In a world where bigger/smaller/faster/higher extremes are constantly being marketed as “better”, it’s only natural for us to think that non-standard sized versions of regular sized things are the bee’s knees.
The reality is that it’s probably not going to be as good as the real thing. Let me tell you a story.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away (2015), I set off on my first solo cycle tour: I took the ferry to the Hook of Holland, and spent 5 days riding to Bremen in Germany. As a (now former) member of the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants club, I packed and planned this journey the week before I left (I do not recommend doing this). I packed as little as possible into my Carradice Nelson Longflap, and decided the only tool I would need would be this newfangled Tullio multi-tool, sold by Pedro’s Tools as the lightest set of tools with everything you could possibly need. Tullio took the place of the rear skewer of my bike, and I was off to Liverpool Street Station to take the train to the ferry port of Harwich.
As I trundled across the Netherlands (a dream for cyclists, truly) and crossed the border into Germany, I noticed that the cleat on my left shoe felt a bit wobbly. It made sense that it would be the one to come loose, as my left foot is the one I habitually clip in/out of to reassure my brain I won’t be falling over. I decided now would be the time to test Tullio and tighten the bolts. Except the 5mm hex was too shallow to reach my recessed cleat. D’oh!
Don’t let the first time you try your new tool be when you’re out and about. Use them at home, in a controlled environment, where you can really see if the tool can actually be used on your bike and personal items.
I do this in my classes: I ask students to bring their own tools, esp multi-tools, and have them use them during the course of the class. There is often someone who discovers that their rinky dinky little allen key won’t reach their limit screw, or the handle of the multi tool doesn’t provide enough leverage to be able to undo a pedal. Better to discover this under controlled conditions!
Riding clipped in with one foot wasn’t the end of the world, but also wasn’t ideal, so I thought I’d test how friendly the Germans were and popped into the VW sales office on a boulevard of car dealers. (It felt more appropriate than say, the Toyota dealership.) I leant my bike against the glossy window and announced my arrival by asking if anyone spoke English? And do you have a 5mm allen key? One man stood up promptly and said “come with me!” He showed me what I now believe is the only multi-tool that anyone should own: the Topeak Ratchet Rocket (the basic version I have has an 8mm hex instead of a T15. The latest version is now known as the Ratchet Rocket Essential.)
This little baby is a ratcheting handle with multiple tool attachments. It even has a tiny little switch to reverse the ratchet direction. I was awestruck and embarrassingly grateful. Danke shön!
I would eventually buy my very own Ratchet Rocket when I got to Munich - after attending to my Oktoberfest hangover, I rode to 7 different bike shops, looking for a cardboard bike box to travel back to London by TGV. As I rode further and further from my lodgings, the answer was always nein - but thank goodness the last bike shop had a box, and I was so thankful I purchased a Ratchet Rocket from them. A real win/win if you ask me. And then I rode back dragging the box like a sail. Do not recommend.
This is not tool related but is a good tip regardless
My Ratchet Rocket has been with me ever since, for over 10 years. I have lost and re-found many of the attachments, this is the only flaw in the system which I think they have fixed now by changing the case. But it is, like I said, the only multi-tool worth owning, and here’s why.
Multitools are like adjustable spanners: they’re always the right size, and never the right size. An adjustable spanner’s weakness is its strength, the moveable jaw that fits any nut can move at the wrong time, often rounding off the edges of the nut. I can always tell when someone doesn’t have a set of spanners at home.
The good thing about multi-tools is that they are small and compact and you have almost all the tools that you need...right?
I’m afraid these are also the bad things.
The small size means you don’t have the same leverage or control that you’d have from a full size tool.
The hinge means you have a weak point where the tool could slip under pressure, causing the bolt to round out.
You may be carrying tools that you don’t need for your bike, or don’t intend to use.
What I usually recommend is to carry full size tools that would be needed to fix the parts of your bike that you are willing to fix while out and about. No point in carrying a full size 10mm hex key if you don’t intend on tightening your cassette freehub body! But you may want to carry a full size 3, 4, & 5mm, as those are likely the most common bolts on your bike. Which brings me to the next tip:
Allen (hex) keys and Torx keys are now the most common tools needed for most fasteners on a bike. But this isn’t always the case!
Go across your entire bike with a set of hex keys and see which sizes your bike actually uses.
Then you need to decide which parts of the bike you’ll actually be comfortable tinkering with while out and about, and take those full size tools with you.
This usually ends up being something like 3/4/5mm or 4/5/6mm. The rest I would fill out with the Ratchet Rocket.
NB: I don’t recommend the Ratchet Rocket that has the torque wrench (not to be confused with Torx, which is the tool shaped like a star!) You can read all about torque here. TL;DR is that it can both create incorrect torque and give incorrect torque readings.
And there you have it, why multi-tools are meh, and now your tool bag is one that you’ll actually use. I’ll soon be revealing what I carry around with me every day vs. what I carry on long rides.
Random polling question: if I sold my favourite tools and accessories, would you buy them from me?
Well the newly replaced judge in the Filton 4 trial did what they were swapped in to do, which was to bring terrorist charges against 4 political prisoners.
The jury was never told that terrorism would be a part of their sentencing - they were lied to by the state. I was furious that another judge (Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr) negated the similarities between the suffragettes to the Filton 4.
Jonathan Cook writes:
“It is sometimes forgotten, often willfully, that the Suffragettes operated underground cells that organized hundreds of bombings and arson attacks in pursuit of their goals, killing four people and wounding at least 24. Palestine Action, by contrast, has explicitly eschewed this kind of life-endangering violence while being far more transparent about its activities. It has restricted its actions to property damage, chiefly targeting the Israeli company Elbit Systems’ weapons factories in the UK that make drones used in Gaza.”
Read a thorough explainer here by Jonathan Cook
You can donate to the prisoners’ fund here.
This now sets a precedent where the government can swoop in and make a decision that goes against what the people of the jury have decided, effectively making the jury pointless. Just waiting for the next political campaign to be made: “Everyone hates jury duty, let’s get rid of it!”
In some good news, the jury of the Moog arms factory trial ended in a hung jury, despite being told repeatedly by the judge that “it was a simple case” to convict. I guess we’ll see if they are retried.
The Friends of Herne Hill Velodrome will be screening the very good Breakaway Femmes documentary this Thursday 16 July - doors open at 6.30, show starts at 7.15pm. Get your £5 ticket here.
And I will be working at the South London Grand Prix again this year. The weather is looking a bit better than last year’s washout, so come on down and enjoy a day (or two) at the races! Live commentary, food trucks, cold drinks, and fast folks. If you’d like to volunteer one day, you’ll get a free ticket for the second day.
That’s me for this month - I’ll have more news to share with you in August.
Ride on,
Jenni x
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