Tern Tool V2.0 replaced the flat head screwdriver by an 2nd 5mm hex key, thus solving the problem mentioned in the video. A follow-up video was published discussing Tern Tool V1.0 Wrench Failure ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kRypxSUiqnU.html )
on long trips i only carry patchkit, tube, spare tyre, spare valve, 3 levers, 3-4-5 mm allen, and a 15 mm wrench. i never remove the pedals and don't carry braking pads and of course this doesn't prepare me for chain problems but i can live with that. i'd just get off and push the bike until i reach a shop if i ever break a chain somehow. i'll consider adding an 8 mm wrench because of this video. never thought about it but this could have come in handy last time the stranded water froze into the brake cable housing right at the caliper where it's going upwards.
Thank you for this incredibly informative and helpful video, Pam and Gilbert. I remain estactic about recently acquiring my very first Brompton bike (Explore M6R in racing green) and assumed that Brompton's tool kit would cover all of my wrenching needs. Thank you for elucidating its shortcoming so that I'm not placed in a sticky repair situation out on the road. And, thank you for the update on Tern's multi tool. Cheers!
Just bought the Brompton tool kit and needed to use it the very next day... So Happy for the purchase, worth Every Penny! The thought and elegance of Design, (Capital "D") is impressive and on par with the brand. Well done Brompton!
This was an excellent video, expertly made, presented, edited and narrated. Presenting the pros and cons was really helpful as was presenting alternatives to the standard kits. A big thanks and thumbs up from me guys.
This may very well be among the most informative clips-concerning a very important subject……..on-the-road maintenance-that I have ever seen. Not only informative, but well articulated, with more than a hint of professionalism in the filming. Kudos!
Excellent video! Tried several multitools. However, almost all multitools either have tools I won't ever need (if my bike doesn't have a single torque screw I won't ever need a torque key) or they miss at least one crucial tool I really need/want (say a 15mm wrench for my Brompton rear wheel). Even if I buy the dedicated tool it's missing something I'd definitely would want (say a spoke key on the Brompton tool). Home and hardware stores sell these little ratchet kits that have most nuts ([phillips] screw heads, allen key heads, 8mm and 10 mm nuts etc) for little money. The only downside? The nuts stop at 13mm for the 1/4 inch standard (15mm nuts are usually based on the automotive 1/2 inch standard which is overkill for a bicycle and won't have small sizes). But you need a 15 mm nut for the wheels too! Internet to the rescue! Online hardware stores (or simply amazons hardware corner) do sell 15 mm nuts based on the 1/4 inch standard! Basically I mix & match exactly the tools I want (and not more!) for little money, based on a ratch based system of bits & nuts, a very small chain breaker (the other half of which is your ratch + 5 mm bit to operate the chain breaker) etc. There's only two downsides: storage will never be as neat as a dedicated multitool and if you didn't think of possibly needing it the tool won't have been automatically included... Strong hint: replace any tool you "borrowed" from your toolbox for this "bicycle repair kit" because otherwise you'll be tempted to "borrow" the tool back and then find it missing on a future trip!
Internal gear hubs apply more torque and therefore never use quick release wheels. (All bikes with internal gear hubs I had used the system shown in the video)
I have the Brompton toolkit and also utilise an old spectacles case for the other bits and pieces. In it I have squeezed a flat spanner which includes an open ended 15mm spanner and a spoke key. A Swiss Army knife, a chain tool broken down in to 3 parts, an empty biro with a couple of cable ties inside and duct tape and electricians tape wrapped round the outside. An extender for the bits, a few spare nuts and bolts, chain links, a velcro strap, emergency cash and to stop it all rattling, 4 surgical gloves. I keep it in my bag but it could at a pinch go under the saddle on its edge and be held in place with velcro. In the frame on the other side to the toolkit I have a spare inner tube, strong cable ties and more surgical gloves. They are all wrapped in clingfilm and tape. It can be pulled out using the valve.
Hi Steve. We have a somewhat similar kit when we go on longer trip, you may have seen it already here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UsvSZ_0Sx0w.html
This is amazing video with wealth of good tips. A big thank you for that! I'm looking to buy Tern tool for some time but they seem to be sold out here in UK, so is Brompton's tool.
Very helpful. Thank you. I carry a Brompton toolkit and also a leatherman multi tool. Pliers, knife (and bottle opener!) are the most frequently used additional tools. Thanks
Great video! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and those researches on the tools. These are really invaluable information for Brompton users. The 4th day with my Brompton. I used to have a crankbrother m17 mutlitool, which is excellent for road bike. But it doesn't contain the spanner that Brompton needs. I guess the best option as an emergency multi-tool is the tern tool. Here again thank you for the video!
Just received the Brompton tool kit and on balance I think I'll keep it. Brompton kit + Park Tool mini chain tool + 3-way spoke wrench + extra ball-ended 5mm & 4mm hex wrenches as a back-up. I'd be wary of using a spoke wrench found on a multitool; the Brompton Superlight has alloy nipples and form experience the metal is soft.
Do be careful with the Tern Tool mounting system under the saddle. I have two pouches. Why you ask? Because my brand new tern tool bounced out of the pouch on my inaugural Tern Tool Brompton ride which happened to coincide with a flat about 10 miles from home. I managed to patch the tube without removing the wheel, but I had already called for help and I was so discouraged that I took the ride home anyway :) I bought a second tool to replace the one that escaped, and tool #2 lives in its pouch inside a newly acquired saddle bag held closed by a zipper.
Very informative comparison !! One of my Birdy has SRAM & other has Sturmey Archer dual drive. I went in for Tern Tool as it has 15 mm open wrench. SRAM hub has much bigger flange and cannot use close end 15 mm spanner. Chain tool is very important while touring. Keep it up !
Some Brompton front hubs have 13mm AF nuts so not covered by the expensive Brompton toolkit. I found that a strip aluminium liner for the 15mm spanner made it usable in an emergency (mine has been painted matt black to make its projecting head less obvious when the bike is folded).
I recently added the Prestacycle Pro Wallet Kit to my portable bike tools. It is compact ala Topeak with a torque wrench. Fits easily in my basket bag zipper pocket. Use it whenever I have to tighten a bolt to a specified torque.
I have three bikes and my toolkit of choice is made by Chapman Tools. Top-quality USA-made stuff. I made my own kit starting from their master set, and supplementing from their a la carte options. That basic kit is indispensable for my German bike, where everything is star bits and hex. I added some proper-quality spanners (wrenches), tire irons and spoke wrenches (from other US companies) I need for each individual bike. I tend to prefer US- or EU-made tools, and since I live in the US, USA-made is what's most available. I also have a torque wrench from a Swiss company that's made in Italy. Don't skimp on cheap tools, buy good stuff once and you'll never need to buy it again 🙂
@@2Bikes4Adventure Thanks, I checked out Silca. Looks like great stuff. Their pressure gauge, while a bit pricey, looks impressive - especially for small tires where pressure is particularly important. Their tire pumps, too - the one I have is over 20 years old and may break sometime!
Have a look at the Wera Bicycle set 3, good in the workshop and it comes with a second tool holder so you can bring a subset of the tools on the road. Should cost around $60.
Informative, however another suggestion for minimising tools carried. There's a huge variety of fasteners on those bikes, substitute fasteners are available in alternative keyings, not that unreasonable to swap a few of the fasteners on the bike, especially on low load/risk fittings such as those on your cockpit adjustments (I have done so on my mountain bike so only 1 tool fits all the adjustment screws when previously I needed 2). If doing so, I'd still recommend using some high quality fasteners, especially if changing any fastener that is under substantial torque or load.
@@2Bikes4Adventure hadn't considered the lighter weight fastener aspect, however I must indeed concur that this could also be a benefit for some. I would again urge caution as titanium fasteners are actually not as strong as you'd think and may indeed be weaker in some applications, which isn't to say inappropriate for use on a bike but you don't want to be removing a broken screw on the side of the road
Good information and summary of many tools and their pros and cons. I learned something new about those posi fasteners as well. Thank you for the informative, and well researched (learned the hard way I assume) content.
An excellent video with a lot useful information, hand-on experience and tips. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to your next adventure/video. Stay healthy and be safe!
I bought the Tern tool and the 6mm hex rounded after a couple of uses. I found the Topeak and Brompton quality to be far superior which is probably why they cost more. Other than not considering quality, this review is spot on.
Interesting point. So far, we haven’t experienced any problem with our Tern Tool, but we usually only use it while touring. The Topeak (and Silca) ratchets are great alternative to the Brompton ratchet.
I've got the cool tool, tern tool and brompton toolkit. It was good to see a rundown of what's missing from each one. The tern and brompton are very elegant but the cool tool is so good at getting the back wheel off and I have a mixture of old and new bromptons to service which don't match that well with the newer tools - it would be had to choose.
Unfortunately, no single tool ticks all the check-boxes. Until we find one, we have to supplement the best one with a few extra keys/bits. It also gives us a good excuse to keep on buying new multitools 😀
We could add the Park Tool MT-1 Rescue Wrench to the list of alternatives (you have one in your kit). The 8 and 10mm socket wrenches it offers make a good addition to a more conventional multitool set-up.
@@2Bikes4Adventure that's a simple one but I carry other lose stuff around. I liked the Tern one you carry but seems hard to find. Topeak Rocket also seems good and easily available. One day I should get one :) Thanks
I've got the Tern multi-tool...and some plastic tyre levers. Keep them in a handy pouch along with a couple of spare tubes, a small pump (with pressure gauge), and some wet-wipes which I can easily transfer between my Mini-O-Bag or T-Bag.
The Tern tool 6-8 mm wrench, when inverted and re-inserted in the main body makes also for a very potent tire lever (01:47) if you ever loose your plastic ones.
Verry helpful! Take a look at the Knipex 86 03 125 Mini (pliers and wrench in one) that can replace all hex nut keys up to 23mm on a bike, 105g in best German tool quality. For me the perfect bike tool in combination with a Vivtorinox 30303 bit tool and a chainbreaker covers all I need for my bike.
@robingood62, Good suggestions. The challenge with very versatile tools is to resist the urge to use them somewhere else and forget to put them back in the bicycle tool kit.
Amazingly done video. Thanks for the the dedication to a quality video. Very informative for a new Brompton owner. Not having access to the tools mentioned, I compared the tools I owned and found out the Topeak Alien II met most of your must-haves (except pozidriv). Wondering if you considered that one. Thanks!!
The Alien II is excellent, we would worry about the capability of its 15mm open wrench however. Being quite short, it could prove to be difficult to apply the necessary torque required to unscrew a stubborn front or rear axel nut. Maybe there is a way to increase leverage using the 10mm hex key ? If worst come to worst, you may need a separate stubby 15mm open wrench (about $10) for your tool kit. Enjoy your new Brompton!
The clever design of the Brompton is tempting…but the lack of a chain tool (for me) is a fatal flaw. It’s a bloody expensive puncture repair kit as thats aboutn the only job it does well. I think I’ll be taking the Terns slightly less clever storage solution, cheaper price and better functionality
The Brompton logo does come with a price premium. The Tern Tool let us down recently (ref ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kRypxSUiqnU.html ). We still like it, but it lost our "Preferred Tool" status.
Great video, very useful. As a new Brompton owner I found it particularly useful. I shall be looking for a Tern Tool with supplements. I like the clever Brompton toolkit but it's 'cons' are too much for the price. Thanks
I too have the Tern (captive parts ensures less loss) but would like to swap out the Torx T25 bit for a Brompton compatable driver. Any suggestions? With the Brompton Tool Kit I have added (carried seperatly) the extension, the magnetic socket holds a 25mm long H8, handy for the folding pedal and hex socketed Crank bolts. In with the kit a H6 tucked behind the tyre levers at the socket end of the holder, a PH2 also (25mm long) rests loose on the top of the Ratchet Spanner to which is taped a 1.5 mm hex key (my Brompton has an ACE Aliminium front carrier). Take care opening the tool kit as you have loose bits. The H6 + Extension reaches down to the Stem binder bolt even on Brompton H stem bikes, I did not trust the small engagement in the extension of the double ended bit. Take care both. Thank you for the interesting vlogs.
Would certainly like to swap that T25 for a real 5 or 8mm There are a fair amount of multitools on AliExpress with the same basic design as the Tern Tool (except for the 2 wrenches), but they unfortunately have the same T25 key as well. If it wasn’t the case, we could have swapped that key for something more useful on a Brompton (salvaging the part for the AliExpress’) I like your addition to the Brompton Toolkit. Hopefully, Brompton will get the hints and create a version 2.0
Thank you so much for the sharing! As I believe often the seatpost needs to be removed during travel, and should indeed be tightened to 15 Nm. Would you mind sharing your experience, may I know if you have any suggestions when it comes to torque wrenches? Thank you very much!
At home, we use a ProBikeTool 1/4 inch Torque Wrench (rated from 2 to 20Nm). Too big to travel with, but does provide a wider torque range than more “portable” tools (usually from 2 to 6Nm). On tour, we don’t really miss it. We would probably be more careful if we had carbon parts (ex T-Line). Topeak offers nice "torque" version of their Rocket Multi-tool (LT NTX and LT NTX+).That's probably the one we would choose.
But do you ever need to remove pedals when cycling around? I mean, this "advantage" of the Tern multitool kit doesn't seem like a real advantage. Also, do the metal tire levers on the Brompton multitool scratch the rim? Also, regarding the chain-breaker, wouldn't a master link solve the issue? I can't imagine a situation where one would need to add/remove chain links from their chain. But with a master link, you can use shoelaces to open/close the master link. Lastly, why does one need a spoke tool? I would hardly try trueing a wheel in the middle of the road! Again it seems like a job for when you get home to your toolset. Ps: I'm new to cycling on the street/long distances so I understand that I might lack information that would answer my questions. Thank you for this video! (I'm duplicating this comment on the other video you made about minimalist tool kits)
- We need to remove the Brompton right pedal when using the Samsonite Epsilon for air travel (won’t fit in otherwise). - Indeed, plastic tire levers are safer (but also more fragile), as Brompton quickly found out with their initial design. We often have both types with us (the multitool acting as backup if the plastic one breaks). - We had to buy a new chain while in Thailand once. We didn’t have a chain tool with us, so had to rely on a local bike shop to shorten to the right length and install it. Not critical, but nice to have on remote trips. - On more than one occasion, a weird “ping” sound while cycling was traced back to a loose spoke. A quick tightening solved the problem. - We released a follow-up video concerning an issue with our Tern tool: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kRypxSUiqnU.html
You are right, it is a lot simpler with a telescopic seatpost. We do own one, but on trips, we prefer to bring the regular post (which is long enough for us) and save 300 gr even if it means having to install/remove the seat at the airport.
@herrdered, we started by modifying this Amazon kit ( amzn.to/45ALLHu ) to fit in the Brompton front tube and investigated a way to add a 15mm key or socket. Unfortunately, we haven’t finalized the video yet.
Like most Brompton branded items, well made, practical and not cheap
2 года назад
Amazing video, watching it again as I'm getting more familiar with my bike and the toolkit. This 8mm nut (key?) on 6:42 - the one that you put on top of a smaller 4 mm key - how do you even call it? I would love to buy something like that too, but I can't even figure out the way this thing/converter/adapter is called. Would really appreciate if you could tell me the name of this nut.
The one on the video was taken from the Parktool MTC-30. They call it an “8mm Hex Sleeve” (Parktool part No 963) Topeak also sell a similar item under a different name (www.bike24.com/p22079.html)
@Athenasraven, as we often fly to our destination, the Co2 is pretty much out of the question. Our preference goes for mini floor pump like the Topeka Mini Morph ( amzn.to/411jdoX ) . It is way easier to use than a regular mini hand pump and not much bigger. We bring a similar model overtimes we travel as we have to inflate all 4 tires at the airport. For casual ride around town, the Brompton Zefal is barely sufficient. We purchase a Pro Bike pump with gauge ( amzn.to/3XosG6s ) than can be fitted in the seat post (we have the old seat post bungs).
No, we haven’t. The tool is clever and, by itself, not too expensive. However, the need to change the bottom bracket and crank suddenly makes it less economical. The Wolf Tooth EnCase multi-tool (it goes in the handlebars) could be a good alternative.
Although we certainly wish to visit the Philippines in the future, unfortunately, those M1890M1 12” mortars are not those found in (Fort Mills) Corregidor. These are located in Fort DeSoto, near St.Petersburg in Florida.
It is required for the pedals. The adaptor on the video was taken from the Parktool MTC-30. They call it an “8mm Hex Sleeve” (Parktool part No 963) Topeak also sell a similar item (www.bike24.com/p22079.html)
@@2Bikes4Adventure I'm looking for a multitool setup for my new brompton, and was looking at this. Wouldn't the Crank Brothers 17 suffice? Wouldn't both lack the tire levers other than the 15mm wrench?
The Crankbrother 17 and 19 are very versatile and cost effective choices, but as mentioned, a separate 15mm wrench would need to be added (+ tire levers).
