Hand Tools
Browse used hand tools for sale from riders across the UK. This category covers the individual workshop tools a home mechanic builds a kit from — wrenches and cone spanners, Allen keys from 2mm to 10mm, Torx keys, screwdrivers, chain tools and pliers — sold singly or as part-sets. It suits anyone doing their own servicing rather than reaching for a multi-tool at the roadside.
What hand tools do I need to work on a bike?
The core set is Allen keys in 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm, a T25 Torx for disc rotor bolts and many stem and brake fittings, a chain tool matched to your chain's speed, a Phillips and a flat screwdriver for derailleur limit screws, and cable cutters. Add 8, 9, 10 and 15mm spanners for pedals and older brake fittings, and thin cone spanners in 13, 15 and 17mm if you service cup-and-cone hubs. Beyond that you're into bottom bracket tools and other job-specific fittings that only fit one part standard.
Hand tools or a multi-tool?
A multi-tool is for the ride — short handles, folded together, enough to adjust a saddle or reseat a rotor bolt on the roadside. Hand tools are for the bench, where a long handle gives leverage and control and a proper screwdriver won't cam out of a limit screw. Doing a full service with a multi-tool is how bolt heads get rounded. For anything with a stated torque figure — stem faceplates, seatpost clamps, carbon parts — use torque tools rather than guessing by feel.
What should I check when buying used bike tools?
Look at the working end. Allen key tips round off at the corners and go slightly conical — a worn key spins in the bolt and ruins the bolt too, so check the hex corners are sharp and square, and reject any key with a burred or mushroomed end. On chain tools, check the driving pin is straight, present and not bent or snapped, since it's the part that breaks and a replacement pin isn't always available. Screwdriver tips should be flat and square, not tapered from use. On cone spanners, check the jaws haven't sprung open. Cable cutters go blunt and start crushing rather than cutting — check the blades meet cleanly along their whole length. Surface rust on shafts is cosmetic; wear at the tip is not.
Are used bike tools worth buying?
Good steel tools last decades, so used is often the sensible buy, particularly for the ones you'll use twice a year. Expect to pay around half of new for tools in honest condition. Quality shows here: a Park Tool or Pedro's tool that's been used and looks it will usually outlast a budget key that's never been touched, because the steel holds its shape under load. Buy new for precision-fitting tools where wear defeats the point, and for anything you'll use on carbon or expensive bolt heads. Split part-sets are common on the second-hand market, so check which sizes are actually present rather than assuming a set is complete — the 5mm key and T25 are always the first to go missing.
Should I buy a set or individual tools?
Buy individually if you already have a kit and want to fill a gap or replace a worn key, since single tools go cheaply. Buy a set if you're starting out — a boxed set in a tray costs less than the sum of its parts and shows at a glance what's missing. Sets built around Allen keys, wrenches and screwdrivers cover most routine jobs; the specialist tools are better bought one at a time as the job comes up.