I was riding my bike in the Rockies when I got a flat, then when I pulled over to fix it I was attacked by a grizzly bear! luckily my multi-tool has a chain splitter, screwdrivers and a 44. Magnum... so I used the chain splitter to fight off the bear. True story.
I was a farm-manager in Ukraine in 2001. I always had my Victorinox multitool in my belt, once I fixed a major breakdown on a implement with it. The workers there was in chock, what that little thing could do compared to their big old tools. Now I always ride with my Crankbrothers Y16, even if it is a bit heavy, it got very sturdy tools.
A couple of years ago I got a catastrophic puncture on a steep desent 60km into a 150km ride, having forgotten my spare tube, I had to do a makeshift repair using an energy bar rapper. Wasn't a perfect seal but it got me home.
As an electrician that does strictly remodels this is an absolute essential tool. ruclips.net/user/postUgkx0vyBwjtx9GGOuiqUVT2sRoYqmDoNT_RI Being able to precision cut any material with a light weight tool is priceless.I upgraded to this Dewalt 20v from a competitor's 12v. The Dewalt 20v is just as light as the competitor's 12v. I am extremely pleased with the overall performance and battery life of this tool. As far as oscillators go, they just aren't very ergonomic tools. The dewalt oscillators have an offset handle that do make them somewhat more ergonomic than the competitors' oscillators.
Chain link broke on one side but the chain didn't snap. Continued to ride, chain got stuck and pulled the dérailleur over the cassette. Stopped immediately, but luckily I didn't fell. Destroyed the fork end (which was part of the frame) and did a 30 km walk home... Lesson I learned: bring a chain tool.
A multi-tool is a staple item every cyclist should bring on a ride. Most any problem can be easily fixed out on the road, if you have the right tool with you. But what is the right tool?
+Global Cycling Network Hi there GCN, Love the show. Ive seen Si recently use the SRAM Red 22 and Matt use the Dura Ace, can I ask what are the key features that make you prefer one or the other? I am looking to convert from Shimano to Sram
+Global Cycling Network topeak ratchet rocket lite dx + topeak super chain tool (without its own allen key) I think the ratchet tool is a lot more practical than the foldable ones.
+Global Cycling Network My favorite tool is Matt Stephens but that aside I use a Crank Brothers 19 piece multitool. We had a mate who broke his chain just as he reached the top of our local climb (Mount coot-tha in Brisbane). After the descent, we pushed him up the slight climbs to the coffee shop where he booked a taxi.
Certainly got me out of the 'dreaded call of shame' before when my mini-pump failed - seems a no-brainer to stick it in the saddle bag. Just need to be very careful when inflating!
I can only confirm about the chain breaker. It proved to be very useful to me at least in one case when I broke my chain and was on a trip for several days. Then, another time, I broke my rear dérailleur and I managed to shorten my chain with it and have a quick temporary fix for the next 40km. I have the Alien II Multi-Tool which I use all the time.
until your battery dies :-( . ouch :-( . ("ouch :-( " referring to the cellphone-battery dying and therefore you not having any way of contacting anybody. not "ouch :-( " to the comment i gave you; the comment i gave you wasn't a "burn" or anything).
To save space I carry loose Allen keys taped together. I also carry the following 8mm spanner for my mudguards, chain tool, two inner tubes and a couple of patches and glue. I find multi tools clumsy.
Riding my Marin Rift Zone mtb over a ditch, the frame snapped on the down tube near the bottom bracket. Had a pair of pliers with a cable/bolt cutting edge. Used the rear gear cable and strapped the frame together winding cable between bottomside bottle cage bolt heads and suspension pivot. Rode 5 miles back to the car, just had a bit more pedal strike than I was used to!
Adjustable wrench Allen key set Wire cutters Puncture repair kit 12V air compressor That's all I need to fix just about any mechanical problem I have had The most catastrophic mechanical failure I have had was a blown tire and badly dented front wheel (hit a pothole at 70kph) Bashed the wheel back into shape with a brick I found on the side of the road and rode it home on the rim (nothing to lose and I didn't want to ruin my tire) About an hour of ass numbing riding at 15kph and I was at a train station and took the train the other 40km back home, only to have my limp home cut short on the ride from the train station to my house when the rim broke in half and speared my leg, ended up bandaging myself (one reason why I always carry a first aid kit on my bike) and calling a mate to come and pick me up Though since that day I have replaced that wheel with a second motorised wheel (which uses one of those extremely strong steel rims) and I am more careful about potholes now
On day one of an Easter long weekend ride last year, I was descending a long gravel road on my "vintage" 80's Motobecane. The tensioning spring in my rear deraileur broke and the chain wouldn't stay on the gears. Luckily I had a multi-tool with a chain tool and shortened the chain down to make the bike a single speed to make it to a small town with a bike shop where I bought a whole new rear mech!
The closest I've gotten to an emergency was helping someone else who had their handlebars fall off! I am glad I had a Brompton Tool Kit in my frame that day! :)
I had my handlebars come loose (wobbled about, but could still control steering) while whizzing down a busy city street. Persevered as far as my university, and used their tools chained to a post in the car park to tighten it up.
last climb of a training loop and the rear derailleur hanger stapped, launching it up and through the back of my carbon frame cutting straight through. on the plus it was a good excuse for a nice new frame.
Nice little review. My most un-memorable ride was out in the Peak district around the reservoirs. Nothing adventurous but it was winter and cold and I got a puncture. My little pinkies got cold and it was difficult to get the tyre off. Everything must have shrunk in the cold. Then, the glueless pacthes would not work in the cold :( .... took for ever to get things right. I now carry the glueless patches in an inside pocket in winter to keep them a bit warmer.
I completely agree with always having a chain tool. I was on a race called a Winter X Trifecta (snowboard, mountain bike, trail run) and about a half a mile into the bike portion my derailleur hanger bracket snapped. So i used some zip ties to secure the derailleur to the frame and broke my so that I only had one gear. It was a run rest of a race, but I completed it.
I was riding in East Tennessee and caught a stick in my rear derailleur. It ripped it right off of the hangar and destroyed the pulley cage. So, I broke the chain and measured it out to a middle gear with a bit of tension on it and road out over two ridge lines single speed. Bonus, that was second derailleur I had done that to in a month. Sometimes the mountain bike gods don't have your back.
broken chain on my MTB very near the start of the ride . I had a chain bteaker on the multi tool. I had never used one before this day, I thought I was going to have to walk out. But with some help from my mate , fixed the chain and carried on .
Good evening team👍 Just a few questions in relation to Bike Multitoolkit as I was unable to find any answers on the internet: 1) Where and when do we use/need the 9mm and 10mm hex key ? 2) Function of T25 and T30 Torx key? 3) Function of 2mm Allen key?
+TheTonicro It just means you were lucky so far... :) Since I snapped the first one (after many years) and I had to walk the bike home from the forest I always carry a multitool with chain tool on it and two KMC chain links. Last it saved a group ride when my mate had a snapped chain.
+TheTonicro yeah i agree, you have been very lucky!! theres no worse feeling than snapping a chain, i really really recommend getting a tiny chain tool or some quick links at least!! :) although i hope your luck continues!! (i've broken 3 in the last 2 years :L (and i keep my bikes super clean and well lubed etc) )
+TheTonicro I was just on a Mountain bike ride Saturday where a friend managed to BEND his chain to the point it was not usable. We managed to remove the bent link and continue the ride as normal. Chain tool is essential.
my chain really did break 2 pedal strokes before the top of the looonngg decent which takes me a mile away from home, I've never been more pleased to break a chain!- and do you realise just how quiet your bike is without a chain!!! (i.e the freewheel isn't ticking over! :P ) everyone should go to the top, nd then take off your chain just to see what its like!! :)
Chain tool is essential! I rode the American Birkebeiner on my fat bike last march. about 3k in (of 47) I broke my chain on an ascent. I pulled off and tried to fix it trailside and ended up breaking the pin off my chain tool. Walking to the first aid station, through the wilderness, in snow, when it's just above freezing only to be picked up by the sweeper vehicle is not fun, not to mention the shame I felt while getting passed by almost 500 riders. Good tools are great but you also need experience using them in the worst conditions you foresee yourself riding in or you might as well not have them at all.
I tend to agree with Si about the chain tool. Haven't needed it very often but sod's law says you will need it 80km into a 160km ride. And that goes double for mountain biking where no easy rescue is possible and there's probably no phone signal anyway. I have had to fix my own snapped chain 3 times over the years, and friends' who didn't bring a chain tool more often than that.
I always ride with a rucksack so I always have two multi tools, an adjustable wrench, a few spanners, ratchet wrench, tyre levers and even cone spanners 😅
A multi tool is extremely important to always have, but I think a trail map is probably the "tool" I use most often than anything else. Trail maps have saved me more times than I can count.
I had my chain snap at the top of Les Deux Alpes on a solo ride. Never even thought of carrying a chain tool before then. After being mended by three nice French cyclists and making it to the top, I promptly visited the bike shop in Bourg D'oissans and bought one. I won't make that mistake again!
On my commute one morning, I came upon a fellow cyclist stranded along the path. Her rear derailleur was toast, part of her chain was mangles, and she couldn't get where she needed to go - several miles on. I used the chain tool on my multitool to shorten the chain taking out the bad links and bypassing the derailleur to make it effectively a single speed to get her to work and the bike shop next door. For the next few years after that I often saw her along the trail and we always exchanged a warm hello as we passed.
I carry a Toepeak ratchet rocket, which was £19 in Halfords, lightweight with its own pouch and much easier to use than a multi tool, just replace the heads in the ratchet, brilliant tool!
When descending from my climb on my MTB, the rear mech got tangled up in the spokes and got ripped off and broke the chain. Of course i didn't carry ANYTHING with me. Waited 30 mins for a cyclist to pass me to borrow a tool, but no one came. So i put in the chain and mech in my pockets and descended the rest of the climb and had to walk back about 12km back home. A 2hr ride grow uo to a massive 4 hrs "epic" ride
I use a Topeak Mini 6. It doesn't have many tools but it is utterly tiny and light. I never leave home without it and I have never used it. I broke a chain once years ago. Given the rarity of such an event, I won't mind ringing for a taxi the next time it happens. In many ways a smartphone is a more essential safety tool for unsupported rides.
My gear cable broke just in the evening ride of the day that i ordered the new gear cables. so the front gear was fixed in the lowest position so pedalling was a hell towards home but i put them with the multi tool fixed on the middle gear and that was do able to ride home.
I got hypoglycemc during a 100km ride with my mates. Got home thanks to my glucose meter stuffed in my saddle bag and pastries bought with the 20 eiro note I had in the bag in which i keep the multitool. Multitool, glucose monitor and saddlebag, never leave home without them :-)
Over the summer I snapped my chain halfway up an alpine climb in France with the destination at the top during a lightening storm with the heaviest rain I have ever seen
Gotta have a spoke wrench too. I busted a spoke near the top of an epic 2000m climb. Would have had to walk home without one. I always carry: Allen keys, spoke wrench, pump, chain tool, quick link, tube, and patches.
great idea. i think i should also carry the latex-gloves inside a zip-lock bag (so that, when they're dirty, i put them back IN the zip-lock bag, instead of directly [ON the fabric of the] INSIDE of the saddle-bag (and therefore getting the saddlebag (or the inside of it, i should say) dirty)).
one of the local-bicycle-shops in my area sells that multitool. the only bad thing about it (that i can see so far) is that it doesn't have a Philips-head screwdriver on it.
Quicklink in a saddle bag is a great idea. Although a chain snap has never happened to me and I already have the topeak multitool that has a chain tool on it so I don't think that I'm going to do it.
I was on a my way home on my own from a 3 hour club ride and I went over some pot holes and my front derailleur came off, all I had on me was an inner tube and a multi tool set 😧. Incredibly, I found a bolt on a wall of local, and I bodged it on. It was a bit long but my derailleur was on. I got home and sorted it out properly 😂😂😂
Si should know that the SRAM RED rear mech H and L limit bolts can be adjusted with a 2.5mm allen key, this avoids the usual 'slipping' of the screw driver and preserves the bolt head
Once my Di2 battery died after shifting into the small ring on a fast group ride. Fast thinking on my part I plugged my front derailleur into a friends bike and used his shifter to shift my bike back into the big ring and continue to hang with the group. Sometimes the best multi-tool can be that gray matter between your ears.
Snapped a chain once while heading home, didn't have a multitool with a chain tool. Had a multitool with a chain tool, used it to help a stranded biker on the road.
I broke my frame on a week long tour (not with a road bike but with a normal bike) in France. I had to walk all the way to Germany (around 8 km) to the next train station, since there wasn't one in this little French village. I never go on a ride without a welding tool since then.
Multitool fix: up on Exmoor 20 miles from home, 2 spokes randomly came loose. Wheel was unusably wonky as a result. Luckily (and it was luck not design) my multitool had the correct spoke key on it. Now I always make sure my multitool will tighten the spokes I am using...
A good friend of mine managed to actually brake his seatpost into two separate pieces by screwing up the saddle adjustment (essentially by putting it to far back) while on his commute. No multitool could cover this one, so he had to ride home with his saddle and the remains of the seatpost in his jersey pocket home. 16km on a fixed gear.
several of those (the Specialized bottle-cage with the built-in multitool [attached to it] ) are sold by the bicycle-shop in my area that sells "Specialized"-brand bicycles. unfortunately, that multitool carries too few tools in my opinion (it carries SOME essentials, but-mostly just Allen-keys/Hex-keys/L-shaped--keys). it still needs a few more tools [so that just that 1 multitool alone services ALL the things on my bike].
I was mountain biking with my friend when he broke one of is rear shock bushes. The frame was unusable it was almost in two pieces. So we removed the broken bushing and put the 5mm allen key of the multi tool in the hole to keep the two parts of the frame togheter. Ahah it worked for 11km!!!
fortunately i have only punctures :D but on mtb marathons, i used my chaintool to help other riders. with snap chain. ussually chains were new, and many riders didin´t take multitool on competitions
Broke my chain on my MT while climbing local mountain... luckily it was all downhill home, but on the downside it broke about 200m to the top! From this on there is always multitool in my saddle bag on MTB, but on roadbike It's just to heavy :)
Riding to Abergavenny to watch the national trophy race. 50 miles in, rain, deserted lanes, sun coming up. Jockey wheel falls off. scrabbled around in the potholes and found the bolt. Multitooled it back on and made to see the elite race.
The stickiest thing that i managed to pull trough was on my mtb trials bike .I snaped the chain while doing this pedal gap . I managed to find a steel wire and put the chain "togather" and managed to get home by doing just half cranks
What do you do if you break a spoke on wheel like the mavic ksyrium. With only 20 straight pulled spoke you can't adjust the other spoke to get you home. Mavic say thats a no no. Can you help?
I have been cycling seriously since 1985 (14 years old back then) and I can honestly say that I NEVER had use for a multitool during all my years of cycling. A well maintained and looked after bicycle keeps on going like the Duracell bunny. Am I the only person who has been this fortunate, or does proper bike maintenance pay off in the long run.
i was out on a social ride with my club and ripped off my rear mech 10 miles from the finnish point and went single speed all the way back. fair to say it was good strength training. i also once forgot to take my chain tool with me and snapped my chain. that wasnt a nice 6 mile walk home
I think the worst mechanical happened to me was when I commuted to my school with my old Hardtail I snapped my chain and I was totally lost out there although I was in the middle of the city but I didn't wanted anybody to help me and fixed the chain - which was totally destroyed, I mean the outer links were totally bent to the outside with - an old bottle that I found in some bush around the street then I knocked the outer links together on the inner links of the other chain end and that finally fixed my chain.
I also ripped my rear derailleur clean off. As best as I can figure, something (a rock maybe?) chipped a jockey wheel, which caught the chain while I was climbing a hill, and it ripped it off. Unfortunately, it got caught in the spokes and took three of them basically off of the wheel. Even without the spokes, I don't know that I could have limped the 60 miles home single speed, since it was just so hilly. So I don't think any multitool was going to save me, but a friend with a car (who was willing to drive an hour and a half each way) did save me.
never really had to use my multi toool for anything major, bar the occasional chain snap. however my cleats did work loose once and i couldnt remove my foot from the pedal quickly enough at traffic lights.. i ended up grabbing my laces and ripping them upwarwds with enough force to break some of the eyelets and pull my foot out of the shoe. Every single stop on that ride i had to take my foot out of my shoe. i ruined a perfectly good pair of spiderman socks that day
Chain dropped off front derailleur and jammed in the bottom bracket. The only way to get the chain out was to release the master link, unluckily the ML was right where the chain had jammed, luckily I had a small pair of pliers I had converted to release master links and the chain just popped off.
I've been riding for over 30 years and only had a chain issue twice. The last time was 15 years ago. Maybe I'm due. Then again, I hate the feel of big heavy multi tools. So I carry a topeak mini 6,that gets used all the time, and have a small chain tool that hides in the back of my seat pack.
If you do have to walk home take your cleats off your shoes.. But remember to mark there position first.. I had to do it once when my chain broke a hours walk from home Where my chain tool was waiting for me on the kitchen side :)
Mine saved my ass this evening forty miles from home when my cleat screws decided to work themselves loose to the extent I could no longer unclip. Considering I live in the middle of a city and the amount of traffic lights on my route home, being able to tighten them saved a lot of unnecessary track stands.
Never had a chain brake in mtb... had one come off half way through a double S bend... ended up in the ditch, fortunately I'm rather skilled at riding with bent bars XD
about 11 years ago, 6 blocks from my house my bike chain slipped off and jammed so tight into my gears that i couldnt just pull it out. this was the first time i had ever used a chain tool but it was pretty self intuitive, so it only took a few mistakes to figure it out. i unhooked the chain, pulled it out and put it back together and i was on my way for my ride. considering your subject in your video it was quite odd, but yes, it was a topeak chain tool. and i had just recently bought it. now i carry the original alien multitool everywhere i go. it came with a pouch with a green alien spreading its fingers.... like a multitool, get it?!
the cross-head (phillips) tool on my multis never fits the limit screws properly. I laughed when the image you showed when mentioning it ended up being a flat blade screwdriver. I'm starting to prefer a flat blade tool for limit adjustment to avoid said slipping.
That's cause the limit screws are JIS standard, slightly different that the usual Philips head. You'll find even your home screwdriver doesn't quite fit good. Hozan and Vessel sell JIS screwdrivers.
It's worth mentioning that many compact chain tools actually require a separate allen key to work. Unless you have two multi-tools, it may be of little use - check this before you buy!
I really like that Topeak one with the detachable Tyre Leavers and the chain tool, it's unfortunate that the chain tool needs and extra allen key as the plastic one provided in terrible. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who enjoyed this moden though as it got stolen off my bike =(
I found out the bad way that even some good multitool are not robust enough, so, now I carry some normal tools in their smaller version, it's a bit more heavy but never let you down. Also, a knife comes handy
My chain was jumping around, got stuck and I fell hard. HArd. I didn’t know what to do. So I used my phone to search on google and physically used the phone to fix the screws and as it was after midnight, I was 50kms away from my home. I put bandages in between the cover and the phone itself, yes, I am weird. It doubled as torch. Multi-iPhone 5.
I was riding my bike in the Rockies when I got a flat, then when I pulled over to fix it I was attacked by a grizzly bear! luckily my multi-tool has a chain splitter, screwdrivers and a 44. Magnum... so I used the chain splitter to fight off the bear. True story.
+Reginald Scot Never knew you could use a 44. Magnum to fix a flat tire
I almost doubted it but then you said true story so I believe you
Reginald Scot omg so fakeb
Reginald Scot so FAKE
Reginald Scot he could kill you by attacking you
I was 3 hours into an EPIC ride and suddenly realised I had forgotten my bike. Was a very long walk of shame.
+Stuart Carson I laughed at that.
True story.
+Stuart Carson 3 hours before you realize your EPIC ride was actually an EPIC run!
+Stuart Carson RIP cleats and shoes :D
+Laszlo Jaeger Hahaha true
I was a farm-manager in Ukraine in 2001. I always had my Victorinox multitool in my belt, once I fixed a major breakdown on a implement with it. The workers there was in chock, what that little thing could do compared to their big old tools.
Now I always ride with my Crankbrothers Y16, even if it is a bit heavy, it got very sturdy tools.
I'm literally here because I blew my chain last night mountain biking, 3 miles into the woods. My hike-a-bike technique is now second to none.
A couple of years ago I got a catastrophic puncture on a steep desent 60km into a 150km ride, having forgotten my spare tube, I had to do a makeshift repair using an energy bar rapper. Wasn't a perfect seal but it got me home.
As an electrician that does strictly remodels this is an absolute essential tool. ruclips.net/user/postUgkx0vyBwjtx9GGOuiqUVT2sRoYqmDoNT_RI Being able to precision cut any material with a light weight tool is priceless.I upgraded to this Dewalt 20v from a competitor's 12v. The Dewalt 20v is just as light as the competitor's 12v. I am extremely pleased with the overall performance and battery life of this tool. As far as oscillators go, they just aren't very ergonomic tools. The dewalt oscillators have an offset handle that do make them somewhat more ergonomic than the competitors' oscillators.
Chain link broke on one side but the chain didn't snap. Continued to ride, chain got stuck and pulled the dérailleur over the cassette. Stopped immediately, but luckily I didn't fell. Destroyed the fork end (which was part of the frame) and did a 30 km walk home... Lesson I learned: bring a chain tool.
A multi-tool is a staple item every cyclist should bring on a ride. Most any problem can be easily fixed out on the road, if you have the right tool with you. But what is the right tool?
+Global Cycling Network Hi there GCN, Love the show.
Ive seen Si recently use the SRAM Red 22 and Matt use the Dura Ace, can I ask what are the key features that make you prefer one or the other? I am looking to convert from Shimano to Sram
+Global Cycling Network it is so hard to concentrate on what simon has to say with those beautiful 808s in the background
+Global Cycling Network topeak ratchet rocket lite dx + topeak super chain tool (without its own allen key) I think the ratchet tool is a lot more practical than the foldable ones.
+Global Cycling Network My favorite tool is Matt Stephens but that aside I use a Crank Brothers 19 piece multitool. We had a mate who broke his chain just as he reached the top of our local climb (Mount coot-tha in Brisbane). After the descent, we pushed him up the slight climbs to the coffee shop where he booked a taxi.
+Ashman Racing Touché
how much do I love GCN? ...let me ride ALL the ways ;)
you guys are the best channel on youtube for this! cheers!
I also carry a sheader presta converter. Its tiny and in the worse case you run out of Co2 cartridges its been a life saver at a petrol station.
+stuart toomey good idea Stuart.
Certainly got me out of the 'dreaded call of shame' before when my mini-pump failed - seems a no-brainer to stick it in the saddle bag. Just need to be very careful when inflating!
+stuart toomey I keep my converter on a safety pin so I can attach it to my keys!
Really like my Topeak Mini 9. Small and light and has everything needed but a chain tool. I prefer the Park CT-5 for a chaintool.
I can only confirm about the chain breaker. It proved to be very useful to me at least in one case when I broke my chain and was on a trip for several days. Then, another time, I broke my rear dérailleur and I managed to shorten my chain with it and have a quick temporary fix for the next 40km. I have the Alien II Multi-Tool which I use all the time.
Looks like Si has been on the Beer Gel, so much power increase he tore off a rear Derailleur with nothing but the power of his legs.
comment of the week right here
+Patrick Bisogno thank you :)
Definitely comment of the week
+Patrick Bisogno yeah how did that happen?
My favorite multitool is my cell phone with a few good friends on speed dial.
until your battery dies :-( . ouch :-( . ("ouch :-( " referring to the cellphone-battery dying and therefore you not having any way of contacting anybody. not "ouch :-( " to the comment i gave you; the comment i gave you wasn't a "burn" or anything).
To save space I carry loose Allen keys taped together. I also carry the following 8mm spanner for my mudguards, chain tool, two inner tubes and a couple of patches and glue.
I find multi tools clumsy.
Riding my Marin Rift Zone mtb over a ditch, the frame snapped on the down tube near the bottom bracket. Had a pair of pliers with a cable/bolt cutting edge. Used the rear gear cable and strapped the frame together winding cable between bottomside bottle cage bolt heads and suspension pivot. Rode 5 miles back to the car, just had a bit more pedal strike than I was used to!
Adjustable wrench
Allen key set
Wire cutters
Puncture repair kit
12V air compressor
That's all I need to fix just about any mechanical problem I have had
The most catastrophic mechanical failure I have had was a blown tire and badly dented front wheel (hit a pothole at 70kph)
Bashed the wheel back into shape with a brick I found on the side of the road and rode it home on the rim (nothing to lose and I didn't want to ruin my tire)
About an hour of ass numbing riding at 15kph and I was at a train station and took the train the other 40km back home, only to have my limp home cut short on the ride from the train station to my house when the rim broke in half and speared my leg, ended up bandaging myself (one reason why I always carry a first aid kit on my bike) and calling a mate to come and pick me up
Though since that day I have replaced that wheel with a second motorised wheel (which uses one of those extremely strong steel rims) and I am more careful about potholes now
I had to watch it twice, to get what simon said because the canyon aeroad in the background was to sexy
Exactly never mind the multi tools get the bikes on show it very distracted too
"too" 😆
On day one of an Easter long weekend ride last year, I was descending a long gravel road on my "vintage" 80's Motobecane. The tensioning spring in my rear deraileur broke and the chain wouldn't stay on the gears. Luckily I had a multi-tool with a chain tool and shortened the chain down to make the bike a single speed to make it to a small town with a bike shop where I bought a whole new rear mech!
The closest I've gotten to an emergency was helping someone else who had their handlebars fall off! I am glad I had a Brompton Tool Kit in my frame that day! :)
I had my handlebars come loose (wobbled about, but could still control steering) while whizzing down a busy city street. Persevered as far as my university, and used their tools chained to a post in the car park to tighten it up.
last climb of a training loop and the rear derailleur hanger stapped, launching it up and through the back of my carbon frame cutting straight through. on the plus it was a good excuse for a nice new frame.
Nice little review. My most un-memorable ride was out in the Peak district around the reservoirs. Nothing adventurous but it was winter and cold and I got a puncture. My little pinkies got cold and it was difficult to get the tyre off. Everything must have shrunk in the cold. Then, the glueless pacthes would not work in the cold :( .... took for ever to get things right. I now carry the glueless patches in an inside pocket in winter to keep them a bit warmer.
I completely agree with always having a chain tool. I was on a race called a Winter X Trifecta (snowboard, mountain bike, trail run) and about a half a mile into the bike portion my derailleur hanger bracket snapped. So i used some zip ties to secure the derailleur to the frame and broke my so that I only had one gear. It was a run rest of a race, but I completed it.
I was riding in East Tennessee and caught a stick in my rear derailleur. It ripped it right off of the hangar and destroyed the pulley cage. So, I broke the chain and measured it out to a middle gear with a bit of tension on it and road out over two ridge lines single speed. Bonus, that was second derailleur I had done that to in a month. Sometimes the mountain bike gods don't have your back.
broken chain on my MTB very near the start of the ride . I had a chain bteaker on the multi tool. I had never used one before this day, I thought I was going to have to walk out. But with some help from my mate , fixed the chain and carried on .
Good evening team👍 Just a few questions in relation to Bike Multitoolkit as I was unable to find any answers on the internet:
1) Where and when do we use/need the 9mm and 10mm hex key ?
2) Function of T25 and T30 Torx key?
3) Function of 2mm Allen key?
honestly in 8 years that i've been doing mountain biking and road biking never snapped a chain, broke everything else instead :)
+TheTonicro It just means you were lucky so far... :) Since I snapped the first one (after many years) and I had to walk the bike home from the forest I always carry a multitool with chain tool on it and two KMC chain links. Last it saved a group ride when my mate had a snapped chain.
+TheTonicro yeah i agree, you have been very lucky!! theres no worse feeling than snapping a chain, i really really recommend getting a tiny chain tool or some quick links at least!! :) although i hope your luck continues!! (i've broken 3 in the last 2 years :L (and i keep my bikes super clean and well lubed etc) )
+TheTonicro I was just on a Mountain bike ride Saturday where a friend managed to BEND his chain to the point it was not usable. We managed to remove the bent link and continue the ride as normal. Chain tool is essential.
+Michael Fiola just have to be gentle when changing gears, some mechanical sympathy goes a long way
lucky you, I did 2 in a week once, both times it was the (SRAM, I think) quick joining link.
Ive had an icetoolz small multitool with only allens for about 2-3 years and its a great tool- chromoly steel- light and durable
It's hard to concentrate on the tools when there's a sexy Canyon Aeroad in the back.
my chain really did break 2 pedal strokes before the top of the looonngg decent which takes me a mile away from home, I've never been more pleased to break a chain!- and do you realise just how quiet your bike is without a chain!!! (i.e the freewheel isn't ticking over! :P ) everyone should go to the top, nd then take off your chain just to see what its like!! :)
Chain tool is essential! I rode the American Birkebeiner on my fat bike last march. about 3k in (of 47) I broke my chain on an ascent. I pulled off and tried to fix it trailside and ended up breaking the pin off my chain tool. Walking to the first aid station, through the wilderness, in snow, when it's just above freezing only to be picked up by the sweeper vehicle is not fun, not to mention the shame I felt while getting passed by almost 500 riders. Good tools are great but you also need experience using them in the worst conditions you foresee yourself riding in or you might as well not have them at all.
I tend to agree with Si about the chain tool. Haven't needed it very often but sod's law says you will need it 80km into a 160km ride. And that goes double for mountain biking where no easy rescue is possible and there's probably no phone signal anyway.
I have had to fix my own snapped chain 3 times over the years, and friends' who didn't bring a chain tool more often than that.
2:04 "mechs" means derraileurs (maybe the rear ones? I couldn't google it very well)
when si said "click on your favorite tool" I clicked on him.
I always ride with a rucksack so I always have two multi tools, an adjustable wrench, a few spanners, ratchet wrench, tyre levers and even cone spanners 😅
A multi tool is extremely important to always have, but I think a trail map is probably the "tool" I use most often than anything else. Trail maps have saved me more times than I can count.
I had my chain snap at the top of Les Deux Alpes on a solo ride. Never even thought of carrying a chain tool before then. After being mended by three nice French cyclists and making it to the top, I promptly visited the bike shop in Bourg D'oissans and bought one. I won't make that mistake again!
On my commute one morning, I came upon a fellow cyclist stranded along the path. Her rear derailleur was toast, part of her chain was mangles, and she couldn't get where she needed to go - several miles on. I used the chain tool on my multitool to shorten the chain taking out the bad links and bypassing the derailleur to make it effectively a single speed to get her to work and the bike shop next door. For the next few years after that I often saw her along the trail and we always exchanged a warm hello as we passed.
do you still see her [riding] along the trail?
I carry a Toepeak ratchet rocket, which was £19 in Halfords, lightweight with its own pouch and much easier to use than a multi tool, just replace the heads in the ratchet, brilliant tool!
When descending from my climb on my MTB, the rear mech got tangled up in the spokes and got ripped off and broke the chain. Of course i didn't carry ANYTHING with me. Waited 30 mins for a cyclist to pass me to borrow a tool, but no one came. So i put in the chain and mech in my pockets and descended the rest of the climb and had to walk back about 12km back home. A 2hr ride grow uo to a massive 4 hrs "epic" ride
I use a Topeak Mini 6. It doesn't have many tools but it is utterly tiny and light. I never leave home without it and I have never used it.
I broke a chain once years ago. Given the rarity of such an event, I won't mind ringing for a taxi the next time it happens. In many ways a smartphone is a more essential safety tool for unsupported rides.
My gear cable broke just in the evening ride of the day that i ordered the new gear cables. so the front gear was fixed in the lowest position so pedalling was a hell towards home but i put them with the multi tool fixed on the middle gear and that was do able to ride home.
I got hypoglycemc during a 100km ride with my mates. Got home thanks to my glucose meter stuffed in my saddle bag and pastries bought with the 20 eiro note I had in the bag in which i keep the multitool.
Multitool, glucose monitor and saddlebag, never leave home without them :-)
Over the summer I snapped my chain halfway up an alpine climb in France with the destination at the top during a lightening storm with the heaviest rain I have ever seen
Gotta have a spoke wrench too. I busted a spoke near the top of an epic 2000m climb. Would have had to walk home without one. I always carry: Allen keys, spoke wrench, pump, chain tool, quick link, tube, and patches.
Another top tip with your tool is to take some latex gloves as well in your saddle bag. It will save you ruining your precious cycling gloves.
great idea.
i think i should also carry the latex-gloves inside a zip-lock bag (so that, when they're dirty, i put them back IN the zip-lock bag, instead of directly [ON the fabric of the] INSIDE of the saddle-bag (and therefore getting the saddlebag (or the inside of it, i should say) dirty)).
Jus turn the gloves inside out when you take them off, so all the dirt stays inside.
I use Parktool IB-3. Its really good.
one of the local-bicycle-shops in my area sells that multitool. the only bad thing about it (that i can see so far) is that it doesn't have a Philips-head screwdriver on it.
Quicklink in a saddle bag is a great idea. Although a chain snap has never happened to me and I already have the topeak multitool that has a chain tool on it so I don't think that I'm going to do it.
the topeak hexus is the best tool for everything, but i never carry on my pocket only when i have to do a fine tuning i carry a ritchey n5 torquimeter
I was on a my way home on my own from a 3 hour club ride and I went over some pot holes and my front derailleur came off, all I had on me was an inner tube and a multi tool set 😧. Incredibly, I found a bolt on a wall of local, and I bodged it on. It was a bit long but my derailleur was on. I got home and sorted it out properly 😂😂😂
Si should know that the SRAM RED rear mech H and L limit bolts can be adjusted with a 2.5mm allen key, this avoids the usual 'slipping' of the screw driver and preserves the bolt head
Agree with the comment that a chain tool is a must. I've had to fix a broken chain on one ride, and bypass a broken rear derailleur on another ride.
Thanks for the chain tool tip, one of the few things I don't carry.
Once my Di2 battery died after shifting into the small ring on a fast group ride. Fast thinking on my part I plugged my front derailleur into a friends bike and used his shifter to shift my bike back into the big ring and continue to hang with the group. Sometimes the best multi-tool can be that gray matter between your ears.
Didn't listen. Just looked at the new Zipp-wheels... Damn
Si is my favorite GCN character.
Snapped a chain once while heading home, didn't have a multitool with a chain tool.
Had a multitool with a chain tool, used it to help a stranded biker on the road.
I broke my frame on a week long tour (not with a road bike but with a normal bike) in France. I had to walk all the way to Germany (around 8 km) to the next train station, since there wasn't one in this little French village. I never go on a ride without a welding tool since then.
Multitool fix: up on Exmoor 20 miles from home, 2 spokes randomly came loose. Wheel was unusably wonky as a result. Luckily (and it was luck not design) my multitool had the correct spoke key on it. Now I always make sure my multitool will tighten the spokes I am using...
Excellent video thank you for sharing
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A good friend of mine managed to actually brake his seatpost into two separate pieces by screwing up the saddle adjustment (essentially by putting it to far back) while on his commute. No multitool could cover this one, so he had to ride home with his saddle and the remains of the seatpost in his jersey pocket home. 16km on a fixed gear.
I'm pretty sure when I need to adjust the tension on my cantilever brakes to prevent rubbing it takes a 3mil.
I really like Specialized´s bottle cage with built in multi tool and a top cap that hides the chain tool. Neat :)
several of those (the Specialized bottle-cage with the built-in multitool [attached to it] ) are sold by the bicycle-shop in my area that sells "Specialized"-brand bicycles. unfortunately, that multitool carries too few tools in my opinion (it carries SOME essentials, but-mostly just Allen-keys/Hex-keys/L-shaped--keys). it still needs a few more tools [so that just that 1 multitool alone services ALL the things on my bike].
I was mountain biking with my friend when he broke one of is rear shock bushes. The frame was unusable it was almost in two pieces. So we removed the broken bushing and put the 5mm allen key of the multi tool in the hole to keep the two parts of the frame togheter. Ahah it worked for 11km!!!
That aeroad tho...😍😍
fortunately i have only punctures :D but on mtb marathons, i used my chaintool to help other riders. with snap chain. ussually chains were new, and many riders didin´t take multitool on competitions
Broke my chain on my MT while climbing local mountain... luckily it was all downhill home, but on the downside it broke about 200m to the top! From this on there is always multitool in my saddle bag on MTB, but on roadbike It's just to heavy :)
Riding to Abergavenny to watch the national trophy race. 50 miles in, rain, deserted lanes, sun coming up. Jockey wheel falls off. scrabbled around in the potholes and found the bolt. Multitooled it back on and made to see the elite race.
The stickiest thing that i managed to pull trough was on my mtb trials bike .I snaped the chain while doing this pedal gap .
I managed to find a steel wire and put the chain "togather" and managed to get home by doing just half cranks
Vlad Buga that sounds horrible. Im sorry you had to experience that.
Das fokin badass m8
What do you do if you break a spoke on wheel like the mavic ksyrium. With only 20 straight pulled spoke you can't adjust the other spoke to get you home. Mavic say thats a no no. Can you help?
I have been cycling seriously since 1985 (14 years old back then) and I can honestly say that I NEVER had use for a multitool during all my years of cycling. A well maintained and looked after bicycle keeps on going like the Duracell bunny. Am I the only person who has been this fortunate, or does proper bike maintenance pay off in the long run.
i was out on a social ride with my club and ripped off my rear mech 10 miles from the finnish point and went single speed all the way back. fair to say it was good strength training. i also once forgot to take my chain tool with me and snapped my chain. that wasnt a nice 6 mile walk home
Which set of tools do I need to get to perform a complete over haul on my road bicycle in my garage?
I think the worst mechanical happened to me was when I commuted to my school with my old Hardtail I snapped my chain and I was totally lost out there although I was in the middle of the city but I didn't wanted anybody to help me and fixed the chain - which was totally destroyed, I mean the outer links were totally bent to the outside with - an old bottle that I found in some bush around the street then I knocked the outer links together on the inner links of the other chain end and that finally fixed my chain.
I also ripped my rear derailleur clean off. As best as I can figure, something (a rock maybe?) chipped a jockey wheel, which caught the chain while I was climbing a hill, and it ripped it off. Unfortunately, it got caught in the spokes and took three of them basically off of the wheel. Even without the spokes, I don't know that I could have limped the 60 miles home single speed, since it was just so hilly. So I don't think any multitool was going to save me, but a friend with a car (who was willing to drive an hour and a half each way) did save me.
A spoke key is very important too, especially if you are riding in the bush.
never really had to use my multi toool for anything major, bar the occasional chain snap. however my cleats did work loose once and i couldnt remove my foot from the pedal quickly enough at traffic lights.. i ended up grabbing my laces and ripping them upwarwds with enough force to break some of the eyelets and pull my foot out of the shoe. Every single stop on that ride i had to take my foot out of my shoe. i ruined a perfectly good pair of spiderman socks that day
This is great, I prefer that name "cross head screwdriver" compared to Phillips head.I'm going to use it.
Chain dropped off front derailleur and jammed in the bottom bracket. The only way to get the chain out was to release the master link, unluckily the ML was right where the chain had jammed, luckily I had a small pair of pliers I had converted to release master links and the chain just popped off.
I've been riding for over 30 years and only had a chain issue twice. The last time was 15 years ago. Maybe I'm due.
Then again, I hate the feel of big heavy multi tools. So I carry a topeak mini 6,that gets used all the time, and have a small chain tool that hides in the back of my seat pack.
im not shure if i should but this topeak mini 20 pro or the hexus X(newer version coming from the hexus 2)
Link to the products shown would have been useful. I have a topeak multi tool which weighs a ton and rusts. Are Topeaks progressed?
If you do have to walk home take your cleats off your shoes.. But remember to mark there position first.. I had to do it once when my chain broke a hours walk from home Where my chain tool was waiting for me on the kitchen side :)
Mine saved my ass this evening forty miles from home when my cleat screws decided to work themselves loose to the extent I could no longer unclip. Considering I live in the middle of a city and the amount of traffic lights on my route home, being able to tighten them saved a lot of unnecessary track stands.
Never had a chain brake in mtb... had one come off half way through a double S bend... ended up in the ditch, fortunately I'm rather skilled at riding with bent bars XD
about 11 years ago, 6 blocks from my house my bike chain slipped off and jammed so tight into my gears that i couldnt just pull it out. this was the first time i had ever used a chain tool but it was pretty self intuitive, so it only took a few mistakes to figure it out. i unhooked the chain, pulled it out and put it back together and i was on my way for my ride.
considering your subject in your video it was quite odd, but yes, it was a topeak chain tool. and i had just recently bought it. now i carry the original alien multitool everywhere i go. it came with a pouch with a green alien spreading its fingers.... like a multitool, get it?!
can i get a links for the products you have been showing?
What bike do you guys recomend for riding on road? Pla reply thanks
the cross-head (phillips) tool on my multis never fits the limit screws properly. I laughed when the image you showed when mentioning it ended up being a flat blade screwdriver. I'm starting to prefer a flat blade tool for limit adjustment to avoid said slipping.
That's cause the limit screws are JIS standard, slightly different that the usual Philips head. You'll find even your home screwdriver doesn't quite fit good. Hozan and Vessel sell JIS screwdrivers.
It's worth mentioning that many compact chain tools actually require a separate allen key to work. Unless you have two multi-tools, it may be of little use - check this before you buy!
I use the ToePeak Alien II for almost everything but I do a lot of touring so I'm not so concerned with Weight
I really like that Topeak one with the detachable Tyre Leavers and the chain tool, it's unfortunate that the chain tool needs and extra allen key as the plastic one provided in terrible. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who enjoyed this moden though as it got stolen off my bike =(
Oh no, that's terrible to hear!
brilliant thanks a million for the info.
tony Casey you're welcome!
I found out the bad way that even some good multitool are not robust enough, so, now I carry some normal tools in their smaller version, it's a bit more heavy but never let you down. Also, a knife comes handy
Where can I get a cool mudguard like that one in the vid?
My chain was jumping around, got stuck and I fell hard. HArd. I didn’t know what to do. So I used my phone to search on google and physically used the phone to fix the screws and as it was after midnight, I was 50kms away from my home. I put bandages in between the cover and the phone itself, yes, I am weird. It doubled as torch.
Multi-iPhone 5.
One thing that wasn't explicitly mentioned is making sure that you have the right tool, if needed, to remove your wheels!
Another instance is when I took everything along for my ride except my pump and on the same day I managed to get a flat tyre.
Can you post the names of the products you have shown in the video?
Fixed a loose handlebar from drooping down. Well, fortunately nothing major yet.