One day the hex bolts that held my multi-tool together started to work loose and I realized that to tighten them I would need another multi-tool.
I have been collecting multi-tools ever since.
Park Tool
This is my go to multi-tool when i am working on my bike at home. A set of seven bomb proof hex wrenches wrapped in the inimitable blue park tool cladding. This multi-tool makes me feel like a real bike mechanic whenever I'm using it.
It doesn't usually go out on rides though - we'll come to that multi-tool later.
Cannondale
This is my oldest multi-tool and the one with the wonky hex bolts. I like it because it also has a flat head and a phillips screwdriver. For that reason it has found a semi-permanent home in my tool box for doing odd jobs about the house and rarely gets to work on bikes anymore.
Set of hex wrenches
Not strictly a multi-tool but worth a mention anyway. Like odd socks and favorite T-shirts these little guys have the ability to appear and disappear at will and the one you want is never there when you need it. I have at least three sets of these in varying states of disarray. All of them are metric.
Which reminds me - I must get an imperial multitool ...
Victorinox (the Swiss penknife people).
Either this is not a good multi-tool or I'm a very stupid person, or both. The hex ends are interchangeable and I can never figure out how it's all supposed to fit together and then how it's supposed to fold away again. I only use this one when I can't find any of my other multi-tools.
Fortunately this isn't very often.
Topeak Hexus II
This multi-tool is larger and slightly more fiddly than both the Park tool and the Cannondale but nevertheless this is the one I take with me when I'm out riding. As well as the hex wrenches and screwdriver heads it has spoke keys, detachable cladding that doubles as tire levers, and a chain breaker. It's this last feature that earns it pride of place in my saddle pouch. Ever snapped a chain in the middle of winter and had to wait an hour in the freezing cold for a ride home because your multi-tool didn't have a chain breaker?
Exactly.
I'm still looking for the ultimate multi-tool so if you have any suggests please let me know.
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