Multi-tools.

rubertoe

What you carrying?

Me, I use a Topeak Hexus. It has everything that i will need. Torx 25. Chain tool, tyre levers all the allen keys and drivers that i need and its lighter than the Alien.

junglist_matty

topeak alien ii

http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Tools/ALiEN_II

Two events in the space of a week happened:

On one ride, a spoke snapped so I wanted a spoke tool to get the wheel true enough to get me home (it was way out as it was a 20spoke wheel)

On another ride a chain snapped so I wanted a chain tool to get home

Up until then I had a cheap multitool with the usual alankeys and screwdrivers, but nothing cycling specific..... Then the Alien ii had loads of useful things so I bought it; it's overkill, but when like me you're mostly riding solo upward of 6000 miles a year, you need to prepare for anything to happen and be able to bail yourself out of most situations to be able to get home.

daddy0

Great. Thats something else I need to buy now ;-)

spasypaddy

do not get any of these. get a pair of fix-it-sticks

best multitool ive ever carried.

menthel

Lump hammer, fits nicely into my cycling jersey pocket.

spasypaddy

http://www.fixitsticks.com/

junglist_matty

spasypaddy wrote:

http://www.fixitsticks.com/

Brilliant until your chain snaps, or a spoke pings or you buckle a wheel on a pothole.... Unless you can get someone to come out and give you and your bike a lift home if such events do occur.

Who needs to adjust their stem / bars / seat / brakes / gears on a ride? that's essentially what those types of tool are used for; all those things should be done pre-ride, not en-route!

spasypaddy

i couldnt fix a buckled wheel, snapped spoke and i carry a quick link for my chain

Ride hard

One made by Draper that's the size of an oil tanker. It's very sturdy though and contains all you'll need (bar a chain tool) and was cheap too.

daviesee

Lezyne SV 10
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-SV-10-Mu ... tAod8ysA6w
All you need, smaller, lighter & performs better than the competition.

meanredspider

daviesee wrote:

Lezyne SV 10
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-SV-10-Mu ... tAod8ysA6w
All you need, smaller, lighter & performs better than the competition.

That's what I have. Never needed it but it's lovely and light.

vermin

spasypaddy wrote:

i couldnt fix a buckled wheel, snapped spoke and i carry a quick link for my chain

But how do you get the broken link out, to make room for the quick-link?

As an aside, why is it that I need pliers to part quicklinks? I would need hydraulically operated fingers and thumbs to squeeze them and part them as in the instructions.

elbowloh

daviesee wrote:

Lezyne SV 10
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-SV-10-Mu ... tAod8ysA6w
All you need, smaller, lighter & performs better than the competition.

Almost identical to mine, but mine's branded as a Birzman.

anewman

Topeak Alien III (edit, III not II). But mainly because they were the bargain basement price of £20 at Evans before they went out of stock. Haven't a clue how to use the chain tool, and guessing the space for spare pins is useless for me as my bike is equipped with a KMC chain. Think I need one of their master link things. Would be uneasy using the metal tyre lever in the tool, so carry some plastic levers as well.

junglist_matty

anewman wrote:

Topeak Alien II. But mainly because they were the bargain basement price of £20 at Evans before they went out of stock. Haven't a clue how to use the chain tool, and guessing the space for spare pins is useless for me as my bike is equipped with a KMC chain. Think I need one of their master link things. Would be uneasy using the metal tyre lever in the tool, so carry some plastic levers as well.

The alien 2 has plastic tyre levers incorporated into the design; it's the black plastic bit where the tool separates:



Chain tool is super easy to use; on the go, you don't need the KMC quick link for a quick repair, you can break the chain with the tool, use the pin that the tool pushed out and push it back into a new link which is fine to get you home; just remember to replace it with a quick link after your ride.... It's as easy as this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ6HesHiGZM

rolf_f

vermin wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

i couldnt fix a buckled wheel, snapped spoke and i carry a quick link for my chain

But how do you get the broken link out, to make room for the quick-link?

The same way I did it - you make sure that the link breaks adjacent the quick link. That way, the broken link falls off allowing you to use the quick link to connect to the rest of the chain - simple! You just need to plan things!

The Fix it Sticks do look quite nice though but $30 for four tools looks weak against a decent multitool.

Another Hexus user here though I do carry separate tyre levers as well. Never convinced that the built in ones are quite up to the job.

anewman

junglist_matty wrote:

It's as easy as this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ6HesHiGZM

Cheers, very useful. On looking closer my tool is a Topeak Alien III. Not sure what the difference is other than it doesn't form the tyre levers on separation, and the one in the pull out bits is metal, though is very nicely finished compared to the other bits, and smooth.

mrfpb

I bought this http://ancillary.edinburghbicycle.com/i ... ex-set.jpg for my main toolset but now carry it on the bike. Its a lot neater to carry and easier to use than the folding hex tools (and considerably cheaper).

I also carry this http://ancillary.edinburghbicycle.com/i ... ir-kit.jpg and something like the half of the alien 2 with chain tool, screwdriver and 15 mm spanner. Mobile phone for anything else.

EKE_38BPM

Another vote for the Alien II.
Its been part of my mobile tool kit for almost 10 years and is still going strong. I've recommended it to loads of people over the years because it contains just about everything you might need for roadside repairs/adjustments and is nice and compact. The chaintool is so good that I sometimes use it at home instead of my dedicated chaintool.

The only thing that it doesn't have which I have needed at the roadside is a pair of pliers (sometimes you've just gotta bend things back into shape!) so I also carry a small pair of folding pliers.

I use it near enough every day at work and, bar a little surface rust on the hex tools (my own fault for leaving them too long in a damp saddle bag after getting caught in rain), everything is in perfect nick. It seems a very well thought out tool. Little things like the bolts to tighten the tools together are different sizes and part A uses a hex tool from part B and vice versa, so you can use the tool to maintain itself (not that it has ever needed it).

In short, the Alien II get the EKE seal of approval!

jds_1981

I don't rate the alien 2. Indeed I've gone back to having the http://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-hexus-ii ... ulti-tool/ in my main bike bag.
alien 2 - heavy & large. The smallest allen key is stupidly shaped so the only time I've needed it I've been unable to use. The separate metal spanner is useless for an reasonably tight bolt.

The hexus 2 then has pretty much the same number of working tools as the alien + better tyre levers + is lighter & easier to fit into a repair bag & just feels better in the hand.

veronese68

Another vote for the HexusII as mentioned by jds above. I've not had to do any emergency repairs on my own bike with it but have been able to get others going with it. Chain tool works well, I like the hook to hold a chain together, plenty of leverage when using it if necessary.
Regarding splitting stiff split links above try cleaning around the link and flexing the chain to and fro perpendicular to the way it's meant to flex, then have a go. If that doesn't work I read something about fitting the chain on the big ring with opposite sides of the split link pushed one tooth too close so the split link sits up as part of a triangle. A careful clout with a rock will then dislodge a stiff quick link. Not ideal but will get you out of trouble if necessary. Does that make sense?

PBo

Alien II FTW, absolutely endorse every other comment about it.

Also, those of you he keep saying x is lighter than y....

....seriously, get a grip!!! You are not trying to maximise every watt to get up Ventoux in a record time!!

On a normal commute, with all the other guff ins people need to take to work, it's negligible.

Even if you take it out in your jersey pocket on a club run, we are still talking about, what, 10s of grammes. Your own weight will vary more dependant on how hydrated you are, or if you've had your morning sh1t.

daviesee

PBo wrote:

Alien II FTW, absolutely endorse every other comment about it.

Also, those of you he keep saying x is lighter than y....

....seriously, get a grip!!! You are not trying to maximise every watt to get up Ventoux in a record time!!

On a normal commute, with all the other guff ins people need to take to work, it's negligible.

Even if you take it out in your jersey pocket on a club run, we are still talking about, what, 10s of grammes. Your own weight will vary more dependant on how hydrated you are, or if you've had your morning sh1t.

Heavy tools stretch my jersey. Good enough reason?

rolf_f

Did a quick check of the first ones of each that came up in Google searching and the Hexus weighs in 3g lighter than the Alien. Leyzne rather heavier

Of course, you have to compare like for like but I suspect that really, weight is mostly just down to the number of tools in the multitool. So worry less about the brand of multitool and think more about whether you have used everything on your multitool. If not, it's too heavy!

jds_1981

Rolf F wrote:

Did a quick check of the first ones of each that came up in Google searching and the Hexus weighs in 3g lighter than the Alien. Leyzne rather heavier

Of course, you have to compare like for like but I suspect that really, weight is mostly just down to the number of tools in the multitool. So worry less about the brand of multitool and think more about whether you have used everything on your multitool. If not, it's too heavy!

Which was generally my reasoning. I suspect my opinion on weight may have been influenced by how clunky the alien 2 seems and how badly it fits in ones hands.

meanredspider

Rolf F wrote:

Leyzne rather heavier

I actually find that quite hard to believe (not that I really care - I'm sure the weight of my socks is more critical) - it (mine) weighs nothing and is absolutely tiny. If it weren't at the bottom of my tool bottle, I'd weigh it.

daviesee

Rolf F wrote:

Did a quick check of the first ones of each that came up in Google searching and the Hexus weighs in 3g lighter than the Alien. Leyzne rather heavier

Of course, you have to compare like for like but I suspect that really, weight is mostly just down to the number of tools in the multitool. So worry less about the brand of multitool and think more about whether you have used everything on your multitool. If not, it's too heavy!

According to the manufacturer's websites -
SV-10 - 101g
Alien II - 290g
Hexus II - 167g

For accuracy.

jonnyboy77

Topeak Alien II for me, its bulky/heavy but I've never felt like I needed to look for anything better, it does what it needs to well.

- Jon

cyclingprop

Lezyne V10. All I need on it.

vermin

Topeak Mini 20 Pro. Called into action twice this morning. Plastic-free zone. Feels like it will last for ever.

elbowloh

I did have an Alien III, but i stupidly left the zip on my saddle bag slightly open and it fell out...i think somewhere along Everholt Street.