My contribution:
What worked for me in 2008:
1. Carradice seat bag. I bought one of these last January because in the Pacific Northwest we do lots of rides in changeable weather (might rain/might not), and do mountain rides that may involve hot weather at the base and cold rain/wind/sleet at the top. Having a big bag so you can add/subtract clothing during the day is really useful. I put this on my bike for a metric century early in the year, planning just to use it for long rides, and never took it off; for city rides I might pack a camera, a lock, food, etc. Very roomy without affecting the handling of the bike, and not that heavy considering its capacity.
http://www.carradice.co.uk/saddlebag...addlebag.shtml
2. Minoura Swing Grip. This little guy mounts on your handlebars and gives you more room to mount lights, cylcocomputers, etc. Great for commuter bikes.
http://bike-nashbar.amazonwebstore.c...source=froogle
3. Showers Pass Elite 2.0 Rain Jacket. Seattle is a year-round cycling city -- if you learn to ride comfortably in the rain. While shopping for a better rain jacket, I read a comment on a local cycling board that said, in effect, "If you ride a lot in Seattle, you will eventually end up owning a Showers Pass jacket...the question is just how many other jackets you will own before you figure this out." This was my 3rd (and priciest) attempt to find a rain jacket -- it's terrific. I wish I had just bitten the bullet and gotten one of these the first time.
http://showerspass.com/cart/product_...dbe5c50f1ef551
4. Selle-Anatomica Saddle. Saddles seem to be so personal (what works for some, doesn't work for others), but this worked for me.
http://www.selleanatomica.com/Product%20Info.htm
What didn't work for me:
1. Garmin Edge 305 computer. This is great when it works, and Garmin customer service is great when it doesn't, but I've just had too many struggles with this to justify its high cost. Problems for me:
- Cadence sensor very erratic; it worked about 80% of the time for me, which drove me crazy, so I took it off.
- Computer mount not secure enough - I lost one going down a steep mountain descent (Garmin accepted partial responsibility so nicely sold me a refurb unit at a good price to replace the one I lost)
- My second one failed after about 60 days (which Garmin quickly replaced).
- Short battery life (10 hours). Meaning I was nervous about it running out of juice on long rides, and it won't last for a long weekend of ridings.
I think life is simpler just having a nice Cateye on your bike...
2. Bicycle bell. I always admired the way other cyclists could use their bells to warn pedestrians or other cyclists on MUP's instead of bellowing "passing" or "on yer left," so I got a little bell. Very cute. However, this is just not working for me. I tinkle and tinkle, no one hears me, and I end up yelling "on yer left" anyway. So I'm riding along, ringing a stupid bell, yelling at people. Not a pretty picture.