You might not think you know the name Wolf Tooth – but you could be more familiar with the US brand than you think. Its custom components have been paraded around France for the past two Julys, as an official partner of the Visma-Lease a Bike team of Jonas Vingegaard.

The Minnesota-based company makes a vast array of tools, components and gadgets, from aero chainrings, to bags, to the clever multi-tool in a mini-pump that we have on test here.

Its products are made in the USA, which is part of the reason that it doesn't really do 'budget'. But it's high-quality stuff, designed to be serviceable and repairable, rather than replaced at the first sign of wear.

Wolf Tooth's USPs with just about all of its products are neat, efficient and high-quality, and this is true for its tools as well. It has developed its EnCase system to house an array of different tools within a cylindrical sleeve, for use either as a stand-alone tool, within a handlebar end-plug, or a pump, as featured here.

The pump comes in three different guises, each featuring a number of tools. You can have the basic mini pump on its own, or with a tubeless tyre plug tool, or in the guise featured here, which carries a full complement of hex-keys, a chain tool, and the tyre plug kit.

Construction

From the moment you pick it up, it's clear that this is an item of the highest quality. The whole shebang weighs a claimed 260g – a fair bit of that coming from the tools within – which lends it a quality feel. But on top of that the finish is superb and, giving it a few practise 'air pumps' the action is flawless.

The pump is constructed mostly from 6061 aluminium, with only the seals and the chuck made of plastic.

One of the pump's chief claims is its weatherproofing, to which ends Wolf Tooth employs its proprietary 'Envirolock' sealing system to prevent the ingress of any nasties and pretty much anything at all in fact, between the handle and the barrel.

It works using a knurled and threaded sleeve which slides tightly around the barrel, with the handle threading onto it. Once again, it's simple, but high quality, and it feels like it seals well.

The weatherproofing continues at the chuck with a robust and well-fitting urethane cap, and it's a similar story at the top of the handle, where the tool sleeve enters the pump, with a neat-fitting cap sealing the deal on top.

This is where the pump pulls a trick or two. That sleeve of tools is housed along its entire length and, aside from the thick barrel, you'd never know it was there.

Pull out the sleeve though, and you reveal a host of potentially useful – ride-saving, even – gadgets, all cleverly housed in a pair of cylindrical tools.

One houses the tubeless tyre plug insertion tool plus a selection of plugs, with the chain tool on top. The other boasts 14 functions: Allen heads (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm); Torx heads (T10, T25, T30), Phillips and flat-head screwdriver bits; plus spoke wrench and valve core wrench.

As you will have surmised, it's all very much geared towards tubeless tyre use at off-road type volumes – so gravel, mountain bike and even fat bike. As such it has a claimed 70psi limit. You should be able to achieve get-me-home pressure with road bike tyres though, especially if you're running wider rubber – 30mm upwards.

In use

The first thing I did with this pump was to put it to work on a 45mm gravel tyre. The chuck simply pushes onto the valve – job done. No threading and no levers. The seal seemed perfect and in the air went. It didn't surprise me in the least that the action was positive, smooth and efficient. The tyre inflated from zero to my usual 35psi in 80 strokes. Not bad.

When it came to trying it on my 28mm road bike tyres though, things didn't go so smoothly. Even with the tyres deflated, I couldn't get any air in without a fair bit of wiggling and even then it was with a fair bit of friction, with the pump becoming overly warm almost straight away.

Slightly deflated by that experience (pun most definitely intended, sorry), I tried on a different road bike, and then another. No issues at all, so perhaps that first bike will remain an unexplained anomaly.

Other than that, the only fly in the pump-related ointment is that I found the Envirolock collar gets in the way when pumping – I ended up having to grasp it along with the barrel. Not a major problem but slightly annoying at higher pressures when you have to grip hard.

Next, I took out the cylinder of tools and put those to use. Which proved easier said than done as I struggled to remove the bits from the cylindrical retainer. They are held in by a pair of rubber O-rings and a magnet and fit quite snugly – the upshot being they're not that easy to get out without a fairly decent set of fingernails.

I eventually managed to prise one out but it was more convenient to fetch a small screwdriver from my toolbox for the remaining maintenance tasks. So a miss for the Encase, though a simple paper clip would do the job if you experience similar issues.

Once ready to use though, I had no complaints. The cylinder acts as a nicely ergonomic handle and gives plenty of leverage too.

The chain tool works well too, once you have extracted the Allen bolt head you need to drive it. In fact, it's easier to use than the dedicated tool I own, with the cylinder grip giving plenty of leverage.

Conclusions and value

If you can stretch to it, there is something quite special about owning a boutique item such as this. Of course, if you're going to pay £145 / $159.95 for a mini pump and tools, it needs to be blindingly good in every way.

The Wolf Tooth EnCase ticks the majority of boxes in that it looks great, feels great in the hand, but for me I'm not sure the practicality quite matches the high-end price tag. I could live with the rather fiddly Allen key bits – but those O-rings feel eminently loseable, especially out on the trail. 

Additionally, the idea of clipping it onto the frame mount next to a bottle cage is all well and good, but if I've just spent that much hard-earned on it, I'm not sure I want it constantly bombarded by rocks and mud, even if it is totally weatherproof. I accept this is a personal preference though.

The EnCase is not the most expensive item on the market. One Up Components has a similar set-up, including a 100cc pump, for £159.97 / $175. At the other end of the spectrum, you could put together a very useable pump-multi-tool pairing using Topeak's Hexus multi-tool and Gravel 2-stage mini-pump for around £60 – though together these would take up more room than the EnCase, of course.

The Silca Sicuro Titanium bottle cage is based on a classic design and uses high quality materials to produce a very elegant solution. 

The cage is made from 3-2.5 titanium tubing which is laser welded to a titanium boss plate. It is hand made in Indianapolis, USA. 

This version, the Black Cerakote Edition, then has a 1 micron thick high-performance ceramic coating applied which is 100 times more abrasion resistant than conventional metal or paint finishes, according to Silca.

It won’t chip, break or fade and is claimed to be gentle on bottles, too. 

There is 21mm of adjustment up and down the frame from the boss plate. This can allow the perfect placement within smaller frames.

The ride

Using a full 700ml bidon (790g) I sought out some of the roughest roads local to me to see whether the bottle could be dislodged. Surrey’s finest put up a good fight but it held firm. There was a little play side to side but that would be down to the 1.1mm boss plate flexing slightly. Maybe the Silca Titanium cage bolts with their large diameter flanges (available separately from Silca's website) would stiffen the boss plate up and reduce this flexing? Unfortunately I didn’t have any to try out, so I used standard M5 bolts and washers that use a 4mm Allen key to tighten then up.

The bottle slid in and out very smoothly with no undue pressure required. I think it’s fair to say that the Cerakote finish was in part responsible for this. The bottle was held very snugly in the cage.

Value and conclusion

The Silca Sicuro Titanium cage weighed a light 30g/35g (manufacturer's/author's measurements). There are other cages that are similarly light such as the Tacx Deva and Topeak Ninja Cage Z yet in the hand it somehow felt lighter. Maybe it's because it's metal or that the diameter of the tubing fools one into thinking it should somehow be heavier. There is obviously some psychological trickery at play...

Whether that's the case or not, what's for certain is that this is a beautiful bottle cage that deserves to be mounted on a much prettier bike than the workmanlike Genesis I've been using as a test mule for bottle cages and other components.

Certainly it's expensive at £79, but for those who want the best components on their best bike, the outlay will be justified.

Specifications

• Weight: 30g/35g (manufacturer's/author's measurements)
• Adjustment: 21mm
• RRP: £79/$85

The Tacx Deva is a really light bottle cage, weighing 32g/35g (manufacturer's v author's measurements), with a huge choice of colours to match your frame or kit, and at its RRP of £12.99 represents good value for money.

Tacx Deva bottle cage: construction

The Tacx Deva has a core made of polyamide reinforced by carbon which is surrounded by a shell made from a glass fibre compound. This shell will incorporate one of 12 colours which include black, matt black, white, grey, blue, light blue, red, orange, pink and yellow as well as Cannondale green and a Bianchi green (aka celeste) to match your style.

The ride

Once bolted to the frame the cage felt solid and without flex, so time to test it using my reference 700ml (790g full) bottle and go for a ride. My chosen route involves a fast washboard section and a very rough potholed section. The cage was rock solid even when loaded up and subjected to these conditions. I will say that removing a bottle does require a fair amount of force, which although it was a little stronger than I’m used to, I did actually like. However if you need a lighter action for removing or inserting a bottle you may wish to look elsewhere. 

Tacx themselves say that the Deva “has proven its worth many times over during cycling classics over cobblestones” and I believe them. Another cage with such a strong grip is the Blackburn Wayside. 

There is no adjustment available on the boss plate but an allowance for differently spaced bottle bosses is provided as the lower hole is a slot.

Value and conclusion

I thought that this was a well made product and held a bottle very securely. With its huge option of colours and keen price of £12.99 at the time of writing it could be what you're after. 

If you prefer a lighter removal action and a lower price then the Topeak Ninja Master+ Cage Z might be worth a look - though it's only available in matt black.

So if you’re seeking a very secure and lightweight bottle cage with a contemporary aesthetic, a rainbow of colours, that is also keenly priced, then you may not need to look any further than the Tacx Deva.

Specification

• Weight: 32g/35g (manufacturer's/author's measurements)
• Adjustment: limited, via slot in boss plate
• RRP: £12.99

"Topeak Ninja Master+ Cage Z" is a bit of a mouthful of a name for this versatile bottle cage. However, like its oriental warrior namesake, stealth, deception and surprise are part of its arsenal. This is because you are able to add on a whole range of tools (from Topeak's Ninja system, available separately) freeing up your back pocket, saddlepack or stash bottle. By changing the foot of the cage you can add a whole range of Ninja tool accessories should you wish to. I will return to this shortly but first a look at ‘just’ the cage. 

Topeak Ninja Master+ Cage Z: construction

The standard cage weighs a light 35g/36g (manufacturer's claim v author's measurements) and is made from engineering grade polymer. It felt durable in the hand. It is similar in weight and aesthetic to the Zefal Pulse B2 and Tacx Deva but unlike those two it only has the one finish - matt black.

The ride

Once fitted onto the frame and with my 700ml (790g) test water bottle added it was time to try it out. My route has particularly bad sections. Firstly, a fast washboard section that will vibrate the whole bike and on here there was a little shimmy from the bottle but it was held securely.

Secondly, the truly horrible potholed section over which the bottle resisted the bucking bronco motion from the road. On the move the bottle removal and insertion was with a medium-light action which, whilst slightly easier than I'm used to, still gave me enough confidence in its ability to hold it in.

The bottle would place easily and not need double checking that it had seated home correctly. 

Although the cage only has a few millimetres of adjustment there is an Alt-Position Mount available, which can move the cage up or down by 32mm as required.

Although I’m not looking specifically at the Ninja accessories in this review, I think a quick recap of the available options is of interest as they can be added at a later date should you wish: there are several multitool options, a CO2 inflation system as well as a strap to hold an inner tube.

Value and conclusion

I liked this cage in use - and if you wish to free up other areas of your bike/clothing from tool carrying duties it's certainly worth a look. It is a really interesting and versatile idea. This design represents possibly the sweet spot for this type of plastic cage with a modern aesthetic, as long as you like matt black.

As 'just' a bottle cage it represents good value for money at £7.99 RRP, but its value should also be gauged alongside its versatility to carry essential tools discretely.

Specifications

• Weight: 35g/36g (manufacturer's claim v author's measurements)
• Adjustment: Minimal as standard
• RRP: £7.99

If you’re after a bombproof bottle cage then the Blackburn Wayside (RRP £14.99) could be what you’re seeking. I’m not sure what variety of plastic it’s made from but it seems very similar to tyre levers to me and we all know what abuse they have to deal with. To back up my suspicions Blackburn provides a lifetime warranty. 

Blackburn Wayside: construction

The Blackburn Wayside cage has a couple of other interesting features up its sleeve, namely that you can insert a bottle from the side. In practice this means a 45-degree entry angle and the bottle rotates into the cage arms. 

The other feature is that you can turn the cage separately to the boss plate to make it a left-handed or a right-handed entry, as preferred. The side insertion will be especially useful to those with suspension components that reduce the available space for a bottle, or those with small frames. My daughter has a 20in wheel bike and although it has bottle bosses we couldn’t fit a cage and then insert even a 500ml bottle. We can now!

The ride

Once bolted onto my bike the Blackburn Wayside felt really secure and solid. So time to load it up with a 700ml full bottle (790g) and see how it fares against some rough Surrey lanes. In short, it was rock solid, with barely a shimmer while traversing the washboard-like undulations of my local route. This is probably due, in part, to its being designed for mountain biking. Whilst removing and inserting a bottle on the move there is a little more force required than some others, but it is by no means excessive. 

It is a reasonable 48g in weight (45g/48g manufacturer's/author's measurements) and is available in black and a matt red finish. There is a useful, but not amazing, 6mm of adjustment on the boss bolts to fine-tune its position on the frame.

Value and conclusion

For its versatility and robustness this cage is to be commended. The price is reasonable for its unique features. Add to your consideration list if bottle security and functionality place higher than weight. 

Specifications

• Weight: 45g/48g - manufacturer's/author's measurements
• Adjustment: 6mm
• RRP: £14.99

The Zefal Pulse B2 is a very light bottle cage which is available in a rainbow of colours and a few more - last time I looked, black, grey and white weren’t included in that meteorological phenomenon - making a total of 10 colour options.

Zefal Pulse B2: construction

The skeleton of the cage is made from a reinforced composite to give vibration-reducing rigidity to the structure, whilst the techno polymer resin of the 'wings' offers flexibility and the option of all of those colours.

It is the lightest cage on test by a small margin if you accept my measuring of the weight which was 31g/33g (manufacturer's/author's measurements).

The titanium Silca Sicuro is 2g heavier and the Topeak Ninja in bottle-only mode is 3g heavier. The Tacx Deva is also 2g heavier and the closest to the Zefal in style. It is a close run thing, perhaps unsurprisingly.

The ride

Once out on the bike I used my reference 700ml (790g) full water bottle and headed out onto my rough lane test route. The removal and insertion of the bottle on the move was extremely easy, almost too easy, and I wondered whether the bottle would stay put over the fast, washboard-like road section. It held firm, as it did over the horrible potholed section. So my skepticism was proved wrong. 

I was curious about this so I swapped a High 5 bottle that measures 73mm in diameter for a Charge bottle (74.5mm diameter) which holds 500ml of water. It felt more secure and more solidly placed in the cage to me. 

To be fair, Zefal has designed the jaws of the cage to accept different bottle diameters and it is possible that the High 5 bottle is at the slimmer end of the range, although the skinnier bottle hasn’t presented a problem with any of the other cages on test. 

There is no adjustment available on the boss plate, but a limited allowance for differently spaced bottle bosses is provided since the lower hole is a slot.

Value and conclusion

This Zefal Pulse B2 bottle cage is reasonably priced at £12.99 and it certainly looks the part on a road bike but the looseness of the bottle grip holds me off from fully recommending it, especially when the Tacx Deva is very similar aesthetically, weight-wise and price-wise but holds a bottle much more strongly.

Specifications

• Weight: 31g/33g (manufacturer's/author's measurements)
• Adjustment: via lower slow
• RRP: £12.99

The SKS Velocage (RRP £11.99) is a fairly light and robustly designed bottle cage which is made in Germany. Although it is made from a plastic, SKS is sure enough of its product to offer a five-year warranty on it, and sure enough it will deal with the rigours of mountain biking as well as commuting and road riding.

The ride

The SKS Velocage's opening is slightly squared off to provide some flex between the front and sides of the cage, allowing it to securely hold all common bottle types. There is a lot of cage in contact with the bottle as it encases it on all sides. However it is still easy to insert and remove a bottle on the move. 

There is a tab to hold onto the shoulder of the bottle, which is common to most bottle cages. In fact, it was such an easy removal I wondered whether it could disgorge a bidon on a rough descent. So I made my way to a local stretch of potholed lane and rode as fast as I dared and... nothing! The 700ml (790g) full bottle didn’t budge, although there was a small amount of shimmy from the vibration. Quite impressive really, as usually a small amount of force is needed to start the removal process off with other cages that I have used.

There is 16mm of adjustment via the slotted holes of the boss plate to fine tune the SKS Velocage's position on the bike frame. 

It weighed a reasonable 40g/41g (manufacturer's v author's measurements).

Value and conclusion

There are four finishes available: Black, Sapphire Blue, Basalt Grey and Petrol Green. All are matt colours and pretty muted but should allow an amount of matching to a contemporary frame colour. At a RRP of £11.99 the SKS Velocage is reasonably priced.

So if you need a light and strong bottle cage with light-pressure bottle removal and insertion this is one to consider.

Specifications

• Weight: 40g/41g (manufacturer's/author's measurements)
• Adjustment: 16mm
• RRP at time of writing: £11.99

It's been a long time since I've worked with a new Blackburn track pump, the reason being that back in 2012 I had the pleasure of testing a Blackburn Air Tower 1 and other than a rather irrating hose location issue (on the opposite side to the gauge meaning it had to twist round the barrel therefore shortening it) it was great. It inflated even the shortest of valves with only the slightest of leaky hisses.

Somehow it's suddenly six years later and although the £24.99 floor pump is still going strong, it's time to fondle a slightly more modern version. As the Air Tower range has long since been superseded, it's the Blackburn Piston 2 track pump's turn to get a shakedown, and immediately it looks to be equal to, if not better than its predecessor.

Construction

Measuring just shy of 70cm, the steel barrel of the Blackburn Piston 2 track pump is one of the taller options on the market. The steel foot plate, measuring nearly 16cm wide, adds to its sturdiness but with the plastic handle and shaft the overall weight is a relatively lightweight 1,370g

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As well as creating a stable base, the large footplate also allows for the addition of a 7.5cm pressure gauge. Again this is probably one of the larger gauges on the market by around a third in some cases, which should make PSI/bar reading much easier, but unfortunately the choice of black numbers on a blue background wasn't the wisest and it's not the clearest to read.

At nearly a metre the Blackburn Piston 2 track pump hose is a decent length and should allow you to avoid being awkwardly on top of your bike when inflating tyres and, thanks to Blackburn's AnyValve™ pump head, you should be good to inflate either Presta, Schrader or Dunlop.

Pumping action

All the niceties of construction and looks out the way, the only truly important aspect of a pump is how it does its job; namely does it connect easily and stay connected, does it leak air anywhere and, finally, how easily does it inflate a road tube from more or less flat in a tyre?

To give the test a bit of context, I'm using a standard Presta valve tube in a 25mm Continental Grand Sport Race Tyre on a Vision Trimax Carbon 40 wheel.

Locking the Blackburn Piston 2 track pump onto the valve was really simple: you just push and flip the lever up and releasing the pump head was just as easy with hardly any loss of air. If you are using Schrader valves, you simply unscrew the pump head, pull out the rubber bung, turn it round and then reinsert and replace the pump head.

That wide base gave the Piston 2 a really stable feeling when pumping and the handle was surprisingly comfortable. Despite the dial's colour scheme, the pressure gauge was big enough to read if you had good light, but with no adjustable PSI/bar target pointer around the edge to aim for, there was a little bit of guesswork involved in hitting the 100PSI mark.

It took a short 30 strokes to get the tube up to pressure, which is really reasonable, but did require a fair amount of weight behind the last 10 strokes in order to get the air in.

Value

The Blackburn Piston 2 track pump is an ideal purchase for the £40 swing ticket. It's not fancy, doesn't come with iconic branding and you might struggle to get much more than 100PSI in, which to be honest is perfectly adequate for most riders, but it works well, is easy and swift to use  and going on past Blackburn experience, will last you a very long time indeed.

The Vision Metron range is largely aimed at improving aerodynamics and has a bias towards the time trial and triathlon market. However it seems like its 4D aero road handlebar has a slightly different emphasis.

Ergonomics have been prioritised over aerodynamics: the shape of bars is very complex and has clearly had a lot of thought put into it.

The tops are not the most aggressive or thinned out. Instead Vision has designed a shape which is slightly more oval than a standard round tube without sacrificing any comfort. In fact as there is a noticeable rise to the tops, which gives a more upright riding position – useful when climbing.

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There is a 10° forward bend to the Vision Metron 4D handlebars which noticeably pushes the shifters forwards, changing their position when compared to a straight bar. For anyone who is particular about their riding position this may mean changing to a shorter stem as the effective reach becomes longer. However if ‘long and low’ is what you’re looking for then these may be the bars for you.

Watch - handlebar reach and how to get it right

Other features include a flattened section behind the hoods. I like this shaping, as the flattened section behind the shifters gives a solid feel when riding in an aero position on the hoods, with the groove giving a stable base to rest your wrists or hands in.

The Vision Metron 4D gave an impressively stiff and solid feel for a full carbon handlebar with ‘aero’ tubes. There was none of the flex that is sometimes present in bars with thinner top sections. The narrowed tube section of the drops gives a delicate and nimble feel when sprinting. The drops also have a 2° outwards flare. This flaring out gives a wider hand position and so more leverage when sprinting.

With regard to weight, the Metron 4D weighs 240g, which is the same ballpark as the ENVE SES aero bar, although the ENVE is roughly £60 more expensive. If you were to choose a lighter, slightly less aero alternative, the Fizik 00 bar is around £270 and weighs just 175g.

The bar has a continuous carbon composite construction which was immediately noticeable and translates into a really confident feel when cornering and sprinting. Cables can be integrated and hidden through holes. Some bars I have tested in the past, such as the ENVE SES, have had holes which are a little too small, making routing cables rather difficult. Fortunately the holes on the Vision Metron 4D are generous, meaning fitting and routing the cables was straightforward. It also helps keep a neat, clean and aero look.