Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Tools - workshop
VeloSolo Track ToolVelo Solo track tool

VeloSolo Track Tool

8
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 26, 2011

0
£14.95

VERDICT:

8
10
Nicely made tool for your track nuts. Comes in colours. Enough said
Weight: 
78g
Contact: 
www.velosolo.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Got a fixed gear bike? you need a nice sturdy 15mm wrench then like this one from VeloSolo, to get those nuts nice and tight – you won't find many better.

Inspired by the classic Campag track nut wrench this VeloSolo unit is made not from steel but a 7075 Aluminium billet. It's CNC machined to a nice tight tolerance and anodised in your choice of black, silver, gold, red or blue.

The main plus of this wrench – and the now discontinued Campag one – is that it engages all six sides of the nut. There's no chance of you rounding off your track nuts with this puppy, and although the handle isn't hugely long you can impart a serious amount of torque without fear of the tool slipping.

If you spend a lot of time fiddling with track nuts then £14.95 isn't going to seem like a big outlay, even if the Track Tool is very much a one-trick pony. The trick it does, it does very well indeed. A fixed gear multitool like the Trixie probably makes more sense to carry out on the road, but this is one for your workshop...

Verdict

Nicely made tool for your track nuts. Comes in colours. Enough said.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Velo Solo Track Tool

Size tested: Red

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A brand new product for VeloSolo and our take on the classic Campag 'Peanut Butter' tool. Each VeloSolo wrench is individually CNC machined from an 8mm thick block of aircraft grade heat-treated 7075-T6 aluminium alloy for durability and strength.

It's designed purely for one thing - tightening 15mm track nuts. No bottle opener, no hex keys - just a tactile and ergonomic piece of tool jewellery.

Made entirely in the UK and precisely machined for 15mm nuts only. Anodized in choice of five colours; black, silver, gold, red and blue. Laser engraved. Approximately 30% lighter than a Campag tool at 75g. Slips easily into a pocket.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Couldn't really do any better

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Does what it's designed to do with no fuss

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 190cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

VeloSolo Track Tool
VeloSolo
Track tool
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Latest Comments