Words: Carsick John

Googling the Cube Multi Tool 19 for the first time I got: “The stainless steel grey multi tool from Cube bikes”. What, no marketing hyperbole?! That’s way too depressing, I almost felt sorry for this product.

I smashed ‘The Google Button’ a bit harder and got: “Almost a workshop in your pocket!” Brilliant, just what I was after; a wildly exaggerated claim prefixed with a get out clause –  ‘almost’. It’s game on.

There’s only one golden rule to becoming a successful multi tool and that is: ‘you must fix all the important parts on a bike whilst not being too heavy or breaking’.

You can bring aesthetics into the equation and discuss how stylish or shiny a multi tool looks but then you would probably be of questionable stock, and for me the uglier the multi tool is, the less likely it is to be borrowed by your riding friends on a semi permanent basis.

So what does the Cube Multi Tool 19 have in its locker?

Visually it falls on right side of generic but for features it’s well stacked with a massive 19 (hence the name) different tools:

– 2mm hex curved.
– 2,5mm hex curved.
– 3mm hex.
– 4mm hex.
– 5mm hex.
– 6mm hex.
– 8mm hex.
– Screwdriver (cross slot / pan head)
– T25 Torx.
– Chain rivet tool.
– Spoke nipple tool.
– Shimano pin holder tool.
– Ring wrench 1 + 2 + Mavic.
– Bottle opener.
– Tire lever.
– Open-end wrench 8mm.
– Open-end wrench 10mm.

It weighs 182grams or about the same as a Thompson Stem or an iPhone. So it’s not too light but isn’t any clump either.

There are no fiddly hex parts that need to be detached and re-attached to form different tools, only then get lost. The business ends of the individual tools are tough and I suspect only the clumsiest of man ape will manage to round off the biting points.

The chain breaker is OK, it will get you out of trouble, it’s no workshop chain tool by any means, but I have seen worse, plus it has a bottle opener.

One downside is the two axles are sealed. So you cannot take the whole tool apart. Whilst that seems pretty trivial it can be really useful to access the thin washers found between each tool on the two axles as they prove to be great emergency brake caliper spacers. You can decide whether you think that’s irrelevant or not.

The Cube Multi Tool 19 will thankfully replace my current multi tool, which was made by another large and well-respected bike manufacturer but is a shameless piece of garbage that cost more than the Cube tool.

Only time will tell whether this piece of kit will become the trail lifesaver I’d like it to be, but I’m pretty optimistic with its blend of simplicity and strength and potential to be almost a workshop in my pocket!

Price: £19.99
More info: www.cube.eu

Pros

Not that pricey
Packed with tools
Tough

Cons

Cannot dismantle the tool for spare parts
Slightly on the weighty side