When you ride a bicycle, you acquire more and more tools without even realizing it.

This also means that you're becoming capable of doing more things, and it's a happy occasion where you can feel your own growth.

Serious tools can wait until you're serious about cycling, but for now, I'll tell you about the tools you'll want to start with and what you can do with them.

Brake adjustment with hex wrenches and spanners

When riding a bicycle, the first thing you'll probably want to adjust is the brakes, isn't it?

As long as there are cables, they will always stretch at first.

It's only a few percent of the total, but you might feel that you could get a slightly better condition depending on the adjustment.

At first, you probably pretend not to notice, but one day, you decide to buy tools and start adjusting.

You'll loosen hex nuts or hex socket bolts (depending on the bicycle), and some people use adjustable wrenches for nuts.

While an adjustable wrench can certainly loosen nuts, I recommend using a spanner of the correct size.

Otherwise, the corners of the nuts will gradually round off.

By the way, the size of the nut that secures the brake cable is 10mm.

You can get them at 100-yen shops, but I recommend buying slightly more proper tools.

After all, expensive things are expensive for a reason.

Even a single wrench from a top tool manufacturer like Top or Lobtex isn't that expensive.

It's exciting to gradually add more tools and feel your collection grow.

Inner cable pliers

Once you start adjusting brake cables, you'll definitely encounter frustrations.

You have to hold the brake pads (the rubber parts that press against the rim), pull the cable, and tighten the nut or bolt, but you just don't have enough hands.

There are three steps: 1. hold, 2. pull, 3. tighten.

You only have two hands.

If you try to do it alone, you'll wish for assistance.

Nevertheless, there is a tool that allows you to do it by yourself.

That is "inner cable pliers."

They can hold the brake cable in a pulled state, making maintenance much easier.

Small hardware stores may not carry them, so in that case, I recommend online shopping.

Puncture repair kit

Punctures are unavoidable as long as you ride a bicycle.

Even if you don't have a puncture now, you probably will eventually.

It's good to ask a bike shop to do it, but being able to repair your own bike's punctures increases the joy of cycling.

And the tool for repairing punctures is a "puncture repair kit."

At a minimum, it includes two tire levers, rubber cement, and tire patches.

Sandpaper and spanners are also needed, but when you first try it by imitation and successfully fix a puncture, it's a moving experience.

When you've repaired a tire yourself, there's always a slight anxiety about whether it's truly fixed.

When you test ride it to confirm, make adjustments if necessary, and finally feel that it's properly fixed, you feel like you've mastered another skill.

This kind of experience brings a joy and satisfaction that money can't buy.