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Last week I had a puncture mare. My tubeless tyre got damaged so I went to fit a tube. I couldn't get the valve locking undone for love or money. I managed to eventually borrow some pliers from a passing farmer.
I've taken preventative steps to avoid this happening again but would like to carry a very small set of pliers just in case.
Any suggestions? TIA
Carry a light Leatherman and you'll have a multitude of extra tools
Some models of Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Squirt have them
Gerber Dime - a set lives in my riding pack.
+1 on Gerber Dime.
One of these is maybe as useful as a bigger tool ime but a fraction the size and cost, and considering it's going to probably sit in your bag for years unused that's the right balance for me. I have a slightly larger cheapo in my other pack, and sure I'd rather use it for any jobs that need done, it's definitely better but it's main job is sitting there doing nothing. Used to carry a bigger Leatherman but it's kind of like a topeak alien, you look at it and think that's dead useful but in practice you never actually stop halfway round a ride to build any furniture or do a "will it start" on an abandoned bulldozer.
Ideal for lockrings and such, can help with other stuff. Pretty sure it's the same as my ones and has a little knife, I think they might have removed that from the listing?
Knipex mini cobras.
Or I actually have some cheapo folding ones off eBay which work ok.
I put these on my bikes. And I occasionally wind them out, grease and wind back in again. I find that a drip of sealant topping up can act as a very good thread lock!
I've a leather man squirt and Gerber dime.
Both would do the job. The squirt is the nicer tool.
Gerber Vise (or maybe Vice but I don't think so)
I usually carry a quick-link pliers with a small notch filed just behind the pivot for this very reason (and if you've tried to deal with a chain that's snapped next to the split link, you'll know why I carry the pliers too).
I carry a Gerber dime for this precise reason. A leatherman feels like the better made tool bit the Gerber is cheaper and perfect for this
Sounds like exactly what this thingamy is for.
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/ryder-innovation-nutcracker-presta-valve-disc-tool-ryi10600
Looks a lot like a guitar spanner - not sure if that is the right name.
Gerber Dime and Vise user here too, one on each bike pretty similar.
Knipex mini cobra
I have neither in the mini size, but the Mini Pliers Wrench is probably superior (and more expensive).
A Squirt type multi tool is however smaller, lighter, and many more uses.
Wing nuts to tighten the valve for the win, or if you're feeling flush you can buy these:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-tubestubeless-tyre-spares/problem-solvers-big-pnut/
Mini Pliers Wrench
I don't have ALL the sizes, but I have most. The bottom ones are the mini - smaller than they look in the pic. The biggest are 400mm. The best wrenches you can buy
Gerber dime from Black's
Leatherman bond here. I have a number of leatherman so have carried various over the years. This one works well, knife and pliers were most recently used to remove a huge length of bramble that was wrapped around someone's wheel, cassette and derailleur
I've got a keyring somewhere that's a mini pair of pliers, actually used it them to get a very nasty splinter out of a mates forearm once, not bad for a novelty item. If you Google keyring pliers or mini pliers keyring there's probably loads of options.
Leatherman discontinued the Squirt lines, but still available to buy from number of places. very handy tool and no weight penalty.
Leatherman now has the Micra, but not seen one in the flesh to compare.
I've got a Leatherman Style PS in my bag for loosening valves, tightening cores & trimming plugs. Really the perfect small tool for riding.
Another one that they've stopped making so may be hard to find now.
I'm gonna be the voice of reason here and say you don't need pliers you've just over tightened your valve.
When installing it push down on the valve in the rim bed with your thumb then do the nut up finger tight. Surprising how much extra thread you expose by pushing it down through the rim
Do the same to undo it.
I've never needed pliers to undo a valve on mine or customer wheels doing this 👍
I was just having a look at the Gerber and Leatherman models for a bike specific tool and found out the Sidekick(the one I have) now retails at £55. Hells Bells, mine cost me £22.
.
How about something like the victorinox spirit x plus ? Its got the pliers, but also a small ratchet.
I carry an ancient Gerber for just this scenario. I found I had same issue as the OP which prompted that addition to the backpack.
I also have a Leatherman Style PS. Great tool to take on a ride. Small well made and proved itself on many occasions. Shame they’ve discontinued it. If I had to buy again the Gerber Dime looks good.
Thanks for all the suggestions, loads to consider! Love the dinky Knipex. I like the idea of a multi tool for the knife etc - who knows what'll catch me out next time...
Re the suggestion that the lock ring was done up too tight. I do them up finger tight using the procedure suggested. I'm pretty certain there was corrosion between the lock ring and valve stem (2+ years of all weather riding on my road bike). I couldn't undo the lock ring even with the borrowed pliers and had to destroy the valve to remove it.
I have one of the Xs knipex after a similar incident but with the lock nut on an inner tube. My hands are rather arthritic and I have difficulty in exerting much force so the little knipexes are a godsend
Gerber Dime for this reason, plus for pulling out thorns etc, also pulling thick bacon strips through the tiny hole on my insertion tool.
The quality isn't great on Dimes but they will place any broken tools. Fiskars UK is in charge of warranties over here.
Fortunately had my big Leatherman (Surge) in my pack yesterday. We had to do some trailside fixing on a mates dropper lever. We ended up with some excess frayed cable that wouldn't allow the cover to go back on (One Up levers are bobbins btw).
Trimmed it off perfectly with the wire cutters
I do carry a Leatherman when bikepacking, but have bought one of those Ryder tools, looks perfect for the #EnduroBag.
I carry some mini pliers on most rides, got a 3-pack from Lidl a number of years ago and the snips are very useful too (in the workshop).
Obviously it's pot luck when they'll be in Lidl or Aldi, but these look similar from Screwfix...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-mini-pliers-set-3-pieces/627FG