Granite Design have been making a bit of noise over the past year or so. I first met Dominic Loh, brand manager for Granite, at Crankworx 2019, where he showed me what was a relatively small product line and told me what they had in the pipeline. Since then, those products have come to fruition and local supplier, Everoutdoor, sent some our way to test.

It seems like the mountain biking industry is on a never-ending quest to give you as many different ride tools as possible to choose from. Mini ratchets have become one of my favourites. The slim rolls they come in are nicer to carry in your pocket if you’re riding without a pack, and the ratchet is just a ton easier to use than a traditional multi-tool. The Granite Design RocknRoll is their take on the mini ratchet, and it’s accompanied me on most of my rides for the past six months or so.

The RocknRoll kit comes in a Cordura tool roll, that includes a loop on the back to route the Granite Design RockBand (or most other tool straps) through, so you can mount it to your frame. With nine bits and an extension included, the RocknRoll has everything you’d need to tackle any trailside repairs, and the extensions make life much easier when it comes to accessing some of the harder to reach bolts. The ratchet is comfy in hand, and all the bits so far have stood up to the trailside tweaks I’ve made, and building/disassembling bikes whilst travelling.

The RocknRoll has pretty much done exactly as it should really and I don’t have any complaints, although, as time has gone on the ratchet gear has begun slipping occasionally, mostly on tighter bolts like my rotor bolts and brake mounts. It’s tricky, seeing as these are bolts you don’t usually mess around with on the trails, but at the same time when you’re travelling regularly, you’re forced into using what you’ve got and what’s convenient. The Granite Design site also reckons the RocknRoll can handle up to 60Nm of torque at the gear, so it was a little disappointing to find it slipping on bolts when I wasn’t even close to 60Nm.

All in all, would I suggest the RocknRoll? I’d say so. It’s small, convenient and reasonably priced with a recommended retail price of $59.99. Whilst the gear slips occasionally now, I’ve used the tool a ton over the last six months and I’d happily replace it with a new one, given that if I wasn’t using it as often as I have been I’d expect it to last a lot longer. I think that’s another thing about the lower RRP – I’d way rather lose a $59.99 dollar tool and replace it, over paying for something more expensive and potentially a little more durable, only to lose it on the side of the trail or travelling.

Words & Image: Cam Baker