Bicycle tools

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The term bicycle tools usually refers to specialty tools only used on bicycles, as opposed to general purpose mechanical tools such as spanners and hex wrenches. 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.

Contents

Various tools by function

Hub, wheel and tire tools

Brake tools

Headset tools

Drivetrain and bottom bracket tools

Track sprockets are typically attached and removed from the hub by screwing them with a chain whip. This tool also has a lockring spanner for securing a reverse threaded lockring against the sprocket. Track sprocket tool by Bruce McAdam.jpg
Track sprockets are typically attached and removed from the hub by screwing them with a chain whip. This tool also has a lockring spanner for securing a reverse threaded lockring against the sprocket.
Bottom bracket wrench for newer bottom bracket styles BBTool2.jpg
Bottom bracket wrench for newer bottom bracket styles
Crank extractor CrankExtractor4.jpg
Crank extractor

Stands

Work stand (painted black and blue) holding a bicycle frame by its fork dropouts and bottom bracket shell. Bicycle Frame Lemond zurich retouched.jpg
Work stand (painted black and blue) holding a bicycle frame by its fork dropouts and bottom bracket shell.

Various devices have been devised to hold a bike still to facilitate working on it, and they are usually called stands. Stands may clamp a part of the bike, such as the seatpost, seat tube, or top tube, or they may simply provide a surface on which a bike may rest with some security. Stands, especially those that clamp to a bike, may provide a means of repositioning a bike in order to conveniently locate the part being worked on. Stands may be either portable (light and collapsible) or fixed (heavy, usually attached to the floor, wall, or bench).

Care must be taken with clamping stands not to clamp a part of the bike that cannot withstand the pressure, such as the tubes of many aluminum or carbon fiber frames, and non-cylindrical carbon fiber seatposts. An auxiliary bracket may be used with clamping stands to keep the steering mechanism from rotating.

Storage rack

Bicycle storage refers to a method of storing bicycles indoors or outdoors to reduce space usage and protect bicycles. There are various ways to store bicycles, including using bicycle racks, hooks, vertical bike stands, bicycle storage cabinets, etc.

Bicycle racks are one of the most commonly used bicycle storage devices. They are usually made of metal or plastic and can support the weight of the bicycle while lifting it up to save space. Bicycle racks can be placed on the ground or on the wall, allowing the bicycle to be hung up and not take up floor space.

Hooks are also a common bicycle storage device. They are usually made of metal and can be fixed on the wall or ceiling. The benefit of using hooks is that the bicycle can be stored vertically, which saves more space. However, using hooks requires more effort to put the bicycle on and is not suitable for storing heavy bicycles.

Vertical bike stands are a type of bicycle storage device that can store multiple bicycles. They are usually made of metal and can be placed on the ground, often in a corner of a garage or shed. This storage method is more space-saving than bicycle racks and can store multiple bicycles.

Bicycle storage cabinets are an indoor storage solution for bicycles. They are usually made of wood, plastic or metal and can protect bicycles from weather and sun damage. They usually have locks to protect bicycles from theft and can reduce indoor bicycle space usage.

Bicycle storage can reduce the space occupied by bicycles while protecting them from weather and sun damage. Choosing the right bicycle storage method can make bicycles last longer and save home or commercial space.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle</span> Pedal-driven two-wheel vehicle

A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tire iron</span> Specialized metal tool used in working with tires

A tire iron is a specialized metal or plastic tool used in working with tires. Tire irons have not been in common use for automobile tires since the shift to the use of tubeless tires in the late 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle frame</span> Main component of a bicycle

A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame. Frames are required to be strong, stiff and light, which they do by combining different materials and shapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle wheel</span> Wheel designed for a bicycle

A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derailleur</span> Variable-ratio transmission system commonly used on bicycles

A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crankset</span> Bicycle part

The crankset or chainset is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain or belt, which in turn drives the rear wheel. It consists of one or more sprockets, also called chainrings or chainwheels attached to the cranks, arms, or crankarms to which the pedals attach. It is connected to the rider by the pedals, to the bicycle frame by the bottom bracket, and to the rear sprocket, cassette or freewheel via the chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touring bicycle</span> Bicycle designed or modified for touring

A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase, frame materials that favor flexibility over rigidity, heavy duty wheels, and multiple mounting points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racing bicycle</span> Bicycle designed for competitive road cycling

A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by and according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclo-cross bicycle</span> Bicycle designed for cyclo-cross racing

A cyclo-cross bike or cyclo-cross bicycle is a bicycle specifically designed for the rigors of a cyclo-cross race. Cyclo-cross bicycles roughly resemble the racing bicycles used in road racing. The major differences between the two are the frame geometry, and the wider clearances that cyclo-cross bikes have for their larger tires and mud and other debris that they accumulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headset (bicycle part)</span>

The headset is the set of components on a bicycle that provides a rotatable interface between the bicycle fork and the head tube of a bicycle frame. The tube through which the steerer of the fork passes is called the head tube. A typical headset consists of two cups that are pressed into the top and bottom of the headtube. Inside the two cups are bearings which provide a low friction contact between the bearing cup and the steerer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle fork</span> Bicycle piece

A bicycle fork is the part of a bicycle that holds the front wheel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-speed bicycle</span> Type of bicycle with a single gear ratio

A single-speed bicycle is a type of bicycle with a single gear ratio. These bicycles are without derailleur gears, hub gearing or other methods for varying the gear ratio of the bicycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motobécane</span> French manufacturer of bicycles

Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and other small vehicles, established in 1923. "Motobécane" is a compound of "moto", short for motorcycle; "bécane" is slang for "bike."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fork end</span> Part of a bicycle

A fork end, fork-end, or forkend is a slot in a bicycle frame or bicycle fork where the axle of a bicycle wheel is attached. A dropout is a type of fork end that allows the rear wheel to be removed without first derailing the chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kickstand</span> Bicycle part

A kickstand is a device on a bicycle or motorcycle that allows the bike to be kept upright without leaning against another object or the aid of a person. A kickstand is usually a piece of metal that flips down from the frame and makes contact with the ground. It is generally located in the middle of the bike or towards the rear. Some touring bicycles have two: one at the rear, and a second in the front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stem (bicycle part)</span>

The stem is the component on a bicycle that connects the handlebars to the steerer tube of the bicycle fork. Sometimes called a goose neck, a stem's design belongs to either a quill or threadless system, and each system is compatible with respective headset and fork designs:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable guide</span>

A cable guide is a fitting or part of a bicycle frame which guides a piece of bare inner bowden cable around a corner. Most multi-speed bicycles have cable guides to get the derailleur cables past the bottom bracket. Older derailleur bicycles used either brazed-on or clamp-on guides just above the bottom bracket, but newer bicycles have a guide under the bottom bracket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of bicycles</span> Overview of and topical guide to bicycles

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bicycles:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain bike trials</span> Sport of cycling over an obstacle course

Mountain bike trials, also known as observed trials, is a discipline of mountain biking in which the rider attempts to pass through an obstacle course without setting foot to ground. Derived from motorcycle trials, it originated in Catalonia, Spain as trialsín and is said to have been invented by Pere Pi, the father of Ot Pi, a world champion motorcycle trials rider. Pi's father had wanted his son to learn motorcycle trials by practicing on an ordinary bicycle.

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