The New Multitool

Some bits of kit that you use when your cycling are obvious and the subject of much review and discussion in magazines, on the Internet and in the pub.

Which bike should you ride, which shoe and pedal combination and what’s better; flapjacks and ham sandwiches, or energy gels and bars? All of these things get discussed at length because they are somehow specific to cycling. What gets ignored sometimes are the other basics, for example a mobile phone.

I know there are cycling way precedes the mobile but I reckon it’s one of the unsung heroes of the kit you’ll take with you. With smartphones and the extra things they let you do it can almost be all you need to take along, when you might have needed so much more in the past. Aside from emergency calls from anywhere, and no finding a payphone and some change,t hey can track where you are in the case of a problem, or just for fun, they can tell you where you are when you might have found yourself lost, or even give you turn by turn directions and make you look like a pro with an earpiece in, they can entertain you if you’re into pounding out the miles and like a bit of music along the way, and tell you where’s good to stop or stay on the go, without having to carry guidebooks or take a chance on the local pub.

As well as all this they can let you record what’s happened in high quality pictures and videos and give you something to look back on when you are back in the real world, so all in all i can’t see myself riding without one. They’re the new multitool you want to chuck in the bottom of your bag. If you are into treating them rough, and. lets face it, I do a lot, then having one that can stand up to the abuse is a good idea. For once I’m going to make a FMFT recommendation, or rather just say that I have been impressed with the Nokia N8, which isn’t marketed as a rugged phone but does everything I’ve described above and more, and puts up with being treated badly on a ride with only the odd small scratch.

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