Topeak Mini 9 Pro multitool review

It’s the classic cyclist’s conundrum. What do I need to bring with me in case I get a problem when out riding? The Topeak Mini 9 Pro packs a lot of essentials into a small package.

It’s worth having a multitool with you, which covers the major bolts which might work loose. The Topeak Mini 9 Pro covers many of these. It’s useful to have a Phillips head screwdriver to adjust derailleur screws and such-like and many bike parts now have Torx heads on some bolts – usually T25. The Topeak Mini 9 Pro has these covered off.

You also get five allen keys: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm and 5mm. That’s enough for smaller bolts on mechanical parts and larger items like shoe cleats and seat post and stem bolts. It’s really only if your pedals work loose that you might need something larger.

The other thing that you’ll definitely want to bring with you is a set of tyre levers. Here, the Topeak Mini 9 Pro has a trick up its sleeve. Built into the opposite side of the tool body from the tool heads is a metal tyre lever. And hidden below this is a fold-out plastic lever with a Schrader valve bleed lever built into its other end. They’re sturdy enough to get most tyres off the rim for puncture repair, although I’d be cautious about their longevity if you’ve got a tighter bead to get off.

>>> How to fix a puncture and mend an inner tube

The tools are made of shiny chrome vanadium steel and have a quality, robust feel to them, while the side plates are made of aluminium. For the weight weenie, there’s a version with carbon side plates available which drops the weight down by 9g to a claimed 73g.

That weight saving sounds as if it’s more about bragging rights than marginal gains, but the extra cost is not unreasonable with the carbon version costing £31.99. With the standard alloy Topeak Mini 9 Pro, you can choose whether you want gold or silver side plates, rather than being stuck with black.

>>> The best cycling multitools

The Topeak Mini 9 Pro packs away into a neoprene sleeve, so it won’t scratch up anything else that you might be carrying with you, or your back, if you decide to just pop it in your pocket.

Now you just need to decide whether you need to carry a separate chain tool and spoke key too…