Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tool

Tool

A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...

s for working on a bicycle

Bicycle

A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

. 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

Bicycle mechanic

A bicycle mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Bike mechanics can be employed in various types of stores, ranging from large department stores to small local bike shops; cycling teams, or bicycle manufacturers....

, or for simple tasks, by the bicycle owner.

Hub, wheel and tire tools

• Tire levers are used for removing the tires from the rim, often for changing the inner tube. Plastic levers are more prone to breakage, metal ones damage tubes or tires more easily.

• Cone wrench
  Cone wrench
  A cone wrench is a tool used in bicycle maintenance to access flats on axles where very little of the axle is exposed.It is similar to an open-ended wrench but much thinner: typically about 2 mm thick, compared to approximately 7 mm for a standard open-ended wrench....
  
  es (spanners) are needed to dismantle and adjust the hub bearings.
• Spoke wrench
  Spoke wrench
  A spoke wrench or spoke key is a small wrench or tool used to adjust the tension in the spokes of a bicycle wheel, sulky wheel, wheelchair wheel, or similar...
  
  es are used for tensioning the spokes of a wheel.
• Tensiometer or spoke tension meter is used to measure the tension in spokes.
• Tire Bead Jack can be used to install tires on rims, especially when the tire-rim combination is tight.

Dishing gauge is used to measure the dish of a wheel.

• Wheel truing stand
  Wheel truing stand
  A wheel truing stand is a specialized tool for straightening bicycle wheels. While individual models differ slightly, it consists of an axle stand on which the wheel can rotate and calipers, to measure slight deviations of the wheel's rim from ideal alignment...
  
  is used to measure the side to side and radial trueness of a wheel's rim and facilitate truing it.
• Bicycle pump
  Bicycle pump
  A bicycle pump is a type of positive-displacement pump specifically designed for inflating bicycle tires. It has a connection or adapter for use with one or both of the two most common types of valves used on bicycles, Schrader or Presta...
  
  

Brake tools

• Cable and housing cutters
• Cable tensioning tool to hold the cables taut while being worked on.
• Third hand or 3rd hand to clamp brake pads against rim during adjustment.
• Disk straightening tool

Headset tools

• A head tube facing and reaming tool is a hand tool used to machine the head tube to ensure proper headset
  Headset (bicycle part)
  The headset is the set of components on a bicycle that provides a rotatable interface between the bicycle fork and the head tube of the bicycle frame itself. The short tube through which the steerer of the fork passes is called the head tube. A typical headset consists of two cups that are pressed...
  
   bearing alignment. The tool usually has separate and interchangeable facing and reaming cutters which can vary widely with the many available headset standards.
• A headset bearing cup press is a bearing press specifically for pressing in interference-fit headset cups. Most sets come with special stepped bushings or adapters that contact the cups, preventing damage when installed. Some manufacturers (e.g. Chris King) also make proprietary adapters for installing their headsets.
• A crown race cutting tool is a hand tool used to counter-ream and face the base of the fork column at the crown (known as the crown race seat). A single cutter is usually used to perform both aspects of the cutting operation. The process machines the crown race seat to be precisely perpendicular to the steering column axis and of the correct press-fit diameter, ensuring the proper alignment of the crown race with the lower headset bearing.
• A crown race puller or remover is a tool for removing the headset crown race. There are various tools on the market ranging from less than $100 USD to several hundreds of dollars.
• Headset wrenches are oversized (32 – 36 mm) flat open-end wrenches for tightening headset cups and lock nuts on threaded steering tubes
  Bicycle fork
  A bicycle fork is the portion of a bicycle that holds the front wheel and allows the rider to steer and balance the bicycle. A fork consists of two fork ends which hold the front wheel axle, two blades which join at a fork crown, and a steerer or steering tube to which the handlebars attach ...
  
  . May be designed to contact 7 sides of an 8 sided (8-point) lock nut.
• Hex (or Allen) keys
  Hex key
  A hex key, Allen key, or Allen wrench is a tool of hexagonal cross-section used to drive bolts and screws that have a hexagonal socket in the head .- Nomenclature :...
  
  are used on the various hex bolts on the stem, top cap and handlebars.
• A star-nut setter is used to set the star-nut inside of the fork steering column for threadless headsets.

Drivetrain and bottom bracket tools

• A chain tool
  Chain tool
  400px|thumb|right|A typical chain tool. With a chain placed on the central sprocket, the screw is turned until a pin is pushed from the linkageA chain tool is a small mechanical device used to "break" a bicycle chain in such a way that it can be mended with the same tool. A bicycle chain has...
  
  or chain splitter is used to 'break' a chain, in order to remove it from a bike or remove links, or to put a chain back together.
• A crank extractor is used to pull the crank off the bottom bracket
  Bottom bracket
  The bottom bracket on a bicycle connects the crankset to the bicycle and allows the crankset to rotate freely. It contains a spindle that the crankset attaches to, and the bearings that allow the spindle and cranks to rotate. The chainrings and pedals attach to the cranks...
  
   spindle.
• A pedal wrench removes the pedals
  Bicycle pedal
  A bicycle pedal is the part of a bicycle that the rider pushes with their foot to propel the bicycle. It provides the connection between the cyclist's foot or shoe and the crank allowing the leg to turn the bottom bracket spindle and propel the bicycle's wheels...
  
   from the bicycle.
• A pin spanner is used on adjustable bottom brackets. Note that ISIS Drive bottom brackets need a separate tool (see below).
• Various bottom bracket wrenches for newer bottom bracket styles such as internally splined by ISIS, Shimano, FSA, and RaceFace; externally notched by Campagnolo Veloce, Xenon, Mirage, Daytona and Avanti; and externally mounted by Shimano.
• Bottom bracket taps and facing tools are tools used to tap or chase the threads in the bottom bracket shell and face the outside edges, respectively. A single tool will sometimes handle both jobs, and is usually suitable for light-duty bicycle shop use. A separate tap set and facing set is usually employed by frame builders where more robust tooling that is more frequently used is needed. Both tap sets and facing sets are intended for frame finishing work after welding and/or brazing, as the frame tubes tend to deform slightly after this process, and for cleaning out any weld splatter or paint from the bottom bracket threads. A bottom bracket tap set can be used to tap new threads in a blank bottom bracket shell (or for converting ISO threads to larger diameter Italian), but the process is slow and cumbersome and especially hard on most taps, particularly when tapping hard aluminum or titanium.
• A chain whip and lock-ring remover are used for changing derailleur cassettes
  Cassette (bicycle part)
  On a bicycle, the cogset or cluster is the set of multiple rear sprockets that attaches to the hub on the rear wheel. A cogset works with a rear derailleur as part of the drivetrain to provide multiple gear ratios to the rider. Cogsets come in two varieties, cassettes or freewheels, of which...
  
  .
• Various freewheel removers are used to unscrew freewheel
  Cassette (bicycle part)
  On a bicycle, the cogset or cluster is the set of multiple rear sprockets that attaches to the hub on the rear wheel. A cogset works with a rear derailleur as part of the drivetrain to provide multiple gear ratios to the rider. Cogsets come in two varieties, cassettes or freewheels, of which...
  
  s from hubs.
• A derailleur alignment gauge is used to straighten rear derailleur hangers.

Stands

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

Seatpost

A bicycle seatpost, seatpin, saddlepole, saddle pillar, or saddle pin is a tube that extends upwards from the bicycle frame to the saddle. The amount that it extends out of the frame can usually be adjusted, and there is usually a mark that indicates the minimum insertion...

, 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.