7Shifty

Do you guys have any must haves when you're commuting? I know the basics but is there some that you bring that's a game changer?

wphamilton

The only must-have game changer is stashing a spare set of clothes at work, permanently. I always need it eventually.

Everything extra that I have on my bike, or carry with me, or equiped on the bike, is there for a pretty good reason but certainly not a game changer. Convenience, comfort. I ride the other bike 1/3 of the time, with none of it.

tclune

I'm retired now, but I found a bike rain cape to be a must-have. I had tried various rain gear before the cape, and I would always sweat so much when wearing it that I got just as wet with as without. But a cape lets you stay cool and (more or less) dry at the same time. I never found rain pants that weren't too hot, so I would get wet below the knees when it poured, but otherwise the rain cape was the bee's knees, as my grand daddy used to say.

Viich

1. A bike.
2. Method to fix a flat / inflate / be willing to walk if you have problem
3. Way to carry what you need (pocket/pannier/backpack/saddlebag/trailer.

If you want to ride in the rain and don't like to get soaked, fenders and rain gear.

Darth Lefty 

Lots of places you don’t even need that any more if you can get a city or dockless share bike.

but in the spirit of this thread, lights are what brought me to year round riding and not an occasional lark.

BobbyG

This. Exactly.

BobbyG

In no particular order: A glasses-mounted mirror. An AirZound airhorn. And a change of clothes (and shoes) either kept at work or carried with. Lights. Fenders, especially a long one in the front with a pliable flap near the ground. Studded Snow tires in the winter, and a rain cape (see above).

Hub Spanner

This Plan B will be different for almost everyone, but you WILL find your bike unridable some morning...

wolfchild

The only must haves are a bicycle. There are no must have accessories. Everything else needs to be selected based upon the persons personal preferences, their needs and their riding style.

Twosheds

spare tube and c02 to inflate are my only must haves! Nothing worse than being beeped at by your work buddies as you walk a flat the rest of the way to work...

mcours2006

I fear this much as well. I've tried various combinations, but when it is a consistent, steady rain, my feet are going to get wet. I haven't used a cape, and probably won't. I will just have to live with what I have.

Gresp15C

A destination, hopefully pleasant.

Everything else is situational, even stuff for repairs. My commute is 4 miles, so my worst case scenario is walking 2 miles. I wear rain gear if it's actually raining when I leave for work, otherwise I usually risk it, depending on the forecast. I might also ride in my flip flops and carry my shoes in a plastic bag.

noisebeam

Mirrors

Commuting and music

rumrunn6

Gumption

blackieoneshot 

A pair of disposable latex gloves. They only weigh a few grams and don't take up much space, but it sure makes a difference when changing a rear flat.

SylvainG

If it's Summer and I know it's going to rain, instead of my SPD shoes, I'll wear my SPD sandals. That way, I don't have to dry my shoes for the ride next morning... If it's Spring or Fall, I'll use my shoe covers which does help quite a lot. For just a small drizzle or wet roads, I'll wear shoe caps so my shoes doesn't get wet (or barely).

SylvainG

AND A PAIR OF UNDERWEAR! Few times I got to work only to find out I forgot to stash a underwear in my bag Being commando under dress pants is... special.

daoswald

For me the must-haves are:

• A bike
• A rack & pannier
• A spare tube, and a pump, because even though it's only four and a quarter miles, that's farther than I would care to walk at the end of the day.
• A helmet.
• A tail light.

Optional items that I prefer to have with me:

• A headlight. I never commute (to or from work) after dark but its flasher mode makes me more visible.
• A bike computer because I like to keep track of mileage.
• Gloves
• Change of clothes.

In the winter I also mount fenders, but I remove them as the weather becomes more reliable.
I also use the bike for trips to the store, which can happen after dark. In those cases the front and rear light become mandatory, and my bottle blinky (side light) is the optional accessory that I much prefer having, for safety's sake. I do carry a multi-tool that I never need.

A lock would be on my list, but I leave mine at work.

I am a fair weather commuter. If it's raining I take the car to the light rail station. If it's clear, I take the bike.

jskita

I have been thankful that I found even 1 latex glove in my bag on more than one occasion. I also always keep a handkerchief with me to for dust or keep sun off my neck. I have used the handkerchief to wipe my hands (when I couldn't find a latex glove) and also to bandage another rider that had a bad fall.

Jim from Boston

Must haves?Indeed, @rumrunn6. In particular apropos of the title of this present thread, I have previously posted, From a different perspective on "must haves," I have also posted to this thread, "Bicycling or not, what items do you take with you that you never leave home without?

Phil_gretz

Game changer to me means something that gives a distinct advantage over the "old way" of doing something. A competitive advantage in sports. An efficiency leap in accomplishing some task.

So, I'd say that, apart from the wealth of common sense given in the thread above, the game changing item(s) have been (for me):

- a bicycle cover that keeps the rubber/shifter hoods/saddle/tires out of the sunlight and sheds light rain. XPORT is the branding. Works wonders.

- prepositioning a stout chain and lock at work, so that I only must carry the key

- keeping a full sized floor pump in my office at work, for inevitable tire repairs before the ride home

- carrying the Pedro's tire bead jack in my panniers for those impossible to mount Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, in the rare event that I have to remove one and remount it. This was necessitated recently when I had a spoke broken at work and needed to replace a spoke nipple. The Schwalbe tire needed to come off first. Ugh.

wphamilton

Yep, skin-out change of clothes. I keep socks, belt and shoes even, in a file cabinet at my desk. It's rare nowadays but still happens that I forget something and when I do it could be anything.

Darth Lefty 

Apropos of nothing, just want to blather... Back in college lo some 20 years ago I used to fly model sailplanes. Hand Launch Glider was my favorite event, the wingspan limit was a tiny 59" or 1.5M depending on continent, and lots of them were smaller. They were made of balsa sticks and heat shrink plastic, and thrown javelin style. Someone came up with the idea of gripping the wing tip, and then shortly after that putting a peg through the wing spar near the wing tip, and throwing them discus style. Really more hammer-toss, but discus is the name that stuck. This about doubled the launch height overnight and also allowed the plane to be caught and re-launched in a second, which is important for some timed events. The two enabling technologies were carbon fiber wing spars (for the strength) and computer radios (to have multiple trim settings), both of which had already been around for 10+ years but never combined in this way for this event. Free flight hand launch gliders are much smaller, like 20-24" wing span, and still launched like darts, and that is very ripe for the same revolution.


(not my photo, found on internet)

Korina

I always ride with a bandana. It's like a mini towel, and you should always know where your towel (or bandana) is.

jetta_mike

As someone who lives/rides/works in the Pacific North WET i feel that there is no way to truly stay dry. You're either going to get wet from the outside or the inside. I've always dressed for warmth (ie wool/polypro) and just accepted the fact that I'll be soaked.