LifeLine Performance 39 piece tool kit

If you like messing about with your bikes at home then the LifeLine Performance 39 Piece Tool Kit contains the tools for nearly all of your maintenance needs in a handy box. As a one-stop solution it's easy to recommend.

You won't be surprised to know that you get 39 tools. They are: eight hex wrenches (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8mm), a Torx 25 wrench, seven cone spanners (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19mm), three screwdrivers (Philips 1, Philips 2 and slotted 5), three spoke wrenches (3.2, 3.3 and 3.5mm), a crank extractor, 15mm pedal spanner, a set of cable cutters, a cartridge bottom bracket tool, cassette cleaning brush, cassette remover, chain cleaner, chain rivet extractor, chain whip, chainring nut wrench, cleaning brush, Shimano (and compatible) external bottom bracket spanner, a measuring tape, two tyre levers and a magnetic collector tray. Phew!

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Assuming your bike is Shimano or SRAM equipped, and you have an external bottom bracket, that's pretty much everything you need for every workshop task short of a headset replacement. You'll probably want some other bits and bobs like a mallet and some pliers, but because the Lifeline kit comes in a normal toolbox, as opposed to one of those formed cases with a specific hole for every tool, you can just lob them in. The flipside is that it's not as easy to see if something is missing, which might come back to bite you at that far-flung sportive where your cones need a tweak.

The tools are good quality, in the main. They're not pro level and for £100 you shouldn't expect them to be. For example, you can't apply that much torque with the ball end of the hex keys, compared with our workshop set of hex keys that cost half as much as this whole kit: the tolerances aren't as tight. And the metal tyre levers are average at best; swap those out for some long-handled Lezyne ones or something similar. But everything works, and most of the bits are well thought through.

Some of the tools are really good: the Hyperglide cassette tool has a central pin to locate it in the axle and a nice sturdy handle with a plastic cover to stop it digging into your hands. The external bottom bracket tool has the star wheel thingy attached that you need to screw in that end cap on the non-drive crank, so you don't need to go rooting around for it in the bottom of the box.

The chain rivet extractor is beefy and knocks out a pin with ease, although it does lack the secondary position that's good for adjusting a link. The chain cleaner is pretty decent, and the screwdrivers and cone spanners are perfectly functional. There isn't anything that doesn't do a decent job, and the inclusion of minor-but-essential tools like the chainring nut wrench is a bonus.

The toolbox comes with two stackable trays so you can organise your bits and bobs, or keep one for spares. The magnetic tray is a nice touch, the kind of thing you didn't realise you needed and then can't do without.

Overall it's a really good toolkit for the home mechanic, or to stick in the back of your car for events. If you want to be able to service your bikes at home and you're not sure where to start, this kit is as good a place as any.

Verdict

Fully loaded toolkit for pretty much all your home workshop needs, with decent quality tools throughout