You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I've decided that having a small set of pliers might be a good idea to take on my more adventurous rides so am looking for a little multitool. My preferrence is for something small, light and simple. All I really need is some pliers for stubborn tubeless valves and a knife for emergency appendectomies. Am happy to sacrifice some of the function of these if the tool is sufficiently compact and light.
A quick look online has yielded a bewildering array of options, most of which seem to have a bunch of other functions that I have no interest in. So I turn to STW to see if anyone has any specific thoughts or experiences they'd like to share.
I'm not an EDC kind of guy, this will be something that sits in a saddlebag for most of its life.
I added these to my toolkit rather than replace my existing favourite multitool. Work great for stubborn tubeless valves, thorn removal, bending the tab on the split retaining pin on disc pads, etc.
My mistake. Sorry.
As a Leatherman guy, it's the law that I turn my nose up at Gerber (I have a Gerber knife, but don't tell anyone).
You should be able to find one kicking about second hand if not new (discontinued I think) - Leatherman Squirt PS4
I carry something like this in my bag on commutes: folding pliers since the time i needed to remove a tubeless valve and couldn't get it undone. Can't remember exactly where I got mine from.
EDITED TO REMOVE THE DAMMN WORDL link!
Most of them have the pliers folded into the handle, but there was one-possibly Gerber or even Victorinox(I really cant remember, was at least 20 years back., where the pliers were in the handle as with the others, but rather that go through the origami method, the pliers slid out.
Press the catch and a flick or the wrist and instant pliers
I've the Sidekick. TBH hardly ever used it
I have a small pair of Gerber pliers with knife and others tools in the handle (penknife style). It is about 4cm long and works well. I managed to help a lad screw the rear axle back in his bike when it had come out as we were walking past him in the Lakes.
I also have a bargain basement similar that I got from Planetx that lives in another tool box. It is less well made and the knife isn't as sharp but the pliers work well and was masses cheaper .
I bought a Gerber Dime after someone from the magazine recommended one (I think Amanda). It costs around £25.
It’s very small, light and I take it on my travels to far away places. Haven’t had to use it on my bike… yet.
As says above, Gerber Dime. I bought one specifically for the plier and have used it loads on valves.
Gerber Dime here too, used loads on tubeless valves and brake pad split pins. The scissors and knife are just about functional too for getting into packaging/cutting tape.
I also have a Leatherman Wave stays but it at home/in the van now as it's a lump.
I had one of those turtle-shaped affairs, branded the Bug. It was pretty garbage to be honest. I'd get that Gerber (I think I did in the end, I'd have to check).
Gerber Dime, I really don’t like it due poor quality but it is reasonably priced and all the Leatherman alternatives have been discontinued.
Other possible alternatives are from Nextool, Roxon and similar newer Chinese brands, some even have option to change the blade to some other tool. I have never used them so it is hard to recommend them.
Yup. Gerber Dime.
I also recently got a Leatherman Skeletool CX. It's a great tool. Fairly minimal and therefore lighter weight than most. Maybe a bit spendy for leaving in a bag.
Dimes are okay. The quality of the steel is poor, but when they break they will honour the guarantee and give you a new one (or Fiskars UK will as they hold the distribution rights).
Nextool is supposed to be an okay make bridging the gap between Gerber's Dime and the old Leatherman Squirt that was discontinued.
My Leatherman Squirt is an excellent mini tool. Pity they discontinued it.
Gerber Dime is always in my pocket. I use it everyday for something or another. The scissors are really useful as is the box opening thingy. The knife was blunt on arrival and is hard to sharpen as so small. If I lost mine I’d buy another
It’s a shame that leatherman discontinued the Leatherman Mini multi tool 20 odd years ago, it was a useful size and quite easy to pocket, lost mine a few years ago 😖
https://www.smartknives.com/Leatherman-Pocket-Tools/Mini-Tool.htm
Has anyone got a Nextool Flagship?
Leatherman Squirt is an excellent mini tool. Pity they discontinued it.
I also have a Gerber Dime which I take cycling. It is not the best in terms of build quality but has got me out of various scrapes on the bike including removing embedded wire from tyres, trimming cable ties which have bodged rack fixes and cutting inner tubes to use as tyre boots. The scissors are poor but the other tools are very usable - particularly the package opener.
I am a bit of an EDC nerd and have a pair of Knipex Cobra XS pliers - see below - which are a single use tool but fantastic for their size. A pair of those and a small Swiss Army knife might be a good option.
The current darling of the EDC mini pliers multitools is the Nextool Mini Sailor S11 Pro which apparently has better quality than the Gerber Dime and costs a similar amount.
Finding a secondhand Leatherman but prices are high.
Leatherman Squirt is discontinued as is the Leatherman Mini - full size pliers came in handy when I had to dismantle some panniers following a bike-tree stump incident in the dark at -20C in the arctic. I also have a Gerber somewhere but find the pliers a bit flimsy. I carry a Skeletool with me at work in a hardware shop - gets used multiple times per day.
The squirt is great. More to the point the pliers are genuinely good pliers. I've pulled splinters with them.
Gerber Vise here. It came as a set with a Gerber Paraframe Mini from Lidl for less than £20.00 about 5? years ago.
Used leatherman mini. Had mine 20 years and I use it all the time. So much more portable than my PST. Which I also use a lot.
got a squirt and a dime. the squirt needs to go back as it has lacked one arm of the pliers since Charlie ran the DOG, extracting the plug out of a barrel of beer. the dime has lived in my bum bag for ~ 10 years for less than 30 quid. TBH i'd struggle to choose between them in terms of quality. i guess the leatherman was slightly better finished. maybe.
THanks all. Those tiny knipexes might be just what I want. Maybe a tiny knife too.
If anyone is a Costco member and is near one of their warehouses they have a great deal on the Leatherman Sidekick at the moment - £35.98 and retail is normally £69.95.
Be aware that the blade is locking so not UK legal if you cannot show a valid reason for carrying.
The Leatherman Bond is a similar size non locking tool and can be had for less than £50 at GoOutdoors. Both are a bit too big for bike usage for me but may suit others.
I have two solutions:
The Gerber Dime which is a bit shit but light and convenient if it happens to do what you need/ matches the application. Mine got me out of trouble touring this year doing up a rear carrier hex head cap bolt that I couldn't get to with a multi tool. Reminded me to check my multi tool can access everything it needs to before the next trip so I can make sure I have something with me that can.
My other option is a small pair of jewellers pliers like these:
[/img]
Not terribly strong but fine for getting thorns out of tyres...
THanks all. Those tiny knipexes might be just what I want. Maybe a tiny knife too.
I often carry a Victorinox Midnite Manager which is a fantastic complement to the Knipex Cobra XS pliers. It has a small balde, scissors, file/small flat blade and a combined small Phillips and bottle opener. It also has a very usable pen and a small LED light which is powerful enough to for walking along paths in the dark.
https://heinnie.com/victorinox-midnite-manager-58mm-blue-transparent-folding-knife/
Pliers are handy but if the main concern is valve locknuts, AliExpress do a nice assortment of keyed nuts that fit a tiny (2cm) spanner. I have them on my winter road bike as those valve nuts get covered in crud and are always hard to remove
SOG Powerpint has great compounding pliers.
SOG Powerpint has great compounding pliers.
The Powerpint does have good pliers and the ability to hold 1/4 bits is great but it has locking blades so not really suitable for casual carry in the UK. I also find it awkward to access the internal tools. A non-locking version with better folding tools would probably be my perfect EDC tool.
Not a recommendation for a specific tool as such but I've just been on the end of some fantastic customer service from Ganzo / Firebird for the second time so if anyone is looking at them their back-up is fantastic.
First time was a pocket knife which I removed the pocket clip from and then promptly lost the clip and tiny screws. Emailed them to ask what size screws I needed and they just posted me a new, upgraded pocket clip set directly from China free of charge.
This week I received some more spare parts after I cack-handedly damaged a multi-tool (g301) - again, they sent me everything I needed to repair it, free of charge, from China. On this occasion I'd actually contacted the UK retailer I originally bought it from and they've completely blanked me so I'll just go direct in future.
I have a Gerber dime. The quality is way off a Leatherman handy wee thing though . It needs alanyard and to make it's way into a bag.
I stopped carrying my Dime when I discovered these.
Ahhh! Tried to attach an image and it didn't work.
Search ebay:
Tire Valve Cap Tire Nozzle Lock Bike Presta Valve Nut Vacuum Tire Valve Nut
and it gets you lovely little hex shaped lock nuts with a tiny spanner. They come off without the mini spanner so no more concerns of having to undo sealant gunged locknuts on the trail to (unlikely I know) put in a tube.
I have a variety of tool kits for different sports and have gone for small but dedicated pliers in most of them. Purely on the basis they are actually pretty light and very simple to use. I've also gone for individual Allen keys on the same basis, sizes to cover what's on the bike only.
I'm a cheapskate, so I carry a Victorinox Swiss army knife, a crank bros multi and I have a cheap Rolson thing for the mini pliers. It seems to work out ok most of the time, but it is three items.