The best multi-tools are compact little miracle-workers that can make trailside repairs a doddle – of course, that’s reliant on you remembering to bring it with you. Which is why multi-tools that are stored on-bike are handy as they’re always to hand for those trailside tweaks.

The Granite Stash consists of a mini multi-tool and aluminium holder that you fit into the fork steerer. If you’ve seen the One Up EDC you’ll know this design isn’t new, in fact One Up’s new EDC Lite is almost identical to the Stash but comes with a nine-bit multi-tool for around £45. The Stash is a little bit more costly and twice the weight, but it does have five more tools, although they’re all spoke keys.

The Stash is compatible with straight or tapered steerer tubes, fits steerer lengths’ from 150mm to 240mm and is relatively easy to install with a few simple tools. You have to remove the old star-fangled nut, which does require a bit of brute force and a long enough drift, but it did come out pretty easy on my Fox 38.

Three steel bolts are provided for the different length steerer tubes, but getting things aligned is a faff. In the end, I just opted for the longest bolt because I could see the end and it was just easier to line up. The lower insert seats nicely into the bottom of the fork crown, and also stops dirt getting inside.

The tool slots in a plastic holder, which then slides into the top of the steerer. It’s a tight fit initially, but there are two little tabs that you can get hold of, and I found it does loosen up once you’ve removed it a dozen or so times.

The multi-tool comes with 2-6mm hex keys, a Torx T-25 and a flat-bladed screwdriver. The latter is the least useful on a modern mountain bike, followed closely by the four different spoke keys.

Although I do appreciate Granite offering options to the user (who knows what gauge spokes most wheels use), I can’t remember the last time I had to true a wheel on the trail – probably sometime in the last century. Yeah really!