Thursday, December 16, 2010

The 12 6 Days of Festivus, Part 3

So we've already hydrated your favorite cyclist and covered his/her noggin... next up, let's give a little something for the bike itself:


The Park "Rescue Wrench" is a simple little multi-pronged bolt tightener in the tradition of the dumbell wrenches of yore... except that it replaces most of the box-end fittings (that are only useful if your bike predates Pac Man Fever) with modern Allen wrenches. You get all the Allens you could want (3mm through 6mm plus an 8mm), 8mm/9mm/10mm box wrenches and a small flathead screwdriver. Slick. No Torx bits, though, in case you need those for your disc rotors (my large-diameter braking discs are called rims, so I worry not about such things.)

Trivial aside: Did you know that Allen wrenches weren't invented by a guy named Allen? Me neither! And it seems there's nobody named Bondhus either. Very disappointing. I'll continue to use Allen Bondhus as my "world-famous blogger checking into a hotel" pseudonym, though. It seems to work, since I've never been mobbed by adoring fans or pursued by paparazzi while using it. Brooks Ashtabula? Totally different story...

But back to the Rescue Wrench! Obviously, it's not a shop tool -- it's for roadside or trailside emergencies. Using some bits can be awkward as the others bump into (or scratch) parts around the bolt you're trying to move. The upside, though, is better-than-average leverage compared to a lot of Swiss-Army-style folding tools, and no pieces to loosen or lose. The sharp edges (especially on the screwdriver) can Swiss-cheese your tube if you let the tool rattle around loose in your bag, however. Mine rides in an old nylon tool wallet (also a Park product, though long-ago discontinued) with a few other essentials (more details on The Things I Carry post-Festivus) for just this reason.

So, bottom line, what a tool. But enough about me...

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