TOP bike tools from Force

It just happens to everyone sometimes. You set a great pace, your legs are racing, the countryside is passing by and all of a sudden there's that annoying hissing sound and the puncture happens. And there are two ways to deal with it. The first, the more boring one, is to pick up the phone and call for a lift. The second, the more fun one, is to fix the flat and enjoy the rest of the ride like it's no tomorrow.

At FORCE, we've put together some tips on tools you can carry with you at all times, without having to transfer anything from jersey to jersey or from bag to bag and so on. These include a tool kit, a set of tire repair strings, and an inflator.

This season's hot news is the FORCE MULTITOOL BAR toolset, which you can easily hide in your handlebars. You just need grips that have a removable end cap. You take it out and insert this toolset, which ends with the end cap, into your handlebars instead. This is also used to pull the tools out of the handlebar. The set includes a set of Allen bits 3, 4, 5 and 6, screwdriver bits PH1 and SL4 and torx bits T10 and T25. The bits are nicely stored in the body of the tool and are easy to change depending on which one you need. For removing the wheel from the frame, #6 is the inbus of choice for the increasingly popular fixed axles, while #4 is most commonly used for tightening handlebars or adjusting brake and shift levers.

Paired with the tool is the FORCE PIKADO BAR kit for repairing tubeless tyres. Since tubeless tires are becoming increasingly popular among mountain bikers and road riders alike, it's handy to have a repair kit on hand in case you run into a shard, a nail, or even a small cut on a rock on the trail. Because if even a tubeless sealant isn't enough to fix it, repair strings come into play! In this kit, which like its toolset sister fits into the handlebar, you'll find a needle for tyre repair string application, three 1.5x50mm strings and two 4x50mm strings. All of this is nicely placed in a sturdy aluminium case finished with a stopper on one side and a handy loop on the other. And watch out! The strings can also be used on tubular tyres on road bikes.

And of course, once you've got the bike knotted up and the frame tightened back down with the MULTITOOL BAR and  PIKADO BAR kits, it's a good idea to inflate the bike to continue riding. For this, we recommend using the excellent FORCE PUFF inflator, which is suitable for threaded CO2 cartridges. You attach it to the bike e.g. under the saddle with a strip of adhesive tape and drop the cartridge into the pocket or again with adhesive tape under the saddle or to the seatpost. Using a 16 g cartridge, you can inflate the pressure to 2.5-3 BAR for an MTB bike and 7-8 BAR for a road bike. Just be careful if the tubeless sealant (if you have tubeless) is compatible with CO2 cartridge.

Thanks to these three FORCE helpers, nothing will stop you from being on the move all the time. If you'd like other types of multi-tools, inflators or other tools, check out our website or visit a FORCE dealer to get everything you need for your rides.