superslomo

I have a Topeak Alien as well, a couple of years old.

It doesn't weight enough that I would bother replacing it with something smaller and lighter and while I haven't needed all the stuff on it on routine rides I do keep it in my wedge and also use it for at home fixes. It has anything I've needed along the way and it's less fiddly than have a bunch of loose tools along.

I agree with Machka as to the tire levers on the thing, I didn't even realize that they served that purpose, and had already bought a couple-three levers that I keep in the seatbag which are cheapo parks. No complaints on those either.

TO11MTM

Right now I'm a big fan of Topeak's Survival gear Box. It's got an assortment of tools, is relatively compact, and best of all the tools are seperate so you can easily use them.

https://www.topeak.com/2007/products/tools/sgb.php

I also have a Specialized Multi tool, but having to retighten the bolts on the side is aggrivating.

cyccommute 

The only multitool that I've found to be of any use is the very old CoolTool. It actually fits your hand like a tool. I can almost literally take my entire bike apart with one. Unfortunately they aren't made anymore but you can occasionally find them in old stock or on E-bay.

Rowan

Read my post carefully... knowledge is what gets a fix done *properly* the first time ... not the quality of the tool kit, the latter which seemed to be the point in rmfnla's post. Anyone with knowledge can do a permanent and "proper" fix with either a kit of separate tools or a multitool. A tool of any sort is useless if that person doesn't have any idea of how to use it or to go about a repair.

By the way, the scenario you put... it *can* be done... it won't be a comfortable, pretty or a fast ride, but it can be done... it is not dependent on having a chaintool (some multitools, including mine, have a chaintool, too, you know). Not that I have ever needed to repair a broken chain, because I check and maintain my stuff and have gentle gear-changing technique...

But then, as for bush repairs, I *have* dealt with a broken cup on a rear hub and ridden quite some distance with it. And while a multi-tool was not involved, I have done a complete pedal rebuild for another rider on the roadside, somewhat to the amazement of others in the touring group -- all with just a shifting spanner/crescent wrench and a pair of pliers.

But patently, people use multitools all the time on the road and in the workshop with likely equal success to those who use the same multitool components but as separate items Equally, a multitool is not the ONLY tool one would take with them, but much would depend on the type of ride it was.

Coyote!

>>> A tool of any sort is useless if that person doesn't have any idea of how to use it or to go about a repair.

Agree. One of my personal drumbeats to folks who use 'em is to find their weaknesses and limitations by attempting as many maintenance tasks at home using the multi. This lets you know what else you need to carry and gives you experience in using what can be an awkward tool. It may even encourage one to leave it at home, per some of the sentiments expressed above.

sivat

I have the crank bros. 19 tool multitool and it works well. The only complaint I have about it is that the 8 and 10mm wrenches are terrible. However, now that probably every fastener on my bike is hex-head, it doesn't really matter. The spoke wrenches it has saved a couple of nice swiss gentlemen i ran into a few days ago. I also carry a stubby craftsman 15mm wrench since my back wheel isn't QR. I try to do all my repairs at home with real tools, but the idea of having to call my girlfriend to pick me up 15 miles from home because my bars came loose, or my seatpost fell just seems stupid.

roadfix

Aside from the older cantis & mountain bikes that use 8, 9, & 10mm wrenches that I know of, what other bikes or components require use of these tools?

HardyWeinberg

On one bike I have a topeak alien, on the other I have a folding hex-key set (something like this) and a leatherman (which may have cost the person who gave it to me the equivalent of 2 bike multitools). On the bike w/ the topeak, I use the box wrenches to adjust fenders from time to time. On the other bike, maybe I've just been lucky in not needing a wrench.

Fenders, for me.

roadfix

Living in LA, I would of never thought of that...

And on second thought, tour/commuter bikes with racks sometimes require wrenches....

HillRider

I did read it and my reply was intended to be a bit facetious. Hence the

If you read one of my earlier posts, I agreed that good preparation will prevent most on-road repair problems but not all. My take was that you were too dismissive of that possibility. The broken chain I had to repair that was caused by road debris could not be anticipated and had to be repaired on the spot.

LóFarkas

I'm sorry, if somebody can't get enough leverage for bike fasteners with an average multitool, then the problem is not with the tool...
(Apart from installing cranks but I suspect that's not something you guys do on the roadside)
I'm pretty sure I could strip a few threads with one if I really wanted to.

endform

I have found my own sweet spot to be between the park mtb3 and bag of individual tools.

What I carry is:

Hans Toolz multitool, 2/2.5/3/4/5/6/8, and +/- screwdrivers
Official shimano HG 10speed chainbreaker
soma tire levers
zip ties


I found that the park chainbreakers don't support a 10 speed chain enough and the chain can easily break again. Also that hans toolz is way more solid than the park mtb3 multi tool I had for tightening the crap out of things.

It's also important to carry around small disposable replacement parts, I carry a der. hanger, replacement pins for the chain and a few spare links. These are all crammed into a patch kit box, along with the patch kit itself. This all goes in a very small saddle bag along with a spare tube.

rmfnla

I was going to reply with one of my usual snipes but you said it so much more eloquently.

rmfnla

Once again I was probably not as clear as I could have been. Must have been that second scotch...

I don't like multi-tools because they do lots of things adaquately but none of them well. I find that blued steel allen wrenches are much better than the plated ones used in M-Ts and I do like the extra leverage when it's needed (sorry LóFarkas) as well.

The fact remains that four or five allen wrenches will cover almost every fastener on a modern bike. Add your patch kit, a chain tool and a pump and you're set.

BTW, knowing what tools work is part of knowing how to fix a bike (or anything else, for that matter).

Cheers!

Rowan

It just shows your lack of ingenuity.

rmfnla

I guess your idea of ingenuity is to go buy whatever widget the latest issue of Bicycling magazine tells you will make you look like a "real rench."

I fix bikes.

Rowan

What you did make yourself clear about was this:

"Multi-tools are stupid; bulky, expensive and not enough leverage to do any job well."

The implication is that because (a) multitools are stupid then (b) the people who use them are stupid. You are clear in saying that they don't have enough leverage which is patently not so unless you are talking about undoing overtightened or corroded items, and then you are clear that they don't do any job well, when there are hundreds of thousands of bicycle riders out there who use multitools without a single problem either on the road or in the workshop.

I just priced a set of reasonable quality metric Allen keys (gee, they weigh a ton), along with a small phillips head screwdriver, and a flat-head srewdriver, plus I went to a bike shop and priced a chain tool, some tyre levers... and the price works out about the same as for my Topeak multitool.

We'd all like the luxury of having a full workshop out on the road -- BB remover, cassette lockring, chainwhip, rollsroyce quality allen keys... a workstand! But it don't work like that, and good bike maintenance, knowledge and a basic tool kit of EITHER multitool variety or loose tools to fix minor problems is the best we can hope for.

You took a position, and that's fine. Being elitist about it and calling people by implication stupid, is not fine.

Rowan

You really are showing that you are elitist and don't know what you are talking about. And yes, we all know how well you fix bikes. You keep telling us.

rmfnla

Your inference is not necessarily my implication.

Name calling is the last resort of the impotent.

You can do better.

HillRider

Actually, I had to do this once. At a food stop on a local charity ride, one poor fellow was going around asking if anyone knew how to tighten a crank as his had loosened to the point where it was on the verge of coming off. Fortunately he had the crank bolt and my Park MT-1 was able to snug it down enough to get by the rest of the day. But, no, this isn't a routine problem.

masiman

I had to do this more than once. I had an old Campy Record Crank set that the drive side crank decided to start loosening on. Torque was not the issue as the bolt bed was starting to show wear from overtightening. My solution was a lightweight crankarm bolt wrench. Eventually I had to add a lockwasher to that crankarm. I don't carry it anymore but am glad many crankarms are allen wrenches, much easier to have a tool ready along for that.

mike

Very Cool indeed, cyccommute!

HillRider

Remember the Campy "Peanut Butter wrench" and it's Park copy?

froze

Your right, that wasn't the anywhere near the most obsurd thing I've heard; the most obsurd things I've heard are on the Politics and Religion forum!

I'm always surprised when I run into some roadie with an expensive bike that carries no tools or doesn't know how to fix a flat even though they may have the tools to fix a flat! The first thought I have when this happens is, why the heck are you even riding a bike! The answer I get when I ask why their not prepared is: "I don't want the excess weight"; or "I didn't think something like this would happen"! I expect this from some person that can't afford a decent bike...as odd as that sounds; but I've run into people that have a bike as their sole transportation and may be without jobs or kids and I've stopped to help them. But what surprises me is when I run into a doctor or lawyer (which have on several occasions) that ride $4,000 plus bikes because they can, and yet carry no tools, or don't know how to fix a flat! The only person I ran into that ever paid me back wasn't adequately prepare; he was a doctor that was riding in the mountains above Bakersfield Calif when he lost a tire and the tube, which he had neither and his cell phone wouldn't work to call his mommy...er wife; (I've run into riders sitting on the side of road decline help because their waiting for their mommies to come). So I gave him my spare used tire and tube, for which he was extremily grateful and took my name and address to his memory to pay me back...well of course I thought I would never see any payback not alone remember my name and address. BUT about 5 days later I received box with 2 brand new and very nice tires and tubes in the mail with a thank you card. Unfortunately this kind of grace is very rare in todays society.

I guess what I'm trying to say is make sure you carry tools and know how to repair at least most minor things, either a multi-tool or seperate tools, it doesn't matter just carry tools so your less likely to be stuck on the side of the road. And depending on how far you ride from your home you should carry a spare tire and tube along with patches and a tire boot patch. A multi tool, tire levers, an ultralight folding tire along with a tube can easily fit in a expandable seat wedge bag along with patches that take up no space.

The first time you have to walk home...assuming you don't use your cell phone to call your mommy, your going be extremily sorry for not carrying someway to fix your problem. Obviously your not going to be able to fix all problems like a broken BB or hub, but those kind of problems are extremily rare

watchman

Crank Bros. has some nice multi-tools. As of late I have found myself fixing other peoples' bikes on rides for some reason and have found this multi tool does provide adequate leverage and can be squeezed into ackward positions. Is it as good as individual tools ? No, but I find it more convenient especially while fixing a bike in the mist with darkness moving in. Last thing you need is to be looking in the dirt for a dropped allen wrench in the dark.