Hydration packs are invaluable if you need to cart two or three litres along on a ride. As an added bonus, they allow you to carry all of your spares and supplies; multi-tool, food and whatnot. But what happens when you don’t need that much water? Most of my rides are less than two hours long and unless it’s 30-plus degrees, I’m happy carrying a single large water bottle—yes, some MTB frames will still accommodate a bottle!
With the fluids taken care of, I still need to carry a compact tool, spare tube and some snacks. Sure, I can wear a backpack but they can be sweaty and tend to move around when tackling steep and technical terrain. Given the choice, I’d prefer the feeling of freedom that you get from leaving the hydration pack at home. A saddle bag could help but they don’t work too well when using a dropper post. Another solution would be to wear a tight fitting road jersey with pockets in the back but I prefer looser clothing that doesn’t usually cater to gear carrying duties.
Faced with these first world problems, I was particularly interested when I saw the Specialized SWAT range (Storage, Water, Air, Tools). It includes everything from clothing to compact tools that stow sneakily within the bike. We got to try their Mountain Bib Liner, Zee bottle cage with EMT tool and the tricky Top Cap Chain Tool.
Cage Tool
Starting with the Zee cage, it features a ‘side-loading’ design; it’s handy for frames with limited clearance around the bottle. It’s offered in left or right hand bottle-loading options and features elongated mounting points that provide some extra flexibility with positioning the cage—great for ironing out frame clearance issues with certain bike/bottle combinations.
The EMT tool hides at the bottom of the cage and slips into a small nylon carrier. It weights 62g and contains a minimal but worthwhile selection of tools; there’s a flat screwdriver, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm allen keys, plus a T25 torx fitting. It lacks a phillips head screwdriver as well as the 2mm and 2.5mm allen key sizes but that’s probably not the end of the world. Of course it’s also missing a chain tool but Specialized has another tricky solution for that which we’ll get to shortly.
I found the EMT to be super handy. It was really easy to grab for on-trail tinkering and much easier than rummaging through the pockets of a hydration pack. While it’s no workshop special, the tools were solid enough to do the job when you were out in the bush. Our only very minor gripe was that the 5mm allen key was hidden down in the second row of tools; for many this is likely to be the most frequently used item and we’d have preferred if it was amongst the first to fold out. It sells for $79 as a package with the Zee cage, or you can buy the tool and holder for $59 if you already have a Zee cage. It may be possible to mount the tool with another brand of cage but it won’t be as secure—the Zee cage has an extra mounting point on the rear that prevents it from moving.
Top Cap Tool
The SWAT chain tool hides inside the top of the fork steerer, replacing your existing top cap. It sells for $50 and added 30g compared with the regular top cap that we replaced. Specialized offers two versions; there’s one that fits inside a regular steel or alloy steerer and one for carbon steerer tubes (we had the carbon compatible version).
Chain tools can be your saviour if you bend a derailleur or snap a chain when out on the trail. They allow you to remove damaged links, although you can’t re-join most modern chains with the tool alone. You’ll need some form of quick-link to do this trail-side, and the SWAT tool delivers on that front too. Just under the top cap you’ll find a spot to store a quick-link chain joiner.
To use the tool you’ll also need a 4mm allen key, something that was always handy as we were also using the SWAT EMT package. It’s not a super high-end tool but we used it many times without bending or breaking the pin. That said, its compact dimensions do make it harder to use than a workshop chain tool. It will get you out of trouble but care needs to be taken not to bend the driver-pin as it’s not replaceable. Additionally, it’s worth cleaning and oiling the tool periodically. Inside the fork steerer isn’t the cleanest spot and you don’t want to find it all bunged up with dirt when you really need it.
Mountain Bib Liner
Between our EMT equipped Zee cage and the top cap chain tool, we had our hydration and trail side repairs sorted, but what about carrying a spare tube and some snacks? Specialized does make some storage pods that sit just behind the bottle cage but these won’t fit on many bikes. Our solution came with their SWAT bib knicks.
They are designed to go under your baggy shorts and have five clever little pockets; there’s one at the bottom of each leg that’s just right for gels, lollies or small muesli bars, plus there’s three slightly larger ones in the rear; these can hold a tube or a compact wind vest.
Once loaded up the pockets held the cargo securely and comfortably next to my body. If anything it felt more stable than having the same items in the back of a traditional road jersey. The bib shorts themselves were amongst the most comfortable that I’ve tried, although this will always be a personal matter and depend heavily on how they fit.
As with any bib shorts, ‘nature breaks’ become more of a challenge (especially for the ladies), and they are a bit warmer than a waist-high short. Despite this the SWAT bib knicks became an absolute favourite, allowing me to ride in a comfy T-shirt whilst still carrying everything that I needed for a sub-two-hour trail ride. The SWAT bib knicks will set you back around $100.
With my preference for riding backpack-free whenever possible, I really appreciated what the SWAT products offered. They allow you to carry your gear in a comfortable and unobtrusive manner, ensuring that you’ve always got your essentials on hand.
Specialized Australia
1300 499 330
www.specialized.com
