REVIEW
Crankbrothers SOS On-Bike tools and Storage
I often see riders with bum bags but the monkey on the back is becoming less common around here. I never managed to find a pack that would sit tight to my back and not mess up my descent, and I tried a bunch. On steeper trails some packs would bump into my helmet and most would swing around to one side.
Many riders seem to have no issues, and on less technical trails I'd probably be fine, but I love not wearing a backpack for the trails I ride. I don't mind a fanny pack but I prefer to leave that at home as well, whenever possible. I like to feel free and unencumbered, like a pixie or a sprite. Or something. I ride better and my body feels better.
If there is some sort of epicness(!) brewing, involving back country and variable weather, or some mid-ride libations, it's likely prudent to wear a pack, but otherwise I prefer the freedom of Peter Pan.
The heart of Crankbrothers' SOS system is a new multi-tool that fits into a tube. Photo - Deniz Merdano
The multi-tool is on the left and on the right, attached with a plastic bracket, you'll find the clever chain tool.
The multi-tool can be used like a T-handle, as shown, as an inline screwdriver or an L-shaped tool, which can be extended.
Slide the cylinder on to find some more leverage.
Crankbrothers tools and pumps are often so ingenious that I have some trouble figuring out where everything is at first. I was sure I saw a slide on 8mm bit in the press materials but I couldn't find it or see where there was room for it. Of course it was held in place with double duty magnets that also hold a spare master link on either side. Haven't spotted the bit? It's that shiny spot above the little window in the opened tool.
Everything illuminated. You can see the little 8mm bit out front. It slides onto the 5mm hex, which has a little bearing that mates with a hole in the bit so it won't fall off. Next level attention to detail that I appreciate.
Here's something else I had to look closely to figure out. It took me some time to realize the CO₂ head was concealed in the chain tool, along with a valve core tool and 3 gauges of spoke wrench.
In other words, I'm all about storing your tools and other crap on your bike rather than your bones. I prefer quick and easy deployment, and I'm a fan of steerer tube-mounted multi-tool storage for this reason. OneUp makes a couple of good ones but they are also found on bikes from Specialized and Trek. The only thing comparable in terms of convenience is having a multi tool in your pocket. I'm often futzing with test gear though so I'm probably on the tools more often than most riders, and so far these Crankbrothers solutions have worked out fine. If you don't prefer or need ultra-quick deployment and you are looking for more than what's offered from a single tiny tool, these combinations from Crankbrothers may work for you as well.
Another look at the S.O.S. Multi-Tool. Photos - Deniz Merdano
As long as the plastic bracket is between the two sides, the tools can each be assembled at either end.
S.O.S. TT17 TWIN TUBE TOOL KIT
By far the coolest looking gadget in this release is the TT17. Each side rotates outward and a spring presses out whatever is inside for easy deployment. It comes with 17 tools on one side and the other side is available for whatever you'd like, as long as it fits in the little canister.
The S.O.S. TT17 TWIN TUBE TOOL KIT is the most intriguing of the new storage solutions from Crankbrothers, but perhaps not the most versatile. When you press the buttons at the top, steam hisses out from the bottom and both sides slowly rotate outward before clacking into place, with one last burst of steam and the buzz of a laser. Sadly none of that is true but it's got a very Star Wars look and each side opens with spring-loaded buttons.
On one side you'll find the well-equipped 10 function S.O.S. multi-tool with an additional chainbreaker holding another 6 tools. The other side has a little canister that will carry a CO₂ cartridge or whatever you'd like.
This one would make sense if you either don't use a water bottle or if you have secondary bottle cage or accessory mounts. It would tuck nicely under a top tube for example. It won't allow you to attach a pump holder beneath it however and it won't hold a tube or anything else. At ~250g, it's not terribly light, if you worry about that sort of thing.
S.O.S. TT17 Features
- 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex
- T25 torx tool
- Flat screwdriver
- Tire plug tool + 2x plugs
- Tire lever
- Chain tool
- Spoke wrenches 0, 1, 2
- Valve core tool
- CO2 head
- Storage tube
- 247g
- Fits a spare chain link + 16/20g CO2 (sold separately)
This unit offers more for less, but without the Rebel Alliance chic.
S.O.S. BC18 BOTTLE CAGE TOOL KIT
This one hits the sweet spot for me. It comes with the same tool as the TT above, and can carry either a Crankbrothers pump or a CO₂ cartridge and a water bottle. But that's not all. Once you remove your water bottle, you'll find both a sturdy tire lever and a plug tool with bacon strips in the back. This is a nice collection of essentials that doesn't compromise water capacity. It weighs about 250g but doesn't include the pump or CO₂. 100 USD. More for less.
S.O.S. BC18 Features
- Reversible left / right entry bottle cage design
- 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex
- T10, T25 torx tools
- Flat screwdriver
- Tire plug tool + 4x plugs
- Tire lever
- Chain tool
- Spoke wrenches 0, 1, 2
- Valve core tool
- CO2 head
- 247g
- Fits a spare chain link + 16/20/25g CO2 or Crankbrothers Klic HV pump, (sold separately)
- Optimized width for maximum pedaling clearance
This is the most useful of the Crankbrothers solutions from where I sit. Not only does it hold your bottle, there is a tire lever and a plug tool below where your bottle sits and on either side you can put the Crankbrothers tool canister on one side and a Crankbrothers pump or CO₂ cartridge on the other. This will get you out of most jams and you won't need to put much else on your bike, except maybe a tube. Photo - Deniz Merdano
With the bottle removed you get access to the tire lever with a surprise tucked in the back. Photo - Deniz Merdano
Here you'll find a plug tool and some bacon strips.
S.O.S. TS18 TUBE STASH TOOL KIT
This one includes everything from the BC18 above but instead of a bottle cage it has a a strap and cradle to hold whatever you'd like to carry. This works great for a tube but also for a light jacket or vest or even a spare pair of gloves. And I guess in a pinch you could strap a bottle down and hope for the best. 90 USD.
All the features of the BC18 but with a tube stash and hook and loop strap rather than a bottle cage.
Beneath the tube is the same tire lever and plug tool and bacon strips.
S.O.S. TS18 Features
- Tube / gear storage with hook-and-loop strap
- 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex
- T10, T25 torx tools
- Flat screwdriver
- Tire plug tool + 4x plugs
- Tire lever
- Chain tool
- Spoke wrenches 0, 1, 2
- Valve core tool
- CO2 head
- 229g
- Fits a spare chain link + 16/20/25g CO2 or Crankbrothers Klic HV pump, (sold separately)
- Optimized width for maximum pedaling clearance
The Crankbrothers Clic HV pump all shuttered.
Snapping the T-handle into position reveals the rubber tube, which is Schrader or Presta compatible.
Ready to go. What it gives away in volume, the Clic partially claws back thanks to the pumping ease of the T-handle and rubber hose.
CLIC HV PUMP
This is a sneaky little pump that keeps the business bits concealed until it's time for deployment. The hose is hidden in the T-handle, revealed once you pull the handle out and fold it into position. It snaps into a magnetic dock at the other end, which is also concealed at first. Rotating the dial at the bottom reveals the magnet and the tube snaps easily into position. 40 USD.
Turning the dial at the bottom reveals or conceals the magnetic dock for the rubber hose.
Crankbrothers calls this the High Volume pump, and it's not bad unless you are used to the OneUp 100cc pump. By my calculations the Clic HV pumps about 1/3 as much volume.
Clic HV Pump Features
- Premium pump with flexible rubber hose to allow for easy inflation
- Features include a magnetic head with twisting collar, a folding and locking handle, and a presta/schrader valve adapter (fully threaded presta valve bodies only)
- Hv (high volume) version recommended for tires 1.8” wide and larger
- All klic pumps come with a bottle cage bracket mount
The last couple of tools are less exciting: a mounted tube strap with the S.O.S. tire lever/plug tool and two plugs for 30 USD and similarly appointed bottle cage for 40 USD. You can also pick up the lever/plug tool/plugs combo for 15 USD.
The star of the show.
The talented supporting player.
To Conclude
These are some tidy solutions for riders looking to get tools off their backs or onto their bikes more cleanly. The S.O.S. multi-tool is very well constructed and thoughtfully designed. I wouldn't call these inexpensive solutions but the quality and design are in line with the outlay.
Comments
Cr4w
1 month ago
Wow Oneup has really done a number on these companies. They made everyone's offerings look a bit lazy and irrelevant and sent everyone back to innovate. It's great. So many clever options now.
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Lu Kz
1 month ago
I have mixed feelings about these. My first thought is that it's great Crankbrothers came out with these, I no longer have to throw my no-downtube-storage carbon bike directly into the ocean.
As a serial multi-bike-er, I have trouble strapping stuff to bikes that's easy to forget is there and find myself without when riding a different bike. Same reason I don't love in frame storage - I legitimately forgot what I had down there on my Top Fuel until I went to sell the frame. Turns out I was carrying multiple sets of tools around on rides!
On the other hand, I do know someone who the doctor said fractured their leg because of a multi tool carried in a pocket.... Like all problems, this one is solved by spending money to stick the tools on every bike.
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Pete Roggeman
1 month ago
I hear ya. Found a pump that was lost inside an Enduro frame once.
A workaround for me has been to use a OneUp pump and EDC setup that can move between bikes - I grabbed several bottle cage mounted pump straps which made it easy. You still have to remember thr pimpbut it's quick and easy other than that.
Would work equally well with this new Crankbrothers stuff.
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Cr4w
1 month ago
I have two bikes with in-frame storage. I moved stuff between bikes for a while until the day when I forgot to do so and stranded myself. Now I have two sets of pump+tool+plugs, one in each bike.
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Andy Eunson
1 month ago
That is a wide array of good choices. I’m with you on the pack. But I do find the wider and flatter packs don’t move enough to bother me. Like the Camelback Chase Pro vest. Nothing is more comfy than no pack at all.
Those gloves though. Are those the Bernie Sanders model?
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BarryW
1 month ago
I've been wanting to try an USWE pack with their 'no dancing monkey' system.
Although here's my shout out to High Above and their sweet hip packs. Especially the ones with the Fidlock bottle. That way I can swap a bottle from the bike to the pack as one gets empty.
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Pete Roggeman
1 month ago
I've got a small USWE and it's awesome. Everyone I know that's used a larger one loves it as well. No Dancing Monkey is legit!
I'm a High Above fan and have one that's due for review. No Fidlock but it's still great. And especially for you that brand is highly local (and hand made).
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Andy Eunson
1 month ago
I have a High Above pack as well. Very well made. But I won’t stick a bottle in the holder as I don’t care for the weight wobbling about. My bear spray goes in there. We have a high population of habituated black bears and some grizzly bears too. I’m usually alone and have been bluff charged three times in the last few years by females with cubs.
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khai
1 month ago
The hidden hose that Crank Bros use in their pumps is really clever, but I really dislike the thread on chuck - the number of "marginally loose" valve stems those things push over the edge to leaking makes them a no-go for me.
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BarryW
1 month ago
Yep, that's my one complaint with mine. Gotta make sure the valve is TIGHTLY (but not stripped out!) screwed in.
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BarryW
1 month ago
Some cool options there.
As for the pump, I'm pretty sure that's identical to the Bontrager one I've been using for a few years. It's very slick with the tube stored inside and the C02 adapter hidden within.
Although not to jinx myself but I haven't needed it for over two years of riding... Or the C02 canisters, or Aerothan tube either...
But it feels good being prepared. Lol.
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Kenny
1 month ago
Is the 5mm long enough to access a brake caliper bolt?
It's always tough to tell from pics, but one thing that I find frustrating about the setups is the told are often plentiful but the reach sucks.
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ackshunW
1 month ago
These look good! But my favorite part of articles like this is the comment section, where I hope someone will finally mention the exact unicorn on-bike tool storage kit that I never heard of.
Cam, will they be selling the single-tube tool ala carte? And…. What’s the dimensions on that cylinder? Wishful thinking, I want to stuff it up inside the bottom of my steerer…
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Hbar
1 month ago
Is the rubber hose for the pump only held on with magnets? I'd be worried about magnetic schmutz/ trail dirt collecting there like it does on the bite valve magnet on my hydration pack (!) and compromising the air seal.
I do have a crank brothers pump from about 45 BCE in that same pack that is still going strong. it even switches to high pressure still!
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BarryW
1 month ago
The magnetic part is not the seal. It uses an o-ring seal on the female hose, and the magnet keeps it from sliding off the male inner part of the pump. Mine has been flawless in that regard.
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lkubica
1 month ago
My question is how well is the TWIN TUBE sealed? I used to ride with a Clic HV pump, but this one simply james after some grit enters beneath the rotating head cover, so from my experience this pump works great but is totally useless strapped onto frame ... Also the bottle holder looks neat but it adds some extra stack to the bottle (at least looks like?) and in some frames this would be too much (on a Commencal Meta 29 from 2019 I have about 1mm clearance between bottle and piggyback).
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Bro-Tato
4 weeks, 2 days ago
The true Achilles heel of on-bike storage systems - both attached and in-frame - is the potential for rattle. The Santa Cruz in-frame system will cause loud, continuous rattling on descents without very careful placement and tool selection, along with selected padding materials that also limit storage capacity. I assume the other in-frame systems are similar. The contents of Wolf Tooth b-rad bags will rattle like crazy without tying together the contents using rubber bands and/or surrounding them with fabric.
But surprisingly, reviews of such systems never talk about this issue. So I'm curious how Crankbrothers did in that respect.
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AndrewR
4 weeks ago
@Bro-Tato: I use Wolftooth B-Rad bags (0.6L and 1.0L) and have never had a rattle from them but I do stuff them full (mini-med kit inc 2 x tampons (compact big wound adsorbent dressing), tyre lever, Tubolito tube, section of chain (6 links), $100 cash, shop gloves, 2-3 sheets of shop cloth, selection of zip ties, flat packet of duct tape, 10 waterproof matches & striker strip).
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Bro-Tato
4 weeks ago
Mine are also stuffed full, but they produce extremely annoying descending rattles unless the contents are heavily rubber-banded together. However, I don't have nearly as many soft goods in mine as you do, so that may be the main difference.
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AndrewR
4 weeks ago
How ironic that your photos of the TT17 installed are on an Arrival!
I run XL frames and bottle cage stack height is a real issue as they have made the main triangle so small internally.
I have had custom EDC pump brackets made so I can run a bottle cage at a lower stack than the original OneUp EDC pump bracket.
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SiT
3 weeks, 3 days ago
once you have used the little ratchet and bits kits like those from Topeak and Wera etc, doubt you would ever go back to the penknife style multitools:
WERA - Tool Rebel Bicycle Set
WERA - Tool Bicycle Set 1- no chain tool
RATCHET ROCKET LITE DX
RATCHET ROCKET LITE DX+ (inc chain tool)
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Justin White
3 weeks, 3 days ago
"Next level attention to detail"
I'm sorry, that's not "next level". I've had many a multi-tool with that kind of retained slide-on 8mm in the past 3 decades, some for sure less expensive than a contemporary Crank Brothers with an equivalent amount of tooling. Retention like that should be expected, and called out loudly when missing, not heaped with praise when doing the norm.
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