Hot answers tagged accessories
12
Minimally, you want to be able to tighten all of the bolts on your bike (likely a few hex keys will do this) and an appropriate screwdriver for adjusting derailer & brake pulls. Separate from a multi-tool, a pair of tire levers are the other tool you should carry with you.
I would add a chain tool to the above list after being left in a state where I ...
7
A little more information would be helpful. Are you riding a road bike or hybrid, or what? How tall are you? What is your inseam? What size is the bike?
Without this information, the best I can do is:
1) 6-7 miles isn't a long ride. If you're getting numbness in such a short distance, something is probably wrong.
2) It could be the fit of your bike. Hands ...
5
Where I live it is common for commercial operator to purpose build trailers for carrying bikes such as these.
The other option I have seen is custom bike racks for back of any flatdeck trailer or trucks.
One event here has over 1000 entrants to a relay - they need to transport 1500 bikes on the day, up to 100km..... So it's certainly doable.... I am glad ...
4
I found this image of the first SRM power meter interesting:
The crank is rigged up like a lever (rotating around the spindle) - the more forcefully you push the pedal, the more the strain-guage bends, the output of which is used as part of calculating wattage (as is better described in the other answers!)
Many modern power-meters are essentially ...
4
I've just looked at the Centurion website and it's not clear from the pics or the German specs whether the frame and forks have caliper mounting holes. Look for a hole in the centre of the fork to take the caliper, and a corresponding one in the centre of the rear cross-brace above the wheel.
If those are there you can use caliper brakes of some kind, if ...
3
As others have indicated, it depends on both your bike and the type of riding you're doing.
If you're just tooling around town (get it, "tooling"?) with no particular destination or schedule, you can probably get away with not much more than a set of tire levers. A pump is handy too so that you don't have to walk your bike to a gas station if you get a ...
3
It's designed so the bit at the top of the picture wraps around the helmet like a headband while the part of the strap that is making a "U" in the picture goes across the top.
To keep it from coming off, you'll need it to be fairly tight. This is okay with the helmets that are similar to skateboarding/snowboarding helmets (hard shell), but can make some of ...
3
It's not clear from your question whether you ride regularly a bike, but really the best way to understand the requirements for a product like this is to get on a bike and do a bunch of riding around at night.
When you do this you'll find that the visibility of signalling at night is not as big a problem as all that. First, the proper approach to making a ...
3
The Pearl Izumis are my current favorites. They're far from perfect, but they suck less than other gloves I've tried.
BTW -- it sounds like you may have a fit problem with the bike, not the gloves. No glove will compensate for a poorly fitting bike. Get a professional fit from a local bike shop.
2
I did some research on this issue and ended up going with a trailer for my two-year old son. We use it for our daily commute to day care and work, and so far it seems comfortable for him, and easy for me to handle. Cars give us plenty of space.
My one issue is the amount of time it takes me to get the trailer out of its storage shed, lock up the shed, ...
2
Most of the nicer courier bag/backpack companies don't do a zipper down the length of the bag because that creates a weak point for not only loss of contents, but water entry. Some will do laptop pouches, but if you're looking for a heavy duty courier bag it's slim pickings for external zippers into main compartments.
The closest I came to finding something ...
2
If you can't find these cable clips or don't want to pay a high price for those you can find, I'd suggest that some clear vinyl tubing of the proper inside diameter and cut to the desired length, then split open and placed around two cables wherever you desired, may work fine. The vinyl tubing is soft, so it won't scratch paint or cut any cables. You can ...
1
I use These cycling gloves. They seem to have much more padding than the ones you linked to. They are also available quite cheaply ($15-$20) if you can find a shop that carries them. I've done some pretty long rides in them, and I've only experienced numbness on the longer rides. I agree with the others though, you shouldn't have so much numbness after ...
1
I found something on the homepage of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. They have an article about bicycle helmet lights, listing the pros and cons of them:
Summary: Lights on bicycle helmets can be useful, but must have a breakaway mount.
Especially about the breakaway mount:
The importance of breakaway mounts
The first and most important ...
1
When I ride at night, I just use those "pant leg bands" with a velcro closure, that have reflective material completely around the band. They fit easily around a forearm or wrist, and are easily illuminated by vehicle lights from any direction. They take no batteries at all and last until they are somehow lost. They can be used at any time of the year in any ...
1
I have not found a quick connect system that works with different manufacturers, but have found a bag that I can easily swap between bikes without needing to buy two bags.
I use a Topeak Aero Wedge Medium saddle bag and have found on their support website (store.todson.com) that you can buy extra "fixers" to put on each of your bicycles. The medium Aero ...
1
Markijbema's comment on the original question touched on one aspect that nobody has mentioned:
"A seat is easier to combine with a typical dutch bike, which is less race-y than the crazy bikes people in other countries seem to use for daily use"
The construction and design of the bicycle determines how well it handles a load, either over the rear ...
1
My wife and I have been riding our son around in an iBert front mounted seat since he was able to hold his head up with a helmet on.
http://www.ibertinc.com/
The seat mounts on the handlebar stem and is easy to get on and off. It mounts on the handlebar stem, which can scratch the bike's paint...so i wrapped a piece of an old innertube around the stem ...
1
If you're riding in low light condition, lights can be mandatory by law.
I also like gloves because they protect your hands in accident.
A computer with cadence is the minimum you need to have if you want to train. I don't want to ride without one because I need to know cadence for doing intervals.
Heart rate monitor will be required if you want to have a ...
1
spare tube($2). tire levers($5), minipump(dont be skimping on this, get a good brand like topeak but still wont cost much, $40). this is really all i take with me on a ride (aside from my wallet and my phone). dont bother with patching tires. its annoying to others when you're riding with them and you flat and have to go patch a tire. just replace it with a ...
1
I would recommend the Fendor-Bendor by WIT Industries. This is a foldable fender / mudguard (^_^), that you can keep in your bag, folded completely flat. Whenever you need it, you take it out, fold it out and put it on your bike.
It works especially well with traditional steel road or track frames.
www.witindustries.nl/products/fendorbendor
Best regards,
...
1
There is a new website/download/software package called TrainerRoad that will allow you to train with Virtual Power for the price of a Trainer, ANT+ stick, Speed/Cadence sensor and $10/month subscription.
Checkout the compatible hardware page (linked on the main page) to see if you already have a trainer on their list of known power curves. If not the Kurt ...
1
You might look at just upgrading your current approach—a lithium battery based cell phone charger (like the popular New Trent ones) generally go a lot further than AA based ones.
1
Probably the easiest way to fix your problem is to reduce the amount of power the GPS on your phone is using. By default, most GPS tracking programs eat up an enormous amount of battery because they default to maximum-accuracy settings. However, if you're going on long enough bike rides that you are worrying about battery life, you can probably afford to ...
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