Abe_Froman

Ok, that's the sort of post that requires a pic.....

tarwheel 

On a year-round, day to day basis, the component that has probably helped my commuting the most has been a decent rack-storage bag system. I use two combinations on my bikes. On my touring bikes, I use a Tubus Cargo rear rack with racktop bags (several different models and sizes). On my other bikes, I use Carradice bag (Barley and Pendle models) with a Bagman rack.

A close second would be a decent lighting system, and no other component has improved so much over the past 5-10 years. The revolution in LED lights has been incredible in recent years, and you can now buy an LED light for less than $100 that is higher quality, brighter, lighter weight and holds a charge longer than light systems that cost 5X more just a few years ago. You really need a good light system to commute year-round, or even during 3 warmer seasons, so perhaps I should have rated lighting higher than storage.

Abe_Froman

Any recommendation for lights? I've got some cheapies that are really only useful for not getting hit on city streets. I'm going to kill myself on the the MUP I've been using.

wphamilton

restlessswind

I have a Topeak MTX rack and MTX trunk/panniers, head and tail light, earbuds, Sports tracker app, and of course roadside flat repair stuff.

Abe_Froman

I'm speechless.

Does it make you noticeably faster?

Darth Lefty 

To follow on what @tarwheel said, if you have multiple bikes it's good to standardize the accessories. I have the same back rack on three different bikes because it's the rack that mates with the kid seat; it removes doubt whether other things like tail bags or panniers are going to work.

wphamilton

Yeh, at higher speeds. But I've got it choked down with 32c "commuting" tires and a 1x7 drive train so it's generally low 20's, just easier. I use it for hard rain and extreme cold, which we haven't had much lately.

Abe_Froman

Hah, well it either makes a pretty big difference, or you're hella faster than I am....I cant sustain 20+ too long on my own.

InTheRain

I can't say that I commute for fitness. The purpose of the kit was to make the ride easier while carrying a heavy load - much like gears work instead of a single speed.

However, I did not add the throttle option, only because it made a rather cumbersome install on a drop bar bike. The kit comes with 4 levels of assist. Level one is still more difficult than riding my road bike, level 2 a bit easier than the road bike. 3 and 4 make a huge difference.

Then there are 4 levels of regenerative mode... where you are actually pushing against the electric motor and putting a bit of charge into the battery. So with 8 different modes, you can go pretty easy (still have to pedal) or have your workout be hard as hell on your commute. 70 lbs of bicycle and load in the highest regen mode... I don't think I could ride a mile without being a soaking wet mess and have burn in my legs and lungs that wouldn't go away for hours.

bmthom.gis

I would say the complete resto-mod I did in general. The only things original are the fork, frame, stem, and fenders/rack that the bike came with. It's a cheap mid 80s Peugeot brought down to a 700C wheel from 27", a Brooks Cambium saddle, and a 2x9 drive train with integrated shifting.

I don't really like a whole lot of doodads. Of the doodads I have, it would be a set of Axiom panniers, a handlebar bag (where I keep my spare tube, cable lock and an easy to access place to put some thing like a coat or my phone if it rains) - I don't really need it but a friend gave it to me and I had it so I may as well use it on something, a bell, a fork mounted front light and a Quad Lock phone mount. Also use a rear light, but it travels between bikes.

Bluetooth headphones satisfy my music or podcasts needs. I did put a 2nd bottle cage on it this year because triple digit temperatures.

I can see eventually building up a dyno hub wheel, but I'm in no rush and have other bike projects I want to do first.

In the summer I can get away with 1 pannier, as I can wear shorts and a tshirt at work, but I'm packing bigger meals these days (bulkier, anyhow) and some warmer clothes so I'm back to using both.

InTheRain

So far, the only thing I haven't tried that is in the posts is the fairing... but I think an ebike kit is already pretty effective at fighting wind resistance.

It's surprising that I have/had many of the same accessories on my bike right down to the exact brand and model.

tarwheel 

There are a lot of good LED lights in the $100 or less range. Mine is a Light & Motion Urban 850, and I have no complaints. It is extremely bright, light weight, easy to mount and remove, and has good battery life. Comparable products are sold by Cygolite, Lezyne, NiteRider, etc.

no motor?

I meant me. I've upgraded and changed just about everything on my bike since I bought it as well as added things like lights and luggage. But nothing has made as big a change as getting my getting fitter.

InTheRain

Yes, I have the L&M urban 850 as my light mounted to my helmet. It's excellent. I have a dynamo hub powered light mounted to the bike.

Abe_Froman

Wow you guys are serious about lights! Think a Cygolite 400 or 500 lumen would cut it for a few miles of unlit but empty bike path?

RubeRad

Nice little vid -- is the poster a friend of yours, or are you (in)famous? You did pass him pretty quick, but then the distance was about the same for a while -- I assume the videographer was sprinting to get more video?

Beautiful MUP -- I wish I could commute in an environment that nice!

GeneO 

Yes, if it is truly 400 to 500 lumen.

GeneO 

I wish lezyne still made their megadrive. I would recommend it. It had a great functional and well made design and had a replaceable battery ( I carry a spare). It has true 1100 lumen and has a mode that gets up to 1400.

I don't think they make any with replaceable batteries anymore, but the quality was and probably still is excellent.

RubeRad

For lights, I use (and highly recommend) a cygolite hotshot for the rear, and a 'regular' cree-led flashlight like this for the front, securely attached to the handlebars with interlocked hose clamps. By working with the attachment angle and the zooming head, I can get a very useful and very bright spot on the ground, for very cheap. Caveat: with a kit that cheap, expect the batteries to be very low quality. Buy a pair of quality (i.e. from an established US vendor, I like batteryjunction.com) 18650 batteries of 2000+ mAh for a little under $10 each. Then for about $30 you're set up to safely bicycle in total darkness -- no streetlights, no moon.

Abe_Froman

Hrmm I might do that. I had thought the bike specific ones seemed exorbitantly priced.

RubeRad

I am all about buying generic instead of bike-branded when possible. Rear blinkies, most anything will work since it's a be-seen light, not a see-by light. There are any number of generic sub-$10 blinkers out there. But my wife found this cygolite hotshot on the road (fell off somebody else's bike), and I started using it, it blows me away how bright it is. I would pay to replace it if I lost it.

For the low-end led lights, lumens are quite probably overstated; but the result is still extremely powerful, and if you get good batteries, they will last a decent amount of time. For me, I swap&recharge once a week whether I need to or not, so that's about 5-6 hours on medium.

wphamilton

He was just another bike commuter who wanted video because no one would believe him. Ironically he had followed me on Strava, but it was because of a bike to work piece in the local paper, totally unrelated. I don't know how fast he was going.

There's roughly 8 miles just like it, which I've enjoyed daily. Mostly on that bike that year. So I guess "infamous" is most likely.

canklecat

The most useful accessories I have and use at least weekly:

1. Heavy duty puncture resistant most-terrain, all weather tires. I've fixed only one flat after a year, and that wasn't a puncture through the tread. The tube extruded through the thin rubber rim strip into the nipple holes and split. I replaced the rubber rim strip with cloth tape (Nashbar, which appears identical to Velox). Nothing has penetrated the puncture shield -- glass, staples, roofing nails, etc., which I've dug out of the tread. I can feel the weight climbing hills, especially with a loaded bike, but it's worth it for the low-hassle convenience.
2. Rear rack.
3. Cargo net, bungee cords and foot long Velcro strap.
4. Open top grocery panniers. I leave 'em on the bike while shopping, like folding baskets, but easier to detach/re-attach when not needed. Very low hassle for quick errands, especially shops that use standard paper sacks. They fold flat when not in use and don't add much drag other than from stiff side winds.
5. Rack lights with reflectors (Planet Bike on one bike, an older VistaLite on the other). They're visible to cars at night even if the batteries die, but I always carry spares, or can stop to buy AA or AAA batteries.
6. Several snap-on spring loaded reflector straps, a buck a pair at the dollar store.
7. Mirrycle handlebar mirrors. They're tough. I've fallen a couple of times, dropped the bike, bashed them into doorways. Barely scuffed the tough plastic and the mirrors are fine.

Less useful -- an Ion Speed Pro video camera. I got it just in case I needed a record of an accident or incident. But it's too unreliable. A Go Pro would probably be more reliable. Fortunately I haven't had any accidents, but the camera has failed to record a few situations where it would have been good to have a video record. Ion says it may be a faulty media card, but it's a San Disk rated for the camera. The same card works perfectly with other still and video cameras.

tarwheel 

Well, my commute is about 32 miles roundtrip, all on streets (no greenways), some with heavy traffic. Counting stops at red lights, my commute time can range from about 1 hour to 1:20, each way. So, I need a more powerful light to be visible as well as the longer battery run time. I generally run my headlight on the low or medium settings to extend the run time. A 400-500 lumen light is plenty powerful enough, and I commuted for many years with lights much less powerful, but why not get a brighter light since they have become so inexpensive?