I use the EVOC Bike Travel bag when take my bike on a plane. I have the bike bag frame that clamps my forks and back part of my bike using my front and back thru axles. So, instead of taking the chain off, I use the Feedback Sports Thru-Axle Chain Keeper. I shift into my front big chain ring and shift the back shifter all the way to the left (i.e. virtual biggest cog). There is enough tension in the chain that prevents chain slap on the chain stay. Now, I never travel without the Feedback Sports Thru-Axle Chain Keeper.
Feedback is a pricier brand, though make premium products that tend to be quality/performance of pro shops. I'm just an avid cyclist that tries to handle most maintenance myself at home and have multiple bikes, so appreciate having quality tools that do the job and which will outlast me.
One of the easiest and most impactful maintenance jobs you can tackle at home is basic cleaning--set the bike in a stand, remove the wheels, give everything a good wash/rinse/wax. If you don't remove the chain while doing this, it will drop on/rub the chainstay. This tool mounts to the dropout, holds the chain in place, and also lets you spin the pedals/chain while cleaning it. The thing I especially like about this specific tool is that it's designed to work with both QR/skewers and short/long thru-axles. Prior to picking this up, I'd needed two different types of chain keepers, so I've replaced two cheap plastic products with one beautifully made aluminum forever solution.
I have had many stands in my life for wrenching my bikes. This stand provides a better and quicker mounting of the bike for getting to business. My one main complaint and I knew this going into the purchase from other reviews is the clamp jaws recess where the jaws are secured and can be replaced, can scratch a frame if too much force/pressure is applied. Feedback Sports could easily fix this with the small rectangular like raised areas on each jaw by making them simply 1/16th to 1/8th inch protruded for that buffer zone to protect frames like carbon and painted top tubes of other materials used on bikes. It is really a simple cheap fix if they would just do it. How I simply defeated it was to always use a micro-fiber towel to place in the jaws that will make contact with my carbon frame to keep any small mishaps from happening. Overall, a very stable and nice work stand whether on a budget or you don't see a need in spending $300-$400 on a work stand as that is quite simply insane! But to each their own! That is the reason I gave it 4-stars as to value rating.
These steel core tire levers are beefy and sturdy, yet lightweight. They nest together to fit neatly inside a saddle bag. The wide bodies fit nicely in your hand, the length and shape provide great leverage, and the wide tip efficiently unseats stubborn or tight-fitting tire beads. The steel cores make these levers bombproof. Each lever has a hook that attaches to a wheel spoke, and a flat blade that you can use to open disc brake pistons. The plastic coating is easy on wheel rims. These are strong, quality levers that get the job done, yet weigh only slightly more than smaller, cheaper plastic levers. Whether you use these in your home workshop or carry them on the road (or both), they get the job done quickly and effectively. Solid performance at a very reasonable price.
