Topeak Alien II

Alphabet
Alphabet Posts: 436
edited November 2010 in Commuting chat
Worth having?
Benotto SS/Fixie FCN:5
Kona Kula FCN:9

Looking for a cycling buddy?

Comments

  • Alphabet
    Alphabet Posts: 436
    hope so, impatient me has just bought it anyway.
    Benotto SS/Fixie FCN:5
    Kona Kula FCN:9

    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • snooks
    snooks Posts: 1,521
    I like mine.....the only other thing you might need is a small screw driver (flat and cross end)

    Apart from that, highly recommended :)
    FCN:5, 8 & 9
    If I'm not riding I'm shooting http://grahamsnook.com
    THE Game
    Watch out for HGVs
  • Alphabet
    Alphabet Posts: 436
    no screwdrivers? madness...
    Benotto SS/Fixie FCN:5
    Kona Kula FCN:9

    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • snooks
    snooks Posts: 1,521
    Alphabet wrote:
    no screwdrivers? madness...

    It has screw drivers, just not the itty bitty ones like watchmakers' screwdrivers, the ones I need to change the batteries on my Blackburn Mars 3.0
    FCN:5, 8 & 9
    If I'm not riding I'm shooting http://grahamsnook.com
    THE Game
    Watch out for HGVs
  • Alphabet
    Alphabet Posts: 436
    ah, ok. i can live with that.
    Benotto SS/Fixie FCN:5
    Kona Kula FCN:9

    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • Specialized Needs
    Specialized Needs Posts: 802
    I have found that it can be a little chunky when fishing for screws and nuts in confined areas - but no more so that any other such set. It is also quite heavy (again, no more so than others similar - it just has lots of tools), so I try to carry it on the bike rather than person.
  • HadronCyclist
    HadronCyclist Posts: 69
    Cumbersome in your jersey pocket, but vital on a long ride in the middle of the countryside with no support crew to pick you up.

    The handy case it comes with lets you store a couple of puncture repair patches with the tool itself, and the tools are mounted on plastic handles which double as tyre levers. It can be a bit fiddly operating it with frozen fingers, and the previous poster has a point about it being a bit chunky, but it can be split easily into two pieces which makes it far easier to get in those nooks and crannies.

    I've had one for years, and its pretty much done everything for me, from chain repairs to opening beers!
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    I've had mine for a couple of years and I think its really good.
    Yes, it is a bit chunky and heavy, but that is because it has loads of tools. There is storage in the case for some self-adhesive patches and in the tool itself for a couple of ferrules.

    The only cons I have about it are that the catch to clip the two halves together no longer engages so the tool could split into two, but as it lives in the case thats not a big issue. The other con is that the allan keys have some surface rust on them (the spanners and chain tool are made of a different metal and are fine). I suppose its my own fault as I was riding in the rain with it in my saddle bag and didn't put the rain cover on it. It got a little wet inside and at the end of my ride I didn't take everything out to dry out.

    Overall, a good bit of kit and if I were to lose mine, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!

Categories