chintanjadwani

Hi everyone,

So I just bought a nice Fuji sportif off craigslist, and before I get out biking away from home, I wanted to make sure I got myself covered. Unfortunately, the public transport cannot be too relied upon when one is stranded so its best to be prepared.

I wanted your feedback on what kind of tool-kit to have. I am not much adept at mechanics so I want to keep it the minimum necessary that can be at this stage understood from videos and forums online, making adjustments, fixing flats, etc. thats fine. The following tool kit off bikesdirect kind of makes sense as it includes everything and is pretty low on the price. All the other man****urers sell all stuff differently. Unless, you all think the quality is exceptionally low to get this.

DVD, CD and Vuelta XRP Mini Tool Kit

Second, for lubing and greasing, what stuff should I purchase? Any links on beginners guide to lubing is also very appreciated. the guy i got the bike from craigslist is a passionate biker who purchases bikes from factories and assembles and sells them out of his storage place. So the bike was out of the box, and I feel the gears (tiagra) are making loud jumps. Should I be already lubing gears that come out of the box?

Third! He mentioned its a good idea to weekly pump up the tires to around 95 psi.(which means I have to get a floor pump with gauge). or do you know any accessory that attaches to a hand pump and acts like a gauge? and is the 95 a good rule of thumb?

Last Any brand preferences on bike helmets (or ones not to avoid)? Or are the lower end ones (around $30+) not a good idea? How far should i go with the price to ensure decent protection?

Thanks a lot!

rms13

That's a good starter kit. You can get the same tools minus the chain tool for $15 on ebay or less if you shop around. That chain tool sucks. I had one, it will break after 1-2 uses but in your position you shouldn't need a chain tool any time soon so I would just buy a better one if and when the need arises. But the tire levers and allen wrenches are key.

Yes, get a floor pump. Something along these lines:

Park Tool PFP-4 Professional Mechanic Floor Pump - Normal Shipping Ground

Your tires should have the preferred psi range printed on the side. But check the pressure and top it off every week at least. I generally pump my tires every two days if not every day. My tires are rated to 130 and I usually keep about 120 psi at all times. You will naturally loose a little air over time? You should get a second smaller pump that attaches to the bike or a co2 inflator and carry a spare tube with you when you ride (along with the tire levers)

Bell and Giro are generally good brands for helmets. Their $30 ones will do just fine. With more money you are usually paying for style and for more ventilation holes

For grease:

https://www.parktool.com/product/poly...ant-tube-PPL-1

dsbrantjr

I do not care for multitools (try mounting a bottle cage with one) and that one seems like a particularly cheaply-made one. I would suggest that you get a set of good ball-end hex L-wrenches and an inexpensive set of metric combination wrenches. Find out which of the tools from those sets fit the fasteners on your bike, add a screwdriver for derailleur adjustments, wrap them in a cloth which will provide a clean place to work and something to wipe your hands and face and keep the tools from rattling. For road use I like a small frame pump like the Topeak Road Morph G; air is free and unlimited unlike CO2 bulbs. Add a spare tube, patch kit and a couple of tire levers, put it all in your seat bag and you should be good to go. Add some change and a few small bank notes just in case! A credit card can be a tool as well.

chintanjadwani

Thanks a lot!

What multi-tool do you use now if any?

Any suggestions on how often to grease the bike?

chintanjadwani

Thanks . Until yesterday I had no idea what these CO2 inflators were. There is just too much going on!

The thing I like about the multi-tool is its easy to carry and everything is in one package, unlike longish wreches that can only be kept and used at home, but maybe I dont even need them outside!

any suggestions for helmets?

SkyDog75

I don't have a particular bias for or against multitools, but personally, I'm a little skeptical of the quality of that BikesDirect kit.

If you're looking for tools to work on the bike at home, a metric hex (Allen) wrench set is all you'd probably need to make most basic adjustments to your bike. If you're looking for tools to take on the road, a good multitool has some drawbacks compared to full size separate tools, but that's a tradeoff made for sake of portability. It's kind of like the jack in my car's trunk. That little thing isn't the most convenient tool, but it's a whole lot more convenient to haul around than my hydraulic floor jack and it'll get the job done in a pinch. I usually carry a Park Tool MT-1 "dogbone" multitool in a saddle bag for emergency roadside repairs, hoping I'll never need it. If you prefer a tool with more versatility, the Crank Brothers Multi 17 and Multi 19 multitools are well made and include decent spoke wrenches and chain tools (for a multitool).

Since flat tires are probably the most common repair job you'll face, you'll need the tools and supplies to tackle the job. You'll need an tube that holds air, which you can accomplish by carrying a spare tube or a patch kit (or both). Rema vulcanizing patch kits have been the standard for years because they're cheap and work well. Glueless patches can be hit-or-miss. You'll need something to put air in the tube, whether you choose a pump or a CO2 inflator. Pumps are more foolproof and have no consumables. The Topeak Road Morph is a good one. And you may need a set of plastic tire levers to get your tire off the rim and back on again.

Speaking of pumps, you'll want a good floor pump with gauge at home to top off your air pressure as needed. At high pressure, air diffuses through thin bike tires pretty quickly. I check the pressure on my road bike's tires before I ride each day and add air more often than not. Sorta like multitools, a frame pump is nice to have in case of emergency, but it's not nearly as convenient as its full-size counterpart.

As for lube, the only thing you'll probably need on a regular basis is chain lube. There are a lot of different good ones out there. Chain-L, Rock-n-Roll, ProLink, Finish Line... Take your pick. They may have their pros and cons compared to one another, but any of them are much better than nothing at all.

When it comes to helmets, fit is the #1 concern. Everyone's head is a little different, so the helmets that fit me best may not be your best option. Cost isn't necessarily an indicator of a helmet's crashworthiness; they all have to meet the same safety specs. What a higher price typically buys you is lighter weight, more ventilation, nifty strap and adjustment systems, and cosmetic bling. (For whatever it's worth, I use an inexpensive Avenir helmet. I think it cost me about $30 a few years ago.)

WrightVanCleve

I carry, a small adjustable wrench, a pair of pliers, a multi tool of hex and screw drivers, a bit of chain left over from when bought my new chain(I wouldn't expect you to have this but when you do replace your chain, keep those few links you take off,) a park tool chain breaker, a red and a black park tool spoke wrenchs(my front wheel needs the red which came with the bike, the rear that I built needs the black wrench.) These go in my pouch under my seat. I carry the adjustable in case I come across someone that has a flat but no quick release(happened yesterday actually. Schwinn cheap bike from a box store, tube was a 32c, tire was a 35c. I wondered why the tube was looking like it did until I saw the size and realized it was just coming apart. My patches wouldn't stretch to hold so she ended up having to walk the 5 miles.)

In my backpack pouch I carry a Quick Stick https://www.amazon.com/Quik-Stik-Tire.../dp/B000C128PC (I feel these are far better than tire levers and I have never gotten a puncture using these since there are no sharpish edges, and after you use it a few times, you'll see how fast and easy they make taking off the tire is, you only need 1) a spare tube, and a patch kit just in case I have more than one flat problem and the tube in case it is a valve problem. I also carry a smallish pump with attached gauge, I have a nice frame pump but it doesn't fit on my current bike so I had to get a different one. I don't really care much for short pumps but it works, surprisingly well too because it has a flip tab to stand on and it works like a floor pump. https://www.rei.com/product/648089/to...ump-with-gauge I don't want to have to make sure I purchase a cartridge to fill up for emergencies.

At home, I have a Craftsman allen wrench set with ball ends, a set of metric box ends, a few cone wrenches(more common sizes,) chain whip, cassette remover, bottom bracket remover(cassette and bottom bracket removers basically have male tabs to fit the female slots and a bolt for your wrench, whip is needed to grab a hold of the cassette when trying to remove,) and a crank arm remover. I also have a nice floor pump with a gauge. I do have a truing stand and dishing tool but that is if you want to spend that kind of money and/or lace your own wheels.

I've not had to use cone wrenches on my current bike, everything is adjusted with allen now that I have a threadless headset. Previous bike had the old style threaded steerer tube, and the smaller sized cones are really only good for rebuilding hubs but even then I'm not sure if they would be needed anymore(haven't rebuilt a new model hub so I don't know on this.)

For grease, I like white(milky white, haven't tried colorless but that is sometimes called white grease) greases with Teflon. I think greases tend to be personal preference. I've used a variety and just like the white because I feel it is easy to see. I have an older American Classic bottom bracket on my mountain bike that I would re-grease with a grease g u n(word filter is blocking it) and white grease made it real easy to see if I got all the dirty stuff out. Just been using white greases since. Wish I still had that grease g u n(word filter is blocking it,) can't find the darn thing.