Tool Insert Kit

The Lezyne Tool Insert Kit is a multi-tool you never have to remember to pack. It slides into the open end of your handlebar, closes it off as the bar-end plug, and waits there until a bolt rattles loose halfway round the loop. Pull it out, pick the bit, fix it, push it back in.

What it actually does

The body carries hardened-steel bits in slots around the outside, held in by O-rings, with a 10 mm hex end that takes the bit you need. Each size carries a different spread:

• Small: 5 tool bits, Hex 4, 5 and 10 mm, Torx T25 and Phillips
• Medium: 8 tool bits, Hex 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 mm, Torx T10 and T25, and Phillips
• Large: Hex 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm, Torx T10, T25 and T30, and Phillips

That covers the jobs that end most trail rides early: a slipping seat post clamp, a loose stem, brake levers knocked out of line in a crash, a rotor bolt, a bottle cage. The 10 mm hex end handles up to 200 kg-cm, about 19.6 Nm, which is plenty for trailside work. It is a bolt-tightening kit, so pair it with a tyre lever and a chain tool in your pack for the rest.

Size, weight and carrying

The kit lives inside the bar, so it takes up no pocket, pack or bag space at all and adds only its own weight. The Small is 85.3 mm long and 47 g, the Medium 107.5 mm and 68 g, and the Large 133.8 mm and 76.7 g, all 24 mm across. Pick the size by the bolts on your bike, and by how much room there is inside the bar before you hit the brake and shifter clamps.

The Tool Insert Kit fits standard non-road handlebars, which means the flat and riser bars on mountain bikes, flat-bar gravel bikes and commuters. We stock it for riders on the Nerang and Mount Joyce trails who would rather not ride with a backpack on a hot Queensland afternoon.

Build quality

The body is machined aluminium and the bits are hardened steel, so it shrugs off being bounced around inside a bar for years. An O-ring fit kit tunes the grip inside your bar so the tool sits tight and does not rattle on rough descents.

Looking after it

Pull the kit out every few months, wipe off any grit or moisture, and check the O-rings still hold the bits snugly. After a wet ride, let it dry out of the bar before you push it back in.