Crankbrothers M19 vs Topeak Mini 20 Pro

Buy the Crankbrothers M19, model 11465 in nickel, when you want the 19-tool card that lists a chain tool for 8 through 12 speed, a claimed 175 g without the case, and an 89 mm length. Buy the Topeak Mini 20 Pro, model 60102536B, when you want the 20-function tool the title pairs with a neoprene bag, a claimed 5.28 ounces, and a chain tool the bullet says is not compatible with 11-speed chains. Count the chain on the bike before you pick the tool.

Short version. A floor pump lives at home or in the car. This pair lives in a jersey or a saddle bag. The tire still needs a lever and a tube or a plug, which is not the whole tool. The pedals tell you which hex sizes you will actually turn. A light does not loosen a bolt. Match 11465 or 60102536B, and read the chain-tool line twice.

The M19 card is Crankbrothers, model 11465, manufacturer part 11465, color Nickel, number of pieces 19. The item-weight cell prints 175 g. The folded-size cell prints 89 by 45 by 19 mm. The bullets say 89 mm and 175 g, and they list hex wrenches 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, open wrenches 8 mm and 10 mm, spoke wrenches 0, 1, 2, and 3, Phillips 1 and 2, a flat number 2, and Torx T-10 and T-27. The chain-tool bullet says 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 speed. The description says the weight is 175 g without the included tool case, the length is 3.5 inches, the frame is 6061-T6, the tools are 6150 steel, and the case is stainless and polymer. The same description names a T-25 Torx. The bullet names T-10 and T-27. Those are not the same bit. Look at the tool you unpack and see whether a T-25 is actually in the set. UPC 641300350190 is on the cell, and so is 641300352194. The warranty line says lifetime.

The Topeak card is the Mini 20 Pro with a neoprene bag, black, model number 60102536B. The description also says TT2536B. The item-weight cell prints 5.28 ounces. The dimension cell prints 7.6 by 4.2 by 1.8 inches, and the folded-size cell prints 4.2 by 7.6 by 1.8 inches. A tool that is 7.6 inches long is not a mini tool, and 5.28 ounces is a mini tool's weight. The two cells do not agree about scale. Measure the tool. The bullets say 20 functions, a forged alloy body, hardened steel bits, and a cast CrMo chain tool that works with single-speed and most multi-speed chains, including 10-speed hollow-pin chains, and that is not compatible with 11-speed chains. They also name T10 and T25 Torx, Allen wrenches, spoke wrenches, tire levers, screwdrivers, a bottle opener, and a chain pin tool. Number of pieces says 1, which is not 20 functions. The manufacturer-part cell prints B00320QMG6, which is shaped like an old listing code, not like 60102536B or TT2536B. Match 60102536B and the words Mini 20 Pro. UPC 883466003187 and 628004110268 are both on the cell.

Crankbrothers model 11465. Topeak model 60102536B, description also says TT2536B. A Mini 18, a Mini 9, or an M10 is a different tool.

Who should buy the M19, and who should buy the Mini 20 Pro?

Buy 11465 if the bike runs a chain the bullet's 8-through-12 claim might cover, including 11-speed, and you can live with a Torx line that disagrees with itself. The description says T-25. The bullet says T-10 and T-27. Disc-brake clamps in the wild are often a T-25. If the tool you open has no T-25, it will not do that clamp no matter which sentence you liked. The 175 g figure is without the case, which the description says outright. The case is part of why the tool does not rattle. Put it on a scale with and without the case if the pocket is tight. Hex 2 through 8, skipping 7, plus 8 mm and 10 mm open wrenches, covers the bolts on a lot of stems, seatposts, and derailleurs. It does not cover a pedal that wants a 15 mm wrench. Pedals are a different wrench.

Buy 60102536B if you want tire levers in the same tool, a neoprene bag in the title, and your chain is not 11-speed. The bullet is plain: not compatible with 11-speed chains. A 10-speed hollow-pin chain is in the compatible sentence. A 12-speed chain is not given a yes. If the bike is 11 or 12, this bullet is the reason to leave the Topeak on the shelf or to carry a separate chain tool. The 5.28 ounce cell is about 150 g, lighter on its face than the M19's 175 g without a case, and the card does not say whether the neoprene bag is inside that 5.28 ounces. Weigh it. The 7.6-inch dimension cell is the number not to believe until you have a ruler on the tool.

Do not buy either tool as a substitute for a floor pump. A mini tool does not move air. Do not buy the M19 because 19 is one less than 20 and assume the missing function is trivial. The Topeak's extra functions, on this card, include levers and a bottle opener. The M19's chain claim includes 11 and 12. Those are different extras. Pick the extra you will actually use on the bike you ride this month.

What the nickel M19 is actually for

Nineteen tools, side grips, and a chain tool are the bullets. The hex list is 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. There is no 7 and no 10 mm hex on that list. The open wrenches are 8 and 10 mm, which are nuts, not hex keys. Spoke 0, 1, 2, and 3 cover a handful of nipple sizes and miss the nipple your wheel might use. Look at a nipple before a tour. The lifetime line is a warranty claim against defects, not a promise that a bit you rounded out on a stuck bolt comes back shiny.

The Torx conflict is the part to settle at the table. T-10 shows up on small rotor bolts on some brakes. T-25 shows up on many clamp bolts. T-27 shows up less often on a bike and more often on other hardware. If the tool has T-10 and T-27 and no T-25, write that down and carry a separate T-25 if your brakes need it. If the tool has a T-25 and the bullet was stale, trust the metal. The 89 mm length and the 89 by 45 by 19 mm fold are the size. The description's 3.5 inches is the same length in inches, because 89 mm is about 3.5 inches. That agreement is useful. The case is extra. UPC 641300350190 next to model 11465 is the reorder, and the second UPC on the cell means you should still read the model if the box shows the other code.

Do: fold it and unfold it once, and push the chain tool through a sacrificed link at home. Don't: meet an 11-speed chain for the first time on the side of a road. Don't: assume the case is inside the 175 g. The description says it is not. Don't: round a hex because the grip was short. The side grips are the card's answer to a gloved hand, and they are still a short tool. A stuck bolt wants a shop wrench, not a heroic twist that snaps a bit.

What the Mini 20 Pro is actually for

Twenty functions and a chain tool that stops at 11-speed are the buying facts. Tire levers in the same body are why a rider who already hates carrying a separate lever looks at this card. The neoprene bag is in the title. It keeps the tool from eating a tube and from rattling. It is not a waterproof claim. T10 and T25 are the Torx bits the bullet names, which is a cleaner brake sentence than the M19's split personality, if the bits are actually in the tool. Bottle opener is a real bit and a silly reason to choose a trail tool. Ignore it unless you are choosing between two tools that already fit the chain.

Model 60102536B is the details number. TT2536B is the code in the description. Both are on this card, so a box that shows either one can still be this tool if the title says Mini 20 Pro and the chain bullet still excludes 11-speed. The part cell B00320QMG6 does not look like either code. Do not reorder by that cell. The 5.28 ounce weight is the believable size. The 7.6 by 4.2 by 1.8 inch cell is the one to check with a ruler, because a 7.6-inch tool at 5.28 ounces would be a strange object, and a 7.6-centimeter tool at 5.28 ounces would be an ordinary mini tool wearing a mislabeled unit. The card says inches. Your ruler gets the last word. Black is the color in the title.

Do: read the chain bullet against the number of speeds on the bike, then practice a lever on an old tire. Don't: force an 11-speed chain onto a tool the bullet excluded. A bent pin is a walk. Don't: believe number of pieces equals 1. The card also says 20 functions. Don't: believe 7.6 inches until you measure. Don't: leave the levers at home because the tool claims them and then discover the levers are stubs you cannot use on a tight 700 by 28 tire. Try them.

How to carry the tool you picked

A saddle bag, a jersey pocket, or a strap under the saddle are the three homes. The M19's case is the rattle solution the description is proud of. The Topeak's neoprene bag is the same idea. Either way, the tool should not share a pocket with a tube so directly that the chain tool chews the tube. A bit of cloth or the bag itself is the fix. A tool at the bottom of a backpack you do not open until camp is a tool you do not have when the chain breaks at mile ten.

Practice the chain tool on a sacrificed link. The M19 bullet includes 11 and 12. The Topeak bullet excludes 11. Your chain is one of those numbers, printed on the outer plate or known from the shifter. If you do not know, look before the ride, not after the snap. A quick link still wants a pair of hands and sometimes a pliers the mini tool does not include. Carry the quick link that matches the chain. The tool breaks the chain. The link puts it back.

Air is the other roadside failure, and neither card is a pump. The floor pump sets the pressure at home. A small pump or a cartridge is what you still need next to this tool. Levers matter most on a tight tire. If the Topeak levers work on your tire in the garage, you can leave the separate levers. If they do not, pack the levers you already trust and let the Topeak be the hex set. The M19 list does not name levers, so pack levers with it unless you have tried and you are sure you can unseat the bead another way.

What actually fails on these two tools

The chain line fails first. Model 11465 claims 8 through 12 on the bullet and argues with itself about Torx. Model 60102536B excludes 11-speed on the bullet and names T10 and T25. An 11-speed bike that buys the Topeak because 20 is a bigger number than 19 bought the wrong extra. A bike whose brake bolts are T-25 bought a gamble on the M19 until the bits are inspected.

The size cells fail next. The M19's 89 mm and 3.5 inches agree, and 175 g is without the case. The Topeak's 5.28 ounces and 7.6 inches do not feel like the same object. Measure. Number of pieces equal to 1 is not 20 functions. The part cell that looks like a listing code is not 60102536B or TT2536B. The second UPC on each card means the model number still has to match.

The bit fails when you round a hex on a steel bolt with a short tool, or when the spoke wrench is the wrong nipple. The rattle fails when the case or the bag is left in a drawer. The other failure is a tool with no way to put air back in the tire and no lever that fits. Fix those in the garage. The roadside is a bad classroom.

What this comparison is not

It is not a floor pump, a shock pump, or a torque wrench. It is not a 15 mm pedal wrench. It is not a promise that every M19 on earth has both a T-25 and a T-27. This card disagrees with itself, so the tool in the box is the authority. It is not a promise that 7.6 inches on the Topeak cell is the length you will measure. It is not a shop stand.

It is not a reason to skip a quick link that matches the chain. The breaker is half the repair. The link is the other half, and it is a separate purchase.

So which mini tool should you buy?

Buy the Crankbrothers M19, model 11465, nickel, when you want the 19-tool set at 175 g without the case, 89 mm long, with a chain tool the bullet rates from 8 through 12 speed, and you will look to see whether the Torx bit is the T-25 in the description or the T-10 and T-27 in the bullet. Buy the Topeak Mini 20 Pro, model 60102536B, when you want the levers, the neoprene bag, the T10 and T25 the bullet names, and a chain tool that is not for 11-speed. Ignore the 7.6-inch cell until a ruler agrees with it. The chain on the bike picks the tool.