Customer Reviews

Park Tool AK-37 Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are going to get serious about using your bike to commute to and from work or doing those long rides on the weekends, then you might just want to begin doing your own maintenance. I purchased this tool set 2 weeks ago and with the help of Park Tool's online repair help, I overhauled both of my bikes. This tool set contains about everything you need, only items missing are some tools required for vintage parts (pre 90's). Save yourself the hassle and expense of going to the LBS because you do not have the tools required to strip any part off of your frame.

I'm a bike shop employee of over a decade now, a bike aficionado, and beginning framebuilder. I bought my Park AK-37 kit in 1999, and it's been worth every penny. Could I have just dragged my bike to the shop to work on it with their tools? Sure, but giving myself the ability to work from home was an important step forward in my life as a cyclist.

The AK-37 will provide every tool you need to perform basic maintenance on your bike, and is worth every penny. Thus far, my tools have held up to years of use (and abuse), and I have nothing but praise for the kit. If you're just getting started with setting up your own bicycle workshop, this is an excellent way to go.

I started working on my bike a few years ago and picked up a small, cheaper, set of tools at Nashbar. Later, I took an overhaul and wheel building classes at my LBS. They had Park Tools, and I just liked them better. Some were easier to use (e.g., chain tool) and some I would actually use. I wouldn't even touch my bike with the spoke wrench that came with the Nashbar kit. This kit was also missing some of what I wanted. So, I bought this kit, and supplemented with some additional, individually purchased tools (e.g., fourth hand, truing stand). The kit comes with some standard, non-bike, tools that you might not need (screwdrivers, wrenches, and my least favorite, star allen wrenches). I didn't have any decent tools anyway - so I appreciated the regular tools as well. If you have these, additional ones might not improve your life much. It also comes with some items I'd rather go without as "tools" as I already had these items (e.g., lube, grease, patch kits, chain cleaner) - but I suppose they'll get used eventually...hopefully not the patch kit. With these tools, I've been able to work on my bikes, old (80s) and new - overhauling hubs, changing cassettes, overhauling headsets, installing new parts, tuning up, etc. The only problem I've had is when I encountered old freewheels that need some specialized tool to remove. I opted to replace the wheels with something more modern, but they weren't worth saving anyway. Overall, I am happy with the set. They are a bit pricey, but I know I've more than made the money back by maintaining my own bikes, fixing up my own, now nice, $25 commuting bike with used parts, etc.

It's been a few months, I've built a few bikes with this kit-- The specialty tools are excellent, the general tools are crap.

Excellent: The crank puller, pedal wrench, wire snips, and bottom bracket tools have proved to be the most useful/unique tools in the kit. These are great.

Crap:
-The tip on the chain link tool (chain popper) bent on the second use. I emailed Park and they replaced the tip, but it's still some low-grade, malleable metal composite.
-The tip on the flat head screwdriver broke off while opening a can of paint. Albeit, that's not the intended use, but seriously for the cost of this kit, that shouldn't happen. That's cheap. The smaller screwdrivers have a lot of flex in them and will eventually break/bend under normal tightening use.


As long as the bottom bracket wrench tool fits your bike, this kit has 99% of what you'll need to break one down or build one up, but the cost and the failures just wrecks the overall value. In a do-over, I would probably buy the specialty tools separately from Park and supplement accordingly, but then you wouldn't have 99% of what you needed to build a bike in one purchase-- and a separate tool box to house them in, which is surely worth something.

So, 3-stars for being off target, not a rip-off, but not a great deal.

Sick of dragging your bike to the shop for simple repairs? Slap down the cash for this baby. It IS a little pricey, but it has the tools to completely rip down a bike to the frame. Do-it-yourself oriented people will really like this tool set. Quality is top notch.

Don't look any further if you are starting to build a home workshop and don't already have many specialty bike tools. This will give you almost everything you need to do most maintenance tasks, from emergency trail repairs to drivetrain overhauls, and Park tools are the highest in quality. If you have "Zinn and the Art of Mountain (or Road) Bike Maintenance" (highly recommended for your first repair book), this set covers all of the level 1 & 2 tool sets and even a few of the advanced level 3. There are a few that overlap what you probably already have, like screwdrivers and hex wrenches, but they are quality items and it's always handy to have extra of these.

You may need to supplement this set with some add'l tools for some tasks, such as replacing a headset, but most of those are more pricey and best bought (or substituted) as needed. The toolbox is nothing special, but it is handy and sturdy enough, and matches the tools to boot.

Pair this with the Park PCS-10 repair stand to make your own "professional" workshop at home!

I prefer to buy at least some of my bike parts and gear at local shops to support them, but Amazon's price on this set was too good to pass up. Even the other online discounters are $80-100 more.

This tool kit is a great way to start fixing biking. I realized that my chain needs replacement badly. Being a beginner, it is a great way to start. The set of tools are just right.

I am not sure whether I am going to use the 'true'ing tools. I bought Park Blue Book II also, which makes the reference to the tools in this kit.

I spent over $300 of Park Tool wrenches and tools, including this toolbox and several additional specialty bike tools.

The tool box has most of what you need for regular situations. You may need to get a few more but inexpensive tools like a Hex (Allen) balldriver wrench set, an 8 mm Allen Wrench, etc.

Unfortunately, some of the tools and wrenches included in this toolbox are built with inferior materials and workmanship. As an example, one of the bottom bracket damage the teeth of my bottom bracket and the tool got damaged too. After the fiasco, I went to a bike shop. The tool they have is way heavier which much thicker teeth.

My advice is that even when you will spend more money in the tools itself; buy professional grade tools and wrenches. Even if you have to buy them little by little. You will save money and many headaches by being able to do the labor yourself and avoiding spending money in new parts because your tools are low quality and damaged them.

This has everything you need. Ok maybe some of the tools are duplicated with things you already have, but having them all together in one set means no more hunting down tools and rifling through drawers. The chain cleaning tool is also a worthwhile addition, it really does get your chain nice and clean. There are clearly tools that... I may never use. I hope I do, it means that I am truly getting to know my bike inside and out... but hopefully it will be maintenance and not emergency!!!! Great kit.

I've heard good things over the years about Park Tools and when I finally decided it was time to fix up an old bike I had in storage, they were only tools I considered. I bought the Park Tool AK-37 Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit online through Amazon. It looked like it would have just about everything I could need. It arrived quickly and was stocked exactly as described. I was able to fully renovate my bike without any problems with the tools provided, with only one small exception. I had to buy a park tool adjustable wrench (any adjustable wrench or correct size regular wrench would work as well, but I wanted a wrench dedicated to that tool set) to be able to use the cassette tool. The tools are high quality and customer service from the company is fantastic (I broke blade of small screw driver they replaced w/o any problems). If you're looking to do any of your own bike repairs, this is the kit for you.