Gear review: Pro Bike Tool 20 in 1 multi-tool
Pro Bike Tool are taking on renowned home mechanic heavyweights like Park Tool and Crank brothers with their range of bike maintenance gear. We got our hands on their 20 piece multi-tool and had a play with it.
What's a multi-tool?
Multi-tools are essentially a pocket-size toolkit for your bike. Designed to be small and portable, they're the Swiss army knife of cycling, comprising a mixture of hex keys and screwdrivers to help with any mechanical issues while on the road, along with some other bike-specific tools you never knew you needed.
What we like
Spoiler alert; it's great.
First, it's lovely to look at, and feels great to hold. It just feels premium and rock solid. It's a simple and elegant CNC machined steel and aluminum affair, with a lovely little wallet to store it in.
Dinky toy: Pro Bike Tool's multitool is small and beautiful
It's much smaller than other multi-tools of its type, which makes it much more practical to slip into your jersey or storage bag on your bike.
It comprises the expected range of hex keys and screwdrivers and a couple of useful extras. The chain tool is particularly welcome and is nicely rigid. We popped a chain pin out in under a minute, and there was no flex in the thread like some flimsier tools.
Also of note is the valve core remover; great for lovers of tubeless tyres when it's sealant top up time.
What we didn't like
Not much. If we're being picky, we found that when using anything that required turning (like tightening a bolt), the flat rectangular shape meant we had to pause and shift our grip on the tool as we rotated it. It's not a massive issue, but worth pointing out. That said, the shape did make using the chain tool much easier to hold
Anything else?
Pro Bike Tool keeps the packaging to a minimum. Big thumbs up
Pro Bike Tool are rightly proud of their environmental credentials. There's no plastic here, and the box is tiny at 80mm long. In fact, when we unboxed it, someone in the office did a double-take and asked why the box was so small. But green ethics are an important part of any business, and the obvious drive for minimal packaging is a great feather in Pro bike Tool's cap.
Should I buy it?
Yes. It sells for £30 in the UK or $30 in the USA. This is cheaper than comparable multitools from Park Tool, Crank Brothers, and Topeak.
It's a cracking little tool, beautifully made, works like a charm, looks brilliant, and doesn't cost the earth, in either sense.
Verdict: 4.5/5
Small and perfectly formed, and cheaper than its rivals, Pro Bike Tool have scored a win with this beauty of a multi-tool. It's a premium tool at an amazing price, and we're just as happy using it as we are showing it off to our friends. We won't leave home without it.
We thank the nice people at Pro Bike Tool for sending us a 20 in 1 multi-tool to test. This did not affect our review, which was done during a mix of mid-ride tooling and home maintenance
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