As cycling fans, we know mishaps may occur at any moment, from a flat tire to a loose handle bar. That’s why today we are going to talk about the basic bike tool kit: Do you have yours?
We previously talked about the mistakes you must avoid when cycling; among them, one of the most common and severe is not having a bike tool kit.
That is the reason for our topic of the day, to know what are those tools and spare parts you must carry when cycling.
Prepare your bike and your bag, we are going to need it to keep the accessories we will show you.
Basic bike tool kit, what includes?
It doesn’t matter if you just go to the corner, to the closest market or to a place far from home. You must always carry a bike tool kit when cycling.
Trust in us when we say that by having this, you will have a better and more relaxed returning to home. Write down this list, these are the must have tools.
Bag for tools
It may seem obvious for you, but, that’s what you need first, a special bag for your bike tools. Of course, you can store them in a bag you have at home, however, the difference is that the special ones are manufactured in a precise size and design to carry your keys and other pieces of the bike. These specialized bags for bike tools occupy less space and can be placed under the seat.
Bike Innner Tube
This can save you, better said, this will save you. The most common failures of bike are the flat tire. These aren’t a problem if you have a place to take it to repair it; but if you adventure to a pretty long bike ride and there’s no place where repair it, you may stay halfway with a flat tire. For that, it’s important to always carry a new bike inner tube to change it and of course, the inner tube must have the correct measure.
Tire Levers
In order to change the inner tube or patch the tire, first you will need to dismount it from bicycle rim. For that, you will need these tire levers to detach the tire. Useful to take off the rubber cover and extract the inner tube, also help to place them again. Believe us, try to remove and put the cover without these levers and it’s pretty annoying, So, you should better have ones.
Patches and glue
Most of accessories of a basic bike tool kit is focused on tires. As we mentioned, these are the most common failures when cycling. That’s why we have mentioned about patches, special glue and a sand paper. This work to put patches on small holes where air is escaping from. Its important to learn how to patch and change your bike tires. Its essential knowledge that will save you from many predicaments.
Portable air pump
Of course, once removed, patched and mounted again after patching it, you will have to inflate it again. For that, is essential to have a portable air pump, these are small and easy to transport. In addition, will be useful to inflate a bit more your tire, due over time can deflate without being flat.
Allen, hex wrenches and screwdrivers
All the pieces of your bike are joined through screws and nuts. From the brakes, to delineators and wheels. In most of the cases is intuitive to know which tighten and which loosen to accommodate certain pieces (the best thing is have some courses or watch tutorials). However, is essential to know if your bike needs Allen, standard or hex screws, depending on this you can decide if you buy multi-tools or wrenches only and screwdrivers with the exact measures.
It has to be emphasized that allen screws are the most common in bike and their measures are 4, 5 and 6 mm. In torx screws exists the T25 and T30 measures; and for hex screws are 8, 10 and 15mm.
Spoke Wrench
We have spoken about the basic bike tools kit, from here we start with the tools regularly used in your garage or place where you repair your bike.
This is due these tools aren’t carried on bike rides; their use is for more complex repairs. This is the case of spoke wrench, this work to tighten or loosen the spoke nipples of the rim and “centered it”, meaning, align it.
Observe your tires when cycling, if you see a zigzag movement when using it, then, you will need to adjust your spokes to align them. For this, is necessary a bike wheel trimming, another tool to leave at home.
Bike chain splitter cutter
Similar size to a spoke wrench this tool works to cut a part of the chain and join it with bolts. This is useful when your chain breaks or stuck in a part of the bike. In this way you can separate it or join it again with the help of this tool.
This was the bike tool basic kit. As you could notice, these are small but useful tools. That’s why is necessary to always carry them and learn to make these repairs. If you don’t know how to make them, you can provide the correct tools to someone that helps you.
