Bike tools

[Dale Wambaugh]

For bike travel I've settled on a Leatherman Skeletool to substitute for my usual pocketknife and give me a decent pliers-based tool as well as screwdrivers, and I added a couple plastic tire levers to the mix. But I need Allen keys.

I looked at a bunch of Allen key multi-tools, finding them all too heavy and/or overdone like a Swiss Army knife with too many tools, or so short that they didn't provide enough leverage. I found several recommendations for the Park Tool MT-1 and picked one up today. Not bad!

Feature list:

— Made of nickel plated investment cast steel
— 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 8mm hex (aka Allen) wrenches
— 8mm, 9mm, and 10mm socket wrenches
— Straight blade screwdriver
— The tool is nominally 110mm long, 35mm wide, and 8mm thick
— 1.6oz/44g

It needs a firesteel and a bottle opener :)

[Nathan Meyerson]

I like the functionality of the Topeak mini-ratchets. They sure are heavy though.. I don't mind allocating a hunk of weight for tools. I have a habit of working on my bike out over the road.

I'll included a mini crescent, mini-ratchet, steel cored tire levers, patch kit, stein hypercracker, lightweight spare tube, and plier multitool. I'll also included a tiny tub of grease(or dab a gob inside my seatpost) and a dropper of chain lube. Add a 1/2 sized handi wipe and mini ziploc for rag.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Oh, I like tools! But when you look at them through the UL glass, they are all very heavy. Of course the trick is to apply the principles from UL hiking to bikepacking. It is a mechanical beastie, but you don't need to lose your head. Pliers, screwdrivers, Allen wrenches and tire patch kit for me. If I were doing 3rd world remote touring, I could excuse more tools and parts.

[Steven McAllister]

I may be old school, we always carried chain repair tools and parts.

Is this being too prepared for UL?

[Dale Wambaugh]

If I were doing more remote or long distance stuff, I could see including more spares and tools. I have a Park Tool CT-5 chain tool that is 2.6oz, and I'm sure there are lighter. If you were doing remote single track, having a chain tool would allow you to bypass a broken rear derailleur and ride out single speed.

But when was the last time you actually used a chain tool on the road? Chains give all kinds of signs of wear and failure. Tools shouldn't make up for poor maintenance. Going remote with a heavily worn drivetrain is like starting a hike with a loose boot sole! No good expectations with either.

It is the UL vs traditional game as always: overbuilding for durability, perceived conditions and risk, and packing for fear. An overnight or 3 day trip on local rail trails is different than riding the length of Peru.

[Steven McAllister]

Reminds me of the backpacking trip I did with a friend a couple years ago.

I had to use up all my duct tape to repair my friends boot when his sole fell off.

The next day his other sole came off.

He ended up wrapping it with a piece of found wire. Luckily it was only a couple miles from the trailhead.

I guess his boots had a defective glue job.

[Dale Wambaugh]

"I guess his boots had a defective glue job."

Yeah, I had a pair of Keen sandals self-destruct last week, cuasing me to check my other shoes. One sole was peeling away and I was able to peel the other with no effort [sound of expensive shoes hitting the bottom of the trash can and muffled cussing]. I'm thinking that shoe inspection is a good policy before starting any hike.

With bikes, cars, motorcycles, boats, etc, a good "walk around" inspection is a good thing. If I were going on a long trip, I would be all over the drivetrain on my bike. Stuff happens, but good maintenance and before trip inspections go a long ways to keep Murphy away. Pilots are all over this!

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