Threaded #49: New Tools for your brakes, cables, and bearings

by Dave Rome Oct 30, 2025 More from
Dave Rome +

How the heck is it the end of October already? I still have so many new tools to share!

It’s been a few months since the last round of New Tools Day, and the tools have been piling up while I went a little too deep testing electric inflators. This edition of Threaded is packed with shiny new things for tool nerds and home tinkerers alike.

Within you’ll find my thoughts on AbsoluteBlack’s entry into the world of weight-weenied disc brake piston press tools (no, you can't make this stuff up.) There are a couple more of Enduro’s exquisite bearing and service tools to share. I get hands-on with Feedback Sport’s newly updated cable cutters and tool trays. Plus, there's a high-value modular bleed cup, a look at Knipex’s latest plier, and an update on an enticing tool case.

Phew, that’s a lot.

Threaded is a series focused on the maintenance and repair side of cycling. Wholly member-funded and without any affiliate links, product placement, or ads, Threaded is published approximately every two weeks. Sign up here (free) to get an alert in your inbox when a new edition is released.

Love new tools? See here for a full list of all new tools covered to date.

AbsoluteBlack Piston Press

Ever looked at a disc brake piston press tool and wondered why it's not carbon fibre and titanium in order to weigh just 12.5 grams? No? Well, AbsoluteBlack hopes you have. Jokes aside, the British company known for its oval chainrings has produced a disc brake piston press (US$41 / AU$80) with a few clever details.

I've covered the topic of pressing pistons before, and there are an increasing number of tools for the task. AbsoluteBlack (second from the left) has joined the likes of Sumart (far left) in offering a tiny threaded tool that expands to press pistons back squarely and safely.

Let's focus on how it compares to that Sumart UBB-20 tool. The two tools are extremely similar in concept and price, but wholly different in execution. AbsoluteBlack's use of a carbon fibre-reinforced composite actually makes good sense for a tool that will be pushing on ceramic pistons (Shimano) and that you want to be non-marring. Meanwhile, the use of a titanium bolt is just because they can.

As covered previously, the Sumart tool does the job, but I don't like how it's held together magnetically and can fall apart quickly. By contrast, the AbsoluteBlack tool fixes this with a design that's all contained together by o-rings. Truly a great improvement.

Dimensionally, the Sumart tool is arguably a little more versatile in the brakes it'll fit. The Sumart tool has a minimum piston gap thickness of 6.32 mm, while the AbsoluteBlack is a bit thicker at 6.96 mm. Less can be advantageous when doing a piston clean with certain brake models.

At the opposite end, the Sumart expands out to 12.34 mm (with provided steel washers), while the AbsoluteBlack grows to 11.65 mm. That figure is right on the edge for working on Shimano calipers, while more is needed for certain wider-gapped mountain bike calipers, such as SRAM Code.

Then there's the difference in width. The Sumart has a width of 20.17 mm, meaning it’s more likely to fit into narrow calipers versus the greater 21.91 mm width of the Absolute Black. Still, both fit into most modern two-piston calipers from Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo.

Both the Sumart and AbsoluteBlack can be turned with your fingers or driven by a tool. The larger thumb screw on the Sumart is superior here and more comfortable to use by hand. Both of these tools require you to make *many* turns to expand and collapse them but the thread pitch on the AbsoluteBlack is even finer, so it takes longer. That fine pitch can have these tools feeling inefficient in a workshop setting (unless you're driving them with an electric screwdriver, wheeee!).

Pedantic sizing differences aside, the tool fits well in the type of higher-end calipers that AbsoluteBlack customers will own (Shimano L05A road pad pictured). The tool works as claimed, but I think the unnecessary focus on weight has resulted in a tool that's not as comfortable (due to the small turning knob) or fast (due to the fine thread pitch) to use as it should be. It improves on the popular Sumart in some important ways, but I'm not in love with it either. With that said, I still find myself more often reaching for a faithful Pedro's tyre lever. Old habits ...

EzMTB Pro Bleed Kit Funnel

EzMTB got its start with budget and largely plastic bleed kits to suit all sorts of disc brakes on the market. A couple of years ago, the Chinese brand added a few products aimed at pro shops. One such product is the Pro Bleed Funnel, an aluminium bleed cup with a number of modular threaded fittings.

The full kit comes with brass fittings for common M4, M5, M6, M7 (long length) sizes. In Australia, this set retails for AU$60 (US$40 via AliExpress).

Threaded is an ongoing series created for professional mechanics and enthusiast home mechanics in search of continuous improvement, or at least ways to bring more efficiency, precision, or just joy to the work.

It’s photographed, written, and created exclusively by me, Dave Rome. With approximately 20 years of experience on the tools, and more than a decade of documenting other mechanics' work, I aim to share my passion for finding quality tools and tips on how best to use them.

This series takes many hours to create, and the information shared isn't available elsewhere. You will hit a paywall soon. It's merely through the support of our members (readers) that this content exists.

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