Check out my newly designed bike tool - feedback welcome!

[adshelton]

Hi Cycling forums! I am new the the forum, but am a mountain biker in Atlanta, GA. I am alsoa designer, and have just designed a new type of bike tool that I wanted to show everyone. A disclaimer, I have launched this product for pre-sale on a crowdfunding forum, but won't put the link here so I don't spam (If you want the link and to see the videos, send me a private message or ask me on the thread).

My goal on this project was to make a great bike tool that has some real, high-quality tools but is extra slim and can be stored right inside your phone case! What I came up with is a phone case that has a swappable tray containing the tools you need for quick bike repair. All the tools are 440C Hardened Stainless, and very durable. Here is the list of tools:

• Two tire irons
• Pedal/Axle wrench
• Flathead screwdriver
• Phillips screwdriver
• 6 Allen wrenches (1/16, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm)
• 4 Box wrenches (5.5mm, 7mm, 8mm, 10mm)
• two spoke wrenches (.127 and .130)
• Three glueless tire patches
• Roughener for tire patch application
• Bottle opener (for the end of the ride!)

Here are some photos of the product, it weights 80g total, but packs a lot of tools into a super slim space that is really convenient to carry. Ultimately I would like to add a handlebar mount accessory if my crowdfunding campaign is successful so you got your nav and tools all in one! Anxious to hear the community's feedback, thoughts and questions!

 

[doss]

No vid link but looks awesome ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[adshelton]

Hi doss, thanks! Here are two links to two of my videos about the product. You will notice that I actually have two toolsets, one is the bike set and one is a set that has scissors, USB drive, and some other tools.

 

[maydog]

Interesting, but I would probably never buy it. I would have to get a smartphone first.

The tools look awful thin. How durable is the tire iron, it looks like it would bend pretty easily. The spoke wrench would probably mangle a nipple. I'd be afraid to put some real torque into any of those tools.

It misses the most critical items to carry with, tubes and an inflator. So you still need to have a frame mounted pump or seat bag. If you have a seat bag, you can easily fit a standard multitool, tubes and an inflator.

How does all that metal at the back of the device affect the cellular and wireless signals? Do the tools rattle while making a call?

To me, it seems to make more sense to have a protective phone mount (semi)permanently attached to the bicycle that holds the tools instead of toting the them everywhere.

Good luck on your endeavor.

 

[adshelton]

Hi maydog, thanks for the feedback! To answer a couple of your Q's, the tools are 1.5mm thick 440C hardened stainless, so they are very strong. You can't bend the tools with your hands, and can apply around 45-55 in-lbs with the Allen wrench (your strength and the length of the tool is the limitation, not the steel). You are correct there is no tube or pump, so in that respect it is very similar to a traditional multi-tool which also doesnt' include those items, so you would still have to carry those in a pack or on your frame.

Surprisingly the metal actually does not affect the reception in the least. The tools are spaced far enough of a distance from the phone that there is no difference in reception (I use an app called "fieldtester" which displays the realtime signal in decibels for my measurements). The tools are held in soft foam, and even if you shake the case around they don't make any noise!

Thanks!

 

[dabac]

Torx bits? Hugely popular fastener in the disc brake crowd. Axle and pedal wrench? State gap size in mm please. So maybe the steel is strong enough, but what about the hand wielding the tool? I suppose you can always pull a sock off for some padding, but you still need to generates enough torque. And if I'm free to dream, something that I am missing is a travel sized cassette lock ring tool. Neat idea though, to stick to a space already taken.

 

[adshelton]

Hi dabac,

the pedal/axle wrench is 15mm. With the length of the tool, it is an improvement over the mini, almost silly small pedal wrench in my Topeak Alien bike tool, and can actually take off pedals that are on there reasonably tight. Of course if someone cranked on it with a big park pedal wrench, no way you can get it off with my pedal wrench, but in reality it is really more for tightening loose pedals on a ride versus taking off tight pedals (but certainly is strong enough for that!).

I would really like to have some options for what tools people want in their case, I have been thinking long and hard about how to fit in a chain-break, but it is going to have to be some really clever engineering. Still working on that part. I have gotten a lot of feedback so far about the torx-bit. That would actually be pretty easy to add..

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Cute Asian girl included?

 

[adshelton]

Haha, sorry, not included