8 Bike Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed
Make your repairs simpler, quicker and more efficient with these awesome implements.
Make your repairs simpler, quicker and more efficient with these awesome implements. – By Mike Yozell
1. Disc Brake Multi-Tool
Hydraulic disc brakes are becoming common on more than just mountain bikes, which means that many more riders will need to adjust them in the future. That generally includes truing rotors, blocking the pads when a wheel is out of the frame, and, in case you should forget to do that, pushing the pads back into the bore of the caliper. The Jagwire Disc Brake Multi-Tool has four common tools—a rotor truing slot, pad/piston spreader, bleed block, and travel spacer—all in one portable package.
Even in in the age of wireless and electronic drivetrains and hydraulic brakes, cables and housing still rule the roost when it comes to brake and derailleur systems. A cable puller, also known as a fourth hand tool, is a plier-like apparatus that allows bike mechanics to pull the excess slack out of a cable and housing system and lock the system in place. That frees up both the mechanic’s hands to tighten bolts and make other adjustments (like aligning caliper brake pads). And it’s no one-trick pony: It can also be used to pull zip ties tight.
As a teenager, my dental hygienist gave me a pile of old picks that were no longer good for use in the office. I had no idea that this simple gift would have such a long-lasting impression. They have tons of uses which make them absolutely indispensible in the shop: gently opening cut ends of cable housing, fishing internally routed cables, cleaning the gunk out of cassettes and freewheels, prying bearing seals, removing O-rings, and too many other uses to list. The Park Tool Utility Pick Set (UP-SET) is a trio of aluminum-handled picks with knurled stainless shafts in 3 configurations: straight, 45-degree angle, and 90-degree angle. The butt-end of each tool has a magnet that’s useful for grabbing bearings out of a hub or picking up small parts, such as snap-rings, off the workbench.
Lately, more fittings—especially handlebar/stem bolts and chain ring bolts—are coming as T25 and T30 sizes. While a traditional L-shaped wrench will certainly work to loosen and tighten them, a three-way style wrench that includes both the above sizes and a T10 (useful for bleed screws on some hydraulic brake systems) fits the hand a bit better, and adds utility—you’ll have all the sizes you need close at hand.
Having a proper shop-quality torque wrench is essential if you are a full-time mechanic. But for most who only occasionally work on our own bikes, the expense of a larger precision torque wrench is above budget and mostly unnecessary. In this case, smaller preset torque wrenches are great options. These tools are preset to certain torque values and are excellent for final tightening on stems, handlebars, and seatposts—the most common fittings you’ll be adjusting, and the ones that need the most care when tightening. Prestacycle TorqKeys are available in values from 4 to 12Nm (4, 5, and 6Nm are the most common found on bicycles) and are available individually or as a complete set. These diminutive tools take replaceable (and commonly available) hex bits to fit a variety of bolts and fittings.
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