Last Year's Tour Revelations and Their Prospects

Last Year's Tour Revelations and Their Prospects

Cool tools

I'm a big proponent of the idea that the correct tool can make even the most painful job a little easier. There are certain tools that, while I suppose technically are the right tool, I rarely use. Socket wrenches are a great example - I find them to be heavy and awkward to use on a bike. That's totally not the case with thumbwheel ratchets, palm ratchets - whatever you want to call them, I've found myself using them frequently since I acquired them. The above are the ones I went with - I like the large rubberized grip, but there are all metal and gimbaled versions available.

Because there's no extension, there's no leverage - so you can't generate a ton of torque. But because you can put force parallel with the fastener, you're less likely to strip a bolt head or nut. Their diminutive size also means you can chuck one with a few frequently used sockets in a small saddlebag.

3/8" drive, 1/4" drive and a 3 piece set that also includes a 1/2" drive. If you have any, or pick some up, let me know what you think - are they as useful for you as they've proven to be for me?