Multi-tool with a cable cutter?

DanDax1990

Is there any about?

I personally think it's a good idea...

cooldad

Why. Never needed to cut a cable on a trail and decent ones are chunky.

felix.london

Most Leatherman's have cable cutters on them.

Giraffoto

felix.london wrote:

Most Leatherman's have cable cutters on them.

+1 for Leatherman tools - that on your belt and your travelling tool kit needs to only be a puncture outfit, tyre levers, and a multi-hex folding tool

DanDax1990

Will they cut through gear inners okay?

Giraffoto

Easy peasy. Possibly even lemon squeezy

gattonero

To make a neat cut on a metallic -hard wire- rope, as bicycle brake and gear wires are, it needs a "Bypass" cutter, not an "Anvil" cutter.
There is a reason why workshop wire cutters are always Bypass type.

"Bypass" means that the two parts of the cutter overlap each other, as opposed to "Anvil" type where the two parts of the cutter end up meeting close.
Provided they both are STURDY, sharp and with no play; Bypass cutters make a neat cut because they essentially "cut", while Anvil cutters will squash the wire to cut it.

In a nutshell, even if sturdy and sharp, Anvil cutters will squash the brake/gear cable; blunt ones will also fray it.

So, back to multitools.
Unfortunately. most of them have Anvil cutters. The ones with replaceable Anvil cutters can do a half-decent job, but don't ask too much (i.e. re-fitting a wire trough the shifter or a ferrule, that would need luck).
I have tried the Leathermans Rebar, which happens to have the best combination: replaceable carbide Bypass cutter.
Guess what? I could make a neat, clean cut on standard 1.6mm brake wire without any problem, in a single quick shot.

Chunkers1980

Amazing stuff. Think you're reading into it all a bit much

gattonero

The very purpose of forums is to share information.
Given that I've a bit of experience with fixing bicycles, and I had the chance to use the Leatherman Rebar, why not giving my 2 cents?

The Rookie

At home I use cable shears, on the trail a light pair of sidecutters, as long as the cable ends up cut I don't care what it looks like!

paul.skibum

I go with the post about who needs to cut cables on the trail? I have bypass cable cutters in a tool box in my house. I use those. I dont ride with a spare cable so why would I need cutters?

allthegearnoidea

having had someone out in a group ride that snapped a gear inner whilst on the coast path, a decent pair of cutters can come in handy, unfortunately, 2 of us only had a letherman and a cheapy copy of, neither could actually Cut the cable for the above mentioned reasons,
the reason for cutting is on popping a new inner in, you don't want a 30cm tail of cable dangling around for the remainder of the ride home!
after the ride i picked up a tripple set of pliers from wilko's, put the side cutters in the pack for just incase, but then, i have a couple of spare cables in the bag along with a myriad of other small spares, most of them not for me, but incase they are needed by any other bikers out and about!!

hainman

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/c ... uality.htm
so these are cable cutters...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Protec ... l+clippers
these arent but they look identical but half the price.would the dog clippers work??

batmo

The "cable cutter" described ones do have a "finishing awl".

Usefully your bike is unlikely to struggle and try to bite you when you trim a cable.

allthegearnoidea

These are the ones I put in the bag,
http://www.wilko.com/hand-tools/wilko-p ... vt/0286614

I put the side cutters in the bag and the other 2 in the tool box,

gattonero

Batmo wrote:

The "cable cutter" described ones do have a "finishing awl".

Usefully your bike is unlikely to struggle and try to bite you when you trim a cable.

To me it looks perfect to damage a bike rucksack :roll:

hainman wrote:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/cable-cutter-pro-quality.htm
so these are cable cutters...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Protec ... l+clippers
these arent but they look identical but half the price.would the dog clippers work??

Uhm, the second option won't go trough bicycle gear or brake wires.
Remember: they're hard steel AND twisted to form a rope.

At home, I use Knipex rope cutters, arguably the best on the market
http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216 ... oupID=1438

gattonero

By the way, the OP is "Multi-tool with a cable cutter?", not "should I carry a multitool with calbe cutter to replace a wire?".

It is very tue that it all depends on the circumstances.
For example, an 80km road ride on moderate hilly terrain, certainly won't require to carry around spare cables, nor big pliers would be useful given the relatively "easy" ride.
But on a full day out, maybe that trip on the bike-park that was planned weeks before, especially on mountain bike or touring; well in such circumstances you don't want to abort the ride, or do 50km fully loaded with one gear only.
It would be wise to have a tool that can turn up to be useful in many ways, like yes cutting a brake or gear wire, at the price of 190-200gr which seems quite reasonable to me.

Little drift about "why cutting a brake/gear wire".
In my experience I can say that not all the bikes are the same. Placement of the cable runs and ends, may give nasty surprises. For example, I would not leave the excess of wire on the rear derailleur more than what is necessary. Last thing you want is that wire to clog into the spokes, right when you're sweating on that steep hill.
Same for brake wires, if there is the option to cut them, why not?

I've tried the Leatherman Wingman, and their pliers should be used only as emergency for bicycle cables. While the Rebar cuts perfectly even brake wire.

Chunkers1980

You're still thinking way too much.

gattonero

Chunkers1980 wrote:

You're still thinking way too much.

It happens that I do it for living

While you may offer a more significant contribution to this discussion, won't you?

Chunkers1980

Nope. I think you've covered it all. If I did need to replace a cable whilst out I'd just coil it and wait till I got back to my perfectly functioning anvil cutting in my tool box.

batmo

You should be careful to avoid counterfeit tools when choosing cutters. Many of the examples already shown brazenly admit to being forged...

gattonero

Chunkers1980 wrote:

...If I did need to replace a cable whilst out I'd just coil it and wait till I got back to my perfectly functioning anvil cutting in my tool box.

Suit youself

The Rookie

Mostly I'm using the side cutters on cable ties, so they are in my pack anyway, can also be useful on thorns...