When considering a bike purchase it is necessary to consider the things that you need with it. Helmet, gloves, spare tube… oh, and tools! Park Tool has painted most shop service areas blue with their expansive line of tools. They have also made it easier & more cost effective for professionals and consumers alike to purchase their tools by offering them in several smartly packaged tool kits.
If your wife or hubby would get a huge kick out of one of these new kits for V-Day, Mother’s or Father’s day, they should be here just in time…
Though many piece their tool collection together as they need it, Park Tool offers tool kits prepackaged for all levels of need – from their simple $21.49 WTK-2 Essential Took Kit (above) to their $7995.95 MK-257 Master Tool Kit (title pic), and everything in between.
The WTK-2 consists of:
- TL-1.2 Tire Levers (2)
- AWS-9 Fold-up Hex Wrench Set
- TB-2 Tire Boots (2)
- GP-2 Pre-Glued Super Patch Kit
A good starter kit for anyone that wants to start a tool collection or just needs something they can keep in the car without breaking the bank, Park Tool’s $110.95 SK-2 Home Mechanic Starter Kit is a handy item at a good price.
The SK-2 includes:
- CT-5 Mini ChainBrute Chain Tool
- DCW-1 Double Ended Cone Wrench: 13/14mm
- DCW-2 Double Ended Cone Wrench: 15/16mm
- DCW-3 Double Ended Cone Wrench: 17/18mm
- FR-5 Cassette Lockring Remover
- GP-2 Super Patch Kit
- GSC-1 GearClean Brush
- HCW-16 Chain Whip / 15mm Pedal Wrench
- HXS-1.2 L-Shaped Hex Wrench Set
- SD-2 Shop Screwdriver: #2 Phillips
- SW-7.2 Triple Spoke Wrench
- TL-1.2 Tire Lever Set
- 1622 Torx® Compatible “L” Wrench
Taking it up a notch, the AK-2 Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit includes over 40 “shop level” tools that would fill the needs of any work bench or would be a great choice for the more hard-core mechanic’s long haul mobile tool kit. The $338.95 tool kit is a bargain once you add up how much these tools would cost individually and comes with a heavy duty tool box.
Pictured above is what you will see on many fold out tables buried behind the row of team bikes awaiting maintenance all over the world. The EK-2 Professional Travel and Event Kit houses over 45 professional grade tools in their workbench of a tool box. The BX-2 Blue Box (also available separately) offers plenty of room to spare so you can customize your travel kit needs. At $734.95 it’s pricey, but if you really want mobile tool kit to a whole new level, they even have the BXB-2 backpack harness available.
Getting slightly more “big workbench” worthy, the $806.95 PK-2 Professional Tool Kit includes over 65 of their professional tools making it more “complete” than the slightly less expensive EK-2 in exchange for a simpler tool box.
Just stare at it and know you’ll have spent almost double on this kit buying everything individually over the next decade or two. It might be time to have a talk with your spouse (or financial consultant), regarding the long-term investment one should consider for this “bike life event”. The $7,999.95 MK-257 Master Tool Kit is basically a shop in a box. Many shops will purchase this or the $4,909.95 BMK-243 Base master Tool Kit for their shop… or each mechanic. The “base” kit basically excludes the VERY expensive frame facing and cutting tools as even the grumpiest of mechanics will share those (touch any other one of their tools and you’re likely to lose a finger).
Eric Hawkins, Park Tool’s president/owner and chief mechanic:
“Kits are a fantastic way to purchase tools,” “Not only do our toolkits give you a wide variety of shop quality tools t o help do a wide variety of repairs, they’re also offered at a price that’s much better than buying the tools individually. We have the most comprehensive line of tools in the industry and our new line up of kits is a testament to the diversity and breadth only we can offer.”
