You've almost caught up to that pesky bird. Once you go through that tunnel up ahead... BAM! He did it again! You fell for the old "paint a tunnel on a brick wall" trick. Before you go waste your money on another set of Acme Flying Rollerblades, maybe you should fix up your red Acme bike instead. Stock up on some bike tools and you'll be back to chasing that annoying bird, with his pretentious "meep meep," in no time.
Tools
Whether you're working on the tires or fixing the frame, you're going to need the proper tools. You can purchase tools separately or you can find multi-tool sets which come with most of the tools listed below.
* '''Tire Tools'''
** A tire lever is used to remove the tire from the rim. A plastic lever is more likely to break, but a metal one may cause damage to the tire.
** Cone wrenches are needed to adjust or remove hub bearings.
** Spoke wrenches are used to tighten the wheels' spokes.
** A wheel truing stand is used in conjunction with spoke wrenches and is used for fixing wheel alignment.
** Of course a bicycle pump is essential after you've popped that tire.
* '''Headset Tools'''
** A head tube tool is used to align the headset.
** A crown race cutting tool is used to align the crown race. If you need to remove the crown, you will need a crown remover.
** Headset wrenches will come in handy when tightening nuts and bolts on the headset.
* '''Drivetrain Tools'''
** A chain splitter will break your bike chain if you need to remove it.
** A pedal wrench removes the bike's pedals.
** If you need to work on the bottom bracket, a crank extractor will remove the crank from the spindle, and a pin spanner will adjust the brackets.
Cleaners and Oils
If you take the time to properly clean all your bike parts, you may spend less time using those tools to fix things. However, not all cleaners were created equal. Bike chain cleaners are specifically made for removing nasty dirt and grit from the chain. After cleaning off that dirt, apply chain lube to keep contaminants out. Bike degreaser and cleaner can be used on all metal parts of the bike to get rid of that grime. Don't forget brushes and scrubbers to clean all those nitty gritty parts. However, ball bearings and races need to stay slick so always lubricate these parts with grease.
