Hi all,

Recently getting into bicycles and am looking to buy both a stand to work on it and a basic tool kit. Can anybody recommend something cost friendly and simple that will get me started? Thanks!

For a stand, I'd check out craigslist. I picked up a park double arm stand with a base for $50. The Park economy stands are pretty good as well.

Park tools have been a standard in the industry for a long time (and for good reason). If starting out you could pick up one of their tool kits, Park Tool Co.

agreed

Awesome. Thanks!

I picked this set a few weeks ago:

Spin Doctor Essential Tool Kit

The same kit is branded under different names at about the same price: performance, nashbar, jensonusa, among others.

The nashbar version is currently on sale:

Nashbar Essential Tool Kit


As far as stands, check out ebay. You can get a good stand for about $50 shipped.

If you're in a metro area, you may be able to score a stand from Craigslist. In my somewhat rural neck o' the woods, though... I think I've only seen one work stand ever when checking the five nearest Craigslist cities. eBay is another option, but I wound up buying my Park PCS-9 via an online retailer when it went on sale.

As for tool kits... I don't need one now, but I did look at them before I had accumulated many bike tools and I found that most kits weren't a good value for me. None of them had all the tools I needed. The ones that had most of what I needed also had a bunch of stuff I'd never need. This might not be the case for your particular bike(s), though. Which leads me to ask: What kinds of bikes do you need tools for?

The nashbar/performance/jensonusa/bikehand basic tool kit is only $40 from nashbar right now. Here is the list of tools:

• Chain tool
• Integrated bottom bracket wrench adapter
• Double bit Philips/Flathead screwdriver
• 6-piece hex wrench set (2/2.5/3/4/5/6mm)
• Chainring bolt wrench/crankarm dust cover tool
• Flathead screwdriver
• 8mm hex wrench with ½" driver
• 2-piece tire lever set
• 15mm pedal wrench with 14/15mm socket wrench
• Chain whip (Sprocket removal tool)
• Integrated bottom bracket wrench
• Cassette lockring tool
• 2-piece cone wrench set (2 x 13/14/15/16mm)
• 3-sided spoke wrench
• Crank extractor
• Cartridge bottom bracket tool
• T-25 Torx wrench
• Patch kit
• Custom-molded tool box

Not a bad buy for $40, including the carry case.

I got the performance version + an ebay bike stand for about $90 total.

I have a Norco tool kit I bought back in the 1980s that consisted of a zippered case, tire levers, a brake clamp, crescent wrench, adjustable screwdriver, some sockets on a three ended hand wrench and other things I don't know the names of but also useful.

Never found anything similar since.

On sale is this tool set; see: Titan Tool Kit - 21 Tools | Titan

I don't like tool sets because you might get a lot of stuff in the kit you already have at home like various screwdrivers, allen wrenches, adjustable wrench, open end wrenches, and tire irons, if you don't have any tools whatsoever than a kit may work for you. Some tools in a kit you may never use so they'll set there unused. I've never bought a kit not even for my automotive tools, all my automotive and cycling tools were purchased over a 45 year period as they were needed so I don't have redundant tools or tools I'll never use.

I've never been a fan of packaged bicycle repair tool kits. First of all, any packaged kit is likely to contain tools, like headset wrenches, that you'll probably never need and omit tools, like bottom bracket removers, that are brand specific. So even after paying for a lot of tools, you'll still likely have to buy some additional specific ones. Secondly, nobody makes the best of every kind of tool. For example, I like my Park tools and I own a pretty complete set, but I've been disappointed with Park cable cutters. You'll be surprised at how much bike repair and tuning you can do with just a 5 mm allen key. Beyond basic hand tools that you probably own anyway, you might as well just buy bike specific tools as you find that you need them.

The toolkit I mentioned is only $40. A multi tool can run $25 or $30, so a full sized tool kit with a padded, organized carrying case for $40 is a good value no matter what for someone getting their first bike tool kit, which is the situation OP seems to be in.

The basic and portable tool kits are the Holly Grail of all cyclists. It's a journey. Enjoy looking over other peoples lists and formulating your own. Checking out someones tool kit is like opening a door into one's spirit bag. I am always looking for a way to improve my kits.

Start small your list of tools have to have a chance to evolve... What Fun...

I guess that's why they have both chocolate and vanilla. I see no cable cutter, no chain breaker and no bottom bracket removal tool as significant omissions. I'm also not overly impressed by a fancy box that won't have a space for the tools that I'm going to have to add.` Also, having never seen the kit you're talking about, I can't comment on the quality but I have doubts.

OK, I guess that's why they call you a grouch.

Because this topic comes up so often, I'll just tag onto it so it'll pop up in a search.

I just got the Venzo premium bike repairs tool kit, which seems pretty good for $65. It seems to have more good tools and less fluff than the typical $49 and under basic tool kits.

For what it's worth, every $49 bike tool kit I saw was identical. They're all the same stuff, with different color handles and brands slapped on 'em: Nashbar, Spin Doctor, Bikehand, and at least half a dozen others on Amazon were all identical in photos, right down to the tube patch kits and color coded spoke wrenches. So if you buy one of those just get the one that's cheapest or offers free shipping or has the most reliable vendor. The Venzo is not identical to those and even the same types of tools aren't identical, other than the same ol', same ol' chain whip type.

After getting a second bike, both using modest components, I wanted the basic stuff to tackle overhauling hubs, BB, etc. The Venzo kit appears to have everything I'd need including a basic headset wrench (but cutting a new steerer tube for replacement fork would require additional tools). In particular the duplicates of some wrenches were very handy when adjusting the center pull cantilever brakes with smooth posts on my new-to-me Univega. And the hex wrenches were easier to use than my multi-tool at home.

It includes a better than average chain tool. And the spoke wrench is way overbuilt. It's a solid, heavy chunk of metal with 6 nipple sizes. It's functional but so overbuilt I couldn't figure out at first what the heck it was. I'll probably buy another lighter spoke wrench or multi-tool for my portable kit.

Good basic set of tools that appear to be of good quality, with more useful stuff than the typical $49 kits. It's not just a bunch of fluff and filler to charge another $16. I had almost no tools (sold all my bike tools 15 years ago when I thought I'd never ride again after a serious car wreck), so there were no duplicates other than those on my basic Park multi-tool. Haven't had a chance yet to use the thin cone wrenches, etc., so I won't know for awhile whether those are hardened well enough to prevent rounding off.

The only disappointment is the plastic hardshell case itself. While the case is adequately strong and has dedicated compartments for the major tools, the snap closures are cheap crap and will probably break soon. So I'll need to improvise closures or just use duct tape. Too bad, but I suppose it's expecting too much to want the sort of quality hardshell plastic cases I got with my Ryobi and Bosch tools. A minor nit, especially for folks who don't keep those plastic cases anyway.