Buying a tool kit

There was a similar thread before but he or she didn't get too much in the way of answers...

Basically, I'm looking to buy a decent set of basic tools for preferably under £50 and wondered if anyone had had any good/bad/indifferent experiences with any particular sets or could recommend one.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-workshop-tool-kit/

Replace bits as they break/wear out.

This looks ok?

But seriously, try to work out what you need before buying, and get the right tools for your bike.

Haven't tried the "tool kits", but you may not need the supplied bb tools, the philips screwdriver etc that they come with.

this would be good

50% off this great ratchet spanner set from Halfords. Comes with a lifetime guarantee too. Only £40. I bought one a few years back.
The 15mm works fine on pedals and tracknuts in my experience.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_229913_langId_-1_categoryId_165572

This looks ok?

i think you could spend the £59 in better tools and buy it something very similar to that kit.

theere are not so many tools in that box

What tools do you have already?

What tools do you feel you are missing?

How much bike building do you do, what type is it, and what age are the bikes?

I got one of those halfords bike tool kits that everyone says are shit.

I've found some bits shit, like the lockring tool. It broke so I bought a proper one. A couple of the tyre levers gave up eventually...so I bought new ones... etc...etc.

Some people would say this is a good eg of buy cheap, buy twice. I disagree. If you cost up the parts, even subtracting the shit ones it works out as a good deal. Good tools cost real money, but in my experience, you don't know what you need until you need it. And equally you don't know what you use allot until you start using it allot. eg I've used the shimano BB tool once, and I can't see myself using it again for a while. Whereas, I used the crank puller allot for a while.

Assuming you've got no tools, I'd get something like the halfrauds one (they're generic so you can find the same one cheaper I think). Then I'd spend the rest of the money on one of those LFG chainwhips and a decent and REALLY BIG spanner.

For bike-specific tools, I've found Ice Toolz to be pretty good cheaper equivalents of Park Tools.

^ so maybe get something like this for £35

...altho I've got to say that looks veeery similar to my Halfords one. Are the tools definitely better?

But my point would be something like that ^ is a good place to start and then use the other £20 or so for a decent spaner or decent chainwhip combo. I suggested the LFG on bc it's cheap and has a few uses, but the Shimano one is better... but then it depends on your needs. Hence my Qs above.

park tools are good for their bike specific tools but over priced for generic tools.

Buy a set of good spanners and allen keys, the red chain tool from hubjub and the lock ring tool, a cheap pedal spanner, a hammer and a big spanner, this should do you for most jobs to start off with. By freewheel tools as needed, you can make a chain whip out of an old chain + a piece of scrap metal, chain whips are over priced.

Most kits are shit.

You probably need:

• 15mm spanner
  
• Metric hex set
  
• tyre levers
  
• small adjustable spanner
  
• a chain tool (the hubjub one is good)
  
• crank extractor (depending on your cranks)
  
• BB tool of some relevant sort
  
• A chain whip to suit your cogs (likely 1/8 inch on a fixie skidder).
  
  

You should be able to get all this for less than your budget.

allen keys £6
wire cutter £6
cone spanner Park Toll cone spanner x2 £14
tyre levers Pedros tyre levers £3
chainring blots chainring bolts spanner £3.50
chainwip chainwhip £9
pedals spanner pedal spanner £6
chain tool £15
headset wrench £7

all that tools are preety much what is coming in the box, they are £10 more than the ebay box + postage.
IMHO, they are 100 times better quality than the ebay ones...

Sharkstar do you think so?

I'm not trying to be awkward, but could you give a rough price next to that list?

• 15mm spanner - £5-10
  
• Metric hex set - £5
  
• tyre levers - £3
  
• small adjustable spanner - £5
  
• a chain tool (the hubjub one is good) - £16
  
• crank extractor (depending on your cranks) - £10
  
• BB tool of some relevant sort - £10 + £5 (for the little adjustable thingy)
  
• A chain whip to suit your cogs (likely 1/8 inch on a fixie skidder). - £20
  

... you can make a chain whip out of an old chain + a piece of scrap metal, chain whips are over priced.

+100000

home tools are great, normally (at leats in my case) overbuild and cheap as peas

this are my headset press, headset remover and chainwhip

1 Attachment

^^ do you think so?

I'm not trying to be awkward, but could you give a rough price next to that list?

I already put the price from the shop I took the link

sorry Rik didn't mean you, it was at Sharkstar.

I think for £60 you can buy all the things he is speaking about

Fair enough. I think it would be pretty tight.

I had anther look at the wiggle one andy.w posted and it looks quite good. But it is £60 and part of me still thinks that a cheapo kit + decent versions of the key tools is a good idea.

I haven't broken my chain tool yet (altho my mates park one is much nicer to use).

TBH tools are one of those things that take a long time for most people to build up. I've been quite lucky because my Grandfather left my Dad lots of good (non-cycling) tools, so I've had mole wrenches, wire cutters, etc. etc.

I will say the trick is not wanted all the tools at once, if not buying thing slowly, when you need them, that way you can always put some more moeny towards whatever you need thsi time.
I dont like tool kits, I think there are normally shit or too expensive, I rather shop around a bit and at the end I sure that I have most of the tools I need and they are good quality...
Also, ebay from time to time have some really good things, I was lucky the get a Hozan double lockring tool for £12 including delivery

I will say the trick is not wanted all the tools at once...

Wise words.

That's why I asked those Q's:

What tools do you have already?

What tools do you feel you are missing?

How much bike building do you do, what type is it, and what age are the bikes?

Another thing to note is good tools hold their value.

if you are thinking to buy anything from Chain Reaction this may interest you

I got a halfords tool set for xmas, it was the bike specific tools I needed, but didnt want to spend big as I have Cranks in Brighton. Most of my miscellaneous tools are from a year spent being a handyman, just picked them up here and there for nothing.

Sharkstar do you think so?

I'm not trying to be awkward, but could you give a rough price next to that list?

• 15mm spanner - £5-10
  
• Metric hex set - £5
  
• tyre levers - £3
  
• small adjustable spanner - £5
  
• a chain tool (the hubjub one is good) - £16
  
• crank extractor (depending on your cranks) - £10
  
• BB tool of some relevant sort - £10 + £5 (for the little adjustable thingy)
  
• A chain whip to suit your cogs (likely 1/8 inch on a fixie skidder). - £20
  
  

I take your point but I wasn't thinking he would be buying all of it new. I've never paid for tyre levers in my life. My adjustable spanner I got from my dad, I think. The forum will provide!

I think buying tools as you go along is your best bet, when I originally heard it I was like, lets just buy them all at once, but honestly you don't need to, you can always borrow the tricky tools from people on here, and just figure out what you need as you go along. A you buy better tools as you'll spend a bit more if you buy them singly and B it means you aren't left with lots of tools that you use once and then just sit in the tool box.
This all depends on how much building/tweaking your going to be doing right this minute. I'm cool with having, allen keys, adjustable spanner, 15mm spanner, tyre levers, chain breaker, as everyday tools, just got given a chain whip and lock ring tool, and have some headset spanners for the track bike as my headset keeps loosening itself, and will probably buy some crank pullers in the near future as I've got a cup and cone bottom bracket in the new bike and will want to make sure its always greased up.
Anything else I'll grab when I need, or politely ask someone whose already got a big toolset or does more maintenance than I do.