Dad always said “be prepared for a rainy day”, but my guess is he wasn’t talking about the Elite Byasi Toolbox & storage bottle. So what is the Elite Byasi? It’s a 550ml storage container (750ml also available) or “tool bag” that replaces a water bottle on your bike and it is quite cleverly designed. Granted it is not for everyone, but if you have a third cage or the weather is cold and you would rather stick bottles in a jersey pocket, then this is your ticket.
Why a storage bottle versus a tool bag or a jersey pocket and a ziplock bag? Compared to a tool bag, this bottle is 100% waterproof. So if you are storing a spare jacket or tools in here, they will stay dry and you’ll never half to worry about them. Also, if you’re bike-packing and can’t actually use a small tool bag, this offers easy access to things like tire plugs, C02’s, and more. Jerseys are great for cell phones, nutrition, and an occasional spare pair of gloves, but it really stops there. This may pertain to mountain bikers more than gravel cyclists, but if you have ever crashed and had a multitool got between you and the ground … well, It hurts and hurts pretty bad.
Another ideal situation is the 1 to 1.5-hour spin. I like to keep a bottle ready to go so when I am crunched for time, I toss a large bottle in one cage and my Elite Byasi in the other. It is already packed with all the goodies I would ever need in case of a flat or if I needed to make a quick adjustment.
What I Carry in the Elite Byasi
Yes, you can still fit all the items below into the Elite Byasi Bottle Toolbox as long as you don’t need the detachable internal container with a separator. The separator is nice, but the rain jacket is more important and also helps keep down the rattling between C02s and multitools.
- Odlo Rain Jacket
- (2) C02 cartridges
- (1) C02 inflator
- (1) Presta adaptor
- (1) Topeak Multitool with tire plugs
- (2) Gels
- (1) Mastercard.
Overall the Elite Byasi is a nice addition to the pile of cycling accessories most of us have laying around the garage. It is relatively inexpensive and does a great job holding a little extra gear.
Retail price is $9.99 and you can find it at todsonusa.com or your local Elite dealer.