which toolset for the truly sexy
 

so a friend of mine had a general bike-oriented toolset that he said he bought for around $30 online.

i look online and sure enough there are some toolsets like his for $30-$50, but i am not sure of the brand he had.

Now, the question for you fine folks is: which one should I buy?

I am looking to be able to take off cranks, swap BBs, take off pedals and lockrings, and most of that basic stuff that i would otherwise have to pay the LBS for when i could do it myself. I understand that I could buy a park BB tool, crank puller, pedal wrench, etc. but that gets kinda 'spensive. I found these little guys to be the most appealing and honestly just don't know what the main difference is between them (other then the number of tools).

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...egory_ID=4218#

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...egory_ID=4218#

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/145...--14-Tools.htm

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/145...--21-Tools.htm

any ideas/other info?
<3

ps. forgive my ignorance in advance. i'm new to this stuff.

If you want a fixed specific set you are best to buy the tools individually. You will end up with quality tools that will do the job better. Albeit at a slightly higher price. Most of the kits will include stuff you probably don't need or already have.

Don't get the 15peice pricepoint one it only has folding allen keys.

NIce tools aquired over a period of time as they are needed will be nicer. Just think that for pretty much everything other a headset buying the nice tools will be cheaper then paying the shop for the labour. On the other hand it is nice to not have to worry about buying a tool when ever you have to do some work so maybe one of the sets would be nice.

I'd probably go with the 21 peice pricepoint cause it is cheaper and you will end up having to augment all of them at some point. I'm not sure if the spanner in it will work for your lockring though. Also I don't like how the zoom for the performance onces prevents me from really seeing whats inside.

definately buy individually. my "toolkit" is as follows -

nashbar crank extractor/ 14/15mm crank arm fixing bolt wrench - $7 (awesome tool)
nashbar splined bb tool - $5
hozan lockring wrench - $23
wheels manufacturing 1/8" chainwhip - $18
aluminum pipe for knocking out headset cups - $0
aluminum pipe for setting crown races - $0
homemade headset press (bolt, nut, washers, couplings) - $5
allen wrenches 1.5mm-10mm - $5
chain tool - $10
2 cone wrenches - $12
headset spanner wrench $4
pin spanner - $6
15mm combination wrench - $2
tire levers - $3
park chainring bolt tool - $5
park spoke wrench - $7

and i have one of those durabilt basic home tool kits.

don't get me wrong, i would love a full park tool setup. however, it's hard for me to justify spending the money when the tools i have do everything that i need to do, and suprisingly well. i keep telling myself that if a tool breaks, i'll replace it with a higer end model. i ponied up the extra money for the hozan lockring wrench, because in my experience cheap lockring spanners are a complete pain in the ass. i'll get the pliers someday. i'd also like a nice workstand and wheel truing stand, but either one will cost more than my entire kit. if you occasionally build bikes, and perform basic maintenence like i do, then the nashbar, wheelsmith, and diy options are more than adequate

What he said.
Pony up for the Hozan pliers, they are worth it. If you can find the combo 14/15 crank bolt wrench with the 15 pedal wrench on the other end yer laughing.

I can't add much to these lists by experts. I would just add a 6" or 8" adjustable crescent wrench from a Snap-On tool truck. Not that you need it, but those wrenches are "Hot". The shape, look, and feel is the closest thing to porn I have ever seen.

poor boy

not as close as the snap on tool your mom uses

http://www.hhv.de/images/stuff/36098_02.jpg

i love you guys :)

i think i might just piece together a nice little kit judging by the responses. i kinda liked that idea myself but had no idea what i really needed for individual tools. thanks for the replies and i'm gonna make a shopping list soon from your tool list, Sers. it's awesome you took the time to name the tools you have and the price...much love on that one.

thanks again

<3

I'd say go for one of the cheapy sets. I have that CyclePro set (it's a rebadged version of the same set I've seen bouncing around for a few years), and it's been fine. The thing about buying "quality" is it depends on whether the tools you need will do what you need them to do. I've mostly messed around with my mtb/old schwinns, but the tools haven't like, turned to dust in my hands. So when buying quality, the average home mechanic isn't usually going to get any more use out of "nice" tools compared to "so-so" tools. Now if that set is being used 40 hours a week, tossed, smacked, stripped, etc... then quality becomes more of an issue... But until then, there's no point.

I would agree for the most part.
Once you strip a lockring with the single prong lockring tool you will wish you had the pliers...plus they tighten it down better than any single notch tool ever will. Also, good cone wrenchs are worth the extra dough...cheapo ones tend to strip pretty easy. I buy all my screwdrivers, pliers/cable cutters, adjustable/box wrenches and allen keys from Canadian Tire. Mastercraft is the brand name and you can pretty much abuse and strip the hell out of em..and then return em for new ones, no questions asked. Lifetime warranty rocks. I think Sears down in the States has a similar brand/warranty policy.