Thread: Aldi tool kit

You're not going to get anything better at that price

The tools won't be great quality but they will get you started, as the break or wear out you can replace them individually with better quality tools. That's what I would do if I didn't already have my own kit

My guesses:
bike.png

Many of the tools (purists, cover your eyes) are not essential but are nice, as then you don't have to miss-use multigrips, punches and chisels. The majority of weird lookin' stuff is for things like cotterless cranks, top and bottom bracket tools, and things for spokes and chains.

I've got one on my shopping list.

I see that bike mechanics have joined the not-too-strong-and-not-too-hot-décaffè-caffè-latté-on-söy-milk-with-a-touch-of-chai-and-no-chocolate-powder-dusting* set and have a special tool for tightening up the rear cluster. In my day we just used our hands to tighten it up.

*Edit - revised after finding out how many new tools have been spawned for bike repair tasks. I remember back when all the tools you needed to repair one's velocipede were a cold chisel and a brick! You could even use a broken brick, too!

Thanks boys, Master S really appreciate you identifying what you get in the kit. We have a bmx, 2 mountain bikes and 2 racers, can i ask what tools not included in the set will i need for servicing/repairs? I have allen keys, spanners and socket set.

Your biggest stumbling block will be speciality tools specific to one make/model - generally the only one that can't be improvised is the tool for removing the rear cluster. But it's not like you'll need to remove this often, if at all. If you're keen on trying a cross-four rather than cross-three spoke pattern, or want to change to a different style of quick release hub, you'll need one...but don't hunt 'em all up just in case!

I'd add a good ring/open ended spanner set, decent screwdrivers, a hammer and a tube of blue locktite and some brake or carby cleaner spray (you spray the fastener with the carby cleaner then use the loctite...loctite isn't keen on oil or grease!)

Ok, thanks for that, it sounds like this kit has most of wat i'll need. In the past 2 tools that would have come in handy are thin (cone?) spanners and a cable puller (fourth hand?), i've managed to work around these but at the time i wish i'd had them. Pity they are not included in this set.

They make cable pullers now????

I've revised my description of today's bike mechanics to read "Not-too-strong-and-not-too-hot-décaffè-caffè-latté-on-söy-milk-with-a-touch-of-chai-and-no-chocolate-powder-dusting" in my above comment.

Locking pliers FTW!

What corbs said - you won't find anything much to compete at that price, and being Aldi you can take them back if they turn out to be made of a steel/cheese alloy....

The ones that break will be the most used/useful items, so replace those with better quality tools as you go.

Definitely better to service your bike yourself and learn how everything works, as well as saving big $$$. With the demise of new bike sales through traditional shops, several in our area make most of their living out of servicing the latest high-tech mountain bikes, etc. I know several mountain bikers who think nothing of spending a few hundred $ for a "service" . Of course, its always funny when something minor goes "ping" while on a long ride, and they have no idea how to fix it (e.g. disc brakes).

I'm starting to think that if it weren't for blue loctite, the entire planet would have shaken itself to pieces by now.

Ok...tell me that this isn't a parallel universe - people spend a few hundred $ on bike servicing????? For that sort of price it should involve manually polishing the spoke nipples!

We're in the wrong business - I know of one local bike that shop did a complete strip-down service on a fancy pants mountain bike (front and rear shocks, disc brakes, etc.) for just under $300.....

This was a "once a year" job in preparation for a season of riding - re-packed bearings, the works. Nothing you couldn't do yourself though. Funny thing is I was out riding with the person concerned just after they had the service done, and their front disc brakes stopped working about 15 mins into the ride. I wandered back up the track 50m, found the clip which had pinged off, and refitted it using nothing more than the end of a tyre lever.

Maybe they shouldn't have gone for such a cheap service??

From this you can see that small bike shops can easily make more from servicing (almost 100% labour) than the mark up on new bike sales these days. So.....an Aldi toolkit plus a bit of time spent learning how your bike goes together is well worthwhile.

MS - sorry, you'll have to polish your own nipples......

Mr brush, good advice, I'd hate to think of the number of times I or family members have been out and there's been some sort of mishap, anything from a flat tyre to something coming loose so learning to service is worthwhile. There's 5 bikes so if each needed a service we'd be up for a bit. I'm going to get the Aldi kit and if anyone thinks there are other tools I also need I'll look at those too.

I bought one of these about a year or so ago, I think it was the second time they had been offered, and gave it to my neighbour's bike & athletics mad son. He regularly pulls apart his flash road bike with it, does his own servicing (every week or so) and works on the rest of the families bikes too. He also ended up with my Aldi bike work stand as it took up too much room in my laundry. All his parents had to get him was one of the plastic chain washer/oiler and he is pretty much a one man bike shop, and so far (fingers crossed) none of the tools have broken or otherwise needed replacement.

I bought the kit yesterday and there were only 2 left. Don't know about the quality but certainly popular item. Thanks to everyone who provided some information here. Also bought the pump, so far not all that impressed with it, it struggles to blow up a football, I'll see how it goes with bike tyres.

Everything is a pain in the #### when trying to work on new stuff, compared to when I raced back in the 70/80s, when all the brands where inter changable. Campagnolo and Shimano chain rings, cluster, bottom brackets, cones for wheels, chains you could mix and match and you didn't need a torque wrench.


But I do love riding my Carbon Fibre bike.

Foo