EDITORIAL | REVIEW
For (Just) A Few Bucks More
Scheduling, Conflicts
I generally have a solid fix on the status of everything I'm working on for NSMB. Showers Pass weatherproof vest? Needs more rain. Budget-friendly MEC Core Train riding shirts? Needs more sweat-and-wash cycles. Banshee Enigma frame-only review? Needs to install Manitou 'Magic-Toothpick' at 120mm travel. CushCore Trail inserts? Next in the writing queue.
Not to say that nothing ever falls through the cracks. You know, accidentally on purpose. At the end of the day, I can always fall back on my new favourite quote, which comes from Jochen Bierwerth: "Perfect is something else."
Cool stuff waiting for words: Showers Pass EcoLyte weatherproof vest. A MEC Core Train shirt I've been using that costs 45 CAD. The Banshee Enigma. Awesome trail work by Martin & Co. Photo by JacAttack.
I just ordered myself a fresh Kali Invader 2.0 lid. I mention it as I picked mine up for 1/2 price in their current sale, which I think is a killer deal. Photo by JacAttack.
Reviewing bicycle products is rarely a case of good and bad but rather more situational. Experiences have to be put in context while figuring out how someone else's personal bent may yield a different opinion. When trying to consider other folks' preferences, I always go back to how much pedaling, and therefore bike fit, has changed for me since I ruptured my Achilles.
It's amazing how different bikes can be fun on the same terrain, or how similar bikes can be fun on different terrain. Lately, I've been on this journey with the Banshee Enigma. A frame that's basically my Waltworks V2 from the bottom bracket forward, but swaps 418mm chainstays for the 463mm stays I'm used to, and a 27" rear wheel for my 29" hoop.
One bike is better than the other, and vice versa, in exactly the situations that you'd assume. The Walt can monster truck steep jank, the Enigma is a hoot to pop off the ground. But I'm riding all the same trails, cleaning all the same features, just differently.
The Granite Stash RT tool will satisfy any rider who prefers micro-ratcheting action, and good quality swappable bits for their trail-side repairs.
But the plastic top cap, and specifically the plastic nubbin acting as a latch, sucks. If this cap was aluminum I have little doubt the system would be a good option.
In Plasticular
Sometimes reviewing bicycle products is actually a case of good and bad. Or, in the example of this Granite Stash RT ratcheting-tool-in-steerer-tube setup, the word I could use is incomplete. Because if Granite Design had invested just a buck or two more into the production of this 70 USD tool system, it would jump categories.
Right now it's bad.
If Granite swapped the shitty plastic top cap for one made of aluminum, it would be good. Not my cup of tea, but a sweet-enough London Fog for the rider who loves ratcheting tools, values having all the bits on board, and doesn't like to wear a pack.
The first plastic tab broke on my first ride. The second broke while playing with it right after I installed it.
Here's how the plastic nubbin should interface with the aluminum groove in the Granite carrier.
Here's how the same said nubbin actually wants to interface with the Granite carrier. Easy to see how it fails.
My Stash RT experience lasted two rides. On the first, I was headed down one of my favourite janky tech trails on Mt Fromme when the tool ejected and smoked me in the chin bar. As it turned out, the combination of a small compression, the RT being spring loaded, and the plastic cap breaking made for a shocking exit.
I'd used the Granite tool one time on my ride up the hill to make a minor saddle adjustment. So all I could figure is that I'd inadvertently broken the little tab that holds it in place against the in-steerer aluminum carrier. Maybe my error?
Granite eventually mailed out a replacement top cap, still plastic. That one broke while I was just playing with it.
Even for someone who could 'take or leave' the ratcheting feature, the Stash RT is quite nice.
I'm stoked they included an 8mm hex bit. In total the 70 USD tool includes a T-25, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 8mm hex bits. The PH1 screwdriver bit can also be used as an extender to increase leverage.
The Stash RT's headlock-style carrier is easy to set up. I'd assume that like the OneUp EDC Carrier and Trek BITS tools, there'd be no issue with my headset staying tight.
It's easy to gauge how much force I'm putting on smaller bolts, like the T-25 SRAM brake clamps which I prefer to have tightened just so.
It's as capable of accessing tight bolts as any other stashed multi-tool I've used.
Never mind whether the tool system needs to be spring-loaded or not, clearly an aluminum cap would resolve this issue. But in further retrospect, this is not a new product category. Specialized's in-steerer SWAT tool has used a spring-loaded carrier with an aluminum cap since 2017. OneUp, admittedly not spring-loaded, has used a plastic-capped insert design for ages. Trek's BITS tool is a bit tight to remove for some folks' liking, but it's a worthy example as well.
I'm generally a tools-in-my-pack rider anyway, which is where I put the Granite Stash Ratchet Tool after the carrier failed. And it works. I prefer other tools, but hey, they don't ratchet. And I know that for some folks, ratcheting rocks.
The OneUp EDC Carrier doesn't ratchet and isn't spring-loaded. I'd suggest that if they're sticking with a plastic top, Granite take their ratcheting tool and find a way to use a similar interface.
Or, if Granite wants to keep using their current spring-loaded and swing cap model, take a chapter out of Trek's BITS book and swap the plastic for metal for the top part that's getting ganked on.
Found & Lost
So I came across the Granite Stash RT in a pile of bits while cleaning up my workbench. Out of sight, out of mind. I'd entirely forgotten about it. Probably on purpose at one point. Now, I don't really know what to do with it. If Granite made a metal top cap, or even a plastic cap with a bolt-on metal latch, the tool would most likely live up to the expectations of riders looking for a steerer-stashed ratcheting multi-tool.
Right now, I have to say it's not going to be good for anyone. Or at the very least it's a ticking timebomb even for the most persnickety plastic-cap-closer. All that for just 70 USD. Come on Granite, if you just gave a few bucks, or maybe a few f*cks more, this thing wouldn't be destined for the recycling depot.
Sometimes reviewing bicycle products is actually a case of good or bad. But hey, at least my schedule is up to date now.
Height - Steve Buscemi-ish
Wait - Patiently
Ape Index - T-Rex
Age - The same as DOS
Favourite Trail(s) every week - Pipeline (thank you Ken!) to Lower Crippler (thank you Andy!)
Favourite Song(s) this week - I'm Your Man. Nick Cave (covering Leonard Cohen)
Favourite Colour - Cosmic Lilac
Bar Width - It depends
Reach & Stack & ETT - It depends
Crank Length - 175mm except when it's 170mm
Wheel Size - Hot For Mullets
Comments
Andy Eunson
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Cheapnis. Never fails to disappoint.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
"The suits & the hats & the tie's too wide
And too short for the scientist man
The chemistry lady with the roll-away mind
And the monster just ate Japan
Ladies and gentlemen,
The monster
Which the peasants in this area call FRUNOBULAX
(Apparently a very large poodle dog)
Has just been seen approaching the airport
Bullets can't stop it
Rockets can't stop it
We may have to use NUCLEAR FORCE!"
------
I've never been much into Zappa, but Cheapnis was intense!
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fartymarty
9 months, 4 weeks ago
You definitely have to be in the right headspace to get Zappa* - but once you're there you wont go back (or be the same again).
* the same very much applied to Trout Mask Replica https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF0g-2SeoMM&ab_channel=BDPAPMEJM
Edit - Frank Zappa has done some amazing Jazz / Rock fusion that is well worth checking out even if you're not into his more out there stuff.
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Vincent Edwards
9 months, 4 weeks ago
For Zappa and Beefheart … I encourage folks to work chronologically. For Zappa this means starting with ‘the Mothers of Invention’ albums ‘Freak Out’ and “Absolutely Free’
For Beefheart try ‘Safe as Milk’ … and the two records following Trout Mask which are also a bit easier to dig into. I think I listened to Trout Mask at least a dozen times before it started to ‘click’ - then Wow. Still, it’s not a record I make other people listen to with me.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Ya know, when I found this Granite tool under a pile of stuff on my workbench my first reaction was to curse the discovery. But in the end, it's been a gift.
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DanL
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Broadway the Hardway, You are What you Is, Joe's Garage 1 & 2, Them or Us and Yellow Shark are also excellent, albeit late stage, Zappa
Velocipedestrian
9 months, 3 weeks ago
What is a tool but an adapter to fit the hand to the machine?
Andrew Major
9 months, 3 weeks ago
I’m feeling like I’m the only person who rides bikes that had never heard of Captain Beefheart?!
At least I know some Zappa.
Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
The top comment on Trout Mask Replica is awesome:
"oh ok, when captain beefheart does advanced polyrhythms and experimental time signatures he's a "visionary" and "avant-garde musician" but when i do it i'm "annoying" and "need to leave guitar center"
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fartymarty
9 months, 3 weeks ago
> I’m feeling like I’m the only person who rides bikes that had never heard of Captain Beefheart?!
It takes a few (many) listens to absorb - I remember many years ago I used to do a gravel ride when I lived in London which may have been an hour and a half long and used to have it playing in my earphones. It's an album that needs to sink in and get under your skin.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 3 weeks ago
The amount of stuff I miss out on because I don't ever ride with headphones in... podcasts, radio contests, Captain Beefheart... hahahhaha.
Skooks
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Tools with multiple tiny bits and pieces don't work for me. Too fiddly and easy to loose bits on the trail. Give me a simple, cheap park tools or crank bros multi tool any day of the week. I will still be using that tool long after any fancy multi bit tool has literally been left in the dust.
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Timer
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I can see a bit-tool working for roadbikes, where you're wearing fingerless gloves and the ground is asphalt.
For MTB? No thanks.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I usually take my gloves off to do any trailside work anyway, but this is a good point, small bits are a PIA with gloves. Especially thicker fall/winter ones.
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Cr4w
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Roadies still wear fingerless gloves?
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I appreciate there are two schools with packing tools. I love my 8-Bit Pack Pliers* for the maximum usability/minimal space but there’s certainly more faffing involved compared to a block, which I manage by almost never needing tools on the trail.
For a block I second the Crankbrothers tools. I really like the simple M10 which I combine with separate quick-link pliers. The quality is very high for the investment.
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*Have tried various configurations and for most days I like the standard Pack Pliers setup (no add-ons) with a separate knife and bacon setup.
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hongeorge
9 months, 4 weeks ago
100%, drop a bit into a pile of leaves, you can forget it.
The OneUp tool is still the best implementation out of all of these, it's just so convenient, and so well made.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
The EDC tool block is fast and handy but it’s not a replacement for the more fleshed out tool kit that a fair few folks prefer to carry, nor do I love using the huge multi-tool blocks that result from trying to combine all the tools in an attached package.
I’ve never lost a bit on the trail. Not saying it’s not a genuine concern, it just doesn’t outweigh the benefits of a nice to use, many function, tool like my 8-Bit.
Always open to considering other tools - I love tools - but the case of a OneUp and a Wolf Tooth simply isn’t an apples:apple’s comparison.
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Vik Banerjee
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I don't mind a tool with bits for my own use, but I'm not stoked about handing it off to someone else due to the likelihood of them losing bits and then we have this awkward moment where a simple loan got expensive for one of us.
That said I gave up on trail use of my Wolf Tooth tools because actually getting the bits out is so damn hard [tight fit and hard to grab] and they are also black tiny bits inside a black tool body often in a dark forest so even picking the right bit is tough. Amazingly well made, but poorly designed for me anyways. Although they aren't spring loaded so they've never hit me in the face!
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
“Although they aren't spring loaded so they've never hit me in the face!”
It’s all about common ground! Hahahaha.
What’s your preferred on-trail multi-tool setup Vik?
…
It’s not something I considered - I have zero issues with black bits/black tool even on a properly dank day but I have a couple friends who’ve gone to use my tool and thought that the bits lacked definition.
I get why they went to coated bits to prevent surface rust, but maybe a coloured covering would have been better - or anodizing the aluminum body silver.
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Bikes
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I always find “cheapening” decisions odd.
Mfg is a shave the pennies business, but it shocking to me how they also seem to how overlook just charging a few bucks more for a vastly better product on what is already a “luxury” good (and that few bucks is often what I’ll pay aftermarket, not what they’d pay)
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I agree, and I also think for the price Granite commands for this tool it could have a metal latch.
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mrbrett
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Penny smart, pound foolish - I think.
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Andy Krull
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I'm a ratchet lover. I went with the Blackburn version. The ratchet mechanism is made by the same tool manufacturer as this Granite model, but it's got a nice carry pouch and also has a chain tool. I keep it in my pack/pocket depending on whether or not I'm at a bike park.
You are correct about the 8mm bit being the key; so many manufacturers omit it. Blackburn's in neatly integrated with the chain tool.
Simple fix for invisible bits that are easy to lose: yellow duct tape. One tiny wrap on each bit, and you are all set.
I bought a set of wera hex bits in case I lost one, but haven't needed one yet.
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Velocipedestrian
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I'm with you. I replaced the stock bits in a Prestacycle kit from Ground Effect with Wera bits.
It's not fitting in the steerer, but I love how versatile the extender handle makes it. Use in screwdriver mode, long lever for the 8mm with pedals, T-handle etc. There's a little pocket in the other half of the pouch I found a chain breaker slim enough to fit.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
@Velocipedestrian, your ratchet tool would be compatible with the Blackburn chain breaker/pad spreader as well?! It works great. That also adds a couple spoke key sizes to your setup.
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Velocipedestrian
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Nice. It looks slim enough to fit in the pouch, too!
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Velocipedestrian
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Had a look, it seems the chain tool /spreader is only sold as part of their kits. Pity.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Assuming you have a relationship, did you ask your local shop to ask their distributor?
Blackburn has a great reputation for supporting what they sell, so I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an internal SKU for many of the small parts.
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doodersonmcbroseph
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I use this prestacycle kit at home, it's just very convenient for working on bikes even though I have a garage full of normal mechanics tools.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Blackburn does some great tools and I especially like their chain tool / pad-spreader that they incorporate differently with different tools like the Wayside, Big Switch, Switch Wrap, and Big Switch Ratchet. The stuff is well made.
The only thing I'll say negatively since their tool design, in general, is either going to work for an individual or not, is that they can get stripped with their dumb ball-end hex keys. One of the nice things about the ratchet tool is no one has been daft enough to create ball-end hex bits.
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Valerii Shpolskyi
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Such a lovely top cap :)
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Andrew Major
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Cheers. They’re made by Lazarus Cycling in the Ukraine.
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Vincent Edwards
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Reminds me a bit of the Wera Bicycle set #3A… except that the Wera is designed to stay in the shop and includes a lot more tools. But even that set has an annoying plastic clip on top to secure the ratchet.
The mini-ratchet is really handy alongside other tools, but it would not be my tail-side tool of choice.
Even in the shop, I usually grab a long-arm hex key unless a bolt is in a tight spot where a ratchet will really help (or a torque wrench is called for)
_
While we’re on this topic, how do we get brands to stop using 1.5mm Allen bolts? I’m thinking about the Shimano clutch adjustment or some brands crank preload collars.
_
I’m looking forward to hearing more about that Banshee
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Re. 1.5mm hex-heads where a 2mm or 2.5mm will easily fit - ugh. I assume it’s engineers Vs. ham-firsts trying not to give too big a tool for the job? Good luck changing minds there.
———
Enigma is so fun! Just finishing the first look of the Mattoc fork on the A130 and then I’ll lower it for the Enigma for another perspective.
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Pete Roggeman
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I need help finding a 1.5mm bit - need one to chs ge the batteries in a digital shock pump. I have a drawer full of multi tools and zero 1.5mm bits.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
You need a set of Wera Hex Keys! Just not the ones they sell as "Bicycle" sets.
Actually, Wera sells the 1.5mm Hex keys or bits separately as well if you just want to buy the individual tool.
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Pete Roggeman
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I have one but it's the bike set, however good tip on buying the 1.5 separately.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Yeah, I don’t get the “bike” sets. You’re not the first person who’s lamented the lack of a 1.5mm hex, which is clearly widely used in the bike world (even if it shouldn’t be).
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IslandLife
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Wait... where is this Kali Invader half price sale?!
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
It was on the Kali website originally as a 4th of July special but it extended quite a few days as it was still current when I submitted this piece.
Looks like it’s over now, sorry :-(.
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Allen Lloyd
9 months, 4 weeks ago
The one up isn't spring loaded, but it can fly out of the steer tube and attack your face. I almost caught mine right in the mouth riding last year. I avoided it thankfully but couldn't find where it landed. I really like the simple small One Up tool, but it has to be in the holder just right or it flies out and is gone :(
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Which version of the OneUp are you using? I’ve never even heard a whisper of EDC Lite or EDC tools coming off riding. Even for folks going 10x bigger and harder than I’d ever dream of?!!?
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rusty904
9 months, 4 weeks ago
I love the onboard tools category and have tried out a few. For me the Swat system takes the overall prize. 9 times out of 10 trailside repairs are a quick job and I want the tool that deploys the fastest. That's Swat, flip the little door and out it comes, goes back in just as easily and I'm on my way. There is literally no faster way to tighten a stem bolt trailside. Oneup gives you more tools, tire lever, more hex wrenches, and most crucially to me, spoke wrench but the tool is fiddly to deploy, you have to take it apart every time into three pieces and put the assembly back together when you're done. I've also had the whole thing jettison when the o-rings holding it into the steerer wear out. Finally the multi tool is prone to corroding and seizing after being sweat on.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 4 weeks ago
The OneUp EDC Lite is a better competitor to compare to the SWAT tool since it doesn't involve any of the faff of putting the thing back together - which is why I prefer the EDC Lite over the other EDC kits. I agree that SWAT is fast mind you, though I have seen more corrosion issues with the Specialized (and Trek) tools than with OneUp.
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pablobell
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Ive been using this for over a year with no issues, and I use it often to reset my Revive (which needs reviving a lot more than I would have hoped).
I even pull it out every time I wash the bike, to try to avoid surface rust.
Plastic has held up fine.
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Andrew Major
9 months, 3 weeks ago
I hope that it continues to be good for you.
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