If you use your bike regularly, you will often find yourself in the situation of having to carry out minor repairs and maintenance work (or have them done). If you want to save yourself the time-consuming trip to the sometimes expensive bicycle workshop, at least for the little things, you should set up a small workshop at home with the most necessary tools. How large the respective equipment is depends solely on the individual ambitions of each hobby screwdriver.

The basic equipment of the home workshop

Even the occasional driver should have a certain basic equipment. Some things are in almost every household anyway.

•       Bicycle pump with pressure gauge

•       patch kit

•       Chain oil, penetrating oil

•       different screwdrivers

•       various Allen keys

•       various Allen keys

Multitool as a handy alternative

There are also ready-packed complete sets / tool cases for bicycles to buy. However, these are often not designed for particularly intensive use. For starters, or if you are unsure, for example due to the variety of products, you can of course start your DIY career well with such a product. Spare parts for repair and maintenance

The list of spare parts that a cyclist should have in stock goes one step further. Such a spare parts warehouse can be an advantage, especially for bikers who depend on their two-wheelers every day and sometimes don’t have a shop nearby. If a certain component has to be ordered first, unexpected delivery times can of course occur. The most important wearing parts include:

•       brake pads

•       Bicycle tube (note storage!)

•       bicycle chain

•       Brake and shift cable

With such equipment you are already well prepared for many smaller repairs. If you enjoy screwing and want to intensify this, you can set up a small workshop at best. After all, there is always something to do at home, the space does not have to be used exclusively for bicycle repairs. The most important feature here is: enough space! If you keep bumping into something while tinkering or you always have to push something aside, you may quickly lose interest. "Go in and get started" would be optimal here.

The bike workshop

The following principle applies to the home workshop The smaller the room, the better the organization must be. A sufficiently large mounting surface is a must. In addition, the workshop should always be easily accessible, i.e. equipped with sufficiently wide doors. Dirt and stains shouldn't be a problem, with regular maintenance and lubrication things can always go wrong. A window for good ventilation is also ideal. Lighting should also be ensured in the winter months. If you can, set up a comfortable and robust worktop. This makes it easier to work while standing and ensures that the tools do not have to be scattered around on the floor. All repairs are easier to carry out if the required tools are always at hand. A tool wall can help to keep things tidy. Shelves and drawers are ideal for everything else and non-everyday objects. So you can stow your spare parts well sorted. Even if you can usually get by with the repairs without

electricity, a few sockets are of course an advantage, the same applies to a water

connection. Especially as a "beginner" it can also be an advantage if you can access the internet during the repair to get tips and advice.

•       sufficiently large room / mounting surface

•       easy access

•       window

•       lighting

•       sockets

•       water connection

•       Worktop (pay attention to the working height)

•       Tool wall, shelves, drawers

•       wireless Internet access

•       General items such as: gloves, rags and brushes, rubbish bin, dustpan and broom, floor protection, paper and pen, first aid kit

Chemist

The chemical term refers to all those products that are used to clean, degrease, lubricate or grease the various parts of our bicycle.

What we need to get started is:

•       Chain oil, dry and wet

•       White lithium grease

•       Light grease, such as bearing grease

•       Degreaser spray

•       Lightweight spray lubricant

•       WD 40 (excellent release agent, cannot be missing in any workshop)

•       Brake cleaner

Over time, we will perhaps add new products designed for more specific uses or with particular properties.  To start, however, these 7 are more than enough.

The following tools and spare parts can be added to the first-mentioned basic equipment (see above) in a home workshop with sufficient space:

•       assembly stand

•       Combination pliers, long-nosed pliers

•       Side cutters / cable cutters

•       Micro Screwdriver Set

•       Cutter knife, scissors

•       folding rule

•       spirit level

•       wire, cable tie, tape

•       measuring stick

•       torque wrench

•       tire iron

•       chain tool

•       nipple wrench

•       Possibly special tools, such as: bottom bracket tool, headset wrench , etc. (depending on how great the technical ambitions are)

•       other wearing parts such as: spokes , screws, washers, derailleur hanger, jockey wheels etc.

The list of tools we have seen is certainly not complete to have a perfectly equipped workshop, but it is necessary to carry out almost all the most common basic level maintenance and repair operations.  We have deliberately not mentioned bleeding kits or tools for disassembling the hubs or cantering the wheels because we believe that these jobs are suitable for mechanics with medium or advanced technical knowledge and skills.  Maybe we will talk later about how to best choose these more specific tools, juggling between brands and models.

These keys on the bicycle are of very little use, just for working on the hubs and for bleeding and brake fittings.  However, a complete kit should not be missing in any garage.  The measures used in the cycle area are: 6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-1718-19-20-21-22-23-24, the higher measures they are for suspension only. Combination keys are useless on bicycles_.

Over time we will surely add something to this list, but this is the beauty of building your own workshop: you never stop adding tools or tools!

Certainly, this equipment recommendation can be expanded as desired. However, you should be well equipped with this device for most repairs.