New Gear: Simple Pleasures Quick-True Tool
Home and travelling mechanics, trail guides and epic trail riders will all appreciate the Quick-True Tool's portable nature.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Simple Pleasures is the brainchild of Chris “Sully” Sullivan. A bicycle mechanic for 15 years, Sullivan’s travels saw him land in Bend, Oregon for the last two and a half years.
Sully’s bicycle components are a side project, one that is slowly growing a following. The Quick-True Tool was born two years ago as a simple way for home mechanics, tour guides and race support mechanics to keep wheels straight. If you have a habit of tweaking rims or rotors, this $80 tool should be in your toolbox.
The prototype Quick-True was tested by the Specialized/Monster DH team mechanic, one of Sully’s friends. He was already travelling with a 50-pound toolbox and didn’t have room for a truing stand, but his riders were knocking wheels and brake rotors out of true. He needed a reliable, portable way to help straighten them and Sully handed it to him.
The Simple Pleasures Quick-True Tool connects quickly to a fork, chainstay or downtube (for chainrings) via two rubber straps. A spoke tool featuring three spoke nipple sizes and 8 and 10mm wrenches is included with the Quick-True Tool. The spoke tool mounts to the truing gauge for easy storage.
Originally priced at $80, the Simple Pleasures Quick-True Tool IS currently on sale on the SP Bicycles Web site (www.spbicycles.com) for $42.
The whole unit is small enough to carry in a hydration pack. If you don’t want to carry it all the time, keep it in the car for quick adjustments between loops.
Using the tool is easy. The instructions included with the tool give a good primer on wheel truing. If you ride Mavic wheels or another brand that require a special spoke tool, be sure to bring that along.
Sully obviously thought through the details of his design. The plastic-tip on the feeler arm won’t scratch your rim and the rubber strips on the base keep your frame or fork safe. The knobs, once tightened, keep the arms of the tool in place.
The $80 price tag is a deal. A Park Pro truing stand is more than double that, and to true brake rotors you need another accessory. Bear in mind that the Quick-True Tool is not designed for wheel building purposes. It is a tool for running repairs and it does a fantastic job.
It’s also worth noting that Simple Pleasures donates 3 percent of its profits to charity. They divide that 3 percent evenly to C.O.T.A. (Central Oregon Trail Alliance), World Bicycle Relief and 1 percent For the Planet.
Home mechanics, travelling mechanics, trail guides and epic trail riders will all appreciate the Quick-True Tool’s portable nature. If you’re in Bend, stop by Pine Mountain Sports and say hello to Sully in person. Originally priced at $80, they are currently on sale on the SP Bicycles Web site (www.spbicycles.com) for $42.