This is a miniature version (only 11cm long and 96g weight) of the original American locking pliers, better known as 'Mole-Grips' in UK after our post-WW2 made-in-Britain copy. But Mole-Grips don't come in such a handy size for your on-bike toolkit. Thankfully the American original by Irwin Tools, does, and can be bought here for less than £15.
Purists will denigrate this jack-of-all-trades tool, but nobody wants to carry a full set of spanners - especially now that most bike parts have allen or torx key sockets, rather than hexagon heads. I used to carry a small adjustable, but this tool weighs less and does a whole lot more jobs besides. And where two spanners, or a spanner plus an allen key, are required (such as cable adjustment on cantilever brake stirrups): the facility to clamp firmly onto the bolt-head makes the job a great deal easier (one can use it to lift the stirrup whilst the nut is tightened).
Here are a few of the other tasks I've used this tool for:
- I no longer carry the special cycling tool for splitting and mending chains. Partly because you can't reliably mend a nine-or-more-speed chain except with a quick-link anyway - and quick-links weigh next to nothing so why wouldn't you? So all you need the chain-tool for is disposing of the broken remains. Well: if I hold the chain firmly in one hand and lock my mini Vise-Grip very firmly onto what's left of the broken link, I can use this lever to twist that outer plate off its remaining rivet, which then falls out of the inner link. Job done!
- The 'WR' of Irwin 4WR stands for wire-cutter. It's not the best wire-cutter in the world, but when needs must - it'll do. The remains of broken spokes and cables can be disposed of, albeit with a bit of tightening and 'chewing'. So when my mate accidentally reset the combination on his 'cafe lock' to some numero incognito... I was able to put an end to our fruitless picking attempts, release his bike from the railings so we could all ride home!
- Bent front mech cages, I have restored to their proper, functional shape.
- Bent discs: likewise.
- You know those little pins that secure the slip-in pads of V-brakes? I simply clamp the nose of my mini-Vise-Grip onto the looped end and yank them out. Same goes for removing the pad: I lever up the tail end with a screwdriver, clamp onto it and pull.
- And then there's the new 'slip-in' pad that won't simply slip in, where the sticking out part only gets fatter the harder you push it. Here I clamp my Vise-Grip onto the front of the pad and pull.
- Allen-key or multi-tool too short, need more leverage? I clamp my trusty Vise-Grip onto it and gain another 8cm.
