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Hands-on with new things from Park Tool, Feedback Sports, Luberetta, ZTTO, Wera, and a handful of desirable brands you'll likely be hearing of for the first time.
Welcome back to Threaded, the ongoing series for the tool-obsessed, professional mechanic, and home-wrench-curious. In this edition, I return to a theme that pre-dates the start of Threaded, it’s called New Tools Day, and quite simply it's a bit of show-and-tell for the latest and more interesting tools.
In this gallery, I’ll cover a broad mix of new tools, including an AliExpress purchase, fresh mainstream offerings, and the most niche, premium, and desirable of ratchets. Some of the stuff is too new to conclude long-term durability, but I can at least offer early hands-on impressions for all of it. And as with previous editions of New Tools Day, I’ll aim to offer a few tidbits about my favourite tools in their respective categories.
Before the rolling pictures begin, I’ll encourage anyone new to Threaded to check out previous articles from the series. Most articles contain a mix of deep dives and tool-related news. Plus, I highly recommend catching up on earlier editions of New Tools Day that were published throughout 2023.
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Park Tool recently released a sponge replacement kit to suit its CM-25 Professional Chain Scrubber. Previously, these sponges were only available as part of the US$26 replacement cartridge set that included the more durable brushes, too.The sponge replacement kit (#2336K) is US$10 and provides two sets of sponges and wicking pads.I find clip-on chain cleaning devices like this to be an efficient way of degreasing chains without removing them from the bike. With such a device and a good degreaser, a quick flush followed by a rinse of water can bring a like-new shine to a chain. At US$116, Park Tool's CM-25 is built and priced for the professional. It features a die-cast aluminium body with all moving/wear parts sitting within replacement plastic cartridges. This one has seen years of use, and beyond looking a little battered, it continues to work like new. For more affordable (plastic) options, my two favourites are the Park Tool CM-5.3 and Pedro's Chain Pig.The Park Tool EWS-2 (US$10) is a fancier way of dealing with Shimano's slimmer SM300 Di2 wires. Compared to Shimano's EW300 tool (left), the EWS-2 is more comfortable in the hand, while a third side is for coin-cell battery covers.The EWS-2 also feels to be made from a stiffer plastic, resulting in a more positive feel.Speaking of newer Di2 wires, Park Tool recently updated its Internal Routing kit to include a fifth cable specifically for Shimano SM300 wires. They've also added a RockShox Reverb-style barb (the little silver bit at front-right) for pulling a new length of hose/housing directly from one already in place.The previous Di2 wiring cable works with Shimano SD50 wires (lower in shot), with the tool snapping into the wire head. By contrast, the new SD300 guiding tool clips over the outside of skinnier wire. The fitment is positive, but I'd have preferred if the routing tool better matched the slim diameter of the wire.By comparison, the newest version of the PRO Internal Routing Tool (black wire) handles those slim SD300 wires with a more compact holding barb.The threaded barb – designed for guiding internal-routing cable housings and brake hoses – has long been my most-used piece from Park Tool's Internal Routing kit. They do eventually wear out (as seen on the left), but I'll take that trade given how much of a day-saver this tool can be.Perhaps I'll do a Threaded on internal cable routing tricks and tools, eh?The previous edition of Threaded covered the dumb aspects of T47 bottom brackets, but it's worth noting that silly bottom bracket splines existed well before that. For example, Shimano had its widely-adopted 44 mm OD 16-spline outboard bottom bracket, but years later released a Dura-Ace/XTR bottom bracket with a 39 mm OD, and then soon followed that with a 41 mm OD for Ultegra/XT bottom brackets. Now Fazua's Ride 60 e-bike system is using the 41 mm spline for the lockring of its direct-mount chainrings. The new Park Tool LRT-5 socket (black) is deeper to fit over the protruding crank axle.The LRT-5 socket can be used with a 3/8-in. square tool ratchet, 36 mm socket, or an adjustable wrench.Those with T-handle hex or Torx keys may be intrigued to hear that Park Tool is now offering its metal wall-mounted holders separate of the wrench sets. I'm a big fan of Park Tool's P-Handle wrench holders, and these are equally efficient in terms of grabbing a T-handle from.Pictured is the THH-H T-Handle Hex Wrench holder (US$30). A grippy and non-marring texturing adds further to the clever angling and placement of the holding holes and cut-outs.Any tool that comes in its own safecase is typically worth a show-and-tell in front of the class. The contents of this may surprise.Yep, it's a ratchet. Yet, not just any ratchet. This is the 1/4" Drive Titanium Ratchet from TRO Designs, an American company that specialises in making truly desirable products aimed at motorcycle enthusiasts. Meanwhile the provided foam liner can be used to build out a portable tool kit from.
