Essential tools for newbie DIY mechanic?

allen keys 1.5-10mm
torx T25 screwdriver (for 6 bolt rotor bolts)
cone wrenches

crank puller cable cutters spoke wrenches maybe a bleed kit for your brakes if you have hydros hears a link for a stand i got it does pretty good and maybe a truing stand

Most modern pedals have an allen socket on the inside of the spindle. Check you pedals because a pedal wrench may be unnecessary

You will get more for your money if you buy a complete set of allen wrenches, and especially so if you don't buy the Park brand. Park is the best option for bike specific tools, but for anything generic they are overpriced. You can buy a set of Bondhus wrenches (one of the best brands for these) with every size you could possibly need on Amazon for ~$13. You will surely find parts that need sizes smaller than 4mm too

A cassette tool and a chain whip are also very useful. These are necessary to remove and install cassettes. (Ah, I see you mentioned the chain whip already)

Chain tool if you don't have one

Besides tools, you will want some grease (Phil Wood is my suggestion, but generic marine grease is the same thing), package of small zip ties, some sort of degreaser, assorted rags, rubbing alcohol, small bins you can wash parts in, old toothbrushes

I've built two bikes with this kit and a few misc tools from my regular kit (wrenches, sockets, etc). Made my own headset press.

http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&mpe_id=15780&productId=1030354&intv_id=17006&evtype=CpgnClick&langId=-1&catalogId=10551&ddkey=http:ClickInfo

Thanks for the link, that looks like a great deal.

Is that a hollowtech 2 bb wrench in there? I've been looking at those, and they are $20 alone.

toothbrush to clean drivetrain

A bike stand is nice to have and I use mine often enough I suppose but I still do a lot of things just flipping the bike upside down. Something I've never had a reason to buy was a chain whip, I've always used a leather palmed work glove to grab the cassette. You can do a whole lot of things on a bike with just the basic tools, accumulate things one by one as you need them.

Other than the tools you've already mentioned, you'll need a bike stand for sure. Search around the posts, there's a few that are resonably priced that you can use for years. I have an Ultimate that has served me well for a long time.

Get a bundle of shop rags and some sort of cleaner/degreaser. I use Pedros, but there's a lot of different ones that are good. You'll want to clean your bike before you repair it, and it's not a bad idea to clean it even if you aren't repairing it.

Chain lube, hopefully you have some already.

Buy them as you need them.

I recommend picking up a cheap "kit" that runs in the 35-40 dollar range. A wide variety of commonly used tools.

A chain checker; it checks the wear level of the chain. By replacing your chain at the proper time you won't have to also replace your cassette every time.

Some of the less obvious tools is a cable cutter and a long 8mm allen key (or sockets).

Without a cable cutter, there is no way to have a clean cut of housing and cables.

A long 8mm allen key is necessary for removing crankarms and pedals. You can use a socket of course, but is no substitute for leverage, and I have the busted knuckles to prove it.

sanjuro said:

Without a cable cutter, there is no way to have a clean cut of housing and cables.

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if you already have one of the following, they can also do a decent job:
really big pliers usually have enough leverage to cut the cable in one quick and clean motion
dremel with a good blade does ok on cables and great on housing

derby said:

Buy them as you need them.

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.1+

boomn said:

if you already have one of the following, they can also do a decent job:
really big pliers usually have enough leverage to cut the cable in one quick and clean motion
dremel with a good blade does ok on cables and great on housing

Click to expand...

It is not the size of the pliers, but having a diagonal edge that cuts like scissors.

Pliers typically have a few small chips on their cutting edge, so one or two strands will not get cut.

Housing would probably work, but I would use a paper cutter or even a razor blade if I didn't have a cable cutter.

sanjuro said:

It is not the size of the pliers, but having a diagonal edge that cuts like scissors.

Pliers typically have a few small chips on their cutting edge, so one or two strands will not get cut.

Housing would probably work, but I would use a paper cutter or even a razor blade if I didn't have a cable cutter.

Click to expand...

I guess I've been lucky with my pliers and didn't realize it. I mentioned the size (really the handle length is what I meant) because the smaller pliers I have with the same cutting edge don't work as well. With more leverage on the really big pliers I can snap through the cable almost instantly, instead of cutting with some hesitation with the smaller ones that leads to me hacking up the last part of the cut