# Tesco cycling tool



## MarkF (2 Dec 2007)

Just looking at the cycling stuff in Tesco today and the cycling tool caught my eye, I lost my last one when my bike was nicked. I stood there thinking about buying it whilst looking at the throwover panniers that I bought last year. These disintegrated in 5 weeks and I was told by the staff that they were only guaranteed for one month! Can you believe that?

So.......although I wanted one, I knew it was going to be crap, I'd be disappointed but I *did* need one, I still had to fine tune the fit of my new bike. I thought about it and thought about the panniers fiasco and all the arguing and took the plunge and bought it.

I went for a ride, wanted to lower the seat a tad, pulled out my Tesco tool from my bar bag and a little nut fell off it. I watched it bounce off the frame, moved to catch it and missed, the nut hit the road and slipped down a drain, the tool fell apart and the road was covered with cheap tools, 2 black plastic case pieces and numerous washers.

It lasted 2 seconds, is this a record?


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## John Ponting (2 Dec 2007)

At least you have the satisfaction of being proved right.


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## HLaB (2 Dec 2007)

Unlucky mate. As a back up to my Topeak Multi tool I bought a cheap one out of Asda and use the latter for commuting and touch wood it has not let me down.


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## yenrod (2 Dec 2007)

Secret here is to put some thread-lock on threads of the bolt that holds all the individual 'keys' or just tighten em reg. 

Sorry for being 'smart arse on this !


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## Fab Foodie (2 Dec 2007)

yenrod said:


> Secret here is to put some thread-lock on threads of the bolt that holds all the individual 'keys' or just tighten em reg.
> 
> Sorry for being 'smart arse on this !



Buy cheap...buy twice.


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## Tynan (3 Dec 2007)

tools are a bad thing to go cheap on, there's no cheap way to make hard well made metals

so anything like screwdrivers, drills, spanners, allen keys etc that you can imagine relying on to loosen/tighten something urgently ...

don;t use something liable to strip or fail


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## cyclebum (3 Dec 2007)

I have been even more of a skinflint, till I got told off by Mickle for using old Ikea tools!!!


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## Cab (3 Dec 2007)

Surely something like those throwover panniers, if they disintegrate after five weeks, then they were not fit to fulfill the purpose for which they were sold, and whether or not Tescos guarantee just a month they would have been obliged to give you the money back because the merchandise was faulty?
Or am I living in a dream world?


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## Danny (3 Dec 2007)

cyclebum said:


> I have been even more of a skinflint, till I got told off by Mickle for using old Ikea tools!!!



I always carry an Ikea allen key with me. I never realised this was in breach of the Mickle laws of cycling


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## Abitrary (4 Dec 2007)

I've been using the 8 quid asda (bell) tool for about a year now and it seems robust enough


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## MarkF (4 Dec 2007)

Cab said:


> Surely something like those throwover panniers, if they disintegrate after five weeks, then they were not fit to fulfill the purpose for which they were sold, and whether or not Tescos guarantee just a month they would have been obliged to give you the money back because the merchandise was faulty?
> Or am I living in a dream world?



Of course I got some new ones foc, I howled and whinged until I got them! But I kid you not, they tried to tell me that they carried a one month guarantee and "what did I want them to do"? 

I have since bought some decent panniers and clip ons from S&S and it makes you realise just how shoddy the Tesco ones are, particularly the stitching and the cardboard inner.


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## fossyant (4 Dec 2007)

I bought one of the Tesco multi tools - mine has so far been OK but I've never used it - for emergencies only - TBH I've not needed any tools out on the road other than for the fairy visits, but then I'm anal about the maintenance on the bikes. I need locking up !


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## HLaB (4 Dec 2007)

Dannyg said:


> I always carry an Ikea allen key with me. I never realised this was in breach of the Mickle laws of cycling


I was adjusting my cleats the other day with one of those that came with Ikea furniture, the head just rounded, got one of my other keys and the bolts loosened off easily.


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## mickle (4 Dec 2007)

Dannyg said:


> I always carry an Ikea allen key with me. I never realised this was in breach of the Mickle laws of cycling



Yup. Cheap tools have a nasty habit of rounding off your nuts. Saddlebums binder was completely rounded out.








(One of these days I'll be spouting off on matters technical and someone will prove me wrong and I'll be so embarrassed that I'll have to disappear and re-register with a new user name. )


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## fossyant (4 Dec 2007)

Mickle - I'm watching...so far so good....heh heh.

Shimano tools and Camp****lo  tools in my tool box....wouldn't use anything else.....


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## nilling (5 Dec 2007)

My father-in-law got me a box spanner off car boot. It was made from metalique (metal look-a-likey) and eventually snapped on first job grrrr...


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## funnymummy (24 Apr 2011)

Abitrary said:


> I've been using the 8 quid asda (bell) tool for about a year now and it seems robust enough



I've had one for longer then i can remember & its never let me down 

I do have a full set of good tools at home, but for my saddle bag I only keep cheap tools in it - If i'm leaving it attched to the bike will popping in & out of shops I am not going to give some thieving toe-rag the luck of walzting off with my good tools!


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## Davidc (24 Apr 2011)

I have a couple of those Z shaped Ikea allen keys in my saddlebag tool kits. One 4 and one 5 or 6 (forgotten which) mm.

They've come in useful a couple of times for undoing the non QR skewers on my wheels. I wouldn't use them for anything other than light low torque jobs. I also keep a reasonable quality multitool - too fiddly for the wheels - and a Halfords kit with puncture repair stuff plus a multi-spanner in the saddlebags but have rarely needed anything but the tyre levers and the Ikea thing.

For home use and proper maintenance I'd never use anything but good quality mid-range tools which will last well and not damage the components they're working on.


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## oldroadman (24 Apr 2011)

You wouldn't buy groceries and furniture from a proper tool supplier, so why but tools from grocers and furniture shops. Simple wisdom, born of experience. Most "cycling" stuff from the categories above, plus Halfords, is likely to be cheap and not so cheerful. Decent quality tools last a lifetime, looked after. Cheap tools last until you need them to be used as tools. Then you go buy something decent.
"The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten".


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## david k (24 Apr 2011)

got an AA one of ebay, seems good


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## supercooper (25 Apr 2011)

One simple saying " Buy cheap...Buy twice"


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## cyberknight (25 Apr 2011)

mickle said:


> Yup. Cheap tools have a nasty habit of rounding off your nuts. Saddlebums



I had to laugh at that bit i had a picture in my head to do with a poor saddle posture ........


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## subaqua (26 Apr 2011)

the tesco tool is OK for the allen keys spanner and screwdrivers , the case acts as tyre levers which are Ok also.

the chain splitter is terrible, and the pin bent on 1st attempt at splitting the chain on wifes BSO


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## Rebel Ian (26 Apr 2011)

There's a fantastic John Ruskin quote about buying from the cheapest source. I couldn't find it but found this one instead. Wise words!!

_"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."

*John Ruskin*_


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## Rebel Ian (26 Apr 2011)

Found the full quote.....

_"It is unwise to pay too much. But it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money; that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the product you bought is incapable of doing what it was bought to do._

_The common law of business prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you would have enough to pay for something better._ _There is hardly anything in this world that someone can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper-and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey."_


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## coffeejo (26 Apr 2011)

Come on then, recommendations for a tool so that this tool can retire her "found 'em in the bottom of my tool box, no idea where they came from" allen keys...


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## mickle (26 Apr 2011)

coffeejo said:


> Come on then, recommendations for a tool so that this tool can retire her "found 'em in the bottom of my tool box, no idea where they came from" allen keys...



Ye canny go wrong with Topeak in my opinion.


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## sheddy (26 Apr 2011)

ET = Evil Tesco


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## coffeejo (26 Apr 2011)

Thanks


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## Angelfishsolo (26 Apr 2011)

Have used a Tesco chain tool. OK on Tesco chains but broke when it saw a shimano chain. The Bell Multi-tool I had from ASDA proved to be pretty good but an adjustable spanner acted as though it was made of cheese. It is true that you get what you pay for.


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## mr_cellophane (26 Apr 2011)

I have had my Tesco multi-tool for around 3 years. One of the allen keys has made a hole in the case, but otherwise it is fine.


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## niggle (26 Apr 2011)

I have a Lidl multitool that came in a saddle pack plus puncture kit, all for a fiver. The saddle pack lasted two years of over loading then a plastic buckle broke making it unusable, the puncture kit was amalgamated with other kits, but the multitool lives on and has been used on many occaisions on rides. It includes several spanners as well as the usual allen keys and screw drivers, though its a shame they are not the open C type. I also bought a workshop tool kit for about £20 and that has been brilliant with all the right tools for modern Shimano bikes which stand up to the level of use I give them fine, i.e. servicing and a couple of bike builds over two years.


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