Monday, April 13, 2009

Bicycle Tools

If you're intending to do serious repairs or maintenance its best to have quite a few tools easily at hand. Unfortunately a lot of these tools aren't cheap.

I recommend building your collection slowly, buying new tools until you complete your collection. Without some of these tools, its best to see a professional bicycle mechanic to fix your bicycle for you.

You could get-by without these tools... but you also risk damaging your bicycle doing something risky. You will need:

Box-end wrenches
Open-end wrenches
Hex and Torx wrenches
Ratchet drives and sockets
Torque wrenches
Adjustable wrenches
Pliers
Vice grips
Screwdrivers, a variety
A ball peen hammer
A mallet
A hacksaw
Files
Electric grinder
Electric drill
Tap and Die set
A bicycle repair stand

Familiarizing yourself with these tools through practice will teach you what they can and cannot do, and it will teach you how to use your tools properly without hurting yourself.

TIP: A well-organized tool rack can both speed up your ability to repair your bicycle, but also means you don't lose your tools. Draw lines around your tools to reference where each tool belongs.

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