Arm yourself with one of the best mountain bike tool kits for that fresh-out-of-the-box feeling on every ride. Certain jobs are tricky and require specialist tools – servicing some suspension components, for example – but beneath all the shims and hydraulics, the modern mountain bike is still a relatively simple vehicle to work on. And with so many video tutorials readily available, it’s never been easier to DIY.

Of course it would be nice to have the principal thing being to have one of the best mountain bike workstands – but the tool kits below are the basics required to start a home workshop. In addition, we’d recommend checking out our buyer’s guides to the best multi-tools for fixing your bike on the trail, and the best floor pumps and tubeless inflators for your home workshop.

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1. Birzman Studio Tool Box

Best tool kit for mountain bikers

Weight: 7.91kg | 37 tools | Size: 470 x 370 x 130mm | Rating: 10/10

Pros:

• Huge array of tools, with some excellent specialist items
• Removable tray for working on

Cons:

• Tyre levers don’t feel very strong
• Cassette lockring tool can’t be used on RockShox fork caps

The Birzman Studio Tool Box houses its contents in a briefcase, and it’s rammed full, with an extra layer of tools stored in a removable tray that doubles as a work surface. In total there’s a generous 37 tools, and more importantly for mountain bikers, it’s packed with useful items. Take, for example, the Disc Brake Gap Indicator. It’s a thin butterfly of aluminium that inserts between your brake pads and rotor to ensure drag-free rolling. There’s also a pad spreader tool and rotor truing fork, meaning that all your disc brake needs (barring a bleed kit) are covered. On top of that there’s a saw guide for cutting fork steerer tubes, a headset star nut installation tool and a dead blow hammer. The cutters are excellent and there’s also a needle nose plier with end cap crimping tool and diagonal pliers that are ideal for snipping zip ties. The split link pliers make removing your chain a doddle and there’s even a valve core remover, tape measure and half round file. Easily the best tool kit on the market.

Read our full review of the Birzman Studio Tool Box

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2. Unior Tools Pro Home Kit

Best tool kit for working in the field

Weight: 4.48kg | 34 tools | Size: N/A | Rating: 9/10

Pros:

• Tight tolerances on the tools
• Quality shot-peened finish
• Manufactured in Europe
• Beautiful cutters
• Fully waterproof box for working in the field

Cons:

• Foam compartments don’t hold tools tight in transit
• Pro socket handle could be a torque wrench for this much cash
• Split link pliers not double sided

Unior’s Pro Home kit is a cut above in terms of quality, and with individual ball-end Allen keys and a better spread of Torx keys. This addresses almost every concern we had with the previous 1600 CN kit. Although all the tools are top notch, that makes it all the more annoying that the foam inserts don’t keep the tools stable enough in transit. That said, the hard plastic carry box is both dustproof and waterproof and lays everything out in a logical fashion when folded open.

Read our full review of the Unior Tools Pro Home Kit

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3. Feedback Sports Team Edition Tool Kit

Best for mobile mechanics

Weight: 3.43kg | 19 tools | Size: 330 x 270 x 57mm | Rating: 9/10

Pros:

• Sumptuous quality
• Useful hanging facility
• Room to expand

Cons:

• Lacks some basic wrenches as well as chain pliers and a torque wrench

With its fold-out soft binder case, the Feedback Sports Team Edition Tool Kit resembles the kind of set-up a pro team mechanic would use at a race. Once folded out it can be strapped to a workstand (such as the Feedback Sports Recreational), keeping all the tools neatly to hand. This is a high quality kit that any tool fetishist would drool over. Details like the dual sided pick make it stand out from the crowd – perfect for opening up the ends of gear housing and removing seals from cartridge bearings. There’s also a superb little valve core remover and the long, sturdy tyre levers are excellent. All the tools have either a comfortable, rubberised grip or a beautiful polished chrome finish with rounded edges that make using them a joy.

The cable cutters worked well and include an integrated end cap crimp, while the chain tool has a neat, sprung-loaded cradle. On the end of the BB spanner is the cassette lockring tool. It’s open ended, so it can be used to remove RockShox air caps. The main omission is a set of individual Allen and Torx keys, but even so, the Feedback Sports Team Edition is a beautiful, functional and portable tool kit.

Read our full review of the Feedback Sports Team Edition Tool Kit

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What to look for in the best mountain bike tool kits

Buy complete or build your own?

It’s possible to build up all the tools you need on a piecemeal basis, buying whatever you need to complete a specific task as and when necessary. But this tends to be an expensive way to do things. The alternative is to buy a complete tool kit; these tend to be better value for money, come with tools that you may not have considered buying, and all packaged neatly in a case that keeps them neat and clean and easy to transport, so you can sling it in the car for trips away.

For a modern mountain bike, these tool kits need to include the following: Allen keys from 2mm to 10mm; Torx keys, including T10, T25, T30; Chain breaker; Cassette tool (ideally compatible with RockShox forks); Chain whip; BB tool; Split link pliers; tyre levers; screwdrivers; Spoke key; Cable cutters.

What tools do I need?

Allen keys

Absolutely vital, the Allen key, or hex key, usually comes in either L-shape form or on a three-way Y tool. The L-shape with a ball-end is the most useful, as it lets you access awkward areas and exert enough torque to remove stubborn fasteners. 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm are needed.

Torx key

Increasingly present on modern bikes, the Torx key uses a star-shape interface that engages with a larger surface area and is less likely to slip. On a bike, the most used sizes are T10, T25 and T30.

Chain breaker

Used to shorten new chains and remove bent links, the chain tool drives the rivet out of the link. The driver pin should be replaceable, the tool should hold the chain securely and adjust to different widths, and there should be a cradle that lets you remove stiff links.

Cable cutters

Use these to cut gear wires and housing to length. They need to make a clean cut, without fraying, and have a section designed to crimp an end cap in place.

Split link pliers

Most chains now fasten using a split link. This makes installation really easy, but you’ll need these special pliers to compress the chain and remove the link when it’s time for a new one.

Chain Whip (or pliers)

Use the chain whip to stop the sprockets rotating backwards on the freehub body when removing the cassette.

Valve core remover

Use this to unscrew the valve core from Presta valves – means you can pour tubeless sealant through the valve and allow better airflow when seating the tyre.

Chain wear indicator

Tells you when your chain has worn out and needs replacing. Sometimes the reverse has a pair of hooks that hold the split ends in place during joining.