Tool of the month

When your bike care kit contains an assortment of expensive aerosols it’s easy to overlook the humble thumb pump oil can. But for lever and pedal pivots, screw threads and linkages they’re incredibly handy. Don’t buy a very small one – the base needs to be wide enough and weighty enough to stop them being easily knocked over – or pointlessly big; 300ml will do fine. Oil? A weighty gear oil is good for most applications, but using up the 10W40 (or whatever) left over from an oil change is part of the appeal.