JET Roll XX: Fresh Gravel


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JET Roll XX: Fresh Gravel- by Guitar Ted

Organization is an important factor in life. Some folks are not very organized while others are outwardly extremely organized. Whatever point on that continuum you fall on, your organizing of your stuff can make you more efficient. In a race situation, that can mean the difference between making your goal or missing it. In every day riding, good organization can make your life easier.  The JET Roll XX, that we have here on test, is one way you could make your kit a bit more organized and definitely more stylish.

JETT
The JET Roll XX tool roll and items it comes with.

JET is an acronym for “Just Enough Tools”. The company’s focus is tool rolls.  JET makes all its tool rolls in the USA in a wide range of models for various purposes. The JET website gives us a bit of insight as to the purpose of their products:

JET Roll was designed to be a convenient and stylish way to carry a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, and a small multi-tool. Everything inside is wrapped nice and tight and held in place with a classic leather or nylon toe strap so the contents won’t rattle around.

The idea was to create a modern version of the classic cyclist’s tool roll, make it just the right size, and have it be securely fastened to the saddle rails without the risk of it slipping out through the strap.

JET Roll
What the Jet Roll XX loaded and rolled might look like with your tools in it.

 Tool rolls are nothing new, as alluded to in the JET marketing above. It used to be that riders would take the most minimal tool kit possible, use an old tubular holder strap, like the old Zeus branded one I had, and wrap their tools in a bandana which was held all together with an old toe strap. The trouble was, unless you knew exactly how to do this, your tool roll ended up ejecting everything and you would lose all your stuff. Or, as in my case, the Zeus tubular holder would break. Ah! The good old days!

Well, saddle bags came along and they got all the business since they were cheap to make and there is one for every size and purpose under the Sun. If you fall into the “saddle bags are good enough for me” category, you can probably stop reading here. However, tool rolls aren’t just for stylish roadies on old steel Tomasinni bicycles. They actually can be a part of a well organized hydration pack, or frame bag, or they can just be run as they used to be, on the seat rails. JET Roll products are all about organizing as few or as many tools as you want, thus the varying number of products they offer. They also do this more securely and in the same stylish way the old tool rolls were done in.

The model we will be testing is the new version of the mountain bike style JET Roll dubbed the JET Roll XX. JET says it is the model best suited for gravel/back road adventures due to its ability to carry a bit more than the smaller rolls. The JET Roll XX has a contrasting loop for a Co2 canister or small mini-pump along with several sewn in “pockets” where you can stow a multi-tool or small chain breaker. The whole enchilada rolls up and is held in place with the provided All City track strap. Inside a glueless patch kit is provided along with two nesting plastic tire levers. Four stretchable elastomeric type loops are also included to hold your tubes together and/or wrap around tools. I used two of them on the outside of the JET Roll XX to up the security level even more. I probably didn’t have to do that, but as I will show here, you can use those straps that way.

JET Roll
The Twin Six Standard Rando with the JET Roll XX tucked up underneath the saddle.

The JET Roll XX is loaded up and set for several outings where it will get tested on the gravel roads and more. The contents of my tool roll, how I was able to use it in other situations, and what I think of the function and value of the JET Roll will be covered in several weeks in a Quick Review. Stay tuned for that. For more on JET and their products give a look at their website here. The JET Roll XX is available now and sells for $70.00 USD.

Note: The JET Roll XX was sent to Riding Gravel by JET  for test/review at no charge. We are not being bribed, nor paid, for this review and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Discuss and share your questions or thoughts about gravel bikes, gear, events and anything else on the Riding Gravel Forum

 

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Author: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted hails from Iowa. Home of over 70,000 miles of gravel and back roads. An inaugural member of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame and Co-creator of Trans Iowa in late 2004- Guitar Ted has been at the forefront of the growth of gravel events and riding since then. Creator of Gravel Grinder News in 2008, he produced the premier calendar of gravel and back road events. GT joined forces with Riding Gravel in late 2014.

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