A good quality tool kit is a canny investment. This relatively affordable offering contains 37 tools, including Allen keys from 2mm to 10mm. The ball ends make out-of-the-way bolts more accessible but longer handles would make it easier to remove stubborn pedals or cranks.
Also provided are a chain breaker, pedal spanner, chain whip, cassette tool, six-sided spoke key, cone spanners and external BB and crank cap tools, all of which work well. The trio of (slightly flimsy) tyre levers and puncture repair kit are a bonus.
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Some of the other tools are less useful. The internal BB tool and square-taper crank extractor are largely redundant for work on modern bikes, and the headset spanner is something of a relic.
One thing that is needed these days is a decent range of Torx keys, and only two sizes are provided – T25 and T30, admittedly the most useful. The final tool is a socket driver with four screwdriver heads and four sockets (7,8,9 and 10mm). It’s a little fiddly, but gets the job done.
The box itself is tricky to pack up without tools coming loose and stopping you closing the lid. It’s easy to carry though.
It's worth mentioning that this kit is essentially a generic one that can be easily found with other brand labels. However, X-Tools' kits can often be sourced at bargain prices, and carry trustworthy warranty support.
