I'll admit it, I'm totally "that guy" who never brings tools, tubes or enough water out on rides. I like to think it's because I'm a "minimalist", but really it's just because I've always hated having bulky stuff in my pockets and was never a big fan of riding with backpacks. If I had a mechanical issue, I just kind of dealt with my fate of walking back to the car.
I know, pretty lame of me! But, this lead to a revelation. After a few too many solo walks back to the car, I began thinking about what the ultimate minimalist tool would be like:
-Something small and non-intrusive
-Nothing to snag on mesh pockets that many riding shorts have
-Smooth edges so that when I'm loosening a stubborn thru-axle my hand doesn't get destroyed
-Just the bits I need for common adjustments, nothing extra (some tools have SO. MANY. BITS.)
-Oh, and wouldn't it be nice to repair a punctured tire without needing to carry a tube?
Well, we got to work boiling down what the essentials would be for trail-side fixes and landed on:
I know, pretty lame of me! But, this lead to a revelation. After a few too many solo walks back to the car, I began thinking about what the ultimate minimalist tool would be like:
-Something small and non-intrusive
-Nothing to snag on mesh pockets that many riding shorts have
-Smooth edges so that when I'm loosening a stubborn thru-axle my hand doesn't get destroyed
-Just the bits I need for common adjustments, nothing extra (some tools have SO. MANY. BITS.)
-Oh, and wouldn't it be nice to repair a punctured tire without needing to carry a tube?
Well, we got to work boiling down what the essentials would be for trail-side fixes and landed on:
- 3mm for things like grip clamps
- 4mm for stem bolts, brake clamps or seat collars
- 5mm for saddle clamps or stem bolts
- 6mm for pedals, suspension linkage, etc
- We also connected with the folks over at Dynaplug, the leaders in tubeless tire repair. We created a cool stainless plug inserter that threads over the T25 bit, saving space and maximizing utility
- T25 Torx for Sram bits
And to make it all sleek looking, for some reason it began to remind me of a pebble. Simple, small, smooth and...I dunno maybe you could skip it on a pond or something, who knows.
I'm so excited to finally launch this into the world, take a look for yourself!
-Aaron Kerson, Co-Founder and CEO
I'm so excited to finally launch this into the world, take a look for yourself!
-Aaron Kerson, Co-Founder and CEO