10 Essential Tools for Your Home Workshop
10 ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR YOUR HOME WORKSHOP

10 ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR YOUR HOME WORKSHOP
Without maintenance, your bicycle state will suffer – which can jeopardize your safety or spoil the pleasure of your bike rides. Therefore it is always good to learn how to use some essential tools for the daily maintenance of your equipment. Here's how you can start by building your own toolbox!
Having a floor pump at home is essential. With it, you can check the correct pressure of your tires and re-inflate them if necessary.
Your floor pump must be suitable for the different types of valves you will be using.
There are mainly two types:
1. Presta valves
- Used for road bikes
2. Schrader valves (similar to car tyre valves)
- Generally intended for mountain bikes, city bikes and mountain bikes
Many models are compatible with both systems, but check that your pump is suitable for inflating the valves on your bikes. Floor pumps that come with a pressure gauge are also useful for fine-tuning tyre pressure.
You could create your own stand from some old pipes or just invest in a stand for your workshop.
Both solutions work: the main thing is to be able to hang your bike and have your two hands free to fix it.
This tool will be useful to you often, be it during simple cleaning and lubricating or assorted repairs you may perform.
Having a set of Allen keys is crucial for cyclists, as they are required to make adjustments or make some common fix on almost every bolt on your bike.
While most modern bikes are transitioning to a full ensemble of Allen or hex bolts, many legacy bikes and components continue to use either a Philips or flat screw, especially on parts like derailleur adjustments.
Think of the pedal wrench as a fairly large Allen key, but with a much longer arm lever that provides you the strength you need to tighten or loosen your pedals!
A chain tool is essential for replacing or modifying the length of your chain.
Over time, the spokes of bicycle wheels loosen after use. In the case of off-road use, the wheels can even buckle due to spokes de-tensioning under the strain of repeated impacts.
Comprising of patches, tire levers and glue, the repair kit allows you to repair punctures during your ride or at home.
PRO-TIPS:
- Note that these patches will not work on tubeless tyres commonly found on modern mountain bikes. You can instead carry a specialized tubeless tyre repair kit similar to those used on automobile tyres.
Replacing your cables without proper cable cutters is a real pain!
Whether damaged or worn out, the rubber part of your cable housing tends to shrink over time and the excess wire casing needs to be cut off.
For optimum operation, invest in bike-specific cable cutters which finely slice your cables and sleeves, without pinching or damage. It will be much easier to slide in the cables through the housing.
It is better to be safe than sorry with the unpredictable weather in Singapore.
This Teflon all-weather lubricant is designed to keep your drivetrain (chains, cassettes, derailleurs) lubricated and functioning smoothly in all weather conditions during trainings and competitions.
Teflon provides very good adherence to the drivetrain, even in wet conditions.
Once your toolbox is filled with these useful accessories, it's time to learn how to use them properly. There are many free tutorials available on the internet that can aid you in your quest. Good luck and have fun!