I ended up starting my own part time.bike repair business as I was that annoyed that a yearly bike service always seemed to set me back about £300 each time. It happened at a few after the one I used regularly shutndown a few years ago.
Would agree with what most say on here regarding tools but would recommend torque wrenches from somewhere like Machine Mart or screwfix along with allen keys from there.
I’ve also managed to strip down most bikes using not much more than a Decathlon repair kit and a standard tool kit. When I need to buy specialist bits such as bb press or extractor then they go down as a business cost.
I rarely get any high end bikes in as most people with those either fix them themselves or take them back to the dealer for repair but for the average Joe, I do a great job.
Those cassette pliers look awesome. I still use a shit chain whip that its actually meant for removing oil filters from cars.
Park Tools website as people have mentioned is great for videos and instructions. Park Tolls tools are very nice, but are expensive. If you have a decent carbon bike then the correct tool is essential. Especially a torque wrench. Most stuff on a bike doesn’t need to be tightened that tight
it’s somewhat akin to the tool you use to remove the nut holding the disc in place on an angle grinder - these have 2 pins that locate in holes on the holding plate
At IM Austria one year, one of the well known pirates got his bike out the morning of racking at the campsite, and it was so filthy I actually cleaned and lubed it for him out of pity… the chain and cassette were completely black and sticky, and the externally routed cables were binding on dried mud and twigs… he thought it was fine… and was somewhat surprised when he found it was an 11speed, as he’d thought it a ten… it was just so badly adjusted that it only used 10 gears and skipped constantly… god knows how he rode it anywhere… its fair to say he wasn’t the most mechanically minded of individuals…
Thanks, took a while to build it up. By far my best purchase was the garage cabinets and the bench, they tidy/swallow everything up so well.
Those screwdrivers are an Aussie brand called Kinchrome and are way over 25yrs old. Kinchrome has been cheapened these days but back then they were made in Oz and were a fortune at over $100
What I don’t have is good quality pliers and circlip removers. Knipex ?
