I’ve mounted several tires recently and also have had to work on several chains; both of these operations can be frustrating. The number of sub-par tire levers on the market can be compared to the number of stars in our spiral arm of the Milky Way, while the number of truly great tire levers number like 8000-meter peaks on planet Earth.
With tubeless tires, I want/need a lever that is more than four inches long for Buddha’s sake. I need some leverage and enough real estate that I can hold it with more than three fingers; I want my whole hand on the thing.
I’ve found a solution to both of these in Topeak’s Power Lever X. It’s a multi-tool of a different feather. This is going to take a bit of explaining for an audience unable to see photos of the tool. At root, it’s two tire levers that are made plastic-coated, hardened steel, so they won’t bend and they measure 6 in. long so you can get your whole hand on the things. Another important feature of the tire levers is that the tongue that slips beneath the tire bead is surprisingly thin—about an eighth of an inch—which makes it easy to slip beneath the bead of a tubeless tire.
At the other end of the two levers Topeak placed several shafts and holes that allow the levers to fit together to either break or lock a master link. Here the stainless steel emerges from the plastic to give a precise fit for the chain. A chain hook holds the two ends of the chain together so that you can work on the master link without worrying about tension on the chain. The photograph of the chain hook on the floor of my garage is an unnatural setting for its use, but when I tried to shoot it in actual use, I couldn’t get my camera to focus on the hook rather than the background.
When not in use, the two levers nest together thanks to the shafts and holes and the way they fit together creates a small compartment in which you can store a fresh master link. There’s even a notch in one of the levers that can remove a valve core. The one thing it can’t do is remove a damaged link from a broken chain.
The Power Lever X goes for just $18.95, and while I’ve used mine exclusively in my garage so far, I’m going to stow it in my hydration pack for long mountain bike rides.
Final thought: In a world full of substandard tire levers, these are worth paying for.