regular maintenance, separating out the ones that might only get used once. For higher priced items like headset and BB presses, bearing pullers, crown race setters etc., I like the idea someone suggested of your local non-profit bike kitchen. We have a great one here in SLO and I was able to borrow $300 worth of Park tools that I would have only used once for $5.00.

Don't buy a tool that you may never use.
Every tool I have has been used for a task and has paid for itself, in many cases many times over.
That being said, some tools can pay for themselves after having been used only once (if you don't screw it up).

The parks where I live (where all the bike trails are) have a set of tools at a repair station with nice Park tools - and others attached to a cable.

So if I need to do something I don't have a tool for, I just take the bike down to the park and use the tools there.

Nice!

A couple of good repair manuals, some can be purchased used on Amazon. Of course it limits usefulness with brand new technology.

Essential in my opinion is a quality bottle of either sour mash bourbon or a single malt scotch. Just remember a little goes a long way LOL!

Professional grade Park work stands are nice, but their consumer grade ones aren't all that great. I like Feedback Sports stands better.

I own a pair of Park FFG-2 which is a bit extreme for a home mechanic, but I get a fair bit of use out of them. It's a dropout and fork tip alignment gauge.

I find myself using regular and needlenose pliers fairly often.

I also use a small (6" or 8") adjustable wrench a fair bit. I know this makes some people cringe, so it's controversial.

I can’t explain how much I love my 7” Knipex Pliers-wrench. I never use adjustable wrenches anymore. They are big enough for threaded headsets, crank lock rings, spline tools, and suspension fork caps, but still small enough to use on 8mm nuts. Work great on 14 and 15mm nutted axles. Bends sheet metal. Holds parts in the grinder. The grip tightens the harder you turn. Grips a hex key anywhere along the shaft.

They are expensive but extremely well-built. It is hard to understand how useful they are until you put your hands on them.

https://www.kctoolco.com/knipex-86-0...-plastic-grip/

I got one of these a few years ago after hearing about it here on BF, but it hasn't made into the top tier,

particularly not replacing this (lighter & less fussy) 6" crescent wrench:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OVV0JA0...ing=UTF8&psc=1

which is a daily carry.

Being left handed doesn't help as the Knipex adjustment is right handed. Would be great for an auto mechanic, 'tho.

I should also add that I volunteer at my local coop and work on a lot of kids bikes with nutted axles, one-piece cranks, and threaded headsets. I don’t use them as much on my own bikes as much as my Allen keys and specialty tools. I would replace them in a heartbeat, and they replace a whole set of combo wrenches in my race/travel toolbox.

I love working on one-piece cranks, though I've never had one or wanted one for myself.