Bike Perfect Verdict

A really great chain tool if you’re still running 11-speed and especially if you’re on old Campagnolo. Can we have a 12/13 speed one soon though please Lezyne?

Pros

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Tough, smooth, low-effort chain tool
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Bonus Campagnolo peening feature
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Spare pin
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Ergonomic ‘tongue’ handle

Cons

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No 12-speed version
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Too heavy for trail use

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This Lezyne piece is a bit on the large and heavy side for supplementing the best multi-tools for MTB on the trail, and it only works with 8-11 speed setups. If that’s what you’ve got though it’s a proper workshop quality tool with a bonus rivet crimping function that makes it a bargain if you’re running Campagnolo.

Design and performance

Lezyne often comes up with some interesting designs and this Chain Drive is definitely one of them. Rather than a body and separate handle, the tool is a single piece of forged steel with the rivet driver at the top of a broad, tongue-shaped handle.

The driver spins easily on a fine pitch for subtle positioning and the long sliding bar lever pops even the stiffest chain rivet out easily. It’s opposed by a retractable peening tool, a peening tool flattens the end of a chain pin to hold it in place although it's only required for Campagnolo chains that don't use a form of a quick link. If one of your bikes does use a Campagnolo chain this will save you over $100 on the official Campagnolo tool. Lezyne has also sneaked four different spoke keys into the top of the handle and you get a spare driver pin as well.

Verdict

Heavy and only works with 8-11-speed chains, but it’s well priced for a good quality chain tool. Especially if you have a Campagnolo chain that needs peening to stay secure. If you need 12-speed chain compatibility but don’t need the peening function, Lezyne also does the wooden handled Chain Drive Classic as part of the Lezyne Classic Shop Tools range.

Tech Specs: Lezyne Chain Drive tool

Price: $29.99 / £35.00
Weight: 119g (medium)
Size: 8-11 speed chain compatible

Guy Kesteven has been working on Bike Perfect since its launch in 2019. He started writing and testing for bike mags in 1996. Since then he’s written several million words about several thousand test bikes and a ridiculous amount of riding gear. He’s also penned a handful of bike-related books and he reviews MTBs over on YouTube.

Current rides: Cervelo ZFS-5, Specialized Chisel, custom Nicolai enduro tandem, Landescape/Swallow custom gravel tandem

Height: 180cm

Weight: 69kg