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Bike Repair Tools and Kits

By Rain Noe - March 6, 2012

in Hand Tools

The problem with tool collections is that there's no end to them. Whether you fix cars, computers or carbines, you could spend the rest of your life amassing better and more specific tools to help you get the job done quicker. So it's always fascinating to see manufacturers trying to wrangle an unruly assortment of implements into something comprehensive, yet manageable in size.

Take bicycle repair tools, for instance. At the high end of the scale you've got Park Tool's Master Mechanic Tool Set, a turn-key package for someone looking to open up a bike repair shop. It consists of 218 tools, gauges, lubricants, fixtures, and even a stool to park your ass on while banging out the repairs. If you order one of these you'll help keep the local UPS guy in shape, as it arrives at your doorstep in four boxes totaling nearly 200 pounds in weight.

Stepping down a bit, you've got smaller, self-contained kits from manufacturers like Revolution (pictured at the top of this entry), Shimano and the aformentioned Park Tool with tools numbering in the low dozens rather than low hundreds. These are aimed more at the self-sufficient cyclist looking to do their own maintenance rather than open up a shop, and come with their own little kit boxes meant to ride on a workbench rather than populate an entire Craftsman cart.

Down at the individual and small-set tool level, manufacturer Birzman gets particularly design-y with their wrenches and sets, which have a sexiness I haven't seen in, say, auto repair, gunsmithing or woodworking tools. Some of them have even won iF and Red Dot Design Awards.

Speaking of awards, folding bike manufacturer Brompton won a Taipei Cycle Design and Innovation Award this morning for their eponymous toolkit, which stows away inside the frame of the bike itself. It obviously doesn't compare to the other kits shown here in terms of comprehensiveness, but as Brompton's Sales/Marketing Director points out, it's meant for "when things go wrong and you need some tools to effect a repair."

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dongzo

12 years ago

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I've yet to encounter a good blow molded case that comes 'free' with a tool and holds all the little bits... things manage to fall out easily and be difficult to remove at the same time. Maybe better tolerances would help, but I think the simplest solution would be to mold the parts that grip the tools out of something softer. (Cut elastomer inserts to actually grip the tools.)
Tool companies also often don't include space for that extra thing you buy (i.e. the right drill bit for the job) and the latches invariably suck as well... it's one of those times where I'd much rather they just throw everything in an oily bag in a cardboard box when I purchase it. For the above reasons the included case is typically just expensive landfill. The best 'included with purchase' tool case of many I've dealt with is a nylon duffle bag which doesn't even attempt to organize things. In short, it would be nice if the cases got a fraction of the design effort of the tools themselves, and maybe even some hands on usability testing or something insane like that.
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Mark H

12 years ago

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There's also the classic Campagnolo tool kit with its wooden box and complete range of frame prep tools (for vintage 1980's and earlier Italian and English threading standards).
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Frank

12 years ago

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Check out Lezyne.. they also do some neat looking tools.
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