Now I want to break down the tool list and give, wherever possible, some “Blue Collar” alternatives to my professional bicycle tools.

Let’s see that first picture from the last post again………….

These are the tools I will do about 90% of my tune ups with. Here’s the breakdown starting from the left…..

“Standard” or “Flat Bladed” Screwdriver: I prefer a longer shanked example in a medium size. Screwdrivers are pretty cheap, and I don’t usually use it to drive screws with, (More on that in a later post), so a “cheapo” example will do just fine.

“Phillips” Screwdriver: Here is a bread and butter tool that I do use to drive screws with! A lot! So….it makes sense for me to have a quality driver. Maybe you are not going to use yours as much? Save then and buy it in a set with the flat bladed screwdriver. However, it makes a lot of sense to have a quality set of Phillips screwdrivers on hand if you are going to do your own maintenance. Get a few different sizes. You’ll ruin very few Phillips fasteners and adjusters if you buy nice tools. If you don’t- well…..good luck to you!

Spoke Wrench: The example I show here is a “Wrench Force” tool that has four commonly found spoke nipple sizes in one tool. It is forged, and it works quite well. I like this tool for a home mechanic because it covers the bases with almost every spoke you will have to tweak on. It also is made well, being forged steel, and is less likely to round off spoke nipples because the wrench flats are well made. This is something you shouldn’t scrimp on if you are going to dabble in wheel truing. Besides, this spoke wrench cost like $10.00. Do one wheel truing job on one bike and tool has paid for itself. Other multiple spoke wrench tools from other manufacturers are also worthy, this just happens to be one of them.

4mm, 5mm, 6mm, Allen Keys: These sizes cover a majority of what you will run up against for fasteners and adjustments on most modern mountain bikes. Get “Bondhus” ended wrenches, (the long end has a “ball” shape to it) which will allow you access to fasteners at odd angles. A great set of metric Allen keys can be had for a reasonable price from most hardware stores. Plus, you’ll have the extra sizes handy just in case! Note: There are special bicycle specific “tri-Allen” tools that you can buy. The advantage? You always have all three sizes handy. The disadvantage? If you lose the tool, you’ll lose three sizes at once! Bur seriously, the “tri-Allen” is limited in some situations. (Putting on a water bottle cage, for instance)

Torque Wrench: Okay! Here’s the biggie. Yeah……it’s expensive. However; if you are serious about doing your own repairs, you really should consider one of these! A torque wrench, properly used, can really save your bacon. I normally check crank bolts with this one on standard tune ups at the shop. Want to know how many loose crank bolts I find? A lot! These torque wrenches are even more important if you have a recently made bicycle with a carbon fiber seat post or fork. And those stem face plate bolts? Yeah…….Newton meters. Gotta get the right wrench to figure that out without ruining a fine lightweight part!

If a torque wrench is out of the question, I suggest getting your mechanic a sixer of his/her favorite brew and becoming a very nice guy/gal before you step into the shop where the mechanic works.

Chain Checker: This little plastic Wipperman made tool works really well for quickly giving me an idea about a bicycles drive train wear. You can get one like this, or just use a regular ruler that is 12 inches long. A ruler works as a general tool that will tell you if your chain is a keeper, or a goner. They are cheap, and you probably have one lying around some where. I’ll get into how to use it when I post about doing the tune up later.

Okay, that’s a wrap until the next post where I will discuss the alternate tools.