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Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go

10
£30.00

VERDICT:

10
10
Exceptional ratcheting tool that covers a number of other uses, at an excellent price
Excellent ratchet
Huge 30Nm capability
All the bits you'll need
Other useful functions
Small and light
Five-year warranty
Nice wallet
Hard to thread the thick strips
Weight: 
137g
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

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The Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go is an easily-pocketable lightweight multi-tool covering pretty much every fastening need on a modern bike. It's also a quick-link breaker, valve core tool, tyre lever and tubeless plugger. With a five-year warranty and a decent price, it's a strong alternative to traditional folding multi-tools.

Traditional multi-tools are great for on-the-road-or-trail fettling, with a plethora of options around for not much money, from cheap and cheerful Allen key sets to higher end models including chain breakers. You can check some out in our guide to the best bike multi-tools.

> Buy now: Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go for £30 from Prestacycle

In bike workshops, small ratchets are now seen as indispensable tools for getting into tight spaces, and/or being able to do up or undo fasteners quickly and with better control than larger traditional P-handled hex or Torx tools. I have several small ratchet tools in prominent positions on my workshop wall, and I know of pro mechanics who have multiple small ratchet tools semi-permanently fitted with the most common bits to cut down on the need to swap.

The Prestaratchet Go takes that established workshop ratchet functionality and puts it into an easily-transportable package for taking on the road or trail – along with a number of key mid-ride essential extras. But let's start with the core function of the ratcheting bit holder.

Ratcheting bit

The Prestaratchet is a legend in the pro mechanic world. The combination of the reversible ratchet and thumbwheel means you can very quickly get a fastener tight enough to then apply force using the lever arm one-handed. And if it then needs loosening and adjusting again – for example, a seatpost bolt, stem or headset – you can do so immediately with a flick of the direction without having to adjust grip or remove and reinsert a standard hex or Torx tool. This insert-once-adjust-many paradigm helps protect your fasteners and bits, through reduced wear and risk of incorrect insertion leading to stripped fasteners. I talked about this in my review a few years back of the Prestacycle Torque Ratchet Pro Deluxe.

2023 Prestacycle Prestaratchet III Multi-tool - rachet.jpg

Held securely in the soft wallet are a Phillips PH1 bit, hex bits in 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm, and Torx 10, 15, 25 and 30 bits. The bit shafts are indented and click solidly into the ratchet head, where they are retained by a clip mechanism on two sides – there's no way they are falling out. To extract the bit, you press down on the open side.

An oft-unmentioned benefit of individual bits is that if/when they need replacing, you just buy one – not a whole new multi-tool. Or if your current or future bike needs an unsupplied type, size or length of bit, just add it to the kit.

The ratchet mechanism is very fine – about seven degrees per click – so even in the tightest of spaces you should be able to get enough handle movement to tighten or loosen. Again, the thumbwheel greatly speeds up the process of taking up slack or fully loosening a fastener.

The ratchet tool is rated to 30Nm, which is a hell of a lot for a tool that's only 100mm long, with an effective bit-centre-to-handle-centre lever arm distance of 70mm. That means it's rated to the same force applied at the centre of the handle that you'd use to lift a 43kg weight with your fingers. While it's very unlikely you'll be doing any work on a cassette or bottom bracket to max out the 30Nm on offer, it's good to know the ratchet is more than up to the task of tightening or loosening pedals or thru-axles.

So far, so workshop-pro-mechanic-grade fastener tool.

Additional functions

The first of the additional functions is a quick-link breaker. This is a fiendishly simple and clever alternative to hitting your quick-link with a rock or doing odd things with shoelaces to get it apart.

You simply make a little 'A' with one end of the link by lifting one side free at the top of your chainring and shifting the chain forwards by one tooth to make it stick up. (This may be harder to do with 1x narrow-wide chainrings, but not impossible. You could in theory do it by making the quicklink 'A' on your largest sprocket at the back.)

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - QL 2.JPG

Once one end of the quick-link is standing proud of the chainring, you press down on it, aligning the two sideplate ends with the two notches cut into the handle. Between the notches is a bar that presses down on the quick-link roller, forcing one half of it downwards, thereby separating the link.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - QL 4.JPG

To do this takes a fraction of the time it takes to read, and once you've tried it you will wonder why every bike multi-tool doesn't have these two slots carved into them. Possibly because Prestacycle has patented the design.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - QL 3.JPG

Next it's the tyre lever function. Prestacycle has built a cunning 'rim hook' into the lever that prevents it slipping out. The lever is made from slippery nylon and is sharp enough to get under even a quite tight bead and then be dragged easily around the rim. Installing is likewise easy. The usual caveats of every tyre-rim-tube-hand-technique combo differs and your mileage may vary, but I found the lever to be very effective and a perfectly good on-road option for even tight tubeless beads.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go 1.JPG

Sticking with reasons you may want to faff with wheels, the tool includes a tubeless plugger. This takes the form of a wee metal fork that threads into the lever, turning it into a T-handle to afford loads of power and control when stabbing a 'bacon strip' plug into a leaking tubeless tyre. I'm an avowed fan of the Dynaplug system, but I acknowledge that Dynaplugs are a) expensive to buy and refill and b) large, compared with this option.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - plugger tool.JPG

You get five narrow and five thick strips provided, stuck between transparent sheets. The narrow strips threaded into the fork no problem; the thicker ones were quite a faff and would almost certainly mean most if not all of your existing air had departed your leaking tyre in the meantime. This is no slight on Prestacycle here, it's an inherent drawback of the fork-strip design, and had the set included 10 of the thinner strips I wouldn't even be noting the issue.

2023 Prestacycle Prestaratchet III Multi-tool - tyre plugs.jpg

The final tool in the handle is a rectangular hole for tightening or loosening Presta valve cores.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - valve core tool.JPG

While many valve caps now come with this function, it's always handy to have another one on hand as a mid-ride-need-air-stuck-valve solution.

2024 Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go - valve core in use.JPG

Wallet

All this comes packaged in a nice flexible wallet, with a belt or packstrap loop if you're that way inclined.

2023 Prestacycle Prestaratchet III Multi-tool - pouch.jpg

You can choose to remove or swap bits as needed, and the little elasticated pocket is very handy for carrying other small but essential items like a tyre boot, spare valve cores, a sachet of lube or whatnot.

2023 Prestacycle Prestaratchet III Multi-tool - pouch opened.jpg

Weight, price, value

The whole kit weighs 125g, and the tool itself is only 26g – so if you really care, you can save a considerable amount of weight and space by taking just the tool plus bits needed. The fact that you're not carrying at least one other tyre lever, a quick-link breaker and a valve core tool is a bonus.

> Emergency essentials: 10 things you should carry every ride

The fact that you're getting the excellent ratcheting functionality may or may not matter to you, if you only ever use a multi-tool for rare roadside tweaks. To my mind there's no such thing as the 'best' multi-tool – just the best one for your use case, bike fastener selection, storage options, dexterity, and so on. For me, the Prestaratchet won't replace the excellent and compact Topeak PT30 tool as my permanently on-bike tool for day rides (I own three, and they stay on the bikes so I'm never caught short). But for travel or multi-day expeditions, I can see the Prestaratchet Go being thrown into a frame bag or pannier as insurance against a number of potential woes.

Comparisons with other multi-tools are therefore rather irrelevant, as the Prestaratchet Go is pretty much in a class of one in being a collection of disparate functions in one package.

There are other options with ratcheting, such as the Topeak Ratchet Stick and Pro Bike Tool Mini Ratchet – but both are heavier and more expensive (the Topeak 150g and £46.99 – up from £39.99 when we tested it in 2020; the PBT 166g, and around £32.50), with less functionality.

Conclusion

As a tool to have at work for any post-commute fettling, I think it's a great option. Likewise, maybe to have in the car or van. Or if you add other small items to the wallet as mentioned, maybe it is a good in-the-jersey-pocket option for some.

Overall, Prestacycle has hit a home run in terms of ratchet + bits + other tools + wallet at that £30 price point. Add in a five-year warranty, and it's hard to go past the Prestaratchet Go as an on- or off-bike ratcheting tool option.

Verdict

Exceptional ratcheting tool that covers a number of other uses, at an excellent price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Prestacycle Prestaratchet Go

Size tested: One size

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's for people wanting to effect many trail or roadside woes with one package of tools.

Prestacycle says:

FEATURES

Better than keys – in every way!

Prestaratchet advances the art of wrenching bicycles. Consider the irony of using an Allen or Torx® key on your expensive and delicate bike parts. Tools like that come free with un-assembled furniture. Isn't your bike worthy of better? Prestaratchet is faster, safer, less expensive, longer lasting and more comfortable than any key.

Faster

Prestaratchet is always in position to get the whole job done. Spin a loose bolt snug with the thumb-wheel, then tighten with the handle. Flick the reverse lever with the same thumb to loosen. You can operate Prestaratchet with one hand and hold a brake cable with the other. Tighten and loosen as many times as you want to get the perfect cable position – and never move your hand or remove the tool in the process.

Safer

With an Allen or Torx® key, each time you tighten or loosen a bolt – you remove and re-insert the tool multiple times. Twisting, turning and inserting – each time is a chance to get the Allen or Torx® key crooked and damage expensive bicycle bolts. With Prestaratchet's reversible ratchet and thumb-wheel, the tool stays on-the-job without any additional insertions.

Remove tires in seconds!

Removing tire from the rim

Prestalever is Quicker and Speedier than anything you've ever used. Our Patent-Pending Rim Hook with Honeycomb reinforced Box-Section Design is the key to our faster, safer, easy-to-use tool.

As you scoop the tire bead with the Prestalever, the slot underneath we call the 'rim hook' naturally drops inside the rim. It prevents the Prestalever from slipping out, so you don't drop the bead. The rim hook stops the Prestalever at an easy-to-hold angle on the side of the rim. Then you simply glide the lever around the rim, and the tire peels-off as you go.

The Prestlever is made of slippery Nylon, greatly reducing the force needed to remove tires. When you're done, twist the Prestalever 90 degrees to raise the rim hook out of the rim. Our box-section design allows the twist-action to easily stop at 90 degrees so the lever slides out easily.

Install tires without strain.

The bead-grabbing edge gives the right balance between leverage and lifting force, making it as easy as possible to complete tire installation.

Presta Core tool is now essential.

Even Bicycle Presta tubes now include removable cores. This gives you the added option of using tire sealant inside the tube of your standard tire. Removable cores are not always fully tightened at the factory. A loose core could cause slow leaks, or could even become unscrewed while using inflation devices. Tubes should be checked during installation and regularly afterwards for Presta core tightness.

Don't carry an extra tool for chains!

The Prestalever quick-link breaker is an effective emergency tool if you need to remove your chain on the road. The Patented design is the creation of Prestacycle's good friend and associate – cycling engineer Tomo Ichikawa. It removes the quick-link, which is the only function you need. When quick links are installed, pedal pressure can lock the installed quick link without any tools. For regular chain service, we still recommend a quick link tool, but with our feature, you no longer need to carry a separate tool with you on the bike.

Quick-link removal Instructions:

Place the quick Link near the top of the crank

Jump the chain forward one tooth so the quick-link stands-up

Use the slot on the Prestalever to push down FIRMLY.

(The crank tooth will support the other end from underneath.)

T-handle Tubeless Tire Plugger

The center of the Prestalever has threads which accept our Tubeless tire plugger. It then forms a T-Handle for effective, centered pushing of the included 'Bacon Strips' used to seal large cuts in Tubeless tires.

Longer Lasting

Eventually the tip of your most commonly-used Allen or Torx® keys can wear out. Then you must replace the whole tool. If it came in a set, getting a match can be time consuming or difficult. With Prestaratchet, you simply replace the bit. The Ratchet handle is made of the finest tool-grade metals and will likely last a lifetime.

Prestalever is different... designed from the start with real-world experience on bicycles.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Prestacycle:

SPECIFICATIONS

Reversible ratchet with Quick-Disc™ thumb wheel

Remove and Install Tire Lever

Presta Valve Core tool

Quick-link Chain breaker.

T-Handle Tubeless Tire plugger w/10 Bacons included!

Slim, semi-rigid Wallet is comfortable in a Jersey pocket!

Bring only the bits you need!

Use with multiple Prestalevers for tough or delicate tires like Road Tubeless and Gumwall.

Dimensions: 100mm x 13mm x 12mm

Weight: 25 grams + bits (average 5 grams per bit)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Exceptionally well made from quality metal.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Tight tolerances and sharp engagement. Lever works brilliantly too.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

The quality of the tool steel is great, as is the warranty.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10

Extremely light for the many functions afforded, even in the wallet.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

The thick lever is really comfortable to use for fasteners and as a tyre lever.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Excellent value for the combination of tools and functionality.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Can't fault it – lovely.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The ratcheting mechanism – it's niiiiice.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Priced well, cheaper than less-capable tools.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

I find it very hard to fault the tool, functionality is excellent and the price is sharp.

Overall rating: 10/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 183cm  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe  My best bike is: Nah bro that's it

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
wtjs | 9 months ago
4 likes

Whoopee! I followed the convincing recommendations, and it's arriving today.

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to wtjs | 9 months ago
4 likes

Do let us know your thoughts <waits nervously>

Avatar
wtjs replied to KiwiMike | 9 months ago
0 likes

Looks good to me! Exactly as promised with all the bits and tools. Of course, with something as light as this, you're worried about durability of the ratchet mechanism and I'm hoping it lasts- but I knew all that when I bought it. The valve core removal tool and the quick link remover work as advertised, but I've never yet had to remove a valve core on the road. I won't be able to test the tyre plugs as I have no intention of going tubeless

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to wtjs | 9 months ago
1 like

Good stuff. I've been using the Prestaratchet head for years, including on some seriously tough asks - and they've never failed. I reckon you'd have to be doing something really stoopid like standing on it to damage one. And if it does fail, 5yr warranty FTW! 

Avatar
wtjs replied to KiwiMike | 9 months ago
1 like

PS Are you at home KM? My daughter's working down in Dunedin and having a good time after a difficult start at Greymouth

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to wtjs | 9 months ago
1 like

Nah, been living the UK-Brexit-Scotland dream for close on two decades now. I'm all about the responsible Right To Roam, warm flat beer, competitive queueing and suchlike. Oh and free university for the weans 😎

Avatar
Rich89 replied to KiwiMike | 9 months ago
3 likes

Cheers for the love of the products, we knew this tool was good but 10/10 is rare. More orders heading out the door today. Rich - Prestacycle UK

Avatar
ktache replied to Rich89 | 9 months ago
2 likes

You seem to make a habit of it, your torque ratchet go 10/10 too.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rich89 | 9 months ago
0 likes
Rich89 wrote:

Cheers for the love of the products, we knew this tool was good but 10/10 is rare. More orders heading out the door today. Rich - Prestacycle UK

Sorry, but I have so many ratchet tools that I can't justify getting this one as well.

Unless, you start making a rival to the Topeak nano torque bits - then I could be persuaded

Avatar
wtjs replied to hawkinspeter | 9 months ago
0 likes

What's the  technique accepted by local torqueists for using a torque wrench to set up power meter pedals, which are often said to require accurate torque. Is it the Park Tools TWB-15 tool?

Avatar
mark1a replied to wtjs | 9 months ago
0 likes

Any 15mm crowfoot will do, other brands are available.

Most power pedals don't have 15mm flats on the axle though, so you'd just use a hex tool on the inside.

 

Avatar
wtjs replied to mark1a | 9 months ago
0 likes

Thanks, Garmin XC200 has the 15mm, but not the hex. That's what I'm thinking of at the moment

Avatar
Rich89 replied to hawkinspeter | 9 months ago
3 likes

This could be an option for you, also 10/10 https://road.cc/content/review/prestacycle-torqratchet-pro-deluxe-296421

We also have a full range of preset keys that are the only ones on the market you can undo a bolt without effecting the accuracy of the torq 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rich89 | 9 months ago
2 likes
Rich89 wrote:

This could be an option for you, also 10/10 https://road.cc/content/review/prestacycle-torqratchet-pro-deluxe-296421

We also have a full range of preset keys that are the only ones on the market you can undo a bolt without effecting the accuracy of the torq 

Ooooooh shiny!

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Rich89 | 9 months ago
2 likes

The Prestacycle TorqKeys are one of only a handful of tools I would run through a workshop fire to rescue. 

Avatar
jaymack | 9 months ago
9 likes

There's no place for reasonably priced, well designed and useful products in today's cycling culture, the manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves there's not even a gravel option.

Avatar
ktache | 10 months ago
6 likes

Ingenious quick link breaker.

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