Review: Granite Hides a Tiny Socket Wrench in Your Steerer Tube
Granite Designs' $69.99 USD Stash RT is a spring-loaded socket wrench with nine tool bits that pops up from underneath your top cap when needed.
Multi-tools come in countless favors, from the 'I can rebuild my transmission with this 8lb folding brick' to the slimmest of barely-there mini-tools best suited to short rides or race days. And if you'd rather not wear a backpack or carry said brick in a pocket, there are all sorts of options that can be stowed anywhere from your bottle cage, crank spindle, handlebar, or your inside of your fork's steerer tube.
Granite Designs' new $69.99 USD Stash RT takes the latter route with a spring-loaded design that pops up from beneath your top cap when you need it but, rather than a traditional folding multi-tool, it consists of nine bits and a pocket-sized socket wrench.
Granite Designs' new $69.99 USD Stash RT takes the latter route with a spring-loaded design that pops up from beneath your top cap when you need it but, rather than a traditional folding multi-tool, it consists of nine bits and a pocket-sized socket wrench.
Stash RT Details
• Steerer tube-mounted tool
• Spring-loaded design
• Two-way, 1/4-inch-drive socket wrench
• Tool bits: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm, T25, extended PH1
• Optional computer mount
• Weight: 160-grams
• MSRP: $69.99 USD
• www.granite-design.com
• Steerer tube-mounted tool
• Spring-loaded design
• Two-way, 1/4-inch-drive socket wrench
• Tool bits: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm, T25, extended PH1
• Optional computer mount
• Weight: 160-grams
• MSRP: $69.99 USD
• www.granite-design.com
The plastic top cap latches shut firmly and hides the tool until you need it.
When you rotate the cap to the side, the tool carrier pops up to save your ride.
The Details
This isn't Granite's first steerer tube-mounted tool, but the new Stash RT is different from their previous offerings that came with a more traditional mini-tool and needed to be pulled out from inside the steerer with a firm yank. Also, those older versions didn't fit into the thicker-walled steerers that the latest modern long-travel forks use, so a slimmer version was necessary.
The RT's smaller diameter solves that, and a tapered coil spring hidden beneath it means that the tool carrier pops up like you're playing Whac-A-Mole when you rotate the plastic top cap to the side for access. There's an o-ring at the top that should help to keep some of the water out and prevent any rattling, and the whole thing, including the two-piece bottom cap and a medium-length bolt (it comes with three lengths), weighs 160-grams and can be had in either anodized black or orange.
A small but strong magnet is hidden under a black clip to keep the tool bits in place.
The plastic carrier that pops up is home to a small, two-way 1/4-inch-drive socket wrench and 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex bits, a T25 bit, and an extended Phillips bit that you can slide into the wrench's handle for more leverage if you're trying to loosen a stubborn bolt. The big 8mm lives in the wrench's handle when not in use, while the others are held in place with a small magnet hidden under a black clip on the carrier; this should keep the bits from falling off and rolling into the underbrush to never be seen again.
At the top, a black plastic cap rotates out of the way to allow the spring-loaded tool to pop up, and those who like to mount a computer in that location can buy an optional top cap with a small threaded hole in the center and the matching computer mount that works with Garmin, Bryton, and Wahoo devices.
The kit consists of a two-way 1/4-inch-drive socket wrench, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm hex bits, a T25 bit, and an extended Phillips bit.
The bottom cap is a two-piece design, and there's an o-ring to keep water from getting in at the bottom.
How does it work? You likely have a traditional star nut that's been smashed into your fork's steerer tube with a hammer, and this is what the top cap and bolt tighten against when you finally fix your loose headset. You'll need to punch that old star nut out to use the Stash RT, though, as Granite's tool takes its place and uses a cap that goes underneath the fork crown and one of three steel bolts (depending on how long you need) runs through the bottom of the insert and threads into the cap. Now, when you need to tighten your headset, you use a long 5mm hex key to reach that bolt.
Performance
Granite isn't the first brand with a spring-loaded tool in your steerer tube, but the idea makes so much sense that I'm surprised we haven't seen many others doing it. The pivoting top cap looks clean, and rotating it to the left lets the tool carrier to pop up like a happy little helper... usually. It was sometimes a little hesitant to come out of its nest, with the tool bits catching on the o-ring at the top and making for a tight fit. Tapping the top of the carrier a few times was enough to free it up, and I suspect that the tolerances won't be so tight after a few months of use.
My other gripe is more subjective - I prefer to have all the tools I like to carry, including a chain breaker, together in a single unit. Granite sells a separate chain breaker for $21.99 USD that hides inside your handlebar, but the Stash RT obviously doesn't include one.
The Stash RT would usually pop up when needed, but sometimes fouled on the o-ring and needed a tap to free it.
Does the Stash RT work? Of course it does. The little ratchet wrench ratchets when needed, and the tool bits don't have the sloppy fit in bolt heads that you can sometimes find with some multi-tools. I know they're usually just for trail-side emergency repairs, not shop work, but it's still nice to see a tight interface. I'm of two minds as to whether I prefer a traditional folding tool or this ratchet wrench set-up... The folding tools can be a pain in the ass when you're trying to tighten a hard-to-reach bolt and they're either not long enough or the tool itself is too large and cumbersome. But with the Stash's tiny wrench, you can easily spin a loose bolt in or out by putting the bit in the end of the handle, and there are going to be many times when the ratcheting head is way quicker than rotating your 8lb brick around and around.
To me, the wrench and separate bits also feel more professional than a multi-tool, especially the rusty one I've been using for the last twenty years, and you can easily replace any of the bits, or even the wrench itself, with a quick trip to the hardware store if you wear out, damage, or just loose any of them like I surely will. Of course, you can also substitute different bits as needed, so this little tool might come in handy for working on more than just your bike.
The little wrench does wrench things.
To me, the best part about the Stash RT, or any multi-tool that you store on your bike, is that it's always going to be there when you need it. While I used to never leave home without a backpack or bum bag, I can't stand wearing them anymore and that means that my pockets are often stuffed full of tools and candy when I'm heading out on a big ride. Having a tool on my bike instead of my body frees up a small but vital amount of room for those kind of rides.
Pros
+ Ratchet wrench is much easier to use than some cumbersome multi-tools
+ It'll always be there when you need it
+ Easy, inexpensive to replace tool bits
Cons
- Tool was sometimes hesitant to pop up
- You'll (maybe) want a separate chain tool
Pinkbike's Take
 | While I still prefer my all-in-one 8lb folding brick, the Stash RT is a simple and clean solution for riders who prefer to carry items on their bike rather than in a bag or pocket. And if you've ever struggled with a cumbersome multi-tool to tighten (or loosen) a hard-to-reach bolt, you'll appreciate the socket wrench's ability to fit into tight spaces better. |
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Anyway, this is a fine thread of comments. Im following tightly.
Re - screwing... not sure what you are talking about
@Pedro404 - agree with you on that part. Something like this has a more or less unique design ( at least it ised to be, now everyone makes headtube tools), but something like CB M19 is identical to everything else on the market, not sure how much innovation there is. Marketing... oh yeah... I am pretty sure most of the price is marketing.
My point was - the reason EVERYONE is making tools like this is probably due to HUGE margins on them. Each of us has multitool on them.. right?
Nevermind, i dont have the need to Hexplain my jokes....
Popping up
Loosen up
Click
Leveraging
Steer
Screw
Fine thread
Ratchet up
Spanner
Hex....
We're just an immature bunch of tools. Play along
Mine is just a dumb idea I made for Levy that I ended up taking too far and selling a couple of. It's been good fun! Iozzo does a great one if you want to keep your star nut. And Stash-Cache does one for your bars. stash-cache.com/product/stash-cache
@warmerdamj: with mine you can just pop a little toothpick into the one hitter as a cleaner. But I think the Iozzo one comes with a pick stock.
6/10: good idea, but there exist better alternatives at the same price.
I went with the EDC Lite so that I could go to Kanuga Bike Park or a short loop and always have it.
The EDC lite is $40, you whack a hammer twice into your steerer using your own top cap as the bolt guide and you're done. I suck at bike maintenance and yet dropped it in my bike in less than 5 miuntes. 4 of those minutes were reading the instructions.
Honestly feel lik dropping the EDC Lite in and then putting an expansion plug in the bottom of the head tube with any odd thing you might want to have as backup is the better answer.
With that you can take a Park Mini chain breaker into two pieces in a ziploc, pouch, etc and have a real tool in the bottom of your fork and the EDC Lite up top.
If you are talking about the threaded EDC cap, the custom bit can tighten by spanning the cassette tool grooves.
The new Threadless carrier is pretty nice, it tightens from the underside and can be adjusted with the tool.
Granted the EDC Lite paper instructions .do not mention that feature. There is a visual of the handle on their site now that mentions it, but a YouTube video link would be nice on their site showing how to tension trailside. @OneUpComponents FYI
I had to find it in on another YouTube channel b/c I assumed there had to be a way if the tool is right there. Smart design to not leave that out since when I first dropped mine in, I used a long T handle and didn't think about having to re-tension it until I had to use a @dnrdesigns alignment tool on my handlebars at Kanuga one day..
Is there somewhere a solution which is cheaper and available?
....hey is that your Granite or are you just happy to see me?
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T8C55L4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Nope. I've got 6 bikes,my friend.
Also,my "cumbersome" multitool doesn't drop bits in the bushes.
But!...One cold day last winter when a shifter terminally jammed I discovered that my topeak mini is not compatible with a SRAM GX rear mech as the allen key is too short to reach the adjuster. Then a few weeks later when removing a friends wheel the longer allen key found on a Topeak Hummer snapped in half. No chance to replace only the allen key on that and the key was a useless spike.
The Hummer was a generally good tool, low cost and did a good service so I bought a new one but part of me thinks that a good quality ratchet might be better long term, adaptable and future proof investment, they are a faff though.
So easy to swap bike to bike
Isn't that a bad thing, rotating freely, in this case? The bottom cap is the "nut" part of the preloading system... if it spins freely then tightening the bolt is going to be difficult.
I only bring water. I haven't had a mechanical failure in 20 years, besides a few times at the bike park.