Standalone chain tool for saddle bag..

[benb]

Any recommendations for a chain tool to carry in my saddle bag?

I received Fix it Sticks for an Xmas gift... they are awesome. Right now I carry a Topeak tool on one bike and a Crank Brothers one on my other bike. The fix it sticks will go on the next bike, but I'll be minus a chain tool.

The chain tool on my Topeak mini-tool is great.. the tool splits in 2 and you use one of the allen keys to turn the chain press.

The chain tool on the Crank brothers tool is horrible.. very hard to turn with your hand and you have to be super super careful or it will press the pin crooked and ruin the pin and/or the chain.

I figure there has got to be a really good small chain tool that expects to be turned with an allen key.. I could carry that and use the fix-it sticks to turn it in an emergency.

Now... I've never broken a chain, ever. But I've seen other people break them so I still don't want to leave the chain tool at home.

[AngryScientist]

this is what you want. remove the attached allen key since your fix-it-sticks can be used instead. has spoke wrenches built in. you may need those some day too. well made. works good.

http://pedros.com/wp-content/uploads/SixPackChainTool_feature.jpg

[gdw]

A quality compact one piece tool is easier to use and you never have to worry about losing the allen key.
http://www.parktool.com/product/mini-chain-brute-chain-tool-ct-5

[benb]

Thanks.. love the existing Pedro's tools I have so I'll give that a try.

[R3awak3n]

this is what you want. remove the attached allen key since your fix-it-sticks can be used instead. has spoke wrenches built in. you may need those some day too. well made. works good.

http://pedros.com/wp-content/uploads/SixPackChainTool_feature.jpg

I like that it has spoke wrenches built in. Would totally get something like this, expect I always use quick link which sometimes is a huge pain to remove.

[weisan]

Park Tool CT-5 Compact Bicycle Chain Breaker

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/F7AAAOSwkNZUbmTB/s-l300.jpg

[Tony T]

The chain tool on my Topeak mini-tool is great.. the tool splits in 2 and you use one of the allen keys to turn the chain press.


Why wouldn't this be enough? It's all I depend on.
I also carry a few xtra KMC links.

[benb]

I don't like to swap tools between bikes.. makes it too easy to forget something.. same reason I don't carry my tools in my jersey. Each bike has a dedicated bag, tools, etc.. and always has the correct tube in it.

I have 2 bikes right now and this was about filling the bag on the 3rd since I got the fix-it sticks.

I like the fix-it sticks better as wrenches than either of the tools I have right now.. you get a lot more leverage and they take up very little room in the bag. Particularly if the finish holds up on them I'll replace the other tools with fix-it-sticks too as needed. (Both my other tools are rusting pretty bad)

[Tony T]

ok, I see what you mean (I read your OP too quickly)
(I just carry a Topeak mini-tool in each of my saddle bags)

[DfCas]

The Park tool is excellent for a seat bag chain tool. It actually works.

[Bob Ross]

When I used to have a saddlebag large enough to carry a human head, I just tossed a seperate chain tool in there.

When I started to succumb to the peer pressure of You Must Have A Saddlebag Smaller Than Your Scrotum I found that the seperate chain tool simply didn't fit along with two tubes, a multitool, and two tire levers. So I got one of the Crank Brothers multitools with the built-in chain tool.

What a horrific piece of crap.

So now I just toss the chain tool in a jersey pocket.

[foo_fighter]

How about in the bars?

http://www.titaniumgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/adb657574310d5ff6b29e5b173af7177_original.jpg

[11.4]

How about in the bars?

http://www.titaniumgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/adb657574310d5ff6b29e5b173af7177_original.jpg

I believe there are several of these available, as well as matching multitools that fit inside the bars. Someone at Interbike had tools that are incorporated into quick releases. And so on. The bike gets heavier but they sure look neat and it's hard to forget and leave them behind.

[benb]

That pictured topeak is not like the mini-tool I have.. that one looks like my Crank Bros. one and I bet it sucks.. they expect you to pinch part of the tool with your fingers while you turn the other half of the tool with your other hand... it doesn't work very well. Due to the lack of leverage you end up having to manhandle it and then you have a high chance of having the chain move out of alignment.

I like the compression plug one but that wouldn't necessarily work on my bike(s) due to steel steerers that have a different style plug. (I'm not sure it's removable)

[BSBD]

I pack a http://www.parktool.com/product/folding-chain-tool-with-peening-anvil-ct-6-3

It's a touch portlier than the CT-5. Fits in the case I shove into my jersey with the rest of the on the go stuff (lever, tube, fixit sticks, etc.).

[Skenry]

Are you guys actually breaking chains? I think I did once in the early nineties on a mountain bike. I usually just ride with a tube, a pump and the smallest set of allens I can find.
Scott

[Bob Ross]

Are you guys actually breaking chains?

Not me, but I had the privilege (sic) of being That Guy Who Saved My Ride 2 or 3 times last summer because I had a chain tool with me. Not exactly sure what those folks were doing to bust a chain mid-ride, but I'm pretty sure it had to do with trying to shift from big to small ring too late, while already on a climb & starting to get bogged down.

[11.4]

Are you guys actually breaking chains?

Didn't break a chain for perhaps ten years, then got a batch of Wipperman stainless chains and broke three in three months. And there wasn't a winter in the Northwest that someone didn't pick up a branch or other debris in their chain and break a chain or a rear derailleur or both. That never happens to someone with a chain tool in their bag, so the tool either makes me a hero or is a talisman that keeps me from losing a chain. Either way is good.

[commonguy001]

I pack a http://www.parktool.com/product/folding-chain-tool-with-peening-anvil-ct-6-3

It's a touch portlier than the CT-5. Fits in the case I shove into my jersey with the rest of the on the go stuff (lever, tube, fixit sticks, etc.).

I've been packing the same one and agree it's a bit heavier than the CT-5. It does fit into my seat pack's multi tool spot which (along with a small multi) which is a bonus.

[PFSLABD]

I don't like to swap tools between bikes.. makes it too easy to forget something.. same reason I don't carry my tools in my jersey. Each bike has a dedicated bag, tools, etc.. and always has the correct tube in it.

I have 2 bikes right now and this was about filling the bag on the 3rd since I got the fix-it sticks.

I like the fix-it sticks better as wrenches than either of the tools I have right now.. you get a lot more leverage and they take up very little room in the bag. Particularly if the finish holds up on them I'll replace the other tools with fix-it-sticks too as needed. (Both my other tools are rusting pretty bad)

I have the right tools per bike. I just never carry tubes in my bike tool bag because it's too easy for the tube to get pinched. I carry them in the back of my jersey. That gets to be a problem whenever I decide to ride my Bike Friday with its 20 inch wheels. I will invariably go out on the ride with the 700C tubes for the BF. Fortunately, I didn't have a flat. I always carry a patch kit, though for each bike.

I never have carried a chain breaker tool until just recently. You never know because if you carry it, your chain won't ever break.