Review on 🔧 Topeak Alien II Multi Tool: Your Ultimate All-in-One Solution for Any Bike Repair by Tanner Miller

When I read the description of this multi-tool, at first I thought it had too many unnecessary details. Turns out my roommate had the exact same multi-tool, so I used it a bit. I found that the placement of each little tool is actually very well thought out. The two halves come apart not only for convenience, but also so you can use the tools on one half to gain extra leverage to rotate the tool on the other half. Examples: if you are using a chain pin for a stuck pin, the 5mm hex wrench is on the other half so you can use it for extra leverage. If you're using a mini pedal wrench (which is fairly short, about 75% the length of the entire multi-tool), you can stiffen the pedals by inserting an 8mm allen wrench from the heavy half into the smallest hole on the pedals. pedal button. This gives you more than twice the length of the original key, a much stronger lever. A note on the mini pedal wrench: the material appears to be the same as the 8-10mm wrenches, but differs from the hex wrenches. I would have felt better with a steel pedal wrench but it might have been too heavy and this seemed to work great for tightening my pedals a bit before heading to my bike shop. So after all that I ordered one which arrived today. I've found my roommate's tools unfold with no resistance (except for the knife, which uses a locking mechanism so it never opens accidentally). My new one was much harder. I found that there are different sized hex holes on the sides of each half, so you can use the opposite half's hex wrench to tighten or loosen the folding resistance to your liking. 4mm on the bottom half adjusts the heavy half resistance, and 2.5mm on the heavy half adjusts the bottom half resistance. The knife is really VERY sharp and appears to be very strong and requires a lot of manual effort to open. . (Or maybe it's just my weak girly hands.) That's good. I have zero percent concern that it will ever be accidentally opened. Folding also requires manual effort, but be careful not to fold it over your fingers as this blade is fast. Overall I feel a lot better when I have one for myself. If you take it easy and don't want to stray too far from civilization, you can probably just take the smaller half on its own. If you go hiking, take all of these things with you. Another note that I think a lot of people will miss from these tools is that the black plastic base of each half is actually a plastic lever. They are identical. The plastic is hard and tough, will not scratch the rims and wheels. I didn't realize it at first when using the tools, I thought the plastic molds were just aesthetic and meant to connect the halves together. They don't really show it in pictures or diagrams, but it's really nice! Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.