Originally Posted by
Sy Reene
Has anyone weighed a credit card?
You must not ride very far from home. A credit card is of zero use in the entire 42 miles of this ride. It’s not even useful for starting a fire. A cell phone was dead weight as well. Even in more civilized places both are of limited use since calling someone to “come get me” when I’m 2000 miles from home isn’t an option.
Originally Posted by
Frkl
A recent thread got me critically looking at the tool kit I carry for out of town rides, so in the country, mountains, and forests (not my commuting kit).
I have been carrying an SKS Tom 18 with a few other tools for over 10 years, and even though I knew there were tools there I didn't need (i have no torx bolts on my bikes, i carry separate tire irons and have long ago abandoned hyperguide chain pins, eg) i alway thought, what are a few hundred grams in a tool bag full of steel?
But I realized that switching to a Park MT1 (at 42g maybe the lightest Multi-Tool?) and separate spoke wrench and chain tool ( Park SW7 and Cyclo, so quality bits), i could reduce my tool kit by 125g, an amount I can actually feel.
I tried a bunch of other combinations, with separate hex keys and screw drivers, and this combo came out the lightest.
Anyone else critically evaluate their multitool or tool kit recently? Does the prepackaged convenience of a multitool lead us to consumer complacency, where we could build something better ourselves but outsource it instead?
The only multitool I’ve ever carried was a
Cool Tool. I still have several of them but I’ve moved on to
Fix-It-Sticks which are a little bit more compact. I’ve never liked the multi-tools on the market because the never fit the hand like a good tool should. The Cool Tool did but none of the others. I have one of the most comprehensive on-bike tool kits I’ve seen and I’ve used it in all kinds of situations…including very remote travel.
