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BUYER'S GUIDE
multi-tool buyers guide lead imageBest bike multi tools 2024 — get the right bits to fix your bike's bits
With an inexpensive multi tool, you're ready for anything that goes wrong with your bike. We've undertaken countless roadside and trailside repairs over the years, and tested well over a hundred of them. These are the best bike multi tools you can buy.
- Best overall multitool: Topeak Mini PT30 multitool — Buy Now for £43.19 from Cycle Solutions | Find out more
- Best value multitool: Topeak Hexus X 21-function tool — Buy Now for £14.00 from Amazon | Find out more
- Best ratchet multitool: Uniche Stepless Tool — Buy Now for £31.20 from eBay | Find out more
- Best budget multitool: Birzman E-Version Mini Tool 5 Function — Buy Now for £10.99 from Tredz | Find out more
- Best money-no-object multitool: Silca T-Ratchet Kit + Ti-Torque Kit — Buy Now for £112.50 from Chain Reaction Cycles | Find out more
The best cycling multitools vary from simple folding hex key sets, to all-singing, all-dancing widgets that'll do everything but the washing up. But the best cycling multitool for you needs to have all bits you need to adjust every bolt on your bike, including obscure ones like the 8mm hex on some cranks; sooner or later you'll need them all.
Some cycling multitools have all the bits permanently attached, some use separate heads; the latter can be easier to use but there's always a risk of losing loose parts
Alternatives include the simple set of folding hex keys you can get at any hardware store; it's still worth buying quality though
The best cycling multitools start from about £12
The best cycling multitools
Best overall cycling multitool: Topeak Mini PT30 multitool
The Topeak Mini PT30 is a cracking little tool, bang up to date with modern bike needs. Including an excellent chain breaker and quick-link tool, disc pad spacer, tubeless tyre plug reamer and insertion fork, there are very few road/trailside tasks it won't master, all in a tiny package.
The Mini PT30 is a class bit of kit with a high-quality feel and finish. It looks the business – as you'd want it to, at £47.99 RRP. This is not a tool for those on a tight budget... but it is for those appreciating having everything to hand, in one compact package. Topeak offers a two-year warranty, and based on the longevity of my other Topeak tools you're pretty unlikely ever to need to call upon it.
If your bike has no Torx fittings, or if you don't use quick-links, or never break chains, then the PT30 is likely pricey overkill for your needs. But if you're running a modern disc-braked bike, with a quick-link'd chain, tubeless tyres, and want to as best possible minimise the risk of a long walk home, the Topeak Mini PT30 is well worth a look.
Tools: 2, 2.5, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 8, 10mm hex keys, T10, T15, T25 Torx, 14G, 15G, Mavic M7, Shimano 4.5mm spoke wrenches, chromoly steel chain tool, chain hook, master link tool, Phillips No 2 & flat head screw drivers, tubeless tyre reamer & plug insertion tool, serrated, disc spacer
Read our review of the Topeak Mini PT30 multitool
Find a Topeak dealer
Best value cycling multitool: Topeak Hexus X 21-function tool
Buy Now for £14.00 from Amazon
The Topeak Hexus X multitool packs a lot of functionality into a pretty tight package. The chain tool is highly commended. Fitting 21 tools into a package that sits neatly on the palm of the hand is a commendable achievement from Topeak. While the overall finish may not be absolutely the best out there, everything worked well, nothing broke and it's hard to see why you would want anything more to get you out of any sticky situation on the road. It's only major downside is that the loose bits could go AWOL, so you'll just have to keep en eye on them.
Tools: 2, 2.5, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 8mm hex keys, T15, T25, T30 Torx, cross-head screwdriver, 14G, 15G spoke wrenches, steel wire chain hook, 2 tyre levers, presta valve core tool, chain tool
Read our review of the Topeak Hexus X
Find a Topeak dealer
The Topeak Hexus was the clear winner in our People's Choice multitool survey
Best ratchet cycling multitool: Uniche Stepless Tool
The Uniche Stepless Rachet multitool Wrench is a multitool that looks a bit like a CO2 inflator – compact enough to carry for beside-the-road adjustments, with an unusual ratchet giving instant engagement. It houses a good selection of durable bits, providing most of the tools you're likely to need while out on a ride. It's a pleasure to use, although its design means there's no chain tool.
Uniche says that the patented design of the ratchet mechanism is a key advantage for when you're working on hard-to-access parts of your bike.
A conventional ratchet has a certain number of engagement points (just like a freehub), and this means you can have a few degrees of rotation before you start to loosen or tighten the fastener you're working on. Here, a miniature clutch mechanism means there are effectively infinite starting positions. Compared with using a fold-out multitool, this makes it much less fiddly to access bottle cage bolts, for example. For any bolt where you've got a very limited space and hence less than 60 degrees of rotation, it's a real benefit.
Best budget cycling multitool: Birzman E-Version Mini Tool 5 Function
You get five essential tools here in a simple fold-out tool. It's nicely made, very easy to use and cheap enough that you won't get too upset if you lose it or it doesn't come back from being loaned to a friend.
Tools: 4, 5, 6mm hex keys, T25 Torx, cross-head screwdriver
Find a Birzman dealer
Read our review of the Birzman E-Version Mini Tool 5 Function
Best money-no-object cycling multitool: Silca T-Ratchet Kit + Ti-Torque Kit
Buy Now for £112.50 from Chain Reaction Cycles
The Silca T-Ratchet and Ti-Torque kit is a beautifully made, superlight, and multi-functional set of tools, made to the highest quality. Silca brand is renowned for making tools of the highest quality, with expertly finished components that are aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing. They're the type of things you might give as a gift, or treat yourself to, and keep in the cleanest part of your workspace, far away from the greasy rags and lubes that perform the grunt work on your drivetrain. The T-Ratchet and Ti-Torque kit very much continues this trend.
Read our review of the Silca T-Ratchet Kit + Ti-Torque Kit
Find a Silca dealer
Blackburn Wayside 19 multitool
Blackburn's Wayside 19 is a comprehensive multitool with a difference, namely that it packs five proper L-shaped, ball-ended individual Allen keys into a durable body, making usually hard to reach bolts easy to get to. It's durable and packed with features and it quickly became a go-to-multitool.
Read our review of the Blackburn Wayside 19 multitool
Find a Blackburn dealer
Granite Design RocknRoll Toolkit
Buy Now for £22.37 from Tweeks Cycles
The Granite Design RocknRoll tool is a ratchet tool contained in a Cordura fabric package. Inside the small roll up bundle is the ratchet tool itself, an extension rod and 9 bits including 7 Hex bits (2mm/2.5mm/3mm/4mm/5mm/6mm/8mm), Star bit (T25), and Philips bit (PH2). The tool is made from S2 alloy steel and will withstand 60NM at the gear.
The individual parts slot neatly into pockets, with two spare spaces for you to put the pieces of a quick link (not included). The whole thing rolls up (size: L130xW50xH30) and is secured closed with strong Velcro. At the rear is a loop to thread through a frame strap for extra security if you choose to attach this to your bike.
A ratchet style multitool is a great addition to any toolkit and the Granite Design RocknRoll tool is smart option, I popped this in my pack for big rides in case of emergencies in hard to reach places and also used it at home when anything from swapping stems, grips, saddle rail bolts, pedals and bottle cages. When the time calls to get it out then I much prefer using it to a regular bike multitool as its easier to manoeuvre in tight spaces and quicker to remove and install bolts too.
VeloChampion MLT18 multitool
Buy Now for £19.95 from VeloChampion
Previously known as the Gooj (for Get Out Of Jail), the MLT18 has a great selection of bits for dealing with on-road mechanical mishaps, the price is very decent and we're not sulking at all about no longer being able to make a silly joke about finding it in a cake.
Tools: Chain tool, spoke wrench sizes 1, 2, 4, 3 Shimano and Mavic, T25 Torx, Philips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, two tyre levers, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex.
Crank Brothers M17
The Crank Brothers M17 comes with the standard range of tools that you would expect. All of the tool bits are hi-ten steel, so they should last. They're fairly short too, which should reduce the chance of a tool bit twisting and snapping off. The downside is that they might be a little short for some fiddly operations but we've had no trouble.
Tools: chain tool; spoke wrench sizes #0, 1, 2, 3; 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex; Phillips #2 screwdrivers; flat #2 screwdriver; 8mm & 10mm spanner, T25 Torx
Find a Crank Brothers dealer
Read our review of the Crank Brothers M17
Cube RFR 19
Buy Now for £25.99 from Bikester
A top quality bike multitool that packs a lot of features into a very small space, leaving more room in your pack or pocket for gels and energy bars. Good value too.
Tools: chain tool; tyre lever; 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6mm hex keys; T25 Torx; Phillips #1 screwdriver; flat screwdriver; 8, 9, 10mm box spanners; 3.2, 3.3, 3.5mm spoke keys
Fabric Chamber
Buy Now for £29.99 from Broadribb Cycles
Cycling multitools tend to be roughly the same design – think Swiss army knife but for bikes rather than camping. Fabric, though, has bucked the trend with its Chamber multitool, creating a ratchet tool that functions as a multitool – and does so very well. The heads sit inside the chamber of the tool. Imagine double-sided extended drill bits sat in a holder that roughly resembles a revolver barrel. These function through the ratchet element that sits at the top of the tool.
Tools: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 8mm hex keys; SL3, SL5, PH1, PH2 screwdriver; T10 & T25 Torx
Things to know about cycling multitools
There are two schools of thought when it comes to bike multitools. You either go for one that has the absolute minimum of bits to fix things that are likely to go wrong with your own bike, or you carry as versatile a tool as possible so you can help out others too. But what bits are available?
Browse the road.cc multitool review archive.
Hex keys
Hex (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Heartlover1717:Flickr)
Also known as Allen keys, these hexagonal tools are the core of most cycling multitools. You usually need a minimum of 6, 5 and 4mm sizes, but it's worth carefully inspecting your bike for smaller ones in hard-to-find spots like brake lever and spring tension adjusters.
You may have an 8mm hex head lurking somewhere too, like the back of your pedals or the bolts holding your cranks on. Because an 8mm hex tool is large and heavy, bike multitools usually have a sleeve round a smaller bit to fit the larger size.
Screwdrivers
Check your derailleur adjustment screws and make sure your multitool has the right screwdriver bit, usually a small flat-head or cross-head driver.
Torx drivers
Once only found holding disc brake rotors in place on mountain bikes, Torx screws are becoming more common on road bikes because they are harder to round out than Hex heads. The most common application is chainring bolts, which usually need a T30 tool, while brake rotor bolts are T25.
Chain splitter
Few things can stop you dead in your tracks like a broken chain, rare though it is. We wouldn't try and repair a 10- or 11-speed chain in the field; it's a fiddly job that needs care and a good quality chain tool. Better to carry a joining link for field repairs, but you'll still need a chain tool to dismantle the old link.
Tyre levers
Some bike multitools include tyre levers, either moulded into the body of the tool or as separate parts that clip together in your bag. These tend to be a bit shorter than standard levers, so make sure you can remove your tyres with them. It'd be a bit embarrassing to find they're not up to the job in the middle of nowhere, so it's best to make room for a separate set of proper levers as well. It's not like they take up much room.
Spoke keys
If you ding a wheel or break a spoke you'll need a spoke key to set things right, especially with low-spoke-count wheels where a broken spoke can distort the wheel so much it won't pass through the frame. If you've got wheels with non-standard spokes like Mavic's or Shimano's, look for a tool with a matching spoke key
Blades
If you're taking off into the wilds for multiple days, then a knife is a handy thing to have, so some multitools come with short blades.
Explore the complete archive of reviews of multitools on road.cc
About road.cc Buyer's Guides
The aim of road.cc buyer's guides is to give you the most, authoritative, objective and up-to-date buying advice. We continuously update and republish our guides, checking prices, availability and looking for the best deals.
Our guides include links to websites where you can buy the featured products. Like most sites we make a small amount of money if you buy something after clicking on one of those links. We want you to be happy with what you buy, so we only include a product if we think it's one of the best of its kind.
As far as possible that means recommending equipment that we have actually reviewed, but we also include products that are popular, highly-regarded benchmarks in their categories.
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You can also find further guides on our sister sites off.road.cc and ebiketips.
road.cc buyer's guides are maintained by the road.cc tech team. Email us with comments, corrections or queries.
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 3 min 46 sec ago
It's also perfectly possible to drive a bus or a truck carefully, but for some reason most people are not keen to cycle around them. And indeed...
- OldRidgeback 35 min 13 sec ago
Interesting, tho they only take narrow 20" slick tyres. I'd want to be able to use 1.75 Maxxis DTHs.
- don simon fbpe 1 hour 3 min ago
Who'd've thought that a certain whinging section (right whingers get uppity for calling them what they are) of society would resort to division,...
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At least some justice is being done........
- BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP 2 hours 45 min ago
I imagine the Police treat bike theft as an insurance issue rather than a criminal issue. Can't blame them to be honest. The best thing is to use...
- David9694 3 hours 12 min ago
Police launch investigation into destruction of barber shop in Hythe High Street...
- ktache 11 hours 42 min ago
I'd love for them to put a number on that "inappropriate speed"
- Nick T 12 hours 35 min ago
They need to use some harder material for the cleat retention clip really, that's worn out long before any bearing has had a chance to fail on...
- yiipeeia 15 hours 25 min ago
I am 67 and I cycle with two groups during the year The Haddenham Easyriders International who ride during the summer on Thursday evenings, and The...
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35 comments
For those who like the Blackburn Wayside 19, also check out Deacthlon's bicycle tool. It follows the same idea, with seperate, full size allen keys, making field repairs much easier. Chain tool, tire levers and some other functions included. It's not yhe most refined tool, but it's cheap, solid and works great.
Any love for this classic other than from me?
https://wiki.multitool.org/tiki-index.php?page=Cool+Tool
(the image is missing a sleeve that gave two more Allen key sizes)
Lots of love from me! Mine was stolen in 1991 and I mourn it still. Helped me out of several tricky situations. Not so useful for modern bikes, I guess, as flat hub cones and 14mm crank bolts etc. are a lot less common.
Still have mine, lives in my carry round tool kit. Lost the 6mm hex Phillips driver key, replaced with a standard 6mm. The crank bolt bit is great and I still use it.
Yes! Sill have mine, though I lost an allen key. Still love the design.
I love my PT30, genuinely usable, lightweight, and tiny. Got mine for about £25, they're massively expensive now.
Imma leave this here
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/8-bitpack-pliers
(also available in some UK shops to avoid import duty - got mine from Merlin)
I've been using r2-bike.com to order a fair amount of bike parts recently - not had to pay any import duty so far
Worth checking the weight out before you buy. Big differences where you'd pay a fortune to upgrade components to save the equivalent weight. Leyzne Stainless 12 is about the lightest all rounder and it won't rust away in your saddlebag.
Birzman e-version 15 or Fabric Sixteen? I’m looking to get a multi-tool for my rb. Both look good and durable so it’s who has the better chain tool. Plus for Birzman as it has a flathead screwdriver.
If you use your multitool as infrequently as I do, you want to get a stainless steel one. Then it isn't all rusty when you go and use it for the first time in a couple of years.
You wrote a very good brief review of a few multi tools on the market but you failed to review what I consider to be the ultimate mini tool and that's the Park MTB 3.2 Rescue Tool; here is what this tool has (direct from Park):
1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 8mm hex wrenches
T10, T25 and T30 Torx® compatible drivers
Flat blade and Philips head screwdrivers
5- to 12-speed compatible chain tool*
Composite protective shell doubles as two super strong tire levers
Three spoke wrenches (0.127", 0.130" and 0.136"/SW-0, 1 and 2 sizes)
8, 9 and 10mm box end wrenches
Disc brake piston press
Rotor truing tool
Emergency pedal wrench
Presta valve core/extension tool (4mm)
Knife
Bottle opener
Dimensions: 85 x 45 x 40mm (3.3" x 1.8" x 1.6")
Weight: 266g (9.4 ounces)
I have other individual bicycle tools, but the Park MT3 is always near me in my seat bag so even when I'm home and I have access to my other individual tools I still find myself reaching for this mini! In fact had this mini been around when I bought some of individual tools there woul have no reason to buy those. I've even once fixed a broken down car with it!
I totally concur that the Park 3.2 multi-tool was the best one ever made for a bicycle and I was lucky enough to find one about 2 years ago, after Park foolishly stopped marketing them.
To my knowledge there's nothing on the market that has what this tool has and its quality is tops.
My toolroll contains a pair of orange plastic Continental tyre levers, an old Leatherman multitool with a slightly illegal lockable blade (I've had it nearly twenty years), and a Park Tools I-Beam hex-and-screwdriver set.
(At the moment I also have a precision philips head screwdriver and a 5mm allen key in my bag, as I did some work on my brakes and am still fiddling with them...).
(edit: I've got a full set of allen keys, a chain tool, a spoke key, and one of those Park Tools tools for lazy people to open a chain 'quick release link', but they all live at home and don't come out with me...).
I have a Swiss Army cheese knife which has an illegally long lockable blade for cutting crusty baguettes. I long for the day when I’m stopped by the police and have to explain that I’m not part of a violent youth drugs gang but simply an elderly bicycle tourist having a picnic.
My Leatherman has two lockable blades (one smooth, one ridged - oo-er, missus!), and a saw blade, as well the usual screwdriver heads etc. I use the saw blade all the time for cutting branches out of the way (I figure if it hits my head or face then its dangerous and I cut it off, if I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere).
I only recently discovered that having a lockable blade is actually illegal and they're all supposed to be the ones that fold back as soon as you actually try to use them to cut anything...
Agreed. It's an absolutely daft rule. I have a couple of knives with locking blades and the additional safety of them to me, the user, more than offsets the remote risk of getting prosecuted.
I think it's precisely the safety to you that makes them illegal. If you have to worry about the blade closing on your fingers you're less likely to stab someone with it.
I have a perfectly legal, but utterly brutal, knife called a Douk-Douk, a type which was widely used by both sides in the Algerian War for various unpleasant purposes. Part of its popularity was due to the ease with which you can turn them into fixed blade knives with a single well-placed hammer blow. Without that you could do yourself some serious damage in a knife fight if it closed on you.
https://www.insidehook.com/nation/best-handmade-pocket-knife-douk-douk-m...
I'm a big fan of the topeak hexus. It has almost all the bits you could possibly want for road side repairs and they are good quality. In 6 years or so of regular use none of the bits are looking worse for wear. I also really like the chain tool it has - it's easy to use and reliable (plus I much prefer the type where you advance to tool into a stationary chain rather than push the chain onto the tool, if that makes sense). Another advantage is that it's easy to dismantle for cleaning when necessary (if you have a tendancy like me to drop your multitool it in all sorts of muck while out, then just shoved it back in the saddle bag, being easy to thoroughly clean is definitely an advantage).
I also carry a Ritchey 5nm torque key with interchangeable heads which is useful for more careful adjustments of carbon parts
Amongst other things I carry a Topeak Mini 9. Only time I can recall having to use it was when a brifter came loose and I had to tighten it back up.
Another vote for Topeak Ratchet Rocket. Combine it with a Topeak Nano 5Nm torque head and you've got a tiny little very capable toolkit. Doesn't have a chain tool though so I've got a Topeak Ninja chain tool that goes into my handlebar.
I got a Crank Bro's M19. I think i bought it off wiggle when it was on sale. Its all the multi-tool i'll ever need.
I bought a sealy mini-ratchet for £6 and carry the heax bits I need. Compact, cheap, specific
Topeak RatchetRocket sees service on road and in shed.
Like others, I find separate 4 and 5mm allen keys are better for fettling than those attached to a multitool so I carry those too. And tyre levers. And a proper Park spoke key.
And I hardly ever use any of them!
Having used my multitool for little other than loosening 4 and 5mm bolts over the past 8 years, my most recent purchase was a £2.50 multitool from Wiggle that still had a good variety of heads on it. I'm not sure I could justify spending ten times that price for something that sits tucked away in my seat-pack awaiting a rare roadside adjustment. I do carry a separate chain tool though, since it's compact (Park Tools CT5, best I've used).
For mountain biking, the Topeak mini 18+ does it for me and I usually carry a Leatherman aswell.
For most road rides, I just carry 4mm and 5mm Hex keys and a chain breaker, although I've just added a smaller one for tweaking Campag hubs.
Can't remember the last time I used tyre levers on one of my bikes, but I carry a couple with a tube anyway.
Edit - actually, I can, but it's my very old lunchtime hack bike, so doesn't count.
After different multitools I came back using 2 seperate Allen Keys. For my discbrakes the ones in the Multitools are too short / difficult to access. I have a seperate chain tool and tire levers. I do not see the advantage to bring a multitool with things I never need along...
i got plenty of multitools - the latest of which is the pbs/victorinox multi and its just the best.
great design, weight, very very practical
i added the lezyne chain breaker to it (just ripped it off the lezyne multi) and the set is <100gr and really good in actual use.
Does anyone know of a multitool that uses a JIS, for adjustment of the limit screws out in the boonies?
I must get a few for my workshop collection, was one of those fascinating oddbits I got for The Reassembler. James May is quite good without the other 2 idiots. The show could be a bit longer though, I could have watched him putting the gearbox of the Kenwood Chef back together for hours, especially the frustration of the many failed attempts that must have been cut out.
I have good Phillipses that almost fit, and had always wondered why they never quite worked, or the flatheads. Now that I think about it the spring tensioners on my XTR Vs have the weird screwheads too, but the modern bicycle doesn't have many screwheads. The world of MTBs is moving over to the Torx standard now, away from the Allen/Hex.
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