Review: Park Tool AWS-7 tool

First published in Singletrack Magazine issue 95

In between massive typing frenzies, one of the other things we get to do a lot of here is rapid bike assembly and disassembly – whether it’s putting a bike together, swapping brakes and discs, or saddles/posts off a bike, or just getting a bike in enough bits to fit into Richard’s Micra. Whereas you used to have to wield a huge set of hex keys, a few spanners and a hammer to do these jobs in days of old, most modern bikes use 4, 5 and 6mm hex bolts, with even the 6mm being rarer now, and a Torx T25 for disc rotor bolts and fancier things like SRAM’s XX1.

Old Trails, New Tools - Singletrack Issue 148

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Park Tools now makes a three-way 4/5mm hex and T25 version of its classic mechanic’s standard. It’s ‘why didn’t I think of it before?’ simple and it covers everything you’ll need to put a bike together, with the exception of putting the pedals on. The tool is worth it for the Torx key alone, as anyone who’s had to swap or install a pair of disc rotors with it will attest to – it’s way better than the tiny tools you get on a multitool. Sometimes the wide ‘Y’ of the tool can foul other components, especially when working on handlebar controls, but it’s not like you don’t have other tools at hand for that bit.

The accuracy and longevity of Park’s tools has always been worthy of praise and I can’t see this one giving in any time soon. It’s barely worn in.

Overall:

Every mountain biker needs one of these in the workshop. One tool to rule them all (with a few more as backup just in case).

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