This might be the wrong place to ask, but I would like to buy a set of tools to work on my bike, and I was hoping you guys could help me with a list of the must-haves. I want to get the basics so that I can do the usual maintenance on my bike. Any advice is appreciated.

Easiest thing to do is go over your bike and see what it/they need, 14 or 15 mm for the hub nuts, what bottom brackets? Start with a good set of box and open end wrenches(metric) and a great set of screwdrivers.

Be prepared to spend money and buy "better" over "good-enough".

for my first rebuild, i took my bike to the lbs (where i knew its park tools were priced reasonably), and asked one of the guys there to help me select these basic tools i knew i needed:

-thin cone wrenches, where each end is a different size. i have three of these now (two 13/14mm and a 15/16mm).
- headset wrench, 32/36mm.
- bb spanner, where one end has one tooth, the other has multiple teeth.
- cable cutters.
- tube of grease.
- 3-headed spoke wrench.

he even took some out of the package before purchase to verify fit.

i went to a co-op in town and picked up a $10 chain tool, cheap pedal wrench, and $7 crank puller ('wrench force' brand).

the other things i use all the time are my metric socket set, adjustable wrench, allen wrench muti tool, and screwdriver with multiple bits. i have a few other park tools i don't use much.

i wish i had a vise and digital caliper.

I've been in the habit of adding a new tool to my collection whenever I go to my LBS... Went in to ask about rates and pick up some housing and cables; took home a crank puller. Returned the cable kit because it didn't have enough housing; took home some housing snips with the generic off-the-roll consumables. Bought a new chain... you get the picture.

A few more trips to the shop for occasional consumables and I'll have a pretty decent toolkit! Next time is probably going to be a pedal wrench.

I'll toss this tool tip out, though it's been written elsewhere too. For my bike tools I have a separate set of small metric sockets - 10mm to 6mm - that I've modified. Many of the fasteners on derailleurs, brakes, clamps, etc have pretty thin heads (thinner than HW store or automotive nuts and bolts). To avoid damage to these thin hex's I've ground the ends of this set of sockets.

You'll see that a stock socket has a slight bevel at the inside end. Probably forged there to make it easier to fit the socket on a bolt head or nut. But with such thin heads on our stuff you can loose half of the grip area with such a bevel. I grind off that first 1/16" or so of each socket so the internal hex is flush with the end of the cylinder. When I use these they engage the whole nut or bolt head and apply much better force with less chance of camming off or rounding over the hex 'corners'.

Oh, I keep these special sockets together by stringing them onto an old spoke with the spoke nut on one end and a wine cork on the other. Don't loose one that way. Cheers.

Agree with everything that has been said...but...would add one...

First thing is some sort of bike stand! It might be a purchased one (you can usually find one on CL pretty reasonable...although it is still a big expense) or...you might finagle a homemade one (there are several threads on here about that). But...getting the bike at a place where it is held and at a height that is workable for you...that is a BIG deal...at least to me.

Then...start with basic tools and work your way up...

This article I published on Bicycle Tools is aimed at all levels of bicycle maintenance, from simple cleaning to all out full period correct restoration. You will most likely want to start small, buy used and build up your set of tools, a bit at a time. Hope it helps...



I wrote this a long time ago...

Generally, it is wise to get tools as you need them and start with this plan at the very beginning. To this day, there are tools in my tool box that have gone absolutely unused. What a waste and so easy to avoid, simply by going with need, rather than want, or worse yet, what one was told to want.

I tend to add specialized tools as I need them.
For a basic set, I'd get-
Metric wrenches from about 4-17MM.
I set open end and 1 set box end. That gives 2 of each size.
1 set of hex wrenches 4-8 (or 10 if you remove Shimano Free Hubs)MM
GOOD cone wrenches in the size you need. 2 ea. I started with the cheaper PARK double ended wrenches, but one tight lock nut and they'll spread. Get the BLUE handled ones and don't look back.
Free hub/wheel removal tool to fit what you have.*
An adjustable wrench that opens to 1" for Free Hub tool.*
Chain whip if you have a Free Hub.*
*Not needed until you "actually" need them.
I have ONE Phillips screw driver that seems to fit everything needing a Phillips.
Add crank/BB, cable cutters etc. as you need them.

I wouldn't buy used cable cutters unless they were looking real new and still sharp... same with crank pullers, easy enough of a tool to ruin in the wrong hands. I jumped right in and bought a filzer kit in a box. I've since used every one of the tools but and they've held up well, but I try to be gentle on my tools and avoid using them for working on rusty old crap.

I also own high-quality wrenches, allen head sockets, etc. for my "real" job but unless you're stripping lots of crappy low-end bikes at a co-op or a flipping operation, I think the basic tools work well enough. One thing I wished I'd bought off the get-go was a grease *** with a couple of interchangeable heads, a fine point and slightly bigger one; way less contamination and mess and cartridges are available everywhere cheap. Same goes for a nice little oil can or plastic dripper, you can just motor oil or ATF to lube chains and stuff.

Thanks guys, I will be on the look out for said tools.

Here's a good set of inexpensive wire cutters for inner brake cable (also work for cable housing but you still need to do a little work with the file and awl to get a nice end). They are sharp and give a nice clean cut to the cables quickly and easily. They had these in stock for $9 at my local home depot so no shipping.

Freewheel removal tool. Both old (to fit your old freewheel) and modern (to fit shimano, IRD, Sunrace freewheels)

Nut drivers. I find these to be easier to use than sockets for tightening brake/derailleur bolts, and brake lever clamp bolts.

+1. Super smart.

I second this. It does seem like a bit of a luxury, and for most of my years of bike riding and wrenching I didn't own one (except for a cheap and simple bottom bracket stand like this Amazon.com : Sunlite Bottom Bracket Type Bicycle Display Stand : Indoor Bike Storage : Sports & Outdoors ). However, once I finally coughed up a little dough and bought a Park PC-10 repair stand I realized that I should have bought one 20 years ago. Bike wrenching is oh so much easier and more pleasurable now. Plenty of them show up on craigslist for not too much money.

I have had tools most of my life. Bike specific tools not so much. Some of the standard tools don't work well when you think they should. To remove some square taper crank bolts, a 15 mm socket is needed but most sockets are too thick. I happen to have a socket set found in the middle of the road, Craftsman, that had a 15mm that works great!
I'll second the double ended cone wrench statement. It is easy to make a thin sheet metal tool, another that can be used twice.

I don't have cable cutters because I use a dremel cut off wheel. I then clean the end up with a bench grinder. The internal housing often melts so pushing a cable through from the other end opens the closed end just fine.

you may want to consider a soldering g un for finishing cable ends, but there are other ways to accomplish the same.

Don't try to misuse a tool like a pipe wrench on the headset or BB cups, get the right tool.

There are alternatives for some, like using a piece of copper tubing split and splayed for removing headset cups or using all thread with washers and nuts for put them back on. But there aren't very many like that.

The most important tool to use is the one between your ears. You can do all kinds of damage using the "right" tool when you don't engage the one above them all.

I have generally just bought what I needed as different tasks became necessary on my bike. Those tools will of course be different for different bikes. I generally agree that it's worth buying "better rather than good enough", but sometimes that depends whether you're buying something that will be used once a year or every week.

I bought a set of combination wrenches to fit my bike: 15mm for the hub nuts, 14mm for the seat post clamp, a pair of 10mm for the brake reaction arm. Floor pump, tire levers, grease, thin oil, and chain lube are pretty much essential. A metric allen wrench set is widely useful (especially 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm wrenches). Screwdrivers and measuring tape are always useful, though you might have those around the house already. Rags! A ratcheting socket wrench and metric socket set is handy, especially in tight spaces.

Over time I picked up cone wrenches, a chain tool, chain wear indicator, spoke wrenches, cable cutters. Then there are useful supplies, such as nitrile gloves, solvents like isopropanol and odorless mineral spirits, zip ties...

But mostly, get a good repair manual (the Park Tools Big Blue Book is pretty solid) and figure out what tools you'll need for a given upcoming task, and then go buy those. No point in investing a lot upfront in crank pullers and bottom bracket tools or headset presses or whatnot if you never end up doing any work in that area.

The one universally important tool is a repair stand. As others have said, buy one or build one. You'll be glad you did.

Beyond that, what you need depends on what kinds of bikes you work on. Most of the advice above is geared to European and Japanese bikes built before 1990. Newer bikes use mostly Allen (hex) fittings; older British or American bikes may have hardware in Whitworth or SAE sizes.

I'd highly recommend a Dremel tool. I use mine all the time, for cutting cable housing, for polishing rust off chrome, for making any of the ten zillion little fittings and adapters I always end up needing when I mix parts and accessories from different eras.

If you're dealing with bikes from a lot of different countries and eras, a digital micrometer is really useful. Measurements have become much more standardized lately.

A high-quality cable cutter (Park), and a digital caliper, $10 at Harbor Freight. I use the caliper a LOT, to see what I'm working with, whether two things will fit together, etc. Yes, there's certainly better ones, but for what we're doing, I found that the cheap one does just fine.

I have a good quality cable cutter, and I only use it to cut cables. I have another wire cutter that I use for other purposes. That way the cable cutter stays very sharp and makes clean cuts.

I will just add that don't get bottom bracket tools until you're sure what kind you have on your bike. In general vintage bikes can be worked on with the same tools, but newer bikes require special tools for bottom bracket removal. Likewise for cassettes and free wheels.

Also Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is my favorite repair how-to book. Having a book works better IMO than walking back and forth to the computer or putting your greasy fingers in your tablet.

I have and 80s Motobecane Super Mirage, so are the sizings different since it's French?

These are the bicycle tools I purchased that I do NOT regret buying. I bought them all back when money was painfully tight. They seemed very expensive back then but there was no way I could afford to pay for maintenance (or to replace a broken bike). They got a lot of use because I was riding like a demon back then (hundreds of miles per week in all weather conditions), so maintenance was frequent.

Bottom bracket tools - VAR pin tool, VAR toothed spanner, crank removal tool

Freewheel - removal tool and a good quality, big adjustable wrench, two chain whips

Headset - one well-fitting spanners and a good quality adjustable wrench

Brakes - "third hand" tool and thin spanner for the inner nut, I use a linesman pliers to cut cables and crimp caps over the cut ends

Wheels - cone wrenches (may double for use on brake nut), spoke wrench

For general purpose - a good quality, metric open end wrench set and a set of Allen wrenches and well-fitting screw drivers. One real key is good quality, well fitting tools so you don't bugger up the screws, nuts and bolts.


I still have every single one of these tools today. I enjoyed using every one of them just last weekend for maintenance on my C&V bikes.


Fairly early on I purchased a super-cheap wheel truing stand. I was going thru wheels (rim damage) very quickly back then. It wasn't much money and paid for itself on the first wheel building job. I still have that, too. The last use was to build a rear wheel around an 8 speed internally geared hub.

A more recent acquisition is a bit of a luxury item but very nice to have - bicycle maintenance stand.

A drop of superglue works for me.