Bicycle Mechanics - Park Tool's Multi-tool

I was in an EMS yesterday and i was looking at their cycling stuff and i saw the Park Tools multi tool. It had everything you would need when your out on the road. But i guess what im trying to ask is, has anyone ever used one? More so when they are out on the road?

as with all multi tools they are a compromise. good enough to get you home in the event of trouble. i would not use one everyday. sometimes they dont fit into tight spaces.

You're trading convenience for some degree of lost utility, but since carrying all the separate tools on the road isn't practical multi tools, Park's or others make sense. Figure which functions are appropriate to your needs and look for the tool which has these and the fewest others to save both money and weight.

On my road bike I carry only a 6mm hex key on which I've ground the long end to a flat blade screwdriver, and a spare tubular tire. If I need more than that it's not usually for an on-the-road repair.

Some of these multi-tools are a bit much, as FBinNY says. Tire lever, patch kit, maybe a spare tube...Allen wrenches to fit all your major fasteners... Unlikely you'll have to pull a crank out on the road.

That being said, I did have one that incorporated a chain tool that worked better than my "shop" tool....

Park generally makes top-flight tools.

Their I-beam multi tools come in two configurations. I don't need a chain tool on the trail so I use the one with hex wrenches, screwdriver and a torx for disc brakes. Does most of what I need in one convenient tool. If one has what you want on it, go ahead and get it. Nice multi-tools. bk

I personally did not like the park multi tool I have, it may be different from what you were looking at. The tool lengths are short. One of the hex sizes is a bit that fits on top of another hex tool, so you can easily lose it, the reason to get a multi tool is too keep all the tools in one place so you cannot drop or lose them while repairing something. Because of their size there may be bolts like on the seatpost your particular multi tool will not work well with.

Real helpful discussion, huh? bk