Whenever we think of the words "bike tool kit," we picture a weighty box that's filled with a lot of compartments and stores tools that we don't even know how to use.
But for the average home user, there are cheaper and more basic toolboxes available for purchase. Before investing your money in a bike toolbox, you need to assess just how much of a handyman you are. If you only ride your bike occasionally, spending $300 on a toolbox isn't the wisest idea. But if you like fiddling with your bike ever so often, you'll also become more pretentious and want to invest in high-quality tools.
Table Of Contents
The 6 Best Bicycle Tool Kit Comparison
Brand | Details |
|---|---|
 Bikehand Bicycle Repair Tool Kit | |
 Crank Brothers Multi Bicycle Tool | |
 Spin Doctor Essential Bicycle Tool Kit | |
 Deckey Bicycle Repair Tool Kit | |
 WOTOW Bike Repair Tool Kit | |
 MakerFun Bike Fix Tool Kit |
What to Expect
In this article, we've reviewed some affordable bike tool kits for everyone. Since we've chosen some of the most affordable bike tool kits, you will notice that there is not much compromise in the quality or number of tools available with each kit. So, before deciding how much money you're willing to spend on a toolbox, ask yourself the following:
- How often do I ride my bike?
- What kind of repairs does my bike usually need?
- How much money do I annually spend on bike repairs?
- How many bikes are there in my household?
- How much money did I spend on my current bike?
- What are the costs for my bike's replacement parts, in case they get damaged?
- Will I be fixing another bike aside from my own?
- How keen am I on repairing bikes?
After having answered all the questions above, you'll know what to expect.
Essential Bike Repair Items
Browsing through several bike tool kits, you will notice that they are each configured differently. Even so, they have some common items, mainly because you cannot repair a bike without the minimum amount of tools. Ever wondered which bike tools are mandatory in a complete, top of the line kit?
- Screwdrivers are essential in any repair kit. Your kit should also have a couple of flat screwdrivers, and a #1 and #2 Phillips ones.
- Allen keys are found in every decent bike repair tool kit. If they have a ball end, they are useful in turning a bolt from an angle, allowing you to finish some jobs faster. High quality ball end Allen keys have a narrower neck for the ball, being more versatile.
- Combination spanners are ideal if you own a bike which has bolts with spanner flats. As a general rule of thumb, the 8, 9 and 10 mm are the only sizes you’ll need for bike fixing.
- Tire levers will make it easier to remove tires from the rim.
- Pumps, preferably floor ones, are an important asset for bike owners who always want to make sure the tire’s pressure is at optimal level.
- Chain tools are good if you want to replace your own bike chain.
Of course, there are a ton of other tools that are used in repairing bikes, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy all of them (unless you plan on opening your own bike repair shop). There are chain joining link pliers, torque wrenches, sprocket tools, cable cutters, pedal spanners and more. But instead of talking about each one of these in particular, how about we show you some of the most affordable bike tool kits currently found online?
The 6 Best Bicycle Tool Kit Reviews
Bikehand Bicycle Repair Tool Kit
When feasting your eyes on the Bikehand tool kit, it seems to have every tool you need and then some! With no less than 48 pieces, we are tempted to believe that it covers the basic tools to make general repairs. So, what's in this box? You have all the standard Allen wrenches, hex wrenches, an open-end wrench, a cable cutter, a bike chain cleaner, a chain brush, a #2 Phillips screwdriver, and a T25 Torx wrench. And that's just the basics.
What do customers have to say about the performance of the tools offered by Bikehand? Well, if you're not super passionate about meddling around with your bike, you'll probably have no idea what to do with all these tools. But if you like repairing your bike and often find yourself repairing other people's bikes as well, this kit may come in handy. Some people complained about the lack of essential tools, like the nose pliers used to pull cables tight.
Pros
Cons
Crank Brothers Multi Bicycle Tool
Even if this isn't a toolbox per se, it's one of the best-rated multi-tools for bike repairs available on Amazon, so there must be more to it than meets the eye. Available in 6 different color combinations, the Crank Brother multi-tool has 19 different extensions that can help you with general bike repairs. Unfortunately, it's missing many tools necessary to call the set complete, like cable cutters or tire levers. The frame itself is made of aluminum, while the tools are made of high tensile steel.
The multi-tool contains 7 different hex wrenches, 4 spoke wrench sizes, T10 and T25 Torx drivers, Phillips #1 and #2 screwdrivers, a #2 flat screwdriver, 2 8-10-mm open wrenches, and a universal chain tool. The multi-tool comes in a stainless-steel case, but if you can store it in a saddlebag, there's no point getting a steel case. But it’s an improvement over the nylon bags that come with these kinds of tools.
Customer opinions are fairly positive, as this versatile multi-tool has helped people with many house repairs. Even so, customers feel that Crank Brothers wanted to create a complete and compact tool and ended up sacrificing the product's stability.
Pros
Cons
Spin Doctor Essential Bicycle Tool Kit
If you’re looking for a tool kit for general bike repairs, the Spin Doctor is not a bad choice. The tool kit contains a T25 Torx wrench, a cartridge bottom bracket tool, a crank extractor, a 3-sided spoke wrench, a 2-piece cone wrench set (from 13 to 16 mm), a sprocket removal tool, a 15mm pedal wrench with 14/15 mm socket wrench, 2 tire levers, one 8 mm hex wrench with ½ inch driver, one chainring bolt wrench, a crank arm dust cover tool, 6 hex wrenches (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm), a double bit Phillips/flat head screwdriver, a chain tool and a bottom bracket wrench adapter. Phew! Is it over? The kit should be enough to cover some of the average needs, like repairing the bike’s brakes, chain or pedals. It’s definitely not a kit that a professional bike mechanic would use.
Pros
Cons
Deckey Bicycle Repair Tool Kit
The Deckey tool kit contains 48 tools here to help you repair brakes, lights, or chains. The tools are made of premium carbon steel and plastic, and they are versatile enough to be used for other around-the-house repairs which are often needed. Once you open the dust-gray case that houses all the tools, you will discover the following:
- 5 cold patches for tire repairs
- 1 freewheel removal tool
- 1 chain rivet extractor
- 1 forged spike adjuster
- 1 bottom bracket cup wrench
- 1 pedal wrench
- 1 adjustable wrench
- 1 adjustable lock ring spanner
- 1 cartridge BB tool
- 1 wrench
- 1 one L-handle
- 1 crank arm removal
- 1 Phillips/flat head screwdriver
- 1 open-end wrench
- 1 tire pressure measurement pen
- 1 chain whip
- 1 headset spanner wrench.
However, the durability of the tools is questionable. It would appear they are made of some form of cheap metal and end up being warped or broken quite rapidly. Long story short: a decent bike tool kit will never be cheaper than $100, and some of the most professional ones can go up to $500 and even $800. So, if you want something cheap, don't expect high-quality materials and forever-lasting tools.
Pros
Cons
WOTOW Bike Repair Tool Kit
WOTOW offers the following 3 products:
- the black 14 multi tool kit with 1-liter bag (in red and black)
- the 16-in-1 multi tool kit with a 1 L bag
- the 16-in-1 multi tool kit with a 1.8 L bag
In this particular review, we're going to present the latter option. When you order one of these WOTOW kits, you will receive a saddle bag that contains the multi-tool of your choice (with either 14 or 16 included tools), 3 tire pry bars and an additional 4 mm Allen wrench, which is used to tighten or loosen the tool kit's hinges.
So, what's with the 1.8 L mentioned earlier? Each saddle comes with an external pocket that allows you to store a water bottle, which is typically fixed to the bike frame thanks to its own mounting bracket. Please note that the water bottle is not included.
The multi-tool comes with Allen wrenches (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm), socket wrench (8, 9, and 10 mm), a Phillips and slot type screwdriver, a flat wrench (8, 10, and 15 mm), and spoke wrench. Overall, this is a good kit for basic bike repairs. We're surprised with the quality of the product, considering that it's one of the cheapest bike tool kits we've ever seen. We would have liked an additional bike pump and maybe some patches to repair flat tires on the go, but I guess it's too much to ask for a kit at this price. Please note that the saddle will only work if you have at least 10 or more inches of space under the saddle, above the tire, because the height of the bag is 9.8 inches.
Pros
Cons
MakerFun Bike Fix Tool Kit
MakerFun doesn't have many customer reviews, which is surprising given how many tools it offers at a very affordable price. Inside the canvas storage bag, you will discover:
- a 16-in-1 multi-tool
- 1 tire lever
- 2 glueless patch kits
- 1 mini bike pump
- 2 metal rasps.
The multi-tool contains a Phillips and a slotted screwdriver, a socket hex wrench (8, 9, and 10 mm), one solid wrench (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm), a spoke wrench, and a socket extension rod.
We're disappointed that there is no information available about the bike pump itself, like the length or the maximum pressure. As we expected when looking at the price-to-quality ratio, the set is pretty low-end. The saddle is nice and fits well under the bike's seat, but that's just one of the already-few advantages of buying this tool kit. It's fair to say that the MakerFun bike tool kit doesn't stand out of the crowd, but if you're looking for something affordable to fix minor bike issues, this might just be the product for you.
Pros
Cons
The Bottom Line
Each of the tool kits we've mentioned in today's review are far from being the most professional options out there. The investment required for a bike repair tool kit should be proportional to other aspects, like how often you ride your bike, how often it needs repairs, how passionate you are about spending money on bike-related tools. If you're not planning on repairing bikes for a living, any tool kit priced above $50 will probably not be of much more assistance than a $30 one.
But we really liked the WOTOW toolset. It provides decent quality tools at a very affordable price. The 16-in-1 multi-tool should just about keep you covered, although a mini pump and patches would have been useful for repairing a flat tire.
However, if you're willing to spend money on a complete tool kit, the Bikehand may be more suitable for you. With a generous number of tools and compartments, this toolbox is quite bulky, and it's something that won't leave your garage unless it's in the trunk of your car. It's anything but portable, weighing in at almost 17 pounds. However, please note that this toolbox was designed for more serious repairs, which may require additional expertise.
If you have any other questions, check out our best bike repair kit guide or contact us!