Rob63

Hey everyone
I'm planning some overseas flying with my bike in a cardboard box, and am not too concerned with packing my bike given tools in my garage, but am concerned about putting it all back together once I get to my destination. I'll be using a mutlitool like the Topeak Omni Toolcard, but what about tools for adjusting handlebars (which I'll have to move sideways for flying), and pedals which have to be re-intstalled. Is there a multitool I don't know about that will do all of this? Or am I stuck lugging bigger and longer tools to do this?
Any advice?

BobG

A 6" adjustable crescent wrench will be all you need for pedals. Some pedals require an allen wrench. A small allen wrench should be good for handlebars. All those tools should be in your travel kit already.

john m flores 

Do yourself a favor and pack your bike with the tools that you plan on bringing with you; don't use your regular tools.

It's better to learn the capabilities and shortcomings of your traveling tools before you are traveling.

pdlamb

The all-purpose answer for most bf questions applies here: it depends.

I fly with a coupled travel bike a few times a year. After a few trips, I bought a cheap metric hex wrench set for assembling and disassembling everything on my bike. The 10 mm came out (weighs a lot and only fits the freehub, which I DON'T mess with). I'm glad for the 8 mm's length to torque my cranks, otherwise I'd go 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm only. You may want a pair of pliers in case your chain gets kinked past human puzzling and you have a quick-release, or the chain tool on your multi-tool. I added a 4 mm torque wrench after I stripped a thread on my stem.

Point of all this blathering is, look over your bike, figure out what you need. A dry run of (at least) putting your multi-tool into every fastener that you'll need to screw/unscrew/adjust would be worth several hours of head-scratching, with or without internet help; or maybe worth a day of your tour.

Try it, adjust tooling as needed or wanted, and have a great trip!

Tourist in MSN

The adjustable wrench suggestion for pedals above is not ideal, many pedals need a narrower wrench, but thicker than a cone wrench. If there are wrench flats, I think that all of them are 15mm. Such a wrench may work on your pedals, or it might not.

Some pedals take 6mm allen wrench, some take 8mm. Pedals are one of those things that might be REALLY tight, it is a good idea to make sure that they are loose enough that you can remove the pedals several days before you need too so you do not get panicked just before your flight.

If you use one with an allen wrench, get an extra long allen wrench at a hardware store, L shaped. You might have to put your foot on the wrench to break it loose. One side is left hand thread, I can never remember which side, it is natural for me to just do it correctly the first try because I have done it so often.

When I am assembling or disassembling my S&S coupled bike, that is an hour and a half project to do with shop sized tools. It would take longer if I was messing around with some tiny little bike multi-tool, so I bring the real tools that I will need for most things, like:
- 3mm, 4mm, 5mm allen wrenches or a shop sized Y wrench with those three. (Most Y wrenches do not have a 3mm).
- I rarely use a 6mm.
- My handlebar bag bracket uses a 2.5mm allen wrench.
- Rohloff grip uses a T20 wrench.
- My dyno powered headlights use a T20 wrench.
- If i have a disc brake bike, a T25 is used for the rotor.
- A small side cutter or a toenail cutter for cutting zip ties that you used to pack the bike.
- If you bring a utility knife, swiss army knife, etc., make sure it is packed in checked luggage, not a carry on.
- Some of my bikes need a 8mm and 10mm open end wrench. Park makes a small thin one.
- I have to remove the crank arms to pack my S&S bike, that needs an 8mm allen wrench and a crank puller (XLC brand) that uses both an 8mm allen wrench and a 15mm pedal wrench.

Your bike will be different than mine, and I did the above only from memory, you need to figure out what your bike takes.

You might also want a chain quick link tool that can remove and re-attach the quick link.

For my S&S bike, the S&S coupler wrench also has a 15mm open end wrench for the pedals. I have loaned that wrench out to other bikers in campgrounds that were assembling or disassembling their bikes because they did not have a good enough pedal wrench.

Tourist in MSN

This is only an example, this is for the bike that I took on my Maritimes trip in 2019, it is a Rohloff bike, not derailleur so some stuff is unique to that bike. This just gives you an idea. The black bag is to carry all this in.

This is a coupled bike, so I had to completely assemble and disassemble the bike, even the water bottle cages and crank arms had to come off.



The above is tools, not spares, thus the spare tubes and patch kit, spare cables, nuts, bolts, etc., are not shown above. The plastic bag under the wrench on the far left side is full of zip ties. Chain lube not shown. After the photo was taken, I bought the chain quick link remover and re-setter. Now I carry one of those too. Pump not shown.

If you can get some disposable medical gloves, they come in really handy to keep yourself clean if your bike is dirty when you work on it.

If you want to do it all with a tiny little multi-tool, that is your call, good luck. I just do not want to scrimp on this stuff as when I do it costs me time.

That said, you should only have the tools you know how to use, if you do not know how to use a spoke wrench, you do not need one.

Rob63

Soild advice. Will do. Thanks

BobG

Perhaps, but a 6" adjustable is only 7mm wide and will fit many Shimano style pedals should the OP have that style. My Shimano pedals have 5mm wide flats. the 7mm adjustable will overlap the extra 2mm at the pedal side.

Just break the bond with the big wrench at home before leaving, don't torque it back at re-assembly with gorilla force and it should come right back off at the end of the tour with a 6" wrench. That's all I've used on the road for 50 years!

50PlusCycling

I carry a Topeak Alien pocket tool, a Leatherman Wave combination tool, small crescent wrench, and a spoke wrench. I have never needed more tools than this, they have been adequate for all the breakdowns and mishaps I have suffered. These tools will work on every piece of hardware on the bike except the headset and bottom bracket. In 40 years of road and mountain riding I’ve never had these particular parts fail. I once had a square taper crank come loose, but I don’t use square taper anymore.

For spares, I bring a small length of chain and quick links, patches, spokes and nipples (hidden in the seatpost), and inner shifter and brake cables. A few bits of extra hardware and zip ties, chain oil, and a couple shop rags.

Steve B.

Why not plan on bringing whatever tool's you use when you pack the bike ?. Some of those might be part of a tool you carry as part of your kit. I know my Topeak Alien has most of the Allen key needed to get my hikes apart.

Russ Roth

Unless your pedals use an allen wrench, get yourself the Park PW-5, its about the lightest real pedal wrench you can get that isn't total junk. From there you just need a good multi tool. For a while I liked the Crankbrother's M17 which comes with a nice metal case and any tool I would need to do most repairs on a bike roadside. The Lezne Rap II 25 would be I new go to for traveling since it also includes a tool for straightening brake rotors. The way I pack a bike I couldn't imagine needing more than the multitool and a pedal wrench. When I had an S&S coupled bike I never pulled a crankset, there wasn't really a reason to and I still don't, disassembly is as minimal as possible to keep things from being lost/separated and make them as reasonably compact as possible.

This summer when I traveled to St Louis I pulled the stem from the steerer tube and zip tied the handlebars and stem together to the fork and frame, I'd made a couple of foam inserts to stick between the rotor and the spokes and acquired a couple of the plastic discs from the LBS that go in the hubs that keep the wheels from poking through the side of the box. Zip tied the wheels to the frame with a couple of small pieces of pipe foam where the wheels and stem would touch paint, pulled the read der off and dropped it in an old sock which I ziptied to the inside of the rear stay, didn't bother disconnecting the chain, and protected the bottom of the chain ring with a thick piece of foam to keep it from cutting through the bag. Disassembly and packing took about 40 min the first time, for the return trip I took less time than it took for the next commuter train to arrive, I arrived as the train was leaving and the next was I believe 35 min later but I was already sitting and waiting for it to arrive with the bike packed. Reassembly at the airport took about 20 min and there was no new damage to the bike despite the boot prints on the outside of the bag.

Tourist in MSN

Since you are putting this in a cardboard box, I assume you mean a bike box.

Assuming you get the box at a bike shop, ask them for the packing materials, for example the plastic piece that goes in the front fork dropouts that keeps the fork from puncturing the box and sticking out of the box.

Small loose bits in the big box should be in another small box that is taped closed, so if there is a hole in the big box, they do not fall out of the hole in transit.

If you have to remove the fork (unlikely), take a photo of all of the headset parts in the correct order on the steerer tube so that you can easily put the headset together again correctly. When I do that, I put the parts on the fork steerer tube for travel in the right order and oriented correctly, use a rubber band on the end to keep them from falling off. And I have a photo of them on my phone as a backup.

I wrote this as if this was still a quick release skewer world, if the box had a through axle bike, and if yours is quick release, you might not be able to get the plastic piece for the fork dropouts. Might have to fabricate something. Over a decade ago I bought a used frame and fork, the seller cut a piece of wood 100mm long, used wood screws in the ends to keep the wood piece in the fork dropouts.

Have a great trip.

staehpj1

When using pedals with 15mm flats on tour I have found a 15mm cone wrench was sufficient Never had a big problem other yam maybe abusing the wrench by needing to strike it with something in the worst case. Genefally I managed to avoid that though.

Yea, more and more there are no flats and a little short allen wrench or multitool may not be up to the task of a tight pedal. In most cases I avoid the need to pack my own bike at the end of the tour by having a shop pack and ship it or riding toward a home destination, mine or other friends or family.

One trick I have used was to carry a 1" stub cut from an 8mm allen wrench for my pedals that required 8mm allen. That turned with an 8mm box end wrench has sufficed for me when I used it. It could also be used with the 6" adjustable wrench for those who carry one (I don't).

djb

before going into more details, I would recommend getting a box from a bike store and do some practice runs now--when are you flying btw?
You should see that you really do not need much more than a pedal wrench, the lightest possible, or at least practice with a L shaped hex key to get used to doing it this way if your pedals have the hex key option.
Other than that, its regular hex keys. I usually bring a small stand alone 4mm or whatever for the water bottle cages because I find it a pain in the arse using my multi tool turning around and around getting caught in the cages.
So I add the big L hex key for the pedals, smaller and lighter a bit than my regular pedal tool, or sometimes I use my thin pedal tool (not much difference between them) but it is smaller and lighter than a crescent wrench (as noted, be careful of these not fitting inbetween cranks, causing scratches)

and the smaller one for bottle cages, rest the multi tool works.
I bring a small teeny folding knife for cutting zip ties

I think thats it.

but really, even if you dread doing it, get any old box from a bike store and do practice runs boxing your bike. Plan for a few hours screwing around and sometimes cursing, but better now than the day of your flight (been there, done that, as all of us Im sure)

Tourist in MSN

I have a few times put my body weight on a pedal wrench by using my foot on the wrench, but I am nervous the wrench could slip out and make things worse. I remember years ago starting to bend a cone wrench, so chose never to do that again. But, maybe the cone wrenches are better built these days and are up to the task.

In post number 5, above, I suggested an extra long L shaped allen wrench from a hardware store for pedals. About a decade ago a co-worker bought a new bike, but no pedals. I loaned him a pair of pedals to try. He could not figure out how to install them, I may have forgotten to warn him that one side was left hand thread, so he had a bike shop install them. Then months later, I needed the pedals, tried to remove them from his bike and the bike shop installed them so tight I was unable to get them off. He had to go back to the bike shop. I do not know why some bike shops think they need to get threaded fittings as tight as possible and then give it another half turn.

Your stub of a 8mm allen wrench suggestion, if your pedal takes that size is a really good suggestion. I have been doing that for a different purpose. In post number 6 above on the far left side is my S&S coupler wrench, it also has a 15mm open end wrench for pedals and an 8mm box wrench. I cut about a 2 inch stub from an 8mm allen wrench, which Is under a wide black rubber band on that wrench, I use that for my crank arm bolts and also the crank arm puller. It was really hard to cut that bit off of an allen wrench, that tool steel is really tough to cut.

staehpj1

I probably have every immaginable vintage of spd pedals on different bikes so I could easily swap pedals to have flats, 6mm allen, or 8mm allen for a given tour if I wanted to lighten the tool kit by using a particular tool that I needed to carry any way. If I always toured on the same bike the pedals of choice would always be on the bike I tour on.

Truth be told I have not packed my bike to ship it home many times so it hasn't been a big deal. I have ridden toward home or someone elses home (friends or family) or paid a shop to ship the bike home. I have also rented a car or used other ground transportation at the end to get to a home or an intermediate destination. So for me packing my own bike for a flight home is not the most frequent answer.

Only once have I ever needed to remove a pedal during a tour and that was because the bearings were going bad. A wrench would have done no good without a special tool and some grease and maybe replacement ball bearings. I got a pair of new pedals put on at a shop and rebuilt the old pedals when I got home. So I don't really see much need to carry a pedal wrench other than for use when unpacking and packing the bike. If not packing the bike to ship home a minimal wrench like a little multitool, if it fits, is fine for assembly IMO. If I am in doubt about whether it is torque enough I might check it after riding a bit. For the more paranoid. Stopping in a shop in the first couple days to check it would be an option, but I wouldn't be that concerned.

djb

re pedals, I've found that whatever tool I use to remove them, as noted don't overtighten and have a bit of grease on the threads. I put my pedals into a plastic bag for traveling so they dont get grease on things.
When removing pedals, I've always given whatever tool I use a little smack with my hand to loosen it. Putting any folded cloth or whatever over the tool protects your hand. I've never had pedals creak or loosen during a tour, and generally have been okay to loosen when repacking the bike for return trip.

Of course, one cannot in words fully describe "don't overtighen", so that's a real life mechanical skill one has to figure out on your own and some people aren't good at judging what is too tight or too loose, but it ain't rocket science.
On tour when I methodically go over my bike every week or so to check bolt tightnesses, racks, handlebars, etc etc, I also check the pedal tightness to make sure they don't need a wee tightening.

Tourist in MSN

Theoretically, pedals should tighten on their own as you pedal until they get to a point where they stop tightening. More on that concept here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_(mechanical)

I get everything pretty tight, but still easy to remove. The only bolts that I consistently find that I did not tighten enough are handlebar clamp bolts (when I hit a bump I might push the hoods and bars down further) and seatpost bolt on the frame (hit a bump and I am sitting lower).

I either carry a spare seatpost bolt or I have already checked and found that my stem cap bolt will substitute if needed because on some bikes I have to get that really tight and am always afraid of snapping it. I put a slot in the threaded end of most of my seatpost bolts, so if it breaks I should be able to back it out with a small screwdriver.

But, do not make the mistake a friend of mine made. He had a bike shop pack and ship his bike to his home. When he unpacked it and started assembling it, he just hand tightened every bolt. That was his touring bike, thus front and rear racks, fenders, etc. So, lots of nuts and bolts. When he wrench tightened everything at the end, he forgot to tighten the pedals. One of the pedals started to unscrew when he rode it and he did not realize that until it unthreaded far enough that his weight on the pedal mangled the threads. Ordering one crank arm was more expensive than having a local shop install a new crank, thus that is what he did.

When I have flown with a bike, I have only packed it in my S&S Backpack case, I have never flown with a big bike box, thus every flight was a major disassembly project and re-assembly later. The only times I packed a bike in a big bike box was for Amtrak and those boxes were HUGE.

I was going to ship a bike once with Bike Flights, but the boxes that the bike shops had were too small for the bike I planned to ride. I ended up taking my folding bike in an S&S case on the plane once I realized that I was not going to find a box in time.

BobG

Another photo/demo of the power of the 6" crescent wrench. This pedal has been on for over 2 years. It wouldn't budge by hand but after several taps on the wrench with a hammer ... off it came! (without using my pedal wrench, photo at my post 8 was a pedal already off) ...




I'll put it back on (snug but not gorilla tight) with a touch of grease as suggested by djb and it will remove with just the wrench for the duration of any tour. I'm certainly not going to bring a dedicated pedal wrench with an adjustable already on board that can be used for other various size nuts around the bike.

A nasty winter day here in NH. A good day to post on BF and fiddle with the bike on the workstand!

Tourist in MSN

The jaws on my 6 inch adjustable wrench caliper at 9.4mm thick, and they do not fit on my A530 pedals on my light touring bike, do not fit on my M324 pedals on my heavy touring bike.

You obviously have a wrench with narrower jaws than mine. If you wrench will work at home, it of course would work on a tour.

Rick

If you want an adjustable wrench that fits For pedals and threaded headsets then look at Fujiya Tools

Tourist in MSN

Thanks, but I have all the tools I need, including a few 15mm open end wrenches that work well for the task.

zandoval 

Just make sure you pack the tools with the bike. Or even zip tied too the bike. Tool kits have a tendency to walk off during airport inspections.

Long Story...

Pratt

If I were concerned about that, I might take a hacksaw and cut a slot into the end of each pedal bolt and bring a cheap screwdriver for assembly, pitch it and buy a second one for disassembly at the other end of the trip.

Tourist in MSN

Since those pedal bolts probably have 6mm or 8mm hexagonal holes for an allen wrench, that slot might not work very well. In post 19 above where BobG has two photos, the lower photo shows the hex shaped hole.

When I have flown with my bike, I had a second checked bag, the tools went into that second checked bag, not the bike case. My bike and the S&S case were heavier than the airline weight allowance, so I always had to move some bits into my other checked bag to stay under the per bag weight allowance. And tools might be deemed to be potential weapons so I did not take them in a carry on.