|
Crank Brothers
Crank Brothers Multi-5 Tool
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Fungus Amungus
a Cross Country Rider
from Neither
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$8.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Small & has just the right size Allens keys,nothing more,nothing less. I also like the handle & it's design. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Allen keys & Allen ratchet sockets. | | Bike Setup: | Yup, they are set up. | | Bottom Line: | Great little tool, i like it. I have had no problem with rust or the key ends end rounding &/or stripping out bolt heads.. I have used this tool for over a year & i use it quite a bit. Some people have no idea what they are doing with tools. a tool can either help you or it can be a tool to worsen whatever it is you are trying to fix in the first place.
As it is said some people should never,ever touch tools. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Hungary
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Kosièe | | Strengths: | Looks good, lifetime warrianty | | Weaknesses: | Poor material, uncomfortable, heavy, lifetime | | Similar Products Used: | Bondhus | | Bike Setup: | Merida | | Bottom Line: | This is a demo tools, best if you put it into the vitrine. Dot too durable, not recommended for general use because the wrench steel is very soft. After few weeks it is started to rusting. You can buy much better quality, no name chinese tools for $4-5... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dude dudester
a
from dudesville
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | MINE | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson | | Strengths: | cool desighn | | Weaknesses: | RUST | | Similar Products Used: | topeak alien | | Bike Setup: | Big full squish bike | | Bottom Line: | If this thing did'nt rust it would be cool seems to have most of the stuff I needed before someone ripped my pack off. I am now looking for a replacement and will probably not go with another crank brothers.
Oh yea did I mention AIRBOMB AND BEYOND BIKES ARE CROOKS! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Smokey Strodtman
a Weekend Warrior
from Gilliam, MO USA
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Rock Bridge State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$14.00 | | Purchased At: | nashbar.com | | Strengths: | Has basic tools needed for most repairs, except a chain breaker, which I've never needed anyway. Lightweight, stores easily in a jersey pouch or small seat pack. | | Weaknesses: | Rust, rust, rust!! Mine started doing it less than a month after I purchased it. | | Similar Products Used: | Topeak Alien (my favorite, but quite a bit bulkier). Blackburn multi-tool. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher hardtail with lots of mods, all stuff I bought on sale. SRAM drivetrain and a Thudbuster for my bad back. Kind of an old school trail bike, I run flat bars and bar ends. | | Bottom Line: | This tool has been a bit of a disappointment due to the rust problem. It is very handy and the one I usually take on non-epic rides, however. I like Crank Brothers products and have several others, including the original Power Pump and Eggbeater pedals. They need to make this tool out of some higher quality stainless steel to get a higher rating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Wyman
a
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | mail order | | Strengths: | Light weight, minimal amount of tools | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Various allen wrenches | | Bike Setup: | Specialized 2001 Stumpjumper hardtail | | Bottom Line: | The previous reviewer picked the wrong tool - this is for the Crank Brothers Multi-5 tool, not the version w/ 17 tools.
I think this is a terrific tool - it has the basic wrenches most likely to be needed for repair on the fly, as well as a screwdriver for working with a deraillieur. All the wrenches and the srewdriver fold very neatly into a compact package, and it is light in weight.
I do carry other tools and such - chain breaker, spoke wrench, tire wrenches, patch kit, etc. But as the Crank Bros. say, I don't need a can opener on a multi-tool.
If you already have the basic set of tools, minus the allen wrenches, or if your allen wrenches are heavy and awkward to use/carry, spring for the Mutli-5. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Donnie Frank
a Downhiller
from Albuquerque, N.M., U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any trail in the Sandia Mt.'s | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Albuquerque Bicycle Center | | Strengths: | Bullet-proof. Folds nicely. Has spoke tool. Has chain link tool. | | Weaknesses: | Pretty darn heavy. Spoke tool has a hard time with stiffer spoke nipples. Very heavy for its size. None of the blades lock.
| | Similar Products Used: | Leatherman multi-tool. Gerber multi-tool. | | Bike Setup: | Stock 1999 Trek YSL-300 full suspension composit
frame with aluminum triangle. With the exception
of Bontrager wheels from a Sugar 1, she’s bone stock. Stock components include RockShox SID shocks front
and rear, Avid brakes, XTR combination brake levers
and shifter set, XTR derailleurs, Bontrager handlebars
and gooseneck, XTR cranks with Shimano "Mega" cogs,
and an XT cassette on the Brontager rear wheel. Paid $1,000.00 used.
| | Bottom Line: | First off, I don't know where the nice folks at
MTBR got the $9.99 MSRP. The tool I'm reviewing
has 7 allen wrenches, 1 torx, 1 slotted screwdriver,
1 philips, a spoke tool with 4 different nipples
sizes, and a chain link tool. As you can see,
I paid considerably more than 10 bux for it.
That said, I'll move on.
Second, I've owned and used this tool for about
a month and a half. When filling out this form
we're given the choice of "less than a month" or "3 months." 1.5 months is closer to "leass than a
month" than "3 months", so I chose the former.
I listed one of the weaknesses as "pretty darn
heavy." Being an avid tool guy, owning thousands
of tools, I realize in our neandertholic (tm)
tool world, heavier is better. But in the world
of Mt. Biking, lighter is better - a definite
conflict. It seems that, though the blades
themselves need to be made of hardened ferrous
metals for durability, the housing holding the
blades together could easily be made of aluminum
alloy or some other NON-ferrous metal. The
Crank Bros multi-tool weighs in at 160 grams
or roughly 1/3 lb. - pretty heavy. I realize
unless they make a $200.00 multi-tool made from
titanium, we're going to be stuck with this
heavy weight. However if I take the tool
apart, I bet I could contribute at least 30%,
if not 50%, of the tool's total weight to the
housing. I think for a couple bux more they
could use a non-ferrous metal for the housing.
I believe this would get the total weight closer
to 100 grams. But I digress...
The reason I compared this *bicycle* tool to
other *non* bicycle multi-tools like the
Leatherman and Gerber is because I believe,
with the exception of the blades, the basic
design concepts are the same. If any of you
have ever used an older Leatherman with
non-locking blades, and then a newer Leatherman
or Gerber *with* locking blades, you know
they just don't compare - especially when
trying to use either the standard or phillips screwdrivers. Non locking blades are *extremely* inconvenient and downright unsafe. I'm going to
subtract an entire flaming turn because of the
non-locking characteristics of this tool.
Because of the short blade length and non-locking characteristics of this multi-tool, the
screwdrivers are practically useless. I
tried adjusting my cheaper Shimano brakes
on my cheaper Mongoose MTB (brakes being
outfitted with a phillips head adjuster
screw instead of an allen head screw like
on Shimano's higher-end brakes), but was
almost completely frustrated because of the
non-locking phillips screwdriver. Flat
out, the screwdriver portion of this
multi-tool sucks out loud and is practically
useless. And forget the flat-head. It's
practically a decoration.
The non-locking characteristics don't really
affect the allen tools. Anyone who's used
a multi allen tool knows the individual
allens never lock - no matter what brand you
purchase.
So far my favorite part of this multi-tool
has been the spoke tightener, though it did
have difficulty on some of the tougher nipples
on a *new* set of wheels. You really have
to make sure the nipple is well seated into
the tool or it'll try to strip the nipple.
This may be characteristic of *all* spoke
tools. I certainly hope not. I have no basis
for comparison. When my TS-2 gets here, I plan
on upgrading my spoke tightening tool. If
you wonder why I was straightening a *new* set
of wheels, let's just say I ride pretty hard,
I like jumping, and I don't always land
correctly..
I'm going to give this tool an "average" rating
of 3 flaming turds for value and and 3 flaming
turds for overall quality.
My recommendation is to NOT purchase this tool.
Someone out there has to make a tool with locking
blades. Perhaps I will search for one via this
website when I'm through with this review. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$ 9.99
