Abbey Bike Tools Crombie and Whip-It Combo
Abbey Bike Tools is a relatively new entrant to the tool market, making short run tools for professional mechanics over the past couple of seasons. The double sided Crombie is a $45 tool with a Shimano/SRAM cassette lockring tool on one side, and a Campagnolo spline on the other. The long, solid handle gives plenty of leverage to break a stuck cassette lockring free, and more than enough to tighten it down far too much if you’re not careful. Since you tend to use a cassette lockring tool in conjunction with a chain whip, conveniently so the Crombie handle is designed to slip inside of the $40 Whip-It chain whip. Check out their HAG derailleur hanger alignment gauge too, touted as a rebuildable, shop quality tool and the last one any shop will ever have to purchase. Made in Bend, OR.
www.abbeybiketools.com
Marin Lombard 2015
Murdered out bikes don’t always work, but the new 2015 Marin Lombard is an example of it working and working well. This $1500 complete bike features an aluminum frame and carbon fork with geometry brought over from their cyclocross race bike and massaged just a bit for better all day performance. Avid BB7r disc brakes do the stopping with SRAM Apex 10 speed shifters mated to an X7 mountain clutch rear derailleur changing gears, and preventing thrown chains. The 50/34 front rings and 11-36 cassette have plenty of range for the commute or all-day mixed surface ride. The tubeless ready rims are a great touch at the price point, and the front fender mounts and double eyelets in the back make it a capable commuter or light tourer. The color scheme will look good no matter the current day’s style, with reflective highlights adding a touch of shine to the black on black frame. With the chance to ride the new Lombard around San Francisco for a long day of exploring it proved to be a fun and capable ride. It had the gear range to handle the steep climbs, and felt stable bombing and weaving the other side. Road, light trails, anything in between. Fast weekend rides, in-town commutes, and the occasional two or three night tour make sense on this platform. Look for a lower tiered $1000 model soon. www.marinbikes.com