Touch adjust tool now available in limited edition colours

[DieselnDust]

On all my bikes I get a proper bike fit done, whether road, tri or MTB.  Tweaking a setup on a ride will not happen.  The tools are there ONLY if something comes loose and needs tightening or fixing. 99% of the time, the tool is not required, but there is that 1% when it is needed.

 

Edit: will also add that I build all of my bikes and change bolts so that i only need a 4 & 5mm allen key, a chain breaker and tyre lever, so can reduce my tools down to bare minimum

 

I hear you 

 

 

 

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 : )

 

 

and I hear you too,

 

 

I'm a bit of a fiddler when it comes to my set up. Depending onhow much stretching i've done I will feel very different on the same bike form day to day. So it often takes about 10min for me to get comfortable on the bike but I often think about raising the saddle one day lowering it the next.

I tilt the bars forward or  back rearward on the roadie if my shoulders are tight.

 On the the mtb I move the brake levers with the shifter up and down all the time as well as the saddle ( why I'll be first in the queue for a dropper that has an adjustable end point  to change saddle height quickly without tools.

 

I like where Touch Adjust is going. The tool may not tick every box for me right now but I'm excited for where the owner wants to take it.

 

Many great products start life as a solution to a problem the inventor felt was worthy of solving. Eventually if the inventor  wants the company to grow and remain relevant it needs to offer products that solve more problems and those of a broader audience. 

 

So keep it please and continue to evolve the product 

Edited November 15, 2019 by DieselnDust

[TouchBikeParts]

Find a reputable fitter and discuss riding style and setup, so that bike is set up for your own body.  Bikes often change over the years, so does body shape and flexibility, so bike set up will also change and checked with the bike change.  Even if I don't change bikes,.I do go back every 18 months or so for a check and possible modification as I get older

 

But as mentioned and I think you are looking into it... having a number of additional tools that you can buy individually and separate from current, so that over time you can modify the touch adjust to your needs.  The casing is in essence is the toolbox and you choose (adjust) what tools you want to put inside it.

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.

[Spinnekop]

What bikeshops in Pretoria is suppose to have stock of this?  

Will you guys be at the 94.7 expo?

[AdamA]

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 : )

 

What a brilliant reply! You raised many valid points and as has been mentioned before, this has been a long time in coming. 

[TouchBikeParts]

What bikeshops in Pretoria is suppose to have stock of this?  

Will you guys be at the 94.7 expo?

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!

[solty]

I got one about 2 months ago. Great service from Raoul.

The tool fits well in the hand, with no flexing or twisting across the frame when you're really cranking something. Excellent machining.

[PhilipV]

I looked at one at my LBS this morning. Shoooweeee it is a nicely made tool. 

I don't need it all, I won't even ride with it, but I NEED it! 

[TouchBikeParts]

I looked at one at my LBS this morning. Shoooweeee it is a nicely made tool. 

I don't need it all, I won't even ride with it, but I NEED it! 

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.

 

 

[Jewbacca]

This tool is rad. It's on my Christmas list. I would ask for Pink sides but I know he will just laugh at me.

 

Also, maybe you should machine a pocket size shovel so we can keep all the berms and cut aways sharp on the cork tree trail........ 

 

I love how okes know better without knowing that Raoul has been a big part in designing bikes, building bikes, fitting bikes, designing suspension systems, messing with frame geo, speccing bike OEM etc for years! 

[Spinnekop]

This tool is rad. It's on my Christmas list. I would ask for Pink sides but I know he will just laugh at me.

 

Also, maybe you should machine a pocket size shovel so we can keep all the berms and cut aways sharp on the cork tree trail........ 

 

I love how okes know better without knowing that Raoul has been a big part in designing bikes, building bikes, fitting bikes, designing suspension systems, messing with frame geo, speccing bike OEM etc for years! 

What makes you think we don't know who Raoul is?

[Shebeen]

This tool is rad. It's on my Christmas list. I would ask for Pink sides but I know he will just laugh at me.

 

 

oh I think there's laughing going on

 

[Jewbacca]

oh I think there's laughing going on

 

That's purple?

[Jewbacca]

What makes you think we don't know who Raoul is?

Umm.... Maybe you do but judging by some of the comments I'm sure not everyone does.

 

I definitely didn't say 'Nobody knows' just that some people don't.

 

Why is everyone so sensitive?

 

I think it's that time of the year where I bow out of this place

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Umm.... Maybe you do but judging by some of the comments I'm sure not everyone does.

 

I definitely didn't say 'Nobody knows' just that some people don't.

 

Why is everyone so sensitive?

 

I think it's that time of the year where I bow out of this place

Don't do it, guy! Don't! 

 

And yeah, that is def purple. 

[Jewbacca]

Don't do it, guy! Don't! 

 

And yeah, that is def purple. 

hahahaha I won't.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who either see's that as purple or is colour blind.

 

Pink and purple are not the same thing!

[Plentipotential]

Pink, purple, chain breaker or no chain breaker, that is a sweet piece of kit. You have raised the bar. I tip my hat to you Sir. Well done!