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Originally Posted by wolfchild (Post 22747537)

In worst case scenario your wheel could be knocked out of true when hitting something, a spoke wrench can be used to true the wheel...Also proper spoke tension can be achieved with just a spoke wrench without using a tensiometer, it's not really that hard.

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[QUOTE=rosefarts;22747544]I also don’t tour, though one day might.

The reason for spoke wrenches is to get the wheel rolling. In a big hit or due to a broken spoke or two, the wheel might not clear the frame. A few creative turns of the nipples might get your damaged and weakened wheel rolling. Even more important if you’re running rim brakes.


I now recall a few months ago, I broke a rear wheel spoke and was surprised how much run-out this caused the rim. So much so that I had to totally back off the caliper. This now makes more sense as it was a drive-side spoke. I wasn't sure I would make it the last 15 km's home but did. At the time I didn't even think how useful a spoke wrench may have been. I will start carrying one now. Thanks !

Will replacing SW-7 with SW-40 (SW-42 or whatever matches the nipples) and replacing the chain tool with Park Tool CT-5 reduce the weight even more?

I'm always worried about going out like a packhorse, so I tend to focus on smaller rather than lighter. I'm about 200lbs on an alu bike so a few grams is less important than space.

So I've got a Lezyne folding multi-tool that's pretty compact, tire levers (because I broke the ones that came with the multitool), tiny patch kit, lezyne mini pump, rubber glove and some rags. That all fits in a bottle cage storage case so can be transferred between bikes.
The rest of my bag space is taken up with a rain jacket, spare tube(s) and snacks.


How do you get a taxi home with a 15mm spanner, if you've got unrepairable damage?

With a credit card, all you need to do to get home is to make it to a phone to call a taxi.

No reason not to carry both.

I'm a big fan of the Ritchey CPR9 v2-- old heads will remember the original CPR9 from back in the early '90s, too, when Ritchey was the undisputed multi-tool master!-- and at 25g, it's well lighter than the Park MT-1.


I stocked up on the CPR9s back when I heard they were being disco'd, so I've got three in saddle bags across the fleet. I've even still got an original CPR14 on the vintage DeKerf!


What I love about the CPR compared to the more common folding styles is that there is no fumbling or futzing; I can easily flip it around to the right tool in one hand, and don't need a precise pick to get to the tool I want, or a precise grip to keep it from folding or flopping around. The 1-piece tool is just quicker and easier to me.


That said, I almost never have need of a multitool on the road anymore, so ease-of-use is not the top priority; bikes and components are so good nowadays, stuff just doesn't go off, work loose, or otherwise need adjustment these days...not like the bikes of yesteryear. My most recent bikes carry typical folding, "Swiss army" style tools, which, like the Silca 13, are acceptably light at right around 100g, but most importantly, very compact and easy to pack in a small seat bag. I mean, if I could save 125g I would, but obviously that can't happen.

You are seriously remiss if you don't have one of these 3 arm 4/5/6 Allen key wrenches. I have used mine since 22 years ago when I got a modern bike, these things take massive torque. Good for both threaded and not stems, brakes of all kinds, racks, some new pedals, seat bolts.
I carry more stuff than anybody. LOL. So lots of redundancy.
7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 1/2"/ 9/16", 15 mm or 6" crescent for my CCM, metal tire priers, tube, individual Allen keys too.
Tour bike has every tool I ever need. Easily 5 lbs.
Those looped together Allen key multi tools are useless.

Like this one, but get a better one. >> https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ventura-T...-6-mm/13012559
The Park tool one has a too bulky center.

...I used to catch my own smelts, but in recent times I have outsourced this labor. I am profoundly shamed.

And if you don't have a lot of experience with torx fasteners, be aware that it is surprisingly easy ( cf. socket head cap screws a.k.a. allen screws ) to inadvertently select the size of torx bit that is one size undersize. It feels quite snug.........until you try the next size up and it fits...

Always try the next size up, just in case.

Your bike list says MTB and gravel. Do you only do those activities near home? My MTB/gravel (yes, they are both the same) takes me miles and miles away from home. I live in a major metro area but I can draw a circle of 60 miles radius and there will be dozens of spots where a phone call isn’t possible…no cell service. If I expand the circle to 200 miles there are thousands of places where there is no cell service as well as places no “taxi” is going to come to. The map I posted covers 42 miles and, except for some areas on either end (about 5 miles each) it is a dead zone. The route is one of the toughest 4x4 drives in Colorado as well. Even 4x4 trucks find it a difficult route.

And that’s not a unique situation in Colorado….mountains or plains. If something breaks out there, I have to fix it or figure out how to get myself out of the situation. A credit card is useless. I don’t carry roughly 5 lbs of tools for fun. I carry them so that I can self extract if needed.

Y-wrenches work okay in a shop but they are seriously limited even there. The Fix-it-Sticks I linked to above make up a T-handle wrench that fits more bolts more easily on the bike. They have two different styles with either permanently bonded bits or magnetically held bits. I use the magnetically held bits and have a good select of bits that fit the bolts on my bike.

There is zero chance I would use magnetic bits in a ditch somewhere. They do not stay in place and easily disappear. . They stick in the screw almost every time.
I did use them OK in my cabinetmaking job.
The shaft nub is 1/2", seriously negating tight spot use.

Yep. I put the bike on the stand and went through from front to back, writing down every fastener/adjustment and finding a tool that would reach/fit/be effective. I evaluated the likelihood of a problem with each fastener/adjustment. After this exercise, the commercial multitool was replaced with an optimized collection of discrete tools, not so much to save weight but to make sure I could get 'er done.

Since my bike needs an exact length of chain, I carry some spare links in the tool kit, too.

That's a good way to approach it.

My experience has been the tools I carry often aren't used to persuade my own bike to start working again, but instead are needed for a friend's bike, or a new rider in the group, or someone along the road or path adjacent to a 10-7 bike who asks, "Hey, do you have a _______ with you?"* So the kit is slightly more expansive.

*If the question includes the terms "frame straightening tool", "dropout alignment tools," or "arc welder", then I have no shame in saying "Sorry, not with me."

Well I’m not in the habit of using tools of any kind in a ditch. But most of the magnetic bit holders I’ve used have strong enough magnets that they don’t fall out. It could be better magnets are used in high quality tools.

As for the width of the shaft nub, it’s a bit narrower than 1/2” and certainly not much wider than a Y-wrench and certainly fits in tight spaces better than the Y-wrench does.

I have a unknown brand bike multotool in my rando bike toolkit. It has a chain tool, allens, a couple box-ends, spoke wrench. I've used most of it over the years, and while not as user friendly as shop tools it got the job done. Supplanted with tire levers, patch kit, 4oz sealant, tubeless plug tool with in-built presta tool. Finally a tiny non bike multitool with blade and needle nose pliers. The latter for extracting sharp bits embedded in a tire. I've used this kit to fix stuff in very remote situations. Patience and persistence are also critical tools.

OTOH, my fixed gear commuter kit consists of tire levers, tube, allen and CO2. Walkable shoes take care of the rest.

There is a risk of bit loss in field use, but fortunately quality bits aren't too expensive. Not much problem at all with bit retention in a good ratchet handle. Thinking back, I've actually lost more handles than bits. And painting them fluorescent orange helps a "bit", although heavy use results in not a lot of orange remaining, but a small spot goes a long way in terms of conspicuity. And the larger sizes are lighter than the corresponding wrench.

As for tight spots, I find the ratchet/bit combo to be superior in some cases to a standard wrench (see photo).


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8b943d460.jpeg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ef4994bc.jpeg

The rage of set ups posted vary from bike packing to a trip to Starbucks. On my fat bike I rarely ride where a phone call will save me. But on my road bike it is quite the opposite. The road bike I have two hex keys, a computer screw driver, patch kit, tire levers and CO2. The fat bike I carry a full kit plus things to deal with cactus quills. A fork for flicking off cholla and pliers for pulling larger quills are in the kit. Full times when a cholla pear gets picked up by the rear tire then comes around to attach to my calf.

Most of my bikes I use a Crank Brothers M10 with no need for a different tool really. Sure would I love to redesign it a bit, yes absolutely but for most things it does the job if needed.

My new toolkit for my main commuter was custom built using bits I might need at some point mostly odd stuff I wouldn't find in a normal multitool and most of the actual multi tools that did bits weren't quite what I wanted.

Snap-On 1/4 Mini Bit Ratchet, PB-Swiss and Wera bits, Magnetic 3D printed bit holder from Reitz Industries and a Muc-Off Rainproof essentials bag. Along with a few other things in it.

ooh. want that.

i don't understand. what do you do with the ferret, if you don't mind me asking?

I cycle all over the place, miles from home, the car or civilisation, often where there's no phone signal. If I hit something irrepairable, then I'm looking at a walk of $x miles back to the car or $y miles until I encounter a phone, where $y is likely to be less than $x. Whether it's because I get reception, or pass somewhere with a landline, or flag down a passing car or whatever.

In that case, my 5g credit card and 1g $20 bill will get me whatever I need at the time (taxi, food, spare parts if I'm incredibly lucky).

I limped about 12 miles back to the car after an my knees gave up on me during a ride in the summer, and had I had the chance to phone for help I'd have taken it but phone signal is terrible once you leave towns here.

Absolutely, I always ride with tools to handle the common stuff, a credit card and a £20 bill. If nothing else the credit card will get me a cake at a cafe stop.

I am in the habit of riding all over the US far from Colorado. Who am I going to call if I need someone to pick me up? I can’t call my wife or my children if they are 2000 miles away. I have no family or friends close by. Being able to fix my own bike sufficiently to keep me moving down the road is an important skill I have honed over decades. Failures of a kind that would keep me from riding have been few and very far between but I’m still ready if something happens that needs to be fixed or needs to be MacGyvered to get me to where I can work on my own bike.

If I’m in the backcountry, I make sure that not only do I have the tools to fix any reasonable problem but I also have survival gear.

I don’t go without riding without a credit card or phone but I’m realistic about the need for other tools for those not infrequent times when there is no “taxi, food, [and] spare parts” even remotely available.

I find it a little hard to believe that you would walk 12 miles with bad knees when riding a bike is far easier on knees than walking, in my experience. At the very least, you can coast down a hill without pedaling which is way easier on the knees than walking down that same hill is.