La Vie Velominatus is a life spent in the sway of the push and pull between function and aesthetics. The former, of course, is paramount, but not necessarily at the cost of latter. A prime example is the European Posterior Man-Satchel; many feel that its use is dictated by functionality, that to abandon the saddle bag is to abandon the tools and supplies required for the ride. But it is also a crutch. A crutch that allows us to forgive ourselves of poorly maintaining our machines. A crutch that allows us indulge in excess, to indiscriminately carry tools and supplies that are not required. Tools and supplies that will only serve to weigh down both rider and machine, disrupting the harmonious balance between the two.
Riding our bikes is about simplicity. The simplicity of flight. The simplicity of silence. The simplicity of self-reliance. To amputate the saddle bag is to sever the last remaining tie to excess. It requires that we distill our needs to the essential and choose tools that are functional and lightweight, yet unfailingly reliable, for while a well-maintained machine should require little roadside maintenance, those incidents which do befall us are often critical and it is in these moments of need when our tools must not fail us.
Enthusiasm got the better of me when I elevated the Pro Mini Tool 11 onto a pedestal that it would later prove unworthy of. While it is remains a fine tool and still holds a place in my quiver of multi-tools, after 6 months in use, it has failed me on several occasions; a crime for which it cannot be forgiven and for which it has been demoted from my daily riding kit and, as a consequence, from it’s Reverence status. Twice it has occurred, once for a derailleur mishap riding the cobbles of Queen Anne and once during my 90km commute, that the tool was required desperately and failed to answer the call due to imprecise machining of the 3mm and 4mm allens. Unbecoming of a Velominatus not to notice such a thing earlier, I know; for that I humbly apologize.
But when Merckx closes a door, he opens a window, and with that I have returned to the unofficial Velominati tool brand of choice, Lezyne. I have owned it for some time – I’m not even sure how it came into my possession – but for reasons I can not fully explain, my Lezyne RAP6 tool sat idly in my tool box. It sat there, resplendent in its lightweight aluminum body and its 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm allens, with its screwdriver and its Torx T25. Compact, and meticulously crafted, this tool is classic Lezyne: small, light, and with the complete set of required functionality. It fits neatly into my center jersey pocket, just underneath the spare tube, C02 canisters, and Lezyne tire irons. The Lezyne C02 chuck continues to live happily in my left pocket, with my key and patch kit living in the right.
Balance has been restored. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@frank
@Ron
Did i jinx myself by talking about this earlier in the week or was it luck that I reminded myself how to deal with a terminally damaged rear deraileur? Who knows but no better time to put to test than 15 miles into your first group ride with a new club.
It seemed like a perfectly normal shift, but it sheared across the point where the lower limit screw passes through the deraileur body. Felt a bit under pressure with ten or so strangers watching me put theory into practice but with the aid of a borrowed power link I was up and spinning at a very high cadence on the new CAAD8 single speed.
I don't think I got the chain line quite right as it kept trying to drop a gear under pressure which locked the whole lot up so I called it quits and headed home. We were 15 miles out and close to a railway station but it still had to get me another 8 or so miles back to the car at the other end.
I'll stick with the Crank Bros 19
I used to ride with this multi-tool and just recently added this one to my center jersey pocket. The Lezyne Carbon 10 is a thing of beauty and 20 grams lighter than the Park Tool. I never had any issues with my Park Tool, other than the weight, which as I personally get lighter, I get increasingly obsessed with the weight of my machine and my jersey pockets contents. The Park Tool was my first multi-tool, recommended by my LBS and emblazoned with their shop name. Meh.
As with anything, the more one learns and knows about a subject, and the more experience one has with a particular interest, the more one finds the need to "upgrade and replace" for no other than reason than it "seems right" to do so. This particular "unwarranted" purchase seems quite right to me.
Just a heads up...Nashbar (a U.S. dealer) has the RAP6 for $7 and today is free shipping if you buy any of their products. Just ordered the tool + a CX tube, which I didn't really want, but hey, free shipping & a good price on the tool.
They have sales every other day though, so not to worry if you can't get it order before midnight.
Yeehaw, mine just arrived in the mail. Feels like a feather next to my Crank Brothers 17. Going to be awesome to only have the Lezyne in my jersey pocket, might up my average km's on each ride by 2 or 3...
Okay, put in a long ride on Sunday with friends and the tool was AWESOME. Never did I imagine that 100g would be such a huge difference. But, having this in my jersey pocket versus the Crank Brothers M-17 was a big change. Had to check a few times to make sure it was still there.
Haven't had to use it yet, but it's nice to shed some weight.
Might be the best $6 I've spent in the cycling world in a long time.
@Ron
Very cool; nice to get some validation that the demoting of the Shimano tool was indeed for a good cause. Still loving mine, too...
Was out doing some country riding last night when my Super Flash tail light died. Really dangerous to not have any rear light on these roads. Decided to try and pop it open & rotate the batteries, maybe the trick would be enough to get me home.
I was reminded that there is no flat-head on the Rap-6. No coins in my pocket, obviously. Frank, I nearly cussed you but I remained calm, didn't insult the Founder, and was able to use the side plate of the tool to pop open the light.
Phew.
So if you have a light that requires a coin to pop open, the side plate will work. Hopefully none of you need to give this a go though.
@Ron
Clever solution!
As much as I love Lezyne stuff, this is my (micro)weapon-of-choice:
The drivers are very well machined and the metal tyre lever is beautifully scalloped to minimise any pinching or gouging, but is strong as an ox and slides around the rim beautifully.
If I have one criticism, it's that the phillips could be a little more crisp at its point, for getting in to the finer cross-heads.