Welcome to ThinkVail – shop our list of the best mountain bike maintenance tools including bike stands, wrench sets, floor pumps, tubes, patch kits, tire levers, chain cleaner kits and more to keep your bike in top shape.
It’s springtime in the Rockies, which means it’s time to put away the skis and snowboards and take out the mountain bikes! Mountain bike season is upon us so let’s get your bike ready to hit the trails. Here is a checklist of must-do maintenance before the season starts and a list of the best mountain bike maintenance tools to get your bike in tip-top shape.
Bike Maintenance Checklist
Drivetrain
add just a drop of chain lube on front and rear derailleur pivots. Clean and re-grease chain if needed. Examine the teeth on the cassette and chain rings and make sure they are not bent or missing. Next, shift through gears and listen for any popping or skipping between cogs. Lastly, check your chain, if looks stretched out, replace it.
Tires
Inspect tread for damage, including small holes or embedded objects. If you have tubeless tires add sealant.
Pressure
Inflate your tires to the proper pressure
Wheels
If your wheels wobble or your spokes are loose it means your wheels needs to be trued
Brakes
If disc brakes are out of alignment, they will make a scraping sound when you spin the wheel.
Brake Pads
By removing the wheel. If your pads look worn or thinner than new pads, it’s time to change them. Lubricate all shift and brake cables.
Suspension
Examine the fork and shock seals (full-suspension bike) if seals look dry, cracked or has fluid buildup, your suspension needs to serviced.
Shoe Cleats
Inspect for wear and replace if your shoes are not clicking in securely.
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See Also:Best Mountain Bike Trails in Vail, Colorado
Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools
#1 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Bike Repair Stand
A bike repair stand is a must for making all types of mountain bike maintenance easier including swapping tires, greasing a chain, adjusting derailleurs, or for building a new bike.
This bike stand features a quick-release clamp with 360-degree rotation and a ratchet-action closure that keeps your bike secure in the stand.
These features make it super easy to put your bike on the stand, take it down and to work on it at all types of heights and angles.
The rubber jaws fits up to 2.6” tubing and keeps your bike from getting scratched or scuffed
The stand’s work height can be adjusted from 42”-71″
Anodized aluminum tubing will not rust
Because it is lightweight, this stand is very easy to set up and transport.
Rock solid, stable tripod base can support up to 85 lbs.
Folds up small for easy portability or storage
Tote bag is included, and makes it easy to pack it away and forget about it.
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#2 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Park Tool Folding Hex Wrench Set
An innovative way to organize and hold many popular hex wrench sizes in one convenient fold-up tool, eliminating having a mess of loose wrenches.
This fold up wrench set is available in 2 sizes The AWS 10 Park Tool has wrenches that range in size from 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm. The AWS 11 Park Tool has wrenches that range in size from has 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm.
The AWS 11 can fix and/or adjust almost anything. The AWS 10 has smaller sized wrenches and is perfect for items like derailleurs.
Compact enough to keep in your bike pouch or saddlebag in case of emergencies
Lightweight grip-handle keeps you from slipping when you use it
Protanium industrial steel handle won’t break if when you really crank down on it.
Made in the USA
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#3 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – TEKTON Combination Wrench Set
This combination wrench set comes with a storage bag that is great for keeping all of your wrenches organized and in one place
The open end of these wrenches is angled 15 degrees so the wrench can be flipped over to engage fasteners twice as fast, and is especially nice to use in small, tight spaces
The innovative 12-point box end is offset 15 degrees, which allows more space for your fingers to work
Box end opening is designed to grip flat sides of fastener heads, not corners, to prevent round-off
Made of premium chrome vanadium steel with a mirror chrome finish
Includes roll-up storage pouch with a cover that keeps wrenches in place so they can’t slide out
Available in 9, 11,13 and 15 piece wrench sets.
The TEKTON 15 piece boasts a complete series of every size from 8 to 22 mm.
Best wrenches for working around obstructions or in tight spaces.
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#4 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Chain Brush & Cleaning System
The ideal tool to quickly and easily clean the chain, freewheel cogs, and chainrings and keep your drivetrain shifting smoothly and working great.
Park Tool’s CG-2. 3 Chain Gang Cleaning System comprises all the tools and materials you need to keep your drivetrain clean and in good condition.
Contains the mess in the container so your work station stays clean and free of grease and dirt
Set includes Park’s CM-5. 2 Cyclone Chain Scrubber, eight ounces of ChainBrite cleaner, and an indispensable GSC-1 gear brush.
The gear brush is narrow enough to fit between your cassette’s cogs and the cleaner is biodegradable, plant-based, and safe on alloy, plastic, and rubber
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#5 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Bike Tire Lever
Tire levers are simple but essential tools designed to make removing bike tires much easier. Most tires are held against their rims with substantial force, and can be difficult and frustrating to remove.
Strong bike levers make repairing or change a flat bicycle tire easy.
Keep them in your bike pouch so you are ready to fix a tire in an emergency.
Ergonomically designed to be easy to hold and molded texture makes it easy to grip.
Each tire lever is designed to securely snap together and stay snapped together for storage and transport.
Made of thick plastic so, unlike metal bike levers, you don’t need to worry about scratching, scuffing or damaging your rims.
Made in the USA
100% Guaranteed
Perfect for all mountain bikes or road bikes
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#6 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Mountain Bike Tubes
Unless you are going tubeless, sooner or later, you’re going to get a flat. So be prepared and have a couple of spare mountain bike tubes on hand.
The DuroLite Tube will fit a huge variety of road and mountain bike wheel and tire combinations!
Has long threaded Presta valve stem (60 mm for road and 48 mm for mountain bike),
Removable valve cores for if you go tubeless and want to add sealant to your tubes.
High-quality butyl rubber compound, means fewer flats and longer lasting tubes.
Lightweight tubes are only 110g-270g (depending on model)
Satisfaction guaranteed
Five different tube sizes available
Available in a 1-pack, 3-pack, and 6-pack. .
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#7 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Bike Tube Patch Kit
If you have a bike tube with a puncture, then you NEED a patch kit to fix it. You can also use a patch as a field repair, then replace the patched tube with a new tube once you get back home.
The VP-1 Patch Kit includes six thin and flexible patches with tapered edges to blend with the tube’s profile.
A tube of self-vulcanizing fluid bonds the patch to the tube at the molecular level.
Each kit is packaged in a small plastic box with sandpaper for cleaning the tube and instructions.
The VP-1 Patch Kit includes 6 thin and flexible patches with tapered edges to seamlessly blend with the existing tire tube. Kit includes:
4 round patches 25 mm in diameter for small punctures
2 oval patches of 25 mm x 35 mm are for bigger punctures
Self-vulcanizing fluid bonds the patch to the tube at the molecular level so it is completely sealed.
Each kit includes sandpaper for cleaning the tube and instructions.
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#8 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Bike Floor Pump with Gauge
Floor pumps inflate your tires quickly and easily and have a gauge that allows you to inflate to the correct pressure.
Twin Valve Design – Smartly designed valve head can easily switch between Presta and Schrader valves.
Maximum Pressure 160 psi.
Extra long hose with 360-degree pivot action makes pumping easier.
Accurate and extra large gauge is easy to read and helps you to see your desired pressure.
Aluminum barrel with ergonomically designed comfortable, oversize handle.
30 day guarantee with 1 year free replacement warranty.
Bonus Sport Ball Needle and inflatable device means this pump can also be used on inflating sport balls and pool floats or water tubes
Available in 2 colors yellow and silver
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#9 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Bikehand Bike Repair Tool Kit with Torque Wrench
A torque wrench allows you to tighten a bolt a precise amount, so that it’s as tight as it needs to be but not too tight. Most torque wrenches make a distinct click when you’ve reached a set tightness, so you don’t over tighten.
Complete bicycle tool kit with torque wrench means everything you need in one, organized place.
Tough, heat-treated steel tools
Contains everything the home mechanic needs to maintain their mountain bike.
23 items in the tool kit including tire levers, bottom bracket installation tools, chain tool, torque wrench and lots more.
Torque wrench is essential for correctly and safely tightening parts to manufacturers settings..
#10 Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools – Mountain Bike Maintenance Guide
Reference the world’s best-selling guide to the maintenance and repair of mountain bikes for basic repairs to advanced overhauls of drivetrains, brakes and more.
This clearly illustrated guide makes every bike repair and maintenance job easy.
Lennard Zinn is the world’s leading expert on bike maintenance and repair and his step-by-step guide explains the tools and parts you’ll need and how to know you’ve done the job right.
The book’s two-color interior is easy to read with lots of illustrations, exploded-parts diagrams and simple instructions to lead you through every mountain bike repair task.
Learn how to fix a flat tire, lube a bicycle chain, adjust the brakes, fix a broken chain, tighten loose spokes, repair a bent derailleur, how to true a wheel, change a cassette, service and replace pedals, chains and chainrings, saddles, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks, bottom brackets and TONS more
Do you agree with this list of the Best Mountain Bike Maintenance Tools? Is there anything that was not included that you feel should be on this list? Do you perform your own maintenance on your mountain bike or do you just bring it into your local bike shop for service?
Thanks for the informative article about the best mountain bike maintenance tools. I have been mountain biking for over three years, and I love it! It is always the high point of my summer. I usually just take my bike to the local shop to get it tuned up every spring and they do all the maintenance for me as well but this year I have decided I want to start tuning my own bike and fixing what I can. Of course, I want to save money but I also want to understand more about my bike and exactly how and why it works and I think if I understand this aspect more it will also help me improve my riding. I am ordering the Book, Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. I have heard a lot about this book and it has been recommended to me over the years. I am also going to invest in the bike stand and complete repair kit with the torque wrench. I just wanted to say thank you for capturing all this info in one place, it has been really helpful for me and I am super excited to try my hand at this.
Hi Tracy, I love that you will be trying your hand at maintaining your bike, I think you will enjoy the challenge. I think you are on the right track and are interested in the 3 most important items to fixing and maintaining your own bike. The bike maintenance guide book will walk you through repairs from very simple and basic to harder and more complex issues. Do what you want and if it gets to complicated hand it off to your local bike shop. The bike stand is essential and makes repairs, cleaning and adjusting so much easier. The bike repair tool kit with torque wrench has everything a beginner needs to get started. Have fun, a new adventure awaits!
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Thanks for the informative article about the best mountain bike maintenance tools. I have been mountain biking for over three years, and I love it! It is always the high point of my summer. I usually just take my bike to the local shop to get it tuned up every spring and they do all the maintenance for me as well but this year I have decided I want to start tuning my own bike and fixing what I can. Of course, I want to save money but I also want to understand more about my bike and exactly how and why it works and I think if I understand this aspect more it will also help me improve my riding. I am ordering the Book, Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. I have heard a lot about this book and it has been recommended to me over the years. I am also going to invest in the bike stand and complete repair kit with the torque wrench. I just wanted to say thank you for capturing all this info in one place, it has been really helpful for me and I am super excited to try my hand at this.
Hi Tracy, I love that you will be trying your hand at maintaining your bike, I think you will enjoy the challenge. I think you are on the right track and are interested in the 3 most important items to fixing and maintaining your own bike. The bike maintenance guide book will walk you through repairs from very simple and basic to harder and more complex issues. Do what you want and if it gets to complicated hand it off to your local bike shop. The bike stand is essential and makes repairs, cleaning and adjusting so much easier. The bike repair tool kit with torque wrench has everything a beginner needs to get started. Have fun, a new adventure awaits!