Welcome to Escape Collective. Please select your language.
Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect. All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense, please double check in English.
Threaded #18: New Tools Day of pumps, plugs, and chain-things
Wolf Tooth enters the mini pump game, Abbey Bike Tools introduces a new chain wear tool, and a look at Cycplus' latest gauge-equipped electric mini inflators.
It’s a good day when you get a new tool. And you can bet it’s going to be a great New Tools Day when there are multiple tool releases to share!
A bit of sickness got in the way of delivering Threaded last week, so with that, I'll aim to bring you a two-part edition of Threaded x New Tools Day over the next couple of weeks. In this first part, I'll focus on a number of new tools largely aimed at everyday users and uses. You'll see Wolf Tooth's entry into mini pumps, the next generation of electric inflators from Cycplus, a few tubeless plug kit options, a portable chain breaker that doesn't quite hit the mark, and Abbey Bike Tools' entry into measuring chain wear.
Wolf Tooth just announced its entry into the world of mini pumps. There are two sizes options for the Encase pumps: 40 (US$65) and 85 (US$70) cc. Both are rated to a maximum of 70 psi, or in other words, they're specifically intended for mountain bike, gravel, or other wider-tyre pursuits. The pumps are interesting, but it's what goes inside of them that makes them worthy of discussion.Branded under Wolf Tooth's Encase tool line, these new pumps can house the company's line of stashable tools which were previously only hideable within the ends of handlebars.The small 40 cc pump has room to fit one EnCase tool or Wolf Tooth's new EnCase Tire Plug tool. Meanwhile the 85 cc pump offers room for both of Wolf Tooth's EnCase tools.Pictured are those two EnCase tools. On the left is Wolf Tooth's EnCase Hex Bit wrench tool, which covers 14 functions via its small double-ended 4 mm hex bits. Meanwhile on the right is the chain breaker which hides a tubeless tyre plug kit within its handle. These tools are US$50 each or can be purchased with the pumps for a small discount.The new EnCase Tire Plug is a lower cost option for those who just want something to jab a puncture with.There’s only one natural comparison point for these new Wolf Tooth pumps, and that’s the OneUp EDC. Also available in two sizes, OneUp's mini pumps are well proven to be remarkedly good while also stashing OneUp's EDC multi-tool, Co2 canisters, or a variety of other small items. A quick size guide. The 140 mm-long 40 cc Wolf Tooth pump (far left) weighs 95 g when empty, or 121 g with the new Tire Plug kit. The 85 cc pump sits at 154 g, or 260 g when loaded with the full EnCase tool system. For comparison, the 100 cc version of the EDC pump is 158 g, or 270 g with its matching tool. Inflation wise, 100 strokes of the 40 cc Wolf Tooth got a 650 x 47 mm tyre to 13 psi. 100 strokes of the 85 cc got that same tyre to 31 psi. Meanwhile 100 strokes of the OneUp EDC achieved 37 psi. The Wolf Tooth pumps feels smoother in action, but the force required still quickly tired my little arms once above 30 psi (and brought back PTSD of the time I reviewed 43 mini pumps at the Old Place - a test which the OneUp pump convincingly won in the off-road category).The Wolf Tooth EnCase and OneUp EDC are closely related in terms of tool functionality. Wolf Tooth's version feels higher quality and less like a jigsaw puzzle in use, but OneUp's design has a tyre lever, dedicated space for a spare chain quick link, and the pump head doubles as a Co2 inflator.Another look at the contents of both. The bigger 100 cc OneUp pump also has room to hold a Co2 canister or a small storage container with OneUp's plug kit or mini master link pliers.The ball-detent-based swivel head bit driver on the Wolf Tooth EnCase tool is nice to use. Also, the head of the driver is an 8 mm hex key, clever.Regardless of the pump size, the stashed tools are retained with an effective rubber cap. This cap does a good job of sealing out the elements, and the tools within are well damped from making noise.Similar to the OneUp pump, the push-on pump head is Presta-only. The external seal on this one holds tight and will ensure the pump works when you need it most.The Enviro-Lock is another feature I rate highly. It sits at the mid-way point and keeps the pump secure from accidentally extending when you don't want it to. The threaded seal also doubles at keeping muck out of the pump. This is one feature that's superior to OneUp's pump. Wolf Tooth's approach is easy to get out of the way and simpler to use.As strong advocates of "The Right to Repair," Wolf Tooth offer a full selection of spare parts and consumer-friendly instructions on how to use them. These new mini pumps are no different with a durable construction and wholly rebuildable design (and parts made available!). Wolf Tooth products are rarely the cheapest, but features like this go a long way to ensure you get your value out of the product.Each pump comes with a bracket for mounting beneath a bottle cage. The bracket holds the pump well, although the securing rubber straps can be a little hard on the fingers in cold conditions.The mounting brackets offer a heap of adjustment range to fit skinny or wide frames.Dynaplug has added yet another tubeless tyre plug tool to its line-up - the Micro Racer. Pictured up front, the Micro Racer (or as I like to call the mini baseball bat-lookalike, the Slugger Plugger) is effectively a single-sided version of my favourite Dynaplug, the Racer Pro.
