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

The variety of tools is excellent, they are clearly marked which is a big plus and the tools themselves are solid. As with most slow cookers, the tire levers suck, but it's still a good idea to carry a few small Pedro levers. Crochet hooks make it so easy. The problem for me when it arrived was the weight, the poor quality of the binding on both sides and the size, which eventually led me to return it. For half the price you can get the Crank Brothers Multi-Bike Tool (17 functions) and get the useful tools that come with the kits without paying extra for the extra weight and tools you don't need. , spoke wrenches, open end wrenches, T-25 wrenches but ignores multitool features like tire levers and wrench sizes not found on bike parts (open end 9mm), chain pin bays (unnecessary) . The result is a package that's not only more compact, but also lighter by over 100g (from 168g to 290g, no idea why it says 270g here, but the Topeak website and the box itself says 290 G). At $19-$33 it seems like a no-brainer unless you need one of the two tools I want the handle to include: - a bottle opener (not required for field repairs, but a nice one gesture) - Mini Pedal Wrench (even Topeak's manual says that the Mini Pedal Wrench is so weak that it can't even remove the pedal when it's fully tightened, but this option is good because that's how the Multi Pedal Wrench is designed that it still works The mini pedal wrench is limited. Never attempt to remove securely fastened pedals from the crank with the mini pedal wrench.") Last but not least, there is a well-documented difference in customer service between the two companies. Crank Brothers is considered the best service in the business based on availability and warranty If you can even reach Topeak by phone, good luck getting in touch h the decision lies in whether mini pedal wrenches and bottle openers are worth nearly doubling the price and weight and sacrificing some warranty peace of mind. Some people might not mind spending the extra cash and having plenty of room in their bag, but for those who have very little saddlebag space but plenty of free space in their wallet, I would look at the Crank.