This neat suitcase belonged to one of the Giant Factory Off-Road team mechanics - filled with USA-made Snap-on, so this wasn't one to lose! - David Rome / Future Publishing
High-end Beta Allen keys were under use at Trek World Racing and many other teams - David Rome / Future Publishing
Trek World Racing were getting plenty of use out of the Motorex Wet lubes amidst the extreme mud - David Rome / Future Publishing
A cheeky toolbox from the GT Factory Team. No doubt proud, after helping the Athertons win both the men's and women's downhill - David Rome / Future Publishing
Perhaps the memory most mechanics have of Cairns - cleaning - David Rome / Future Publishing
Certainly not one we'd recommend for everyday riders, but sometimes a jetwash is the only way when quick bike cleaning is crucial - David Rome / Future Publishing
Jacy Shumilak of CRC/Nukeproof was certainly busy keeping Sam Hill's bike running - David Rome / Future Publishing
Another big-wheeled suitcase belonging to the Giant Factory Off-Road team mechanics - David Rome / Future Publishing
Many teams had little air compressors with them for cleaning and inflation purposes - David Rome / Future Publishing
SRAM Factory support looking after both Avid and SRAM brake users - David Rome / Future Publishing
SRAM Factory support shows that sometimes a soft-faced hammer is the perfect tool - David Rome / Future Publishing
SRAM Factory support fill a fork damper - these are the guys behind the special 'black-box' tunes that not even the riders' own mechanics fully know about - David Rome / Future Publishing
SRAM Factory support suspension servicing corner - David Rome / Future Publishing
A tool roll that belongs to a SRAM Factory support mechanic - David Rome / Future Publishing
A few rebranded Park Tool Allen keys - David Rome / Future Publishing
A Scott mechanic trims some tread for quicker mud clearance and lower rolling resistance - David Rome / Future Publishing
GT Factory Racing - Gee Atherton's bike had tin foil to keep the grips mint amongst the mud - David Rome / Future Publishing
Shimano racer support had three rather special looking cases with them. What's inside? A Shimano dealer service kit - David Rome / Future Publishing
Box two of the Shimano dealer service kit - David Rome / Future Publishing
And box three of the Shimano dealer service kit - we don't expect these to be cheap - David Rome / Future Publishing
Being a mechanic is rarely glamorous - the mud had most of these guys rather frustrated - David Rome / Future Publishing
Jaroslav Kulhavy's mechanic - Sandy Gilchrist - has been doing it a long time… and so has this collection of tools - David Rome / Future Publishing
And what is Sandy Gilchrist's favourite tool? This custom-made poker! - David Rome / Future Publishing
Trek Factory World were building these lightweight wheels with Bontrager's XC-rated Duster rims. Apparently the course wasn't too hard on rims, just on brake pads and pressure washers - David Rome / Future Publishing
A box from Trek World Racing - Knipex pliers from Germany, Beta Allen keys from Italy and a bunch of Park Tools to fill the gaps - David Rome / Future Publishing
The Knipex 'pliers wrench' is a tool that seems to be quickly growing in popularity amongst the pros. It replaces an adjustable wrench and offers a far more secure grip - David Rome / Future Publishing
Devinci Global Racing mechanic - Nigel Reeve – has a pretty trick tool setup. As he says, “Hey, why not a carbon toolbox?''! - David Rome / Future Publishing
Stevie Smith wasn't at the race, but his mechanic - Nigel Reeve - was. When asked what his favourite tool was, he quickly reached for his Beta Allen keys - David Rome / Future Publishing
A team Madison-Saracen mechanic using Park Tool's now-discontinued BW-1 backpack workstation - David Rome / Future Publishing
An assortment of stuff for the Fox Racing Shox factory servicing crew - David Rome / Future Publishing
A few specific tools for Fox Suspension servicing - David Rome / Future Publishing
20wt Gold oil is a new low-friction bushing lube for Fox 40 forks - David Rome / Future Publishing
We can't imagine flying with a bench vice, it's likely that they bought this one locally - David Rome / Future Publishing
Scratching a Kashima coat Fox 40 stanchion would likely be heartbreak for most people. Luckily the pros have factory mechanics on hand to immediately fix (replace) the issue - David Rome / Future Publishing
And what's the favourite tool of a Fox Racing Shox factory mechanic? A Knipex pliers wrench - David Rome / Future Publishing
This syringe looks a lot more refined than the old measuring jug - David Rome / Future Publishing
Jason Marsh of Santa Cruz Syndicate trimming Greg Minnaar's tread - a frustrating process when Greg comes back and says "Can you do a millimeter less?" - David Rome / Future Publishing
Trimming the rubber serves a few purposes. In this case it was for both faster mud clearing and lower rolling resistance - David Rome / Future Publishing
Unior Tools Team had a table full of Unior tools, unsurprisingly - David Rome / Future Publishing
More Unior tools belonging to the Unior Tools Team - David Rome / Future Publishing
Back at the Specialized Factory XC tent was this well-traveled tool bag - David Rome / Future Publishing
Matt Opperman at Trek Factory Racing uses a tool-roll to keep everything light and transportable. This is the same setup he uses for emergency repairs during the race. He must surely be a proud mechanic with Emily Batty in second, Bec Henderson in 10th and Dan McConnell in fourth - David Rome / Future Publishing
BikeRadar was recently in Cairns, Australia, at the second round of the UCI mountain bike World Cup. While there, we spotted plenty of fancy new bikes, components and accessories, but easily missed are the people hiding in the pits, ensuring the bikes remain reliable for the riders to do their jobs.
It's often not a glamorous job, but the mechanics are arguably the hardest working at these races and often a huge asset toward a winning performance. As we saw earlier in the year at the Tour Down Under, the international mechanics must pack the bare minimum to deal with the travel logistics of racing in Australia.
Mountain bike mechanics don't share this same luxury and often must pack a huge array of tools to cope with the demanding conditions, unforeseen major repairs and the generally greater complexity of the bikes.
We take a look inside the tool boxes from around the pits including those from the factory support of Fox Racing, Shimano and SRAM.
