PRO Bike Gear Toolbox XL

The PRO Toolbox XL crams a lot of tools into a pretty compact package. As such it's a good option for anyone short on space, or who wants to carry a full toolkit around. All the tools are decent quality and you can cope with most jobs without any additions.

If you've been fettling bikes a long time you've probably got a wall full of tools, and depending on how OCD you are you may have also drawn round them so you can remember where everything goes, and see what's missing. But if you were starting from scratch, or you wanted a fairly portable toolkit for any reason, then this Toolbox XL might be just the ticket.

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What do you get? Well, hex keys and torx keys and spoke keys and a chain tool and such, of course. But along with the specific bike tools there are more generic items – a mallet, a tape measure, a file, an adjustable spanner and a pair of long-nosed pliers – that you don't always get in everything-in-one-box sets. And above the standard fettling tools there's plenty of stuff for more specific jobs: crank and bottom bracket tools, a disc brake pad alignment tool, a quick link remover, cone spanners... even a fairly workable bearing press is included.

All the tools work, and are of decent quality. If you've already got masses of tools then there are certainly items in the kit that you'll likely have a better version of elsewhere. The crank remover is basic, and the cable cutters aren't the best I've tried, for example. But there's nothing that won't do the job it's designed for, and as such this is a good basis for a home workshop if you're starting from scratch. Similarly, if you want to have tools out and about and you don't want to decant everything from your shed every time (you always forget the one thing you need, anyway) then it's a really useful second set.

> Read the road.cc Beginner's Guide to Bike Tools

All the tools sit within specific holes in the moulded plastic box. Some are a tight enough fit that sometimes you need to use another tool to prise them out, and some aren't a tight enough fit at all, meaning they tend to fall out when you're closing the box. It won't shut unless everything's snug; the trick is to close both sides together, like you're slamming a big book, rather than trying to fold one side on top of the other.

I've used this as a home toolkit for general bike fiddling, and as a portable toolkit to take to events, and for both it's more than adequate. It's rare you'll find a job that the tools in the box won't do without any outside help, and it's rare you find yourself moaning at the quality of the tools either. Okay, £300 isn't loose change, but you are getting a lot of kit for your money here, and if you're planning to do a lot of work on your bike (or other people's) then it's a pretty good investment.

Verdict

Good all-in-one-box bike fettling solution for home or event use