When you are cycling, there are some tools that you should really take with you.

• A puncture repair kit . Unless you will only be travelling a short distance, this is something that you should always carry. The kit will have patches to cover the hole where the puncture is and glue to stick the patch on. Some wheels need a spanner to get them off, you should make sure you have one in your kit if you need it and also tire levers to get the tire off the rim of the wheel.
  
  
• To be used with the puncture repair kit is a tire pump . Often when you buy a bicycle, there is a tire pump with it. If there is not, you need to get one.
  
  
• It is a very good idea to take a spare inner tube with you. This means that if you get a puncture, you just change the inner tube and repair the puncture when you get home. Much easier!

There are other tools which are not essential, but can come in very useful.

• Most bike dealers sell an "all-in-one" tool . This has different type and size spanners that fit the parts of a bicycle. It also has screwdrivers and allen keys on it. Some even have special tools for working on bike chains. The main thing about these "all-in-one" tools, is that they either fit into their own small container that you can easily carry, or all the pieces are held together on one unit like a penknife.
  
  
• A tire pressure gauge also helps make sure you keep your tires at the correct pressure - if they are too soft it is harder to pedal, if they are too hard you might burst the tire!

There are also some tools which are very handy to have at home, but you will probably not get these until you are sure you will do a lot of cycling.

• Track pump . This is a bigger tire pump that stands on the ground for you to push down on. It will pump up tires very quickly.
  
  
• Chain cleaner . When you get mud and dirt on your chain, it will start to wear the chain if you do not clean the dirt off. There are a lot of different types of chain cleaners that you can buy. Most of them work by filling with cleaning liquid and then when fitted over the chain, you turn the pedals and the chain is cleaned as it passes thru the cleaner.
  
  
• Another useful tool at home if you want to do your own maintenance and repairs, is a repair stand . This holds the bike so that you can work on it without the bike keep moving or falling over. With my stand I can turn the bike upside down to work on it and this is very useful for lubricating difficult to reach parts.

Frequently asked questions about bicycles.