It’s been months since the last edition of New Tools Day. Oh the shame! Needless to say, the new tools haven’t stopped flowing.
In this pro-leaning edition, I take a look at some new hex keys with a difference, from GripEdge, and an impressively good but marginally flawed wheel holder from Remco Tools. Within you’ll also find specialist bicycle repair tools from Enduro, Rotation Engineering, and DT Swiss that you may never see or need, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the focused purpose they provide. Plus, there’s a first look at an exciting new tool I’ve just started to test for a future review.
I’m trialling a slightly different format this time around, replacing long image captions with a clearer explainer for each tool. I'm keen to hear what you think. As usual, I aim to make these a mix of bite-sized reviews and a little bit of show-and-tell.
Let’s get to it.
Cushcore Rotary Tire Tool
First up is a tool that was revealed at the Sea Otter Classic with great interest, and one I recently got my hands on.
The Cushcore Rotary Tire Tool is a workshop-focused tyre (aka, tire in incorrect English) removal and installation tool that's designed to make light work of dealing with inserts. The idea is based on pre-existing motorcycle tyre tools, where the axle serves as a fixed point of leverage.
When combined with a tyre lever for initial bead hooking and a large bin (or similar) to rest the wheel on, the tool scoops in under the tyre. From there, it's run around the circumference of the wheel, either pulling the tyre bead up (for removal) or pushing it on (for installation).
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The tool locks into just about any thru-axle hub (12 mm and up) and will work on common rim sizes of 24", 26", 27.5", and 700C (29er). It's not compatible with the emerging 32" wheelsize, but I can see an easy way for Cushcore to offer an adapter that makes that possible (Cushcore, please price it at $32 for giggles).
Early impressions are that the tool feels absolutely rock-solid, and along with the quick-release threaded axle rod, it's understandable how this thing retails at US$300 / AU$500. Expect a full review once I've unmounted and installed a variety of tyres across different disciplines of bikes.
Radar Laboratories Presta Valve Core Filler
Tubeless sure has its advantages, but one obvious disadvantage is how many people suffer from clogged Presta valve cores. There are a few tips for avoiding this. Firstly, don't inflate your tyre with the valve at the 6 or 12 o'clock positions (where the sealant can most easily flow through the valve). Secondly, a little bit of oil or grease inside the valve can keep the sealant from sticking.
Oil is obviously the easiest approach here as you can simply drip it in or have a ziplock bag of submerged valve cores. Grease is a whole lot trickier to get in there. That's a problem that Radar Laboratories has just solved.
The Presta Valve Core (US$7 for a two-pack) is a little plastic adapter to screw into the end of any Radar Laboratories Loob Toob syringe (Luer Lock fitting). From there, you're ready to pump grease through the valve core. Overkill? Maybe, but also sure to outlast any oil lube.
I'm a big fan of the Loob Toob syringes and use them all the time. This little adapter is clever, but I can't see myself doing the task when a little drip of oil still goes a decent distance and is a quicker, less messy option. I'm sure there are people who will love this but personally, I'd sooner replace a sticky valve core than try to grease it.
Remco Tools Wheel Holder
Known for its great Bike Lift electric repair stand, Remco Tools has begun expanding into other workshop products. The first of these is the Wheel Holder, which, as the name suggests, is a tool for holding a wheel.
With credit largely going to Park Tool, the simple idea behind a wheel holder is to help a mechanic in performing tasks on a wheel at various angles, whether that’s working on a tyre, topping up tubeless sealant, installing a cassette, or servicing a hub.
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