Recommended new tools for modern road bikes

[user757]

For those of us coming from road bikes with room brakes, mechanical derailleurs and external cable routing, what tools do you recommend for building and maintaining?

Disc brake line bleed/cut tool? Brake caliper centering tool? Internal cable routing kit? Etc...

[SillyMochi]

Hi, here are some of the tools that I use for my road bike:

• Bleed Kit: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005021503744.html
• Disc rotor tool: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005732591761.html
• Internal routing kit: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005006478485938.html
• Bike Disc Brake Pad Spreader: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005006592545723.html
• Spare olives: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005006423808582.html

I also have some disc brake adjuster (https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005004913038613.html) but I never really use them.
On the other hand, an absolutely essential tool is the disc rotor tool. Most discs don't come straight out of the box and fixing that slight disc rub without it is a freaking PITA! Also if you bump your disc accidentally, this tool will help you get them straight again.

[Serge_K]

+1 on bleed kit, olives, routing kit. To spread pistons, i use a tyre lever. The rotor tool, i've never managed to get along with.

torque wrench, because everything is more complex, and knowing how much torque you apply is all the more critical. I'm thinking loose headsets, especially. So much going on there with hoses / routing, make sure you have one. On simpler bikes, was easier to get away without one. ~25 euro on aliX.

I would add small files, because you might need to smooth an exit hole. Frames are EPS moulded for the most part now, so you're unlikely to have sharp edges inside, but cockpits are still a total bitch to route, so small files can save you. Cheap on AliX.

And liquids: brake fluid, carbon paste, loctite (bottle cages, chainring bolts...), bike grease. And i can say that Liqui-Moly 3312 is absolutely magical on creaky bottom brackets. Also, thinking of it, i'll probably use that on headset bearings in my builds going fwd as well, because they're so hard to service and they dont like water. It's German, so if you're not in Europe, get something similar. Thick ass silicone grease, fundamentally.

[SillyMochi]

Maybe I was just super unlucky with my disc and it's not commonly as big a problem as I made it seem ...

One thing you definitely don't want to forget is the "internal housing damper" - basically some foam sleaves for your hydraulic lines. Otherwise, prepare for a nice rattling sound once you start riding 
I bought these before: https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005007235167191.html
But with all my links, usually look around and just take the cheapest option. At least that's what I usually do, when I shop around for new things on AE.

[dbeezie]

I'd add a high quality set of allen and torx keys.  You'll fight a lot of bolts in the workshop.  The frustration related to rounding out a titanium bolt head and then needing to drill out the stripped bolt will take years off your life.

[user757]

All great suggestions, wish I had asked before most of the components had arrived as I'd be able to get the frame built quicker!

I bought those foam sleeves for the brake lines. Are they necessary on the front line or does that not rattle since the line is vertical?
I imagine the fit is tougher through the fork with the foam than the rear line.

[Serge_K]

I stopped using the foam things, because i never felt or heard the difference, btw. Which confuses me. I actually try to keep slack hose inside the frame to make disassembly easier, so i dont think my hoses are so tight inside that they can't move.
Maybe i'm just lucky.
Maybe if you dont use the foam, you'd have to be unlucky to hear a rattle?
If you route 4 hoses, dont use foam, it will make you want to end yourself. Dont ask me how i know.

It's funny that our experiences differ like that.

[user757]

I feel like I probably have accumulated enough Allen/hex keys for five men at this point. But what I was lacking was hex bit sockets for the torque wrench that is on the way. I did realize that the little hex bits inside my normal socket wrench set can be slipped into the corresponding sockets for a makeshift socket but for the torque wrench. Don't have a 10mm bit for that tho, so might need a new bit for the crank

[SillyMochi]

I stopped using the foam things, because i never felt or heard the difference, btw. Which confuses me. I actually try to keep slack hose inside the frame to make disassembly easier, so i dont think my hoses are so tight inside that they can't move.
Maybe i'm just lucky.
Maybe if you dont use the foam, you'd have to be unlucky to hear a rattle?
If you route 4 hoses, dont use foam, it will make you want to end yourself. Dont ask me how i know.

It's funny that our experiences differ like that.

It might actually be the "slack hose" in the frame that keeps it from rattling around. Sounds counter-intuitive first but think about it:
1) if you cut it to length (i.e. no extra slack) the hose will take the shortest route through the down tube, so probably in a somewhat diagonal fashion. That means it won't sit tight against the walls but kinda floating in the air. It won't be that tight either that it won't move at all as you cannot pull it that tight. So once you start riding and hit some bumps, your "floating" hoses will start hitting the walls aka rattling ensues.
2) If you push in some slack hose, you will push it against the walls of the down tube, as it squishes in there somehow. That might actually hold it in place much better than the "cut to size" variant from option 1. Since it is pushed against the walls it cannot move as much as the floating hoses and therefore won't rattle as much (or at all depending on how squished it is).

Since I didn't want to take the chances and only have one brake hose running through it (electronic shifting), I just used some foam and be done with it. Would have hated to open the system up again after bleeding the brakes and all.