Guest Author - Kaye Barnett

No matter the repair job big or small, it can make a world of difference to have the proper special bike tools around to do it! Perhaps it’s time to replace those old sticky brake cables or remove even that rusty bicycle chain for a new one… Investing in those special bike tools in the long run will make repairing and replacing parts at the first sign of wear so much easier, saving you time and money and keeping your bike safe.

Specialist Tools For Cables and Chain

Cable Cutters

A good strong cable cutter is an essential tool when it comes to replacing and cutting the inner and outer cables of your bikes brakes and gears. They can be expensive as an initial purchase but will last a lifetime and is a worthwhile investment. General wire cutters found at DIY stores can also be used on occasion, but what you really need when cutting cables is a good clean snip, and bike cable cutters are deigned for this purpose; providing a clean cut and they will prevent the cable wires from spraying into a right old mess!

This mess of frayed wires from anything that doesn’t give a clean cut for one thing this makes the job of threading the cable through the bike so much more difficult, and at worst loosening the wires that twist further up the cable - which renders it dangerous! With a good clean cut the job of removing and replacing those cable is so much easier and quicker. And don’t forget always finish the job by fitting a cable end cap, which can be found very cheaply at your local bicycles shop, to the end of the cable to stop it from fraying later.

Cable Puller

For adjusting brakes and gears the cable puller is another great tool that can be used on several different tasks when fitting the cables. One most common use is when the new cable has been threaded through from the handlebars to the brakes. A cable puller is useful here in the final stages when pulling the cable through the clamp bolt before finally tightening securing the cable to the brakes; pull through at least 2-4cms here. They are also useful when working through the fiddly transmission part when replacing the gear cables.

Chain Splitter

An essential tool for splitting a chain apart to remove it or fit it a bike is the chain splitter. There can be no other effective way to split the chain other than using one of these tools. The chain splitter works by forcing the pin out from the link it’s sitting in as you screw the handle – if your chain is other than a Shimano chain be on your guard not to force the pin right out of the link, as they are almost impossible to get back in again!

The tool is also perfect when fitting a new chain by forcing in the pin back to fix the chain links together. The chain splitter a really essential item at an good price and be on the lookout for the couple of different variations of chain splitter and get one that is compatible to your chain, standard for standard chains or Shimano chain splitter for Shimano chains.