Tip #1 The Spare Reflector – Capital Outlay $0
If you turn up at bike events often enough you will end up with a few of these snap-on reflector-bands by default. I don’t dress up as a road-cone by day but I like to be seen at night and wear velcro reflectors on each ankle for side visibility. If I forget to throw those in my bag I have this little spare permanently wrapped around my seatpost as a back-up.
Tip #2 The Rear Helmet Light – Capital Outlay $10-$30
If you wear an aero-styled helmet they often have a ventilation hole in the rear large enough to fit one of these little LED lights. This one is a Knog and cost me $15 but I have seen cheapos for a lot less. The Knogs are great because they are completely water-resistant and are made of stretchy silicone that you can attach to almost anything. If I forget my larger rear blinky I know I at least have this little one with me at all times. Usually I have them both flashing and look like a 747 taking off.
Tip #3 The Homemade Mudflap – Capital Outlay $0
Mudguards are fantastic on a commuter-bike but most are not long enough to keep your feet dry and dog poo off your bottom bracket. To the mirth of all who come across them I made these ones from a couple of 3 litre milk bottles. The double-sided tape is slowly giving-up but they are still hanging on grimly and doing a great job after four years hard use. Because the plastic is so feeble it just bends out of the way if it catches going down the stairs at work. I can ride home on really wet roads and stay perfectly dry. Highly recommended if vanity is not a priority.
Tip #4 The Bungie you Can’t Lose – Capital Outlay $0
I must admit I have never had a bungie-cord stolen but I have left them at home on occasion. By permanently attaching one end with a pair of pliers I can’t forget them and sticky-fingered kids can’t pilfer them.
Tip #5 The Low Down Light Mount – Capital Outlay $5
This is only of use if you have a Wald front basket. When my basket is loaded a handlebar-mounted light is of little use so I cut a 50mm section of aluminum tube from a scooter someone was throwing out in the inorganic and made a mounting-post for the rack-stay. It only cost $5 because I used a stainless-steel bolt, nylock nut and washers but you could do it cheaper with galvanized steel parts from the hardware store. A length of old inner-tube prevents the light-bracket from slipping around the post.
Tip #6 The Wall Protector – Capital Outlay $0
This one opens me up to more ridicule than milk-bottle recycling but I’m past caring by this stage and everyone has an old tennis ball lying around somewhere. I have all sorts of bikes hanging neatly from hooks in the garage but the commuter/grocery-getter is always at the ready, propped-up against the wall. I cut a tennis ball with a kraft knife to make a wall-protector and it works a treat. Keeps the wall free of black marks and stops the bike sliding down and giving the cat a heart attack as he’s trying to eat his dinner.
the BEST use for your spare reflector at night is to put it on your right wrist, it makes hand signals immediately obvious to any following traffic
I often need to make a right turn on a multi lane road and the reflector band has meant that headlamps in my peripheral vision have pulled back to allow me to lane change with safety
Great ideas Antoine. Can you also explain how you fitted the front basket? I would like to do the same. Although, it looks like it may get in the way of my headlights if I was to do so. In Japan, all bikes seemed to have a basket but not all had a carrier at the back. Baskets are so practical.
Some baskets attach in different ways but these Wald ones have two brackets that clamp on the handlebars and two long stays that bolt onto the ends of the front axle. They won't work with quick-release axles as nothing sticks out proud of the fork ends with those. I converted my front hub from a "QR" to a "solid" axle so I could use this basket.
Some of the more expensive baskets simply click into a bracket that you bolt to your handlebars and you can pop them on and off as you please.
I like the idea of popping them on and off easily rather than modify the axle. But am I safe to assume that the click on ones are the wicker style? A bit too feminine for a real bloke like me perhaps?
http://www.beachbikes.co.nz/Category/15-baskets-bags.aspx
I like the idea of front baskets that attach to things other than the handlebars – I'm assuming here that having weight on the bars would affect the handling.
My experience tells me that weight is not an issue. The size of the basket generally limits how much you can load in it. If you overload it, the bike will feel sluggish in the steering I guess but that's no big deal.