Fix It Sticks is the brainchild of Cat 3 racer Brian Davis and is a simple, minimal multitool that packs small but should provide more leverage than most mini tools.
“Using a three-way wrench last winter while training in my basement I was struck by the simplicity of the design and the ability to gain leverage to tackle my suddenly dislodged front derailleur,” said Davis. “I kept thinking I’d love to have something like that on the road with me and the idea was born.”
The sticks are made of aluminum and hold standard 1/4″ hex-end steel bits, which means you probably already have an assortment of bits that’ll fit them…and a world of options is just a hardware store away which are fixed in place (see comments for explanation). The project is on Kickstarter, and pledges of $25 and up get a pair of sticks and increasing numbers of bits. It works very simply, the base of each bit also acts as the contact point when inserting one end of the stick into the center of the other, which gives you a T-handle tool. The long, slim design means they should be able to reach just about any point on the bike, too.
More pics below…
The only concern we see is losing small parts or having them rattle around, but Davis says you can make a pouch out of used inner tubes in a couple minutes, making a convenient and green solution.
Davis is based in Wisconsin and plans to keep manufacturing of the sticks local. He’s also sourcing the tool bits from local distributor and the minimal packaging is printed locally, too.