Maintaining Your Bicycle - the Tools You'll Need

Learning how to work on your own bicycle is pretty rewarding. It gives you piece of mind when you're on a ride. It can also save you money. Granted, there's sticker shock at first. And you might not know what bare essentials you need. Here is a list of tools that should constitute the basics for any home bike mechanic. I've slanted it a little more toward mountain bikes because that's the way I roll. Prices are estimates - they will vary by brand and model, and are here just to give you an idea of what you might spend.

1. Bike repair stand - This so beats flipping your bike upside down or leaning it against a wall. Save your back. Swear less. Never knock your bike over accidentally. About $200.

2. Pedal wrench - Sometimes, your pedals just need to come off. Some pedals have allen bolts securing them. But it works way better to use a pedal wrench. No more than $30.

3. Metric hex wrenches - Just about everything on your bike requires a hex wrench. A wide spread from 2 to 15 millimeters will do the trick. Get them good enough to function, but nothing extravagant. $20 for basic stuff from Ace Hardware will work. You might spend more for long t-handle hex wrenches, which can be handy with some multi-pivoted, bulky-swingarmed full-suspension frames.

4. Two chain whip/sprocket remover tools, and lockring tool - This combination is essential for removing your rear cassette (aka rear sprocket). $30

5. Chainbreaker - Pick up a good chainbreaker ... one that's sturdy, but small enough to take on a ride. It will make it easier to clean your chain, and can do double-duty saving your ride. $15

6. Shock Pump - Most shocks these days are air-sprung. A decent shock pump with a gauge will save you many annoying trips to the bike shop. $30

7. Floor Pump - Nothing is a bigger bummer than having to inflate tubes with a hand pump. There's no way around that on the trail, but don't do it at home. $40

8. Tire Levers - These are essential for changing tubes and tires and fixing flats. They're cheap, too! Get plastic rather than metal to avoid scarring your rims. $7

9. Crank arm puller - A must for pulling off your cranks arms and cleaning all the nooks and crannies in your chainrings. You won't believe how smoothly your drivetrain functions after a quarterly deep-clean. $20

10. Old toothbrushes - Awesome for swapping dirt and muck out of all your bicycles hard-to-reach spots.

11. Old t-shirts - Great for cleaning frames!

12. Simple Green - A biodegradable solvent/cleaner that doesn't smell like it will make birds fall out of the air. The perfect drivetrain cleaner - use it to make a 4-1 water/degreaser mix. $5

13. Your bike lube of choice - After you clean, you have to lube. Use what works for you - if you don't already know this already, keep WD-40 far away from your bike. $10

14. Grease - Whenever you pull out a bolt, put a light coat of grease on the threads before re-inserting it. This helps prevent it from freezing in place. $10