5 Cycle Repair Kit Essentials To Save On Repairs
- Bike repairs such as chain and spoke replacements can be expensive
- You can avoid professional costs with these handy toolkit essentials
- Latest Deals reveals the best items to purchase - and the best prices
If you’re regularly out on your bike but you don’t know much about the mechanics behind its operation, chances are you’ll rely on your local bike mechanic whenever you run into an issue. However, the prices of repairs can easily stack up - wouldn’t it be easier to save money and learn to do it yourself?
Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, says: ‘It can be annoying to encounter problems such as a broken spoke or punctured inner tube during your ride. Instead of walking your bike to your nearest shop and paying out for repairs, there are some essentials every cyclist should take out on their rides that will save them time and money on professional jobs. What’s more, they don’t cost much either. Here’s what you should have in your cycle repair kit.’
Tyre Levers - Buy 2 For £3.99, Avoid Replacing The Rim For £50 Or More
A punctured inner tube can be virtually impossible to fix if you don’t have the right kit. It’s best to buy a dedicated lever instead of trying to use alternatives from your toolkit or items from around the house. Never forget that your bike tyres are more sensitive than those on a car, so you can easily damage your rim if you hack at it with a screwdriver to get to the inner tube. Frugal cyclists will be glad they have a proper tyre lever at hand when they encounter an issue out on the road. There’s no need to worry about the cost - shopping on Amazon can yield some great results. For example, we found a set of two for £3.99 that have received rave reviews. If you learn to use it at home, you will avoid bike mechanic repair costs which generally cost £10 or more. Don’t forget that, if you hack at your wheel with a screwdriver, pliers or whatever else you can find, you risk permanent damage to your rim - and buying a new rim can easily cost upwards of £50, going into the £100s if you’re on an MTB.
Multitool - Save ££ On Individual Tools By Purchasing An All-In-One
If you’re regularly out on your bike, you will quickly see the value of having a multitool on you. Not only does it save on space - who wants a load of Allen keys rattling around in their saddle bag? - it can also save you money if you shop smartly. Generally speaking, you will want your multitool to contain hex keys, Torx keys, a chain tool, screwdrivers and tyre levers. Depending on your bike type and other factors such as how often you’re riding and your preferred terrain, you may also need options such as a plug tool if you have tubeless tyres or a disc brake rotor truing tool, but for many - especially those on a budget - this 10 in 1 folding multi-tool will do the job.
Spare Inner Tube - Save £10 By Learning To Replace It Yourself
If you don’t have tubeless tyres, you’ll want to carry around a spare inner tube in case you end up with a flat. Even though it’s possible to patch up a tube puncture by the roadside, it’s much easier to replace it and perform the fix once you’re home. It goes without saying that you should practise this repair in your own time, instead of watching YouTube tutorials in a panicked state in the middle of nowhere as the rain starts to set in. What’s more, buying supplies and performing this fix yourself will typically save you money over time. For example, you can buy an inner tube from Halfords for £4 and fit it yourself. If you were to get the shop to fit it, you would pay £14 total for parts and labour. This way, you can pocket a tenner simply by knowing how to perform this simple fix.
Quick Link - Avoid Replacing Your Chain Until It’s Worn With This Trick
Bike chains should generally be replaced every 2,000 to 3,000 miles, but sometimes yours can break before then while you’re out on the road. If you don’t want to get a new chain just yet, you can bypass the hassle by applying a quick link and then getting right back to your ride. These are ideal to keep on you whenever you go out on your bike, as all you need to do is insert the links through the open ends of your chain. The good news is that they can be relatively cheap, too, such as this chain connector for MTBs which is just under £6.
Spoke Wrench - Save £20 On Repairs By Fixing Broken Spokes Yourself
While it may look unremarkable, a spoke wrench is an indispensable piece of kit for cyclists who find that one of their spokes has broken and needs replacing, or they need to true their wheel by adjusting the spokes. Some may believe they need specialist equipment or a bike mechanic in order to true a wheel, but it’s possible to do it yourself if you don’t need a major realignment, you’re not a pro biker and you’ve got a little time and patience to practice at home. Just make sure you get the right size for your bike - if you’re not sure, you can ask a bike shop for advice. They are generally cheap to buy - for example, this set on Amazon is just £4.99. Once you’ve perfected the art of wheel truing, you’ll be saving an average of £20 on a professional fix for replacing between 1 and 5 spokes.
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Best value are the bicycle toolkits which contain a load of tools for around £25. Lidl and Aldi occasionally do them but they are often available all the time from ebay. Halfords do them too at a higher price.