TouchBikeParts

Hehe, how could I not after such poetry... the pipeline has a bit of a queue, but will sprout a chain tool at some point! Hoping my next product you will jump at ; )

Hahaha - I am so bermed out now.

Thank you Sir! May it rain new bicycle parts gently on you.

Haha cheers for the comments... I'm looking for a shovel that can fit into the tool arms so I can carry it to the trails where there are rogue berms that appear to have no function, and return the ground to it's natural shape : ) But until then I will try my best to contain my unhappiness of all the berms popping up on every local trail in our beautiful forests. I remember the days when I used to actually corner my bike haha. And will spend my time instead making some more products and hope to bring some more things to market before end of the year...

It is violet... and depending on the light, quite pink! Had them anodised locally and the green and violet are quite subdued, nice "sophisticated" versions of them. Green is very mature colour. Violet I would call is a pastel violet, pink. Come have a look if you in the area, can select a pair : )

Hey Philip... nice to hear, thanks! But hope that if you do get one, you will start to ride with it : ) With a little lube on the pivot washers and some extra pre-loading of the bolts, it really becomes a satisfying experience using it...!! Apart from the look of all the machined parts that you like, the use of it I hope will make one want to use it all the time! I have stopped using my workshop tools when working on my bikes at home as I just really enjoy the wielding of it - except for pedals and cranks, I use proper extra long length tools for them to get the required torque.

Howdi!| We are selling online mainly for now, some local Cape Town shops do have some stock, but as mentioned in the comments somewhere (I know there are many!)... the production cost of the product is very high and I don't have a huge amount of stock... so selling to shops or distributors is not a focus at the moment unfortunately... Shops are welcome to contact me... I am happy send a few out! Wont be at 94.7 expo unfortunately, sorry!

I am a reputable fitter for me, the best one actually haha. Having their opinion on how it should fit or handle is just that, an opinion based on their experience and what they have read and seen happen. The technology is useful to get one into a healthy position though, I don't disagree. For some people that lack the sensitivity to adjust their position, then bike fitters are very beneficial, but is just a starting point I feel. Dealing with physical discrepancies is useful to have dealt with professionally, like foot or leg differences from left/right etc. But much like talking about geometry of a bike, it really depends on many things, what is important and how the bike fits one from the start. I agree, ones body/fitness levels change a lot and I compensate my saddle position a lot for this. It is something that I feel is important to learn oneself. I have done a ton of research into bike fitting over the years. I have designed frames for around 7 years of my life and before that I was reading up on all the info, it was my job to understand how the body fits onto bikes and reading much information, there was a lot of information that did not make sense, many people saying that a lot of it does not make logical sense etc. There is a lot of moneymaking in bike fit schemes around the world, it's a big business! It is evolving however, better information being made available, but yeah... I take it all with a big pinch of salt. There are benefits to power output etc, but in terms of general fit and handling on the bike, that is very personal and feel that the dynamics of tweaking it when on a ride and warmed up, pushing hard etc is most important. That is when you notice the difference, not so much in a static room scenario. If people became more sensitive to what their body is telling them, they will learn a lot more than from another person. I do think that bike fitters are important to get you to a certain position, but from there, tweaking the position, and the handling of the bike is up to oneself. Other people cannot do it for you, just give some guidelines and point out what you maybe have done that could be bad, or that could maybe improve it, but the proof is in the pudding of trying things oneself and seeing the result first hand during a ride. For me, the quill stem on my steel road bike is awesome, raising or lowering the stem by 1mm makes a big difference to my balance and weight distribution and handling... these kinds of things a bike fitter cannot tell. Only on a ride will you feel it. Touch adjust may expand... but chain tool is definitely on the cards! MTB Trail Stem is next product I will release. Very excited to get it out there.

That's fine if you trust that other people know how YOUR bike should be setup for your OWN BODY haha! I don't know how it could be accurate to be honest! How one rides and handles a bike and body movement is very different for everyone... it is something one needs to cultivate awareness of. I guarantee you all the top pros adjust their bikes a lot to find the best fit and handling of their machines while out on the trail or road. Good idea to change bolts... but many adjustments to various parts are definitely smaller than 4mm Allen keys... Glad you have found what works for you : )

Hi Morne, Thanks! I am very aware of all the tools out in the market... I spent many months dealing with the factory that make Topeak tools, but they could not do what I wanted in the end. If I wanted to sell a product that is similar to what is out there already, I would just add my logo onto an existing design, many people do this in the bicycle industry with various products... It is just not the direction I want to go. Unless I feel I can evolve a products use/experience, I don't want to make it as there is so much choice out there already! From my experience with modern bike technology, tyre levers and chain tools are seldom used on a ride... but they are needed! Back in the day before tubeless and better chain production techniques I would be using tyre levers and chain tools a lot more often... but these days it is very much only on occasion - I don't even carry a tyre lever when I mtb. The tool that one uses most, and that I want to encourage people to use, is a toolset to adjust their bike during rides. Tweak that bar position, saddle tilt, brake lever angle, shifter position, pedal cleat tension, caliper position to stop rubbing, seatpost height, tighten headset etc. I see so many people riding their bikes and complaining of comfort issues and their cleats too tight or loose. When what they need to do is start playing with their setup more, get accustomed to the different positions one adjusts the various parts on the bike etc, this all makes a huge difference to the riding feel, comfort, speed and handling one can manage on a bicycle. The Touch adjust tool is the tool for this... it is designed to be quickly used to adjust the bike on the go, and the pleasure of using it I hope encourages people to play with their bike setup. Fixing a bike on the trail is hopefully not that common, bicycle technology is really good these days, and unless the bike has been assembled and maintained badly, or very cheap parts used, not a lot goes wrong on most rides. For me, if I have to spend a minute just to get to my tool, and then take glove off to use it properly... sorry, it is just too much time and effort, and limits me wanting to adjust the bike. I wonder how many people have ridden their bikes for months where during the ride they think, when I get home I will adjust my bar or saddle etc, and then when you get home, you never do it, one forgets! I do plan to write some articles on bike setup on my website to help people understand more about this. And open to run a workshop for bicycle setup where people can start understanding how bar tilt can change your whole ride feel - just a small example. Suspension setup, tyre pressure, derailleur adjustments, how to tighten a headset, saddle positioning and how it affects ones riding when one changes it. I see riders with bars tilted down on their mtb... its terrible on the wrists. Brake levers tilted flat and too close to the grip area so the hand is so crunched in when trying to brake, especially when they stand up. Shift levers so close to grip that the hand rubs on it. Many riders know how to set their bike up, but majority don't... and I hope that my Touch adjust tool will encourage one to start this process from the fact that one needs to build the tool according to what your bike needs. You will need to check your bike out carefully and make the best decision! I know this comment is bit off topic, but just trying to show the understanding behind the relationship one can have with ones bike and the tools and where I see my brand going with the products I will release - not just tools : )

Hi AdamA! Yes, I have got many ideas of how to sell all the parts separately, even shops to have all the parts and customers to have them custom built for their bike etc. (Edit - to be honest, making the decision on what to sell as a toolset took me a long time - so many options of what to provide, how many tools to make from a kit etc.) Your idea of them used as two tools is very much like my original concept I did 9 years ago... I had a stacking design using magnets... but the project got steered to its current form for various reasons : ) I also have another idea that may come into fruition for a really small/light cost effective version using just 2 or so toolbits... I will let you know! If it is something you would like to try, please keep in touch - if you buy a toolset, I can send you some extra parts to test it out using the toolbits. At the moment I don't have many spares to use, just complete sets, so am ambivalent to split them up unless its urgent need. Thanks for the comments and suggestion!

Hi BigDL, I can ship internationally... please email me on info@bike-touch.com.... I'll get your location and quote for delivery (it varies from R700-1200 in my experience - can also send a few to make it more worthwhile as quite a few can fit in A3 bag). I am discussing with some people in Europe to have online shop/distribution that side. Currently, the cost of the tool is very high to produce, so selling to distributor that then sells to shops would mean the retail price will get much higher to make it feasible for them... and for me. Shops want to have high markup on accessories etc. At the moment the retail price is already making people baulk, so selling direct seems best option to make it feasible for the customer.

Hi again! I am willing to develop more products as people wish, if you have a million rand spare to give me I will design and produce them over the next year no problemo hehe. I still stand that I cant see the real benefit of having all the tools in one big bundle... the more one tries to integrate the tools, the less functional their performance becomes and the more they may infringe on the ergonomics etc. Similar to one bike that does everything, great, but not that enjoyable or good at a specific job. I think the way products have become more do everything in one shape/size, the less of a good job they do - but the sales benefits on paper are big. And the fact that one may not use them often, why put them all in one tool... keep them separate, lightweight, small and easy to store and replace if one of them breaks or wears out. There is a lot of competition in the market for large multi tools with everything on them... and I can see why people buy them, however, the bulk, weight and clumsiness of them is very off putting to me. I have spent around 30 years of my life working on bikes with everything from original Cool Tool, to loose Allen keys, various multi tools, workshop tools etc. And seeing tools round off, corrode, fall apart, break, while often being heavy, short, bulky, thrown away because one toolbit was broken etc, I needed to try find a better solution... something that bridged an "L" bend Allen key simplicity and agility, with a workshop "L" reach and leverage and a multi tool setup for ultimate compact riding use satisfaction, durability, lightweight, slimness, customisation etc... bringing a workshop tools library of tools needed to work efficiently on all the bolts into a riding tool. I think the key part of Touch adjust tool is also in the way it can be used. Easy to spin in the hand, twisting the end like a butterfly nut with no protruding pieces dragging on the hand or gloves, using extended to reach that post mount disc brake bolt behind the seatstay, feeling the torque while tightening a clamp onto carbon parts because of the length and rigidity of all the parts - its feedback is great, all able to do this with gloves on while hands are freezing cold because it is easy to get the toolbits out from the frame etc, not needing to try pry out a toolbit from a closed framework. I know I cant please everyone : ) But I try to solve many problems with current tools on the market that I have noticed, and am aware that one needs other tools to ride with too, and there are many chain breakers, tyre levers, plug tools out there that are amazing. I hope to get my other ideas out there soon, but it takes lots of time and finances to produce all of them in the high quantities that the factories require... am very happy to get this feedback, and hope that I can implement it in the future! The tool market is over-saturated, if you look online in Europe for example and see the amount of tools available, many of them trying to out do each other on qty of functions etc, or how small they can get, or new functions that don't really hit the mark, I think the core function of them is being whittled away to enable one to comfortably work on a bicycle anywhere on this planet with a multitude of environments, weather conditions, bike designs etc. That is my take on it, or my expression of my experience with bicycle tools. Nothing is right or wrong choice, but glad I can get this tool out there, been a long journey of bike tools in my life haha.

Hi DieselnDust, thanks for the feedback again... thought I would add some answers here too. For the tyre plug driver, having it as a folding part on the tool can be dangerous as it can fold onto ones fingers under pressure... but I have an idea for one (separate again, but more useful than current ones). For powerlink tools, during a ride I don't see the necessity. If one breaks a chain, one needs to remove outer plates using chain breaker to get two female portions of the chain and fit new powerlink, using pedal pressure one can snap it into place easily. One can easily do this with chain off the front chainring then pull chain onto the ring after the link is in place but not fully clipped in. At least this is my experience working on bicycles for a lot of my life... I like to carry as little as possible, but still have highly functional and durable and lightweight tools/gear. I will see when I can get my chain breaker to market... busy with performance MTB XC-trail/Enduro/DH product now, excited to get it out there asap! And as you mentioned, limiting the need to buy extra tools to work with new bikes and parts is my goal!

Hi Shaper and DieselnDust, thanks for the feedback! I understand some people would like one tool with everything on it, including a chain breaker. I have a very light and functional chain breaker design, but not in production yet... it is a stand alone product that combines another tool with it Having it part of the Touch adjust tool still makes no real functional sense to me as it makes the tool big and clumsy... and if it means I need to spend time and energy to separate the two to use either of them, it has lost its magic for me. I agree chain tools are important!! I carry one on every ride for many years now, but only used it once during a ride - I think on someone else's bike haha! Some people may break chains more often, but most people I speak to have only used one on a ride once in 2 years or far less often. Especially if you ride alone a lot, its survival to have one, as long as you know how i to use it... I will take all perspectives into consideration, but still need to keep the core values of my products within my scope, which is a highly efficient, long and lightweight stand alone toolset that is a pleasure to use for it's core function of adjusting ones bike or taking off through axles etc, and is customisable to your bike and parts used and highly durable/corrosion resistant. In terms of what I carry on a ride that I must remember, it is quite a few things but easy: Tool, small pump, plug kit and some extra valve cores for mtb or patch kit with tyre lever for road ride, chain tool, money, phone, keys + food for longer rides. So amongst what I need to carry, for me to grab the mini chain tool is very easy for each ride... it is in plain sight with all my stuff and gets elastic banded to either my patch kit or plug kit, takes me around 3 seconds to swap it between the two depending on road or mtb ride. I carry things in my cycling pockets as I hate wearing hydration packs, they limit my body english on mtb rides - each to their own though, whatever works for you. The integration of many tools in one item I find makes the use of them less than ideal... especially if one or two of the tools is used only very seldom. Bulky tools also often cant reach certain bolts on the bike etc, and can also scratch nearby surfaces of the bike and parts. The screwdriver tip spoke key works well as a disc pad opener one can get them open a little and then follow up with 2.5mm Allen key. Ultimately it is the riders choice to build the Touch adjust tool how they like and adapt it to different bikes over the years, or even slim it down for a race if needed, build it back up for longer rides in the mountains. It is not a do everything tool that weighs a lot. There are many of those tools already in existence... some may be lighter than others with less overall functions, some people may like using them, I dont! And many people may not like to use them either ideally... but knowing they have everything is safety for them, no problem if this is what is best for you. However the Touch adjust tool in terms of using it functionally I feel gets close to having all the tools you need in a personal setup with long leverage setup, without the heft of workshop size tools.