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I often ride a little (or a lot) faster than the situation calls for in urban context and rely on emergency braking. The bike I bought at a dealership is just

I often ride a little (or a lot) faster than the situation calls for in urban context and rely on emergency braking. The bike I bought at a dealership is just a couple months old and no maintenance work had been done so far. I am feeling it’s about time for some adjustments (rim brakes are accumulating some leeway now), and thought I could as well replace some parts while at it and start to learn how to put together a fully custom ride (to use the skill in future after I move to a more permanent location).

brudgers 6y ago
Part of the reason replacing parts is attractive is because shopping is easier than maintenance...and in practice it's easier than riding because it can be done sitting at a computer eating a sandwich. But if that's your plan, then you'll need tools. Not many. Mostly basic bicycle tools. Not specialized tools for most situations, that's why those tools are specialized. The tools I'd recommend starting with to keep your bike safe -- these handle everything that occurs day to day. They focus on the wheels. hex wrenches. so nothing that's loose stays loose. cheap ones are fine. I mostly use a set of tee handles bought from Harbor Freight for about $12. Sometimes L-shaped hex wrenches for tight spaces. track pump, it just makes keeping tires properly inflated easy. Inflation makes a huge difference. Tires lose significant air in a week. tire levers. a patch kit that uses rubber cement. truing stand - a cheap one from china is more than good enough. Without a trued wheel, brakes cannot be optimally adjusted. Trued wheels create a huge ride difference. Anyone can true a wheel, it just takes time and patience. spoke wrench. not just for truing wheels but for insuring spokes are not loose. not-loose is not quite the same as tight. spokes need the right amount of tension. the right amount is loose enough to for the wheel not to run to that side and tight enough for it to stay true chain lube. screw driver for adjusting derailleurs if the chain rubs AND you're not riding cross chained. Second level tools for bearings. Wheel bearings don't require much attention but can need periodic service. If the wheel moves laterally when the brakes are applied or doesn't spin freely and isn't rubbing, adjust the bearings. magnetic parts cup. when something comes off the bike that's where it goes. even if it's not magnetic. especially if its small. It will also find ball bearings when they are lost. cone wrenches to adjust wheel bearings. these are just flat wrenches. white lithium grease for wheel bearings. don't put it on your seat post Everything else is pretty rare - modern cartridge bottom brackets have removed a lot of maintenance and the associated tools. Pick them up when you need them. You need them when a job with the tools you have seems to require a lot of force or not be possible. Lastly, not doing maintenance doesn't make your bike safer. If something requires maintenance and you break it and can't ride, that's safer than not doing required maintenance and going for a ride. If you're really worried about over-torquing something, you can throw money at it. There are torque-wrench versions of bicycle tools that are used for torque sensitive operations. Good luck.
- strogonoff 6y ago
  Thank you! When I asked the original question I didn’t imagine I’d get the help I needed right here in the thread. I didn’t quite realize it myself but knowing what’s the minimum set of tools I need to have had indeed been among the biggest obstacles.
  - brudgers 6y ago
    I'm glad if you find it helpful. The most expensive bit is the pump. I have a Lezyne floor pump that was $60 from Amazon. Truing stands are about $40 on eBay. Spoke wrenches are available for around $5-10. Tire levers all about equal. The Park Tool patch kit is small and comes with rubber cement.

brudgers 6y ago

Part of the reason replacing parts is attractive is because shopping is easier than maintenance...and in practice it's easier than riding because it can be done sitting at a computer eating a sandwich. But if that's your plan, then you'll need tools. Not many. Mostly basic bicycle tools. Not specialized tools for most situations, that's why those tools are specialized. The tools I'd recommend starting with to keep your bike safe -- these handle everything that occurs day to day. They focus on the wheels. hex wrenches. so nothing that's loose stays loose. cheap ones are fine. I mostly use a set of tee handles bought from Harbor Freight for about $12. Sometimes L-shaped hex wrenches for tight spaces. track pump, it just makes keeping tires properly inflated easy. Inflation makes a huge difference. Tires lose significant air in a week. tire levers. a patch kit that uses rubber cement. truing stand - a cheap one from china is more than good enough. Without a trued wheel, brakes cannot be optimally adjusted. Trued wheels create a huge ride difference. Anyone can true a wheel, it just takes time and patience. spoke wrench. not just for truing wheels but for insuring spokes are not loose. not-loose is not quite the same as tight. spokes need the right amount of tension. the right amount is loose enough to for the wheel not to run to that side and tight enough for it to stay true chain lube. screw driver for adjusting derailleurs if the chain rubs AND you're not riding cross chained. Second level tools for bearings. Wheel bearings don't require much attention but can need periodic service. If the wheel moves laterally when the brakes are applied or doesn't spin freely and isn't rubbing, adjust the bearings. magnetic parts cup. when something comes off the bike that's where it goes. even if it's not magnetic. especially if its small. It will also find ball bearings when they are lost. cone wrenches to adjust wheel bearings. these are just flat wrenches. white lithium grease for wheel bearings. don't put it on your seat post Everything else is pretty rare - modern cartridge bottom brackets have removed a lot of maintenance and the associated tools. Pick them up when you need them. You need them when a job with the tools you have seems to require a lot of force or not be possible. Lastly, not doing maintenance doesn't make your bike safer. If something requires maintenance and you break it and can't ride, that's safer than not doing required maintenance and going for a ride. If you're really worried about over-torquing something, you can throw money at it. There are torque-wrench versions of bicycle tools that are used for torque sensitive operations. Good luck.

strogonoff 6y ago
Thank you! When I asked the original question I didn’t imagine I’d get the help I needed right here in the thread. I didn’t quite realize it myself but knowing what’s the minimum set of tools I need to have had indeed been among the biggest obstacles.
- brudgers 6y ago
  I'm glad if you find it helpful. The most expensive bit is the pump. I have a Lezyne floor pump that was $60 from Amazon. Truing stands are about $40 on eBay. Spoke wrenches are available for around $5-10. Tire levers all about equal. The Park Tool patch kit is small and comes with rubber cement.