What do you rank highest in priority?
Weight
Ease of access to tool
Inflating tires

 

For general riding, I use an EDC/pump combo. It's always on the bike, so I don't have to think about it. Racing is a different ball of wax though. The EDC is optimized for the form factor and packaging. For racing, I want the easiest tools that I can access and use quickly. For that purpose, I carry a standard folding multi-tool in a back jersey pocket, along with the usual bits like a quick link, etc.

For racing, I carry CO2 as my primary inflation solution, but I also carry a very compact and light mini pump in my jersey pocket to use if the COC2 goes awry for any reason.

 

Thanks, interesting to hear what others run.

Regarding priority, that's the rub of course. It's balancing weight/convenience/speed/robustness.

I find my jersey pocket real estate to be increasingly precious with longer events I'm doing. But indeed, the tool in the jersey pocket is of course always a very viable option, especially for shorter xc events.

 

My lenzyne pump (with hose) is lighter than a single large co2 and filler head. I was surprised by this.

 

If you're gearing for a race speed is paramount. I think it's best to have everything very handy. Lot's of racers tape dyna-plugs to their stem or top tube so they could potentially jam a plug in a puncture before losing much air and just keep rolling.

 

When I am racing longer events I have tire plugs in the handlebar, minipump by the bottle holder and a swat box below the bottle holder with multitool, co2, spare tube. I need the back pockets for gel and a wind vest.

If I was buying new tools I think I would get the milkit hassleoff (not just for the great name). Seems to have quick access and fairly low weight.

Hassle'off - milkit.bike

Powerbox with more than 20 functions, with integrated tubeless plug-solution Super lightweight (only 135 g) Fits on every frame Flexible interfaces for

milkit.bike

 

When I am racing longer events I have tire plugs in the handlebar, minipump by the bottle holder and a swat box below the bottle holder with multitool, co2, spare tube. I need the back pockets for gel and a wind vest.

If I was buying new tools I think I would get the milkit hassleoff (not just for the great name). Seems to have quick access and fairly low weight.

Hassle'off - milkit.bike

Powerbox with more than 20 functions, with integrated tubeless plug-solution Super lightweight (only 135 g) Fits on every frame Flexible interfaces for

milkit.bike

Looks cool. Being a realist, I'd almost for sure lose those loose bits in short order...

 

The best tip I got was to use electrical tape to stick one or two of the most common size hex wrenches to the stem: A team mate twisted his shifter (that was a bit loose) early in a race while he was just in front of me, I was able to grab the wrenches off the stem and hand them to him as I passed without stopping or getting off my bike.
Check every fastener on the bike (and the pedal cleats), and carefully inspect the chain the night before, make sure you have adequate sealant too, that will eliminate most of your need for tools during a race.

 

Prepared for mockery, but I still use a small transit/performance bike saddle bag In addition to taping a bacon strip on the top tube. I carry one CO2 and sometimes a lezyne mini pump (concur, weighs less than the co2/head but obviously much slower, and is a last resort) attached to the bottle cage. Jersey pockets are for food or race transmitter.
Never had to use chainbreaker in race but still carry very old one that works for 12 speed… Which was released about five years after I purchased the chainbreaker (spare links taped to breaker ). My 64 g multitool does not have a 2.5 mm allen so I rubber band loose allen to the multitool. The pre-race bolt snug check and topped off sealant has served me well thus far.

Timely thread. I was shopping for a new multitool on sale at REI. But between my old stuff, orphaned allen bits and gorilla tape and rubber bands I’m set for another race season.

 

EDC 70cc with plugs and bacon in the small cannister, tube strapped on the back of my saddle.
Wife has multitool under Specialized bottle cage, a single 16g CO2, pedros lever and tube strapped on the back of her saddle.

We only ever race together on longer races, so she's able to grab her multitool faster if we need it. Or assist pulling out the tyre plugs if required.

 

Look at what EWS racers use; often they have the EDC tool. If they can manage with them when they are aiming for podiums I think we can!

 

Enduro racers will usually try to ride out mechanicals to the end of the stage, then try to fix when they're not on the clock during transitions. I know they still have time limits during transitions, but they aren't necessarily losing time and/or positions like in an XC event when the clock is always running. That may yield different priorities for selecting tool solutions for XC versus enduro.

 

My race partner had a lezyne hand pump with hose. We had to use it once in training. Worked okay but nearly pulled the valve core (first warning sign). Next time we used it was in a stage race. Pumped the tire only to have it fully pull out the valve core (not the same wheel as in training). Before he could finish pumping the tire again, the pump failed. Subsequent use of CO2 took all of 10 seconds. We lost 10 minutes in the faf + getting stuck behind slower teams. Lesson learned.

I still like the idea of a hand pump for marathon races where you may run out of CO2 if you’re super unlucky. But definitely will not be using a Lezyne pump in the future. N = 1 here, of course.

For racing, CO2 is so much faster than a pump, any difference if a few grams of no consequence.

 

My race partner had a lezyne hand pump with hose. We had to use it once in training. Worked okay but nearly pulled the valve core (first warning sign). Next time we used it was in a stage race. Pumped the tire only to have it fully pull out the valve core (not the same wheel as in training). Before he could finish pumping the tire again, the pump failed. Subsequent use of CO2 took all of 10 seconds. We lost 10 minutes in the faf + getting stuck behind slower teams. Lesson learned.

I still like the idea of a hand pump for marathon races where you may run out of CO2 if you’re super unlucky. But definitely will not be using a Lezyne pump in the future. N = 1 here, of course.

For racing, CO2 is so much faster than a pump, any difference if a few grams of no consequence.

For those screw on type hoses there is no need to tighten the hose too much. Just enough that it doesn't leak. Also helps to apply blue loctite on the valve core when installing.

 

Thanks everyone. Good to hear various thoughts on what works / doesn't work for folks.

Count me in on team no pump hose, but lots of this stuff is personal preference.

 

Well at least the discussion was productive, borderline personal attacks aside.

Good to hear more positive experiences with the lezyne pumps. I really liked his until it failed so easily, so wrote them off.

In the interest of clarity, the pump did not actually explode. The seal in the pump failed. Apologies for the poetic license.

The main point remains: CO2 for racing. Laughably faster.

Don’t forget to release the CO2 and pump with air after the race, though, depending on sealant anyways.

 

I think that the Milkit is a great excercise in integration but is it's useless in a real racing environment. Too many small bits to lose with shacky hands andsweat dripping on the eyes.
And a single CO2 canister is not enough in case the bacon strips do not seal the tire and a tube is necessary to finish the race.
My time proven setup is: sahmurai sword in the handlebar, minimalis tool in the pocket, CO2, light minipump and Tubolito as a last resort. Primarily racing and marathon events. Not winning but it'd hate to DNF for a mechnical.

 

sahmurai sword

What's so special about these vs. the muc-off or dynaplug? People seem to really like them?

 

Although this still has the problem of loose bits, it seems quite compelling in several other respects.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/essential8-the-new-multitool-from-daysaver-is-even-lighter-and-better-and-lower-priced.html

Edit: Similar to the Milkit I suppose

 

Ohh. I like this! A lot. Indeed it seems to literally be the best parts of the Milkit, without the parts I don't really want.

The Essential 8 and carrier seem like a great option for accessibility and very light weight and sleek storage. I'll probably order one of these. Thanks!

The coworker 5 (also part of the Mikit) seems less useful to me without master link pliers. I guess if the old master link broke, you probably don't need the pliers, and you don't really need the pliers to install a new one. Still... And I don't really care for the snap case on the Milkit, or the bacon strip solution, personally.

Not that anyone cares, but:
I just ordered a Outvie Possm that's going to hold all of my flat tyre gear: spare tube, CO2 (I'm going to try again), Dynaplug (maybe Dynaplug air, I'm on the fence vs Dynaplug Racer), proper tyre levers, and a Lezyne Multi Chain Pliers.

Possm

🪶 Light-weight & convenient design🚵 Quick & easy tool access for short & chaos-free pit stops💪 Durable & long lasting🏅 slim build for performance (Gear shown in images not included) SORRY, SOLD OUT UNTIL EARLY JUNE. SPRING RACING DEMAND WAS CRAZY! PLEASE CHECK BACK THEN

www.outvi.com

I'll also carry a 70cc One Up pump with a small tube of extra sealant in the storage area.

The final piece is this Essential 8 and carrier.

Whole setup is a little heavier than the EDC tool/pump combo, but should be much more accessible/less fiddly.

Thanks everyone for all the tips and leads. Keep the discussion going with other options of course.

 

I've got the EDC tool in the steerer and carry a Lezyne Pocket HV pump. The Lezyne Pump is only 80g or something (by memory), is super compact, and most importantly has the flexi hose to minimise the risk of breaking a tubeless valve.

I've got Jank Dart prong add on on the end of my EDC, and whilst it makes for a super efficient and compact way of carrying every tool I need, I'm pretty nervous of the 3d plastic prong snapping when you actually need it.

I'm looking at possibly replacing in the future with the Milk It Hassel'off. It's pretty much the same weight and the only thing it doesn't have space for is the chainring bolt. It has a proper bacon strip prong, and actually has a blade for tidying up the plug once set.

I really like how tidy the EDC is though. I wouldn't personally bother with the EDC Lite as it seems a bit pointless to not have all the tools. The Hassle'off has the ability to go under the bottle cage, but i think I'd put it in my saddle bag first if it would fit.

Interested in others thoughts. Won't order a new tool for a while yet.

 

A hollow allen key.... who the hell designed that!

 

Swiss quality.

It's actually a nifty nested system. Clearly not as strong as I had anticipated. Was installing cleats--so reasonable torque but nothing crazy. I'd estimate 10 6.5 Nm. Hopefully, it was just a bad run or something...

I really like the form factor of the tool.

 

Hmm, my Daysaver bits are all rainbow plasma colored and say PB Swiss. Purchased in late 2020. That cracked bit doesn’t appear to be hardened steel? The current website has PB bits as after market, but it seems they don’t mention PB Swiss when describing the tool. I also believe I paid near 100$ vs 45$ current price.

 

I suspect the newer tools are not Swiss made anymore...

I'm not sure if the old bits are compatible, I'm waiting to hear back from Daysaver. I think that older tool is probably worth the price premium over the new one. I'm bummed but hopefully I'll be able to find some nested bits that will work. I assume people will lose these if nothing else.

 

dilberto, I would probably say the bits are all 1/4" drive interchangeable. I would be a bit of work change everything for 1-off type manufacturing. But who knows. I'd source an Amazon PB Bike kit and see, they just wouldn't be nested, if not, return it.

 

Unfortunately, the bits are not 1/4", they are 5mm/ H5. I considered this as well.

They should definitely warranty that. Write them directly.

Official word from Funsaver: "tough titties, maybe some day we'll have spare bits for sale". Even correcting for Euro vs. US customer service expectations, this ranks pretty low on product support. I actually didn't request a warranty (though that was certainly my expectation), and I'd be willing to pay something to get this working again. The shrug-off is pretty disheartening.

Additionally, the magnet that keeps the bits in place has become debonded and fell out of the tool as well. As much as I wanted to like this tool, I've used it for all of two bolts and it has now failed twice. I was sort of contemplating ordering another one, but I really don't think I'll do that now. I'd probably not hesitate to purchase one of the PB Swiss manufactured examples, I'm sure those are well made.

From the Daysaver website, here is the info about fragility of the tool:
Sometimes it just takes force. The Essential8 lets you use it, with top torque values that will test your hands.

 

This is a bit unnerving. I ordered a milkit Hassle'off, will it come with brittle bits??

 

It seems that it will. On the bright side... it will also be good for everyone else to get your experience. And hopefully it's a good experience!

 

i would just go this route -

PB Swiss BikeTool (PB 470)

Shop the world's finest tools from elite brands like PB Swiss, Wera, KNIPEX, Ko-ken, Ebisu, KEIBA and more..

drpd.cc

I also see why the Daysaver would have specific bits - the 5mm hex insert is kind of the base of the tool. 1/4" bits on the above unit have the small adaptor sleeve.

 

Is anyone using the bottle clamp thing that comes with the Hassle'off?

I'm wondering about using it, but the self tap style screw into plastic just seems slightly less industrial/permanent than I'd prefer.

 

Did we get the Craig's Tool ( Fit4Use – Fit 4 Use ) into this thread yet? At 32g Seems kind of interesting as a minimal race tool.

 

What about the “thinner plugs for road tires” bit. That doesn’t sound too reassuring. Otherwise I like the idea of this one a lot.


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Anyone using a dynaplug instead of the bacon strip type plugs? I like the idea of the thicker plugs since I always seem to need a few bacon strips when I’ve used them.
I bought the dynaplug racer and the little holder they sell that attaches to water bottle bolts because that seemed nice and easy access for it, but the holder seems way too flimsy and I can’t imagine the tool staying in there with any bumps at all.

 

Anyone using a dynaplug instead of the bacon strip type plugs? I like the idea of the thicker plugs since I always seem to need a few bacon strips when I’ve used them.
I bought the dynaplug racer and the little holder they sell that attaches to water bottle bolts because that seemed nice and easy access for it, but the holder seems way too flimsy and I can’t imagine the tool staying in there with any bumps at all.

Or use automotive strips, cut them down a bit if necessary. I've been amazed at how one is holding up for a pinch-puncture at the bead.

 

Or use automotive strips, cut them down a bit if necessary. I've been amazed at how one is holding up for a pinch-puncture at the bead.

That’s a good idea, I’ll have to look into that. I like how many options there are for quick access mounting of a normal plug tool compared to the dynaplug.