Fabric CO2/lever kit review

Fabric puts a design twist on the workaday components and accessories that keep your bike going. The Fabric CO2/lever kit is a good example of this. Fabric has packaged the inflator head along with a spare cartridge and two tyre levers, holding the lot together using a rubber strap. It’s sold with a second cartridge. So you have one item which has everything you need to get rolling again if you get a flat – except a new tube or patches of course.

>>> How to repair a punctured tube (video)

CO2 cartridges get very cold when you discharge them, so Fabric includes a foam sleeve to insulate your hand. The valve head is a neat little job, made of plastic, which takes threaded CO2 cartridges. There’s a screw-down control valve so that you can easily regulate the amount of gas which gets into the tyre and potentially save a bit if you don’t empty the whole cartridge when reinflating the tyre. It’s got a knurled edge to make gripping it easier, even if you’re still wearing gloves.

The inflator pushes onto the tyre’s valve and it will accommodate both Presta and Schraeder tubes. It seals easily to Presta valves and we were able to inflate tubes without losing gas.

Watch: How to puncture proof your tyres

The tyre levers are sturdy and reinforced with glass-fibre. They come in black, white or blue for a dash of colour, but otherwise they’re pretty standard levers with a hook on the back to wedge them to a spoke. They’re narrow and curved enough to get under tight beads on tubeless tyres – not a given for other makes’ levers.

>>> Are solid tyres worth a try?

As well as holding everything together, the rubber strap fastenings allow you to attach the kit to your bike for transport rather than it taking up space in your jersey pocket or saddlepack.

If a pump is more your thing, Fabric has now introduced its own range of these too.