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While it is technically a socket, an oil filter wrench is reasonably specialized in that you won't see it in a standard socket set. Same may be true of a spark

While it is technically a socket, an oil filter wrench is reasonably specialized in that you won't see it in a standard socket set. Same may be true of a spark plug socket depending on your car. Otherwise, doing routine/basic maintenance on a car, such as changing the oil, requires a means of getting under the car (ramps or jack and stands) and of handling large amounts of fluids (drain pan and funnel) neither of which you need to do the equivalent work on a bike. A torque wrench is much more important for car maintenance than for bike maintenance (and you'll need a bigger one!). Depending on the condition of your car you may want a breaker bar. Obviously doing anything with the suspension requires a spring compressor, and troubleshooting certain engine problems requires a compression tester, but those are needed infrequently enough that they can be rented or borrowed. And that's before getting into the model-specific specialized tools for something like a timing belt change, or anything electronic (though I recommend anyone with a car should get a cheap Bluetooth OBDII reader).

jessekv 2y ago
I gave in and bought a torque wrench recently for my bikes... modern bike components sure are light but they are also really easy to over-tighten.
aidenn0 2y ago
> jack and stands Manual for my latest car recommends against jacking up under the front axle, so a jack and stands are out for getting underneath it.
sidewndr46 2y ago
You have a pretty odd definition of "specialized". A jack is a jack. Yes, I use a big one for my truck since it weighs many thousands of pounds. I use the same jack to lift small cars and anything else I want, within reason. A torque wrench is a specialized tool...for torquing a fastener. I use the torque wrench to torque fasteners on my truck, my motorcycle, some random piece of equipment I want to repair, etc. I have seal drivers for driving seals on my motorcycle. I also can use them on hydraulic cylinders, or any other random seal I want to drive in. The only truly specialized piece of auto repair tooling I have is a tool that is cast and machined specifically to fit inside the engine head to remove a portion of the valvetrain for maintenance. It's a very boring once you understand how it works, but I'm not using it for anything else. As for a spring compressor, I've been doing suspension work for about a decade now and used one zero times. You just don't need it for routine maintenance. I guess if a spring breaks, you would need it in some weird circumstance possibly.
- ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
  I would consider jacks, seal drivers and oil filter wrenches specialized tools. The only specialized tool you need for a bike is a spoke wrench.
  - fnfjfk 2y ago
    Lockring tool for cassette Various BB tools, also for disc brake lockrings Chain whip Bleed kit You can force a missing link with other tools but the dedicated pliers are really much better
  - pandaman 2y ago
    > The only specialized tool you need for a bike is a spoke wrench. And a chain whip, and a lockring bit for brakes/cassette, and another bit for the bottom bracket, and some pin spanners maybe, a derailer alignment gauge, maybe crank puller, tire levers, chain breaker, and master link pliers. Hydraulic brakes? Bleed kit, piston press. Pneumatic suspension? Shock pump. Tubeless? Better get a syringe to refill sealant through valves (and don't forget the valve core wrench) or reset your tires every time you need new sealant.
    - ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
      Does the average person really need all that? An Allen key set and socket wrench kit will get you pretty far.
      - pandaman 2y ago
        You do need all that if you want to perform maintenance on a bike. I assure you that the average person won't be able to replace a cassette, which is a wear item, with an Allen wrench and a socket wrench. Or replace disk brakes, or a chain ring, which are also wear items. I imagine you can use an Allen bit as a lever when you need to access tubes or replace tires (wear items both), but it does have high probability of damaging your rims, which, again will need lockring bits and a chain whip to replace, at least on the rear wheel. Chain is another wear item, I figure you can just hammer out pins with a thin Allen key to cut a new chain and use the same technique to remove the old one but your hammering technique should be very precise to retain the pin, you cannot put them back in once you hammered them out too far, not even with a socket wrench.

jessekv 2y ago

I gave in and bought a torque wrench recently for my bikes... modern bike components sure are light but they are also really easy to over-tighten.

aidenn0 2y ago

> jack and stands Manual for my latest car recommends against jacking up under the front axle, so a jack and stands are out for getting underneath it.

sidewndr46 2y ago

You have a pretty odd definition of "specialized". A jack is a jack. Yes, I use a big one for my truck since it weighs many thousands of pounds. I use the same jack to lift small cars and anything else I want, within reason. A torque wrench is a specialized tool...for torquing a fastener. I use the torque wrench to torque fasteners on my truck, my motorcycle, some random piece of equipment I want to repair, etc. I have seal drivers for driving seals on my motorcycle. I also can use them on hydraulic cylinders, or any other random seal I want to drive in. The only truly specialized piece of auto repair tooling I have is a tool that is cast and machined specifically to fit inside the engine head to remove a portion of the valvetrain for maintenance. It's a very boring once you understand how it works, but I'm not using it for anything else. As for a spring compressor, I've been doing suspension work for about a decade now and used one zero times. You just don't need it for routine maintenance. I guess if a spring breaks, you would need it in some weird circumstance possibly.

ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
I would consider jacks, seal drivers and oil filter wrenches specialized tools. The only specialized tool you need for a bike is a spoke wrench.
- fnfjfk 2y ago
  Lockring tool for cassette Various BB tools, also for disc brake lockrings Chain whip Bleed kit You can force a missing link with other tools but the dedicated pliers are really much better
- pandaman 2y ago
  > The only specialized tool you need for a bike is a spoke wrench. And a chain whip, and a lockring bit for brakes/cassette, and another bit for the bottom bracket, and some pin spanners maybe, a derailer alignment gauge, maybe crank puller, tire levers, chain breaker, and master link pliers. Hydraulic brakes? Bleed kit, piston press. Pneumatic suspension? Shock pump. Tubeless? Better get a syringe to refill sealant through valves (and don't forget the valve core wrench) or reset your tires every time you need new sealant.
  - ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
    Does the average person really need all that? An Allen key set and socket wrench kit will get you pretty far.
    - pandaman 2y ago
      You do need all that if you want to perform maintenance on a bike. I assure you that the average person won't be able to replace a cassette, which is a wear item, with an Allen wrench and a socket wrench. Or replace disk brakes, or a chain ring, which are also wear items. I imagine you can use an Allen bit as a lever when you need to access tubes or replace tires (wear items both), but it does have high probability of damaging your rims, which, again will need lockring bits and a chain whip to replace, at least on the rear wheel. Chain is another wear item, I figure you can just hammer out pins with a thin Allen key to cut a new chain and use the same technique to remove the old one but your hammering technique should be very precise to retain the pin, you cannot put them back in once you hammered them out too far, not even with a socket wrench.