Bike tools - any recommended sets out there?

I'm starting to get into bike builds and looking to get into maintaining my own bikes but only have a mish mash of tools. Can anyone recommend any good sets that cover the majority of the bases? I'll only be tinkering so don't want to go over the top, and I don't have much space to stick everything. Probably won't be building wheels so don't need bits for that.

cheers

Not looking to spend too much either - max £150-200 ish

I don't know of sets, I've tended to buy tools as I've needed them. Just a warning, they can wildly vary in quality so I tend to stick to Park Tool shop tools and avoid their entry-level stuff which can also be cheese.

For typical day-to-day stuff I tend to use the following:
Headset wrench
Cone wrench (comes in 12-13mm and 14-15mm from memory and the smaller one is useful for centring caliper brakes)
15mm spanner for nutted wheels
Chain breaker
Bottom bracket tool for cartridge bottom brackets or spline wrench and pin spanner for cup-and-cone bb.
Freewheel tool or splined cassette tool (plus a BIG bar because these get very stuck)
Pedal wrench (usually a monster of a 15mm spanner, but slimmer in cross-section)
Small spanners, screwdrivers and Allen keys
Adjustable spanner
Metal tyre levers

More specialised stuff for specific tasks or occasional things:
Chain whip for fixed cogs
Spoke key
Large bench vice is exceptionally useful

Proper cutters for steel brake/gear cables, not just the usual ones that you use for electrical cables.

Re:

thanks all, much obliged, might start piecing one together gradually in line with the build.

Tool kits that are worth having tend not to be much cheaper than buying the items individually.

dablk":2bp2bzcd said:

Proper cutters for steel brake/gear cables, not just the usual ones that you use for electrical cables.

Click to expand...

I got one of these recently http://www.halfords.com/cycling/tools-m ... le-cutters and they make a huge difference, especially for gear outer cable. I couldn't see them much cheaper anywhere else.

My strategy is to buy a tool when I either can't do a job or it's harder than it should be. I've found Cyclo tools to good value and well enough made. I now have most of the items that Jonny69 mentioned and have been planning to get the rest. Rather than buying everything at once I've been adding to the collection every month or so.

I could buy a bike for the cost of that tool kit

I only dabble but I have an eclectic mix of tools that seem to do most jobs but buy as I go along. Last one was an icetoolz head set remover as I thought I'd try something different from my large screwdriver

Shaun

Hi,

I rebuild bikes and manage on a set of 3 adjustable wrenches, a set of allen keys, some pliers, some needle nose pliers can be useful but not necessary. A hammer, a small diameter nail punch (this is for knocking out and reinserting pins on chains, along with a nut for the rear). Just make sure the third wrench is big enough for BB's and head tubes or use an adjustable grip. A socket set of reasonable quality is useful. I say reasonable quality as if the crank bolt is bigger than 14mm you will struggle to fit the bit in the gap with a cheap set. All cheap and readily available in decent quality. Second hand can probably have the lot for less than £30.

On top of this a parkers crank puller, about £10 new.

If you want to do wheels and hubs then as some have mentioned you need some more specialised tools like cone wrenches and kit for the spoke tensioning and wheel truing. if you want to fiddle with sprockets and remove them you will need a chain wrench. These things can be found quite economically though second hand.

Hope this helps.

again, thanks all, very helpful!