Put Shop-Quality Bike Tools in Your Pocket

There’ve been plenty of bike multitools over the years, and they’ve all done the job alright. That is, they don’t usually break. But what if they didn’t take the form of a Swiss Army Knife? The Crankbrothers new y12 ($29) and y16 ($49) show how good tools can be when they take another shape.

There’s been a few pretty alternative bike tools put out recently, and even the original Swiss Army Knife people, Victorinox, know now that the old folding design might not be so ideal and used something different. But unlike Victorinox’s minimalist model, Crankbrothers figured out a way to carry certain features over from the shop-style tools.

At the center of both the lighter y12 and the more intense y16 are two three-armed wrenches, which serve as Allen wrenches and a bit driver. These tools actually feel like proper shop wrenches, though they aren’t too heavy to scare off weight weenies.

The tools don’t waste the space between the three arms either, using it to house compartments for a patch kit and bits for the y12, and bits, CO2 inflator, and chain tool for the y16. And if anything goes wrong, they have a lifetime warranty. At about a centimeter thick, one of these tools is a pretty solid addition to any jersey pocket.


Ethan Wolff-Mann is the Deputy Editor at Supercompressor. He has bike tools in pretty much every bag he owns. Just in case. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.