Cycling UK Forum

[edit; * as of September 2015, the Aldi toolkit has been revised and is now about 50% different to the one described here*

The 'new' version has several more tools with red handles and appears to be improved; it now includes a pedal spanner amongst other things (perhaps they were listening..? ). The 'old' kit as reviewed below was later sold for £14.99 and the final stock was sold discounted to £10 as recently as 19/9/15 in my local store, so at the time of writing (24/9/15) you might still find the old kit, discounted, in some stores. I do not expect to buy the new kit so if anyone else can review the 'new tools' and add to this thread please do.]

fool that I am, I just bought one of these today, even though I have versions of all these tools already.

The rationale; the kit costs £19.99. Even if it contains two or three tools that are OK it might be worth the money. The tools work out at just over a quid each.
The counter-argument; bad tools can be worse than no tools because you can wreck the job as well as break the tool.

Obviously I can't yet comment on the quality of the materials, but here's a rundown on the tools that you get (actual dimensions in brackets);

1. 'Freewheel remover'. A bad start; it isn't a freewheel remover. I guess you could grind it down an use it on shimano/maillard freewheel splines, but it doesn't fit them out of the box. It does do cassette lockrings, and because the (nominally 1/2") square drive hole is oversize, it will fit over a BB axle as well. If you don't mind grinding the tool slightly, or enlarging the splines in the aluminium cups, this tool will fit and remove some Campagnolo bottom brackets from the 80's and 90s. You can drive the tool with a 19mm/3/4" spanner, which will be a slightly slack fit on the flats (18.9mm), or a 1/2" square drive, which will be slack internally (13.4mm). Verdict; it'll probably do a useful job, just not the one it claimed to.

2. Bottom bracket tool. To fit UNxx bottom bracket cups and their clones. Has a 1/2" drive (13.2mm) int. and 24mm/7/8" AF (23.9mm) ext.drives. The 'real thing' (TL-UN74 etc) has paralell sided ridges 1.5mm wide and slightly open slots, and 31.75/26.6 diameters. This tool has paralell sided slots and ridges that narrow towards the ID (as small as 0.8mm wide), where they need to be strongest. The diameters (31.9mm/26.4mm) are close enough to work in most BB units. The centre bore is large enough/deep enough to accept a H-1 style BB as well as ST ones. Verdict; even if it is made out of strong steel like the genuine article, it cannot be as strong. Might be OK for installation, probably won't cope with a tough extraction.{edit- turned out not to fit metal shimano cups, because the splines are too wide at the top, I think]

3. Chain rivet extractor. Cheaply made, but with an adjustable backstop (so OK for chains with profiled outer links) and has a spreader slot. The tangs on the main slot and the spreader slot are low, and will only reach half-way up a chain at best. Older style chains (with 12-part links and deeper inner side plates) won't fit his chain tool, so its for bushingless chains only. Not sure it'll do HG pins and the like; the biggest gap between the drive pin and the side plates is 10mm, and even then the tool is hanging on the last thread. And the threads are rather slack, so will probably wear out rather quickly. Verdict; this chain tool is a curate's egg; good in parts.

4.Cone spanners. You get two; each one fits 13,14,15,16mm. If they are like others of their ilk they won't be very strong and will be severely disadvantaged when used on 15/16mm sizes by design. Verdict; might do for cones that are not that tight.

5. Chain whip. Part of the the BB spanner tool. Too short at 20cm length to be of any use on a tight cassette.

6. Spoke key. Many different sizes, all different, labelled thus; 10G(4.94mm), 11G(4.3mm), 12G(4.15mm), 13G(3.75mm), 14G(3.50mm), 14G(3.37mm), 15G (3.3mm), 15G(3.15mm). There's one in there that'll be close enough.. probably...

7. 8mm hex wrench. Yes (7.9 to 7.95mm). 17cm long too. Also has a 1/2" square drive adaptor (12.85mm) for the other tools.

8. Crank extractor. Fits a shimano crank snugly, not too much slack in the threads, has a 14mm socket (14.2mm) built in, will do bolted or nutted ST spindles, but won't do Hollowtech or Isis without another piece which is not supplied (out with the 5p coins it is then..). 15.8mm drive hexagon.

9. Open ended spanner 10/8mm. (10.3/8.15mm). 'nuff said.

10. Cross headed screwdriver. Nominally a Phillips #1 point, it might be OK for gear adjustment screws, but it is the most cheap and horrible screwdriver I have ever seen.

11. tyre levers, x3. Cheap plastic, seem to be strong (and maybe brittle) rather than soft and bendy.

12. Multi-tool. #2 Phillips screwdriver, 5mm flat blade screwdriver, 2,3,4,5,6mm AF allen keys. AK sizes seem close, but quality is unknown. [edit; this tool disassembled itself during storage/transit, because there is no locking on the nuts that hold it together.]

13. Repair Kit. Glue, five (largeish) feather-edged patches, woods valve sealing tube (circa 1930's style), metal abrader (of the tube tearing variety). No sandpaper, no small patches (smallest is 26mm dia), no chalk, no crayon, no canvas.

14. Other tools not mentioned on the list of contents; H-II BB cup remover, again too short at 8" long. BB lockring tool (again part of the 8" long tool); not sure it even fits anything as the shape is poor. Also included is a plastic H-II preload adjuster, which can be used by hand or using a 6mm allen key.

Missing tools; no pedal spanner, no track nut spanner, no headset tools (which is maybe fair enough given modern bikes), no 9mm spanner, no 2.5mm AK, no torx key (for disc bolts), no small flat blade screwdriver. Nothing long/strong enough to use the cassette and BB tools. Cone spanners may not be man enough to use with the crank extractor.

Other points; the box is OK and has a space for a few other small tools inside it.

Overall; not a bad starting point for assembly purposes if you have no tools, but some are certainly a bit iffy, and others may yet prove to be when faced with a tough extraction. They could turn out to be made of cheese or glass-like steel when pushed. About what I expected, for the money.

[postscript; three years on, I've not used these tools that much so I've not broken them as yet. The main use I have put this kit to is as a travelling kit. It is easy enough to grab this (plus a few other spanners etc) and throw it in the car/saddlebag, and then you know you have a reasonable selection of tools to hand. 'Better than nothing' if you are helping someone out or on a weekend away, and a bit quicker than decanting all the vital stuff from the main toolbox; I have found that not all my tools make it back there again when I do that...]

cheers

FWIW I have one of these tool kits that I bought several years ago. My view is not as scientific as Brucey's but I have used all the tools at some time or other and they are all still going strong. I admit that they are not of professional workshop quality but, in my experience, they do the job and for the money, it is difficult to complain.

A useful starter kit, to get you going. As pieces break (and they do break) you replace them with a better quality item.
The danger is that you will damage an expensive component rather than the tool, this is less likely if you have other experience of working with tools. However for most people the acquisition of expensive components will probably come alongside the acquisition of the quality tools.

As an example my external BB tool cost £14 and there is one in the kit that would have allowed me to assemble my bike and to remove my BB if it doesnt stay on the bike for a long time (which according to rumour it isnt likely to do ).

On the other hand my chain tool, from the Lidl version, failed instantly when using it to slacken a link, the shoulders just snapped off.

I enjoyed reading this - reminded me of those Mafac tool kits which were popular in the 1970's. A set of cheap tools that fell apart the first time you had to use them in anger. They came in a small red plastic pouch the size of a cassette tape and contained a selection of thin spanners, some of which doubled up as tyre levers, patches and glue, spoke key etc. Iv'e still got several of the unbroken tools at the bottom of my toolbox. The multi size spanner (One jaw was serated like sharks teeth) broke the first time i came to remove a bolt on wheel! They were really a get you home toolset designed to just tighten up anything that worked loose during a ride.

rjb wrote: ... those Mafac tool kits which were popular in the 1970's. ...

I got mine in the 1950's, when the pouch was a fawnish colour. IIRC, the only item which was much use was the tapered box spanner which was necessary to fit their brake levers.

PS The Aldi toolkit is not for sale to under 18's.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=68799&p=590564#p590564

update; the UNxx type BB tool I noted previously was machined in an 'unconventional way'. There is yet more to its 'unconventionality'; it doesn't actually fit Shimano BB units.

Mine can be 'persuaded' (in the tradtional style, i.e. with a hammer) to work on plastic cups, but not metal ones. I think the fault is that each rib on the spline (despite being too narrow at the base) is too wide at the top.

ho hum; out with the dremel tool then I expect....

The Mafac toolkit was essentially a lightweight 'comfort blanket' to take with you. Like many multitools are these days, with somewhat limited functionality. It occurs to me that the Aldi toolkit is a comfort blanket that you leave in your shed.

cheers

I mainly take a Topeak kit with me on rides but still throw in a Mafac kit as well when cycle touring in France. Where one cannot help the other usually can. I use the small spanners all the time in the workshop for fiddly jobs. I don't know how people manage to break them. My cross bike still has Mafac brakes as does my wife's touring bike.

I regret the decline of the European bike and component industries, not just for the value of their usefulness, but also for being the basis of a sound locally based manufacturing economy.