Many multi-tools will work fine for a 30 miler with the family; however, I'd recommend taking a 5mm high quality Allen wrench also as well as a pair of Pedro's tire levers. I carry a PB Swiss Allen wrench in every seat bag on every bike along with a multi-tool.

The key is to take a full-sized tool that fits a majority of the fasteners on your bike. For me that's a 5 mil Allen wrench. I can do probably 80% of field repairs with that Allen wrench and the multi-tool takes care of the rest.

Generally it may be better to have separate tools but I've found some cool combos. My Pedro's Bike Chain Tool (perhaps their least expensive model) also serves as a spoke wrench and hex wrench. I have a pen style screwdriver with a flat and phillips head, pliers with various small blades, and a Topeak multi-tool with various hexes and screwdriver heads. Not sure if ideally I should only be happy with Pedro's.

I've always been a Swiss Army Fan, but a month or so ago I found one of these beside the road. It was SWEET!!!

https://www.leatherman.com/skeletool...ze-multi-tools

https://sits-pod47.demandware.net/dw...-skeletool.png

Unfortunately, as I thought about it, it was in perfect condition and right in front of the driveway of a house, so I went back and knocked on the door... and the person said he was using it and set it down :( I still may have to get one for myself :)

Pffft!!!!

Not all of my bikes are "modern" :) But, there is very little on a bike, new or used that I can't repair. In over 40 years riding, I don't recall my bicycle ever being repaired by a bike shop mechanic. Oh, wait, I did have a bike rack welded (not in a bike shop). It didn't hold, but got me further down the road. I have had a few emergency purchases on the road.

Stuff happens. Fortune favors the prepared.

I don't have a personal sag wagon, and sometimes I'm headed away from home when something breaks. I've had unexpected breakdowns, from 1/4 mile from home to 70+ miles from home. Most of the riding on the road.

I can't fix everything, but there is a lot that I can do to get my bike back on the road.

Here is a list of breakdowns that I encountered in the last couple of years:

• Broke a couple of spokes.
• Broke a couple of chains.
• Blew the bead off of a tire (separated strings from the casing). Actually that happened twice, once on the bike, once on the trailer, with different solutions for each.
• Broken Quick Release Skewer.
• Broke the shoulder strap buckle of my backpack.
• Too numerous of flats to recount all.
• A couple of broken or damaged cables (brake/shifter), but generally managed to make it home.
• Something Loose? Chainring bolts loose?
• A couple of additional failures within walking distance of home included pulling a cleat off of a shoe and chewing up a rear derailleur.
• Had a pedal spindle retaining bolt unscrew (must have been threaded wrong by the manufacturer). I actually fixed that one at my home away from home, but had I discovered it in the middle of a long ride, it would have been a road repair.

Truthfully, many things can be put off until I arrive home, so it is rare that I use the allen wrenches on the road, but they can be handy when needed, and I have a habit of grabbing my multi-kit even if I'm at home and heading out the door getting ready for a ride.

One might say that better servicing might have prevented some of the road issues. Perhaps... but one doesn't always expect a design flaw to cause a pedal to fall apart, or blowing out the sidewall/bead of a nearly new tire (and I'm sure the tube wasn't pinched).

Sadly, beyond the couple chain breaks I have encountered on Mackinac Island (chains break frequently there, for some reason), all the people I could otherwise help trailside had nutted wheels. I'm not carrying an adjustable wrench for that eventuality :eek:

That's a decent one yeah. Someone I used to work with had one of those and it was pretty nice. I went with the surge personally as it had the most (or close to) tools on it for what I was looking for. It's mainly a work tool to be honest though, it's a little heavy for EDC (every day carry) for me unless I'm wearing a belt and that's really the only drawback I've had with it so far. The tension on the spring for the screwdrivers has become a little loose so they fall out of the side fairly easily, but the lock still works fine while they are extended, so no harm no foul.

In a pinch, one can patch a tube without removing the wheel, assuming it wasn't a blow-out or something. But, I try to bring a little 6" adjustable wrench with me. I've got a few bolts on some of my bikes anyway, so it can occasionally come in handy.

I usually don't have 26" tubes on my road bike, although I'm probably going to expand my inventory for certain "events".

This. :thumb:

You are much better than I. I'll gladly help if possible, but I'm certainly not carrying around different sized tubes and tools I can't use in the eventuality that someone needs them!

4, 5, and 6mm allen wrench will cover just about every thing on a 'Modern' bike, BSO's notwithstanding.
I picked up a Crank Bros. M-5 tool which includes those plus a 3mm and a Philips. The 'bits' are long enough to reach things like brifter clamp screws, and the handle is beefy enough to break and re-torque stem bolts, in case your bars get knocked out of whack in a 'get-off'

I also carry my old Ritchey CPR-13, which I keep mostly for the chain tool, which works amazing for something so small and light.

The vintage bike has a bolt-on rear wheel and a nut-and-bolt seat post, so it gets a 6" adjustable in the bag.

Each bike has a pump, stick-on patches, and a tube appropriate to the bike.

If I can't make it home with that, I carry a cell phone, too.

I carry a basic Bontrager tool with me most of the time:

https://trek.scene7.com/is/image/Tre...=0&cache=on,on

Pretty much everything I need -- you could assemble a new bike out of a box with this. Add a separate tire lever and it covers most emergency issues.

In various kits I carry some vintage Ritchey multi tools, just because I still have them:

CPR 9 (purple ano, yo!)

http://www.bikepro.com/products/chai...pg/y_cpr_9.jpg

CPR 14

http://www.bikepro.com/products/chai...hey_cpr_14.jpg

Note that both of the above have metric hex wrenches, which are largely superfluous nowadays.

While looking for these vintage tools, I stumbled across this beauty, a current model Ritchey CPR 12+, which looks like a pretty valid option, too.

https://ritcheylogic.com/media/catal.../p/cpr12-3.jpg

These look like some pretty useful sets. One of these along with a small adjustable wrench, tire tools, and patches might go a long ways. No pun intended. ;)

^This

IME multitools usually end up being more of a pain to use and aren't necessarily more compact than loose tools.