PEATY’S HOLDFAST TOOL WRAP REVIEW

Words & Photos by Robert Johnston

By now there’s a huge variety of options for attaching tools and spares to your bike, but until now there’s not been an all-encompassing solution to securely store these essentials without some form of complication. Peaty’s is hoping to change that with their Holdfast Tool Wrap, bringing some neat design features to the table to keep you well equipped and your bike (and tools) safe when riding hard. It’s safe to say they’ve done a great job with this one. Read on to find out why.

THE LAB

Peaty’s looked at the standard bike straps that have become commonplace and added their own spin to their Holdfast Tool Wrap to provide improved security and user friendliness all round. They separated the tool wrap from the strap itself, allowing for a larger contact area between the rubberized “gripper” portion of the strap and the frame, which should keep it more securely fastened in place. This not only prevents the tool wrap from shifting on the frame, but also prevents paintwork from being damaged since there’s no movement between the strap and frame. The additional benefits are slightly easier access to the tool wrap as the whole strap doesn’t need to be removed; and improved simplicity to fit or exclude a spare tube when attaching the Holdfast to the frame. Topping out at a chunky inner tube and fully packed tool wrap, the Peaty’s solution will accommodate any sort of load you’re attaching to the frame.

The Tool Wrap is made with a waterproof material to keep the insides dry and free from being caked in mud, though it’s not built to withstand direct attack from a pressure washer. There’s a pocket within the Tool Wrap which is secured with a waterproof zipper to keep valuables like money and car keys extra safe. Peaty’s has a neat guide on their website to show what you can expect to fit in your Holdfast pouch, including some useful inspiration that might just save…or relax…your ride. The Peaty’s Holdfast Tool Wrap is available in a choice of three colors with reflective graphics, with an RRP of £34.99 / $44.99.

THE DIRT

Peaty’s has a nice step-by-step guide for getting their Holdfast Tool Wrap set up the best, but it’s all fairly self-explanatory anyway. You stuff the Tool Wrap portion full of your desired supplies; wrap the strap around your frame with or without a tube beneath; stick the Tool Wrap onto the strap, then pass the rest of the strap around the Tool Wrap to secure everything in place. The 160mmx60mm approximate size makes it quite versatile, fitting a multitool; CO2 inflator or range of smaller items. I opted to go for the “save the day” approach, packing tire plugs; zip ties wrapped in gorilla tape; a gear cable (for the “peasant bikes”), and some tire levers, with a spare tube regularly secured by the strap. This left scope to add in a car key and some cash without any issue for the days I felt it necessary, or a spare mech hanger for the bikes that need one. The shape of the tool wrap definitely suits longer and less wide or fat items best but is large enough to offer compatibility with a range of different fillings. One consideration is that the height of a fully loaded Holdfast with a tube and filled pouch starts to become quite large, so you may run into fitment issues depending on your frame. The Nukeproof Mega in the pictures would struggle to have both fitted to a place on the bike that is reasonable.

Once on the bike, the Holdfast really lives up to the name and claims. Once fitted properly, it refuses to budge. I’ve had other strap setups in the past that would have a tendency to “roll” around the tube on certain compressions and leave the items in the way of your legs, which is both unsafe and just damn annoying. Peaty’s solution did no such thing. Getting access to the Tool Wrap is fairly fast and simple, and you can keep the tube and remainder of the strap firmly in place, so you don’t have to fuss with the setup again when reattaching it to the bike. If you do remove the tube, you’ll have to spend a short while re-adjusting the position of the strap for the most effective fitment, but it proved to be an easy task for the couple of occasions I called upon the spare tube or swapped it to a different bike. It’d be great to see a version or adaptor plate that makes use of accessory mounting points that are becoming more commonplace on frames, but the Peaty’s solution will typically still wrap around the area where these bolts are found, so it’s not a dealbreaker.

The waterproof material did a great job when I was careful to reattach everything neatly, but once water gets in it’ll stay in there until you pull everything out and leave it to dry, so it pays to be careful and thorough. Through a couple of months of abuse there’s no sign of damage or wear and tear, so I believe the Holdfast is in it for the long haul.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Well thought out and executed, the Peaty’s Holdfast Tool Wrap is one of the best solutions I’ve yet to come across for versatile tool and essential spares storage.

Price: £34.99
Website: Peatys.co.uk