Bike Notes

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I realized I was the only member of the family without a bicycle. I took care of that:

• Felt Verza Speed
• Lynskey Backroad

It turns out buying a bicycle is like buying a house. It's just the beginning. A bike without accessories is like a house without furniture. Reserve a good chunk of your budget for after you've got the bike home. I might have gone a little overboard, but I wanted to use the bike for trips to work and to the farmers market, etc..

Here's what I got...

Safety/Security

• Helmet - Giro Register MIPS, some ridiculous yellow
• Lock - ABUS 5805C. I know it's not a U-lock.
• Cafe Lock - ABUS 2501/65. Because the other lock is heavy; this one's only 54g.
• Headlight - Cygolite Dash Pro 600. This has a really nice lightning flash (strobe) mode for daytime, but it can't be aimed side-to-side.
• Headlight - Light & Motion Urban 900. Very bright and can be aimed side-to-side. Pulse mode is slow, gentle, and boring.
• Taillight - Planet Bike Grateful Red USB. Looks and works like a simple reflector when powered down. Comes with bracket to mount on rear rack. Tip: swap out the M5 nuts for nylon-insert ones.
• Spoke Reflectors - Salzmann 3M Scotchlite

Upgrades

• Water Bottle - Camelbak Podium 24 oz.
• Phone Mount - Bone Collection Bike Tie Pro. Mounts an iPhone to the stem for navigation.

Apparel

• Leg Band - Jog-A-Lite. Keeps pants out of gears. Reflective, too.
• Gloves - Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gel, medium. These are full-finger and protect from the cold.
• Gloves - Pearl Izumi Elite Gel, medium. Fingerless, but protect from vibration, scrapes.
• Gloves - Gore Wear Waterproof Cycling Gloves. These are actually waterproof.
• Jacket - Pearl Izumi Elite Barrier Convertible, screaming yellow, medium
• Jacket - Gore Wear C7 Gore-Tex Active, M. More waterproof than breathable.
• Neck Gaiter - generic buff-type. It's windy on a bike.
• Helmet Liner - Pearl Izumi Transfer Lite. Avoid that weird-pattern sunburn.
• Sun Sleeves - forget brand. Good when it's warm-ish and using jacket in vest mode.
• Jersey, Long-Sleeve - Pearl Izumi Select Pursuit, yellow, medium
• Shorts - Pearl Izumi Escape Quest Splice, small
• Vest - Castelli Pro Light Wind Vest, yello fluo, large Blocks wind without getting too warm.

Cargo/Luggage

• Straps - ROK Commuter Reflective. A cross between webbing cinch straps and bungees.
• Pannier - Ortlieb Back Roller Classic. This is the category killer. Holds a ton. Waterproof. No heel strike. I bought just one on eBay.
• Backpack Pannier - Two Wheel Gear Convertible. I use this more than the Arkel. It's smaller, more stylish, and has better organization for small items. It can slide fore and aft on my rack, inviting heel strike, but I put some spacers on the rack to stop that.
• Backpack Pannier - Arkel Bug. Supposedly the best in a category of compromise. My biggest issue is heel-strike if I don't place my feet a bit forward on the pedals. My chain-stay length is 445mm. The bag is big and goes on and off easily. It could use better storage for small items like pens. Conversion to/from backpack is relatively simple, but takes a minute.
• Grocery Pannier - Banjo Brothers. This seems to be the best model, although not always in stock. No issues with heel strike. I got two.
• Grocery Pannier - Inertia Designs Metro Lite. Not as nice as the Banjo ones. Rides a little lower. I had to bend the S-hook open a bit to catch the bottom of my rack.
• Trunk Bag - Topeak MTX Trunkbag EX. Looks cool, but I haven't used it much. If I lock my bike up, I'll have to carry this with me, which is awkward. I think it might work well on long rides or picnics, perhaps for a camera. It doesn't seem compatible with standard panniers on the Explorer rack.

Tools/Maintenance

• On-Bike (in seat bag):
  • Inner Tube - generic Presta
  • Tire Levers - Pedro's
  • Multi Tool - Crank Brothers M17
  • Patch Kit - REMA TT02 Tour and/or TT04 Sport
  • Spoke Wrench - Park Tool SW-7
  • Chain Tool - Park Tool CT-5
  • Spare Links - generic for 11-speed
  • Valve Adapter - Presta to Schrader. If all you have is a car-tire inflator at a gas station, this can be handy.
• At Home:
  • Floor Pump - Topeak Joe Blow Pro
  • Torque Wrench - Venzo 2-24 Nm Allen Key Socket Set

Family

The rest of the family has had bikes for longer than I have. We all have MTX rear racks. We share a couple of Topeak MTX Rear Baskets, which are useful for hauling books to school or bringing to-go food home. They pair well with Delta Megarack cargo nets. For tail-lights, half the family has the Grateful Red USB and half has the Cygolite Hotshot 150. I guess we're running a long-term A-B test. I'm leaning toward the Grateful Red.