BMX Bicycle Tools

BMX bike owners need to take care of their bikes, even more-so than regular bike owners, because of the hard use BMX riders put on their machines. Because it is vitally important that a BMX bike be operating at peak capacity whenever a rider decides he needs to try a trick, there are a few tools that no BMX rider should ever be without.

  1. Socket wrench and sockets

    • Socket wrenches--and their accompanying sockets--are perhaps the most vital tool in any BMX rider's arsenal. Socket wrenches can be used to take off or tighten down several of the larger movable parts on a BMX bike They are especially useful for tightening, loosening or replacing the pegs on the back or front wheel of the bike. The typical socket you should keep with you is a 17-inch deep-dish socket. The deep-dish part is key. It will allow you to reach through the peg, past the axle, and latch onto the nut that you need to tighten or loosen. A regular socket will not be long enough for this task.

    Allen Wrench

    • Allen wrenches should also be included in any BMX rider's tool chest. Brake lines and other smaller parts of a BMX bike are typically secured down with allen-head screws, and will require an allen-head wrench to tighten or loosen. Typically a set of sizes five, six and seven will get you through any allen wrench-related work that needs to be done on your bike.

    Adjustable crescent wrench

    • The adjustable crescent wrench is the workhorse of the BMX rider's toolbox and it's useful in a variety of situations. Because the wrench head can be adjusted to fit most sizes of nut or bolt, the wrench itself is useful in tightening or removing pedals, for removing the non-peg-side nut from your wheel and adjusting your chain, among others. Larger wrenches will also have a circular hole in the butt-end of the wrench, which can be used as a tire lever. The wrench is usually heavy enough to be used as an impromptu hammer as well, which saves you the necessity of carrying around another tool with you.

    Chain-breaker

    • The chain-breaker is not a tool you will find in your typical hardware store. It is designed specifically for use on bikes, and as the name implies, has a very specific purpose. Chain-breakers come in handy when a bike chain becomes frozen or too mangled to be of any use, but cannot be removed from the chain-wheel easily.