While I can appreciate a multi-tool that can fix any and every problem on my mountain bike, can cut cloth for a tourniquet, and has a spoon for an impromptu mid-ride chili feed, some of the smallest tools on the market can cover 90% of the emergency repairs that you’ll encounter. The Topeak Mini 10 Multi-Tool is one such adept yet tiny trail companion.
The body of this diminutive yet powerful tool is made of extruded aluminum, and the entire tool weighs just 83g. Here’s a list of all the functions it offers:
- 1.5mm hex
- 2mm hex
- 3mm hex
- 4mm hex
- 5mm hex
- #2 Phillips screwdriver
- T10 Torx
- T15 Torx
- T20 Torx
- T25 Torx
While sure, I wish it offered a few tools like a blade and a flathead screwdriver, you can easily get those tools by stepping up to a more exhaustive offering in Topeak’s line. The point of the Mini 10 is providing the bare essentials, and if I’m being honest, a flathead is less and less useful for working on a bike as the years roll on. While a blade would be nice for general survivalism, the absence thereof makes the Mini 10 a great companion in your carry on bag when flying.
If you find yourself not needing Torx heads as much and instead need larger hex keys, like 6mm and 8mm, the Mini 9 from Topeak will probably be the best tool for your bike. That’s because, as Topeak says, the Mini 10 is designed “to work on modern bike components.” The Mini 10 includes more Torx heads and fewer hex keys due to the ongoing shift toward Torx bolts on bicycles.
Performance
The Mini 10 proved capable of all on-trail repairs that I used it for, with the small size making it easier to maneuver in tight spaces than other tools.
Maybe it’s all in my head, but I found the tools themselves to feel very solid and hardened, with no worry of rounding off the tool head. On some cheapo tools you can feel the head start to give and round when cranking on a bolt–not so with the Mini 10. According to Topeak, the tools themselves are made of chrome vanadium steel, and they include the note “hardened tools withstand years of use” as a feature of the Mini 10 on their website. With no visible wear to the tools, I’d say this claim is well-founded.
Also, despite riding around in my frame bags for the better part of a year, these tools have not corroded or rusted in any way–something I can’t say for all the tools in my possession.
Size Factor
According to Topeak, the Mini 10 measures 2.6” x 1.3” x 0.8” — but it’s difficult to get a visual impression of exactly how tiny this “mini-tool” is. Hopefully this helps:
Yes, that’s pretty flippin’ mini! The Mini 10 takes up less than half the room in my top tube bag than a larger multi tool that I sometimes carry, which leaves more room for a phone, food, you name it. In a frame bag, space is at a premium, and the Mini conserves as much space as possible.
Now granted, there is one repair tool that all mountain bikers must carry with them at all times: a chain breaker. But if you pair the Mini 10 with the Ninja C, you have an ultra compact, lightweight, capable repair setup for all of your mountain bike needs!
MSRP: $20
Thanks to Topeak for providing the Mini 10 for review.
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