Bicycle tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tools for working on a bicycle. Modern bicycle shops will stock a large number of tools for working on different bicycle parts. This work can be performed by a trained bicycle mechanic, or for simple tasks, by the bicycle owner.
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[edit] Various tools by function
[edit] Hub, wheel and tire tools
- Tire levers are used for removing the tires from the rim, often for changing the inner tube. Plastic levers are cheaper and often easier to use, but more prone to breakage than the metal type.
- Cone wrenches (spanners) are needed to dismantle and adjust the hub bearings.
- Spoke wrenches are used for tensioning the spokes of a wheel.
- Tensiometer or spoke tension meter is used to measure the tension in spokes.
- Tire Bead Jack can be used to install tires on rims, especially when the tire-rim combination is tight.
- Wheel alignment gauge or dishing gauge is used to measure the dish of a wheel.
- Wheel truing stand is used to measure the side to side and radial trueness of a wheel's rim and facilitate truing it.
- Bicycle pump
[edit] Brake tools
- Cable and housing cutters
- Cable tensioning tool to hold the cables taut while being worked on.
- Third hand or 3rd hand to clamp brake pads against rim during adjustment.
[edit] Headset tools
- Bearing cup press
- Crown race cutting tool.
- Crown race puller
- Headset wrenches are oversized flat wrenches for tightening headset cups.
- Hex (or Allen) keys are used on the various hex bolts on the stem and handlebars.
- A star-nut setter is used to set the star-nut for threadless headsets.
[edit] Drivetrain and bottom bracket tools
- A chain tool or chain splitter is used to 'break' a chain, in order to remove it from a bike or remove links, or to put a chain back together.
- A crank extractor is used to pull the crank off of the bottom bracket spindle.
- A pedal wrench removes the pedals from the bicycle.
- A pin spanner is used on adjustable bottom brackets. Note that ISIS Drive bottom brackets need a separate tool (see below).
- Various bottom bracket wrenches for newer bottom bracket styles such as internally splined by ISIS, Shimano®, FSA®, and RaceFace®; externally notched by Campagnolo® Veloce™, Xenon™, Mirage™, Daytona™ and Avanti™; and externally mounted by Shimano®.
- A chain whip and lock-ring remover are used for changing derailleur cassettes.
- Various freewheel removers are used to unscrew freewheels from hubs.
- A derailleur alignment gauge is used to straighten rear derailleur hangers.
