Need general repair help

[KnottedYet]

I love the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. Great pictures, clear explanations.

[DebW]

If anybody is buying pliers specifically for bike work, get some linesman's pliers. They're great for cable pulling and some have a cable cutting feature as well. Here's a nice Craftsman pair:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

For cable cutters, I recommend these Craftsman cutters (they go through spokes too):
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00945074000

or

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

[DebW]

If anyone has a penchant for crescent wrenches, an 8 inch is useful and a 12 inch can sometimes be a lifesaver when you really need some torque. A 10 inch crescent wrench is useless because anything on a bike than an 8 inch doesn't fit, a 10 inch won't fit either. A 12 inch fits a threaded headset locknut and can be used to torque a cassette lockring or tighten a fixed BB cup. A bench vise is a wonderful tool as well. The best trick with a bench vise is to clamp it on a fixed BB cup and then turn the bike frame. Great for pulling freewheels and cassettes too.

[btchance]

Thanks girls. I'll look into those suggestions. I appreciate it!

[maillotpois]

Also Lennard Zinn's book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193...e=UTF8&s=books