After listening to this, I think you might have a point.

Good advice so far, I'd recommend learning to change a tire and some basic maintenance before going to far.

Oh, just great... another item to add to my wish list.

No. He's not.

You don't know how they're going to react to that thing or if they will in time. If they're about to hit me I'm not going to leave it up to them, I'm going to react myself and get out of the way if at all possible. If there's not time for that, an AirZound won't help me.

I just ordered one. Had a number of recent near-death experiences that might have been helped with this product. :)

Nice to see someone agrees and the point about being defensive is spot on.

I'm not sure that video proves anything either. The Airzound didn't hurt but if that driver had their stereo cranked, they stopped because they saw in time, not because he honked at them.

I also wasn't sure a Airzound would be of any value, but I went ahead and bought one to try out. At first I debated over what was more important, trying to get the attention of someone pulling out on me, or taking evasive action as I had to sacrifice pulling a brake lever to hit the horn button. I've since corrected this problem by creating a string trigger so that I can active the horn with my thumb while pulling the brake lever.

Luckily I don't have to use the horn very often, I can go weeks or months and never touch it, but there have been times that it has kept me from being involved in a crash, just like you see in the video gerv posted. I now find it to be completely necessary and a safety item that any cyclist plannings to ride in traffic should have. It's needed just the same as having a horn on my car, if not more so, because of the reduced visual presence of a bicycle.

"Necessary" depends on the person and area.
I don't need a lock, for instance. I have one but haven't carried it for years.

For me:
Helmet, gloves, tools (tire levers, spare tube, pump, multitool, spare master link), lights (extremely bright tail, like a Cygolite Hotshot or MagicShine, AT LEAST 200 lumens up front, prefer 400 - a $35 flashlight will do this). Mirror (I prefer helmet, Cycleaware Reflex is my fav). Whatever junk carrying bag you prefer - I use Nashbar waterproof panniers.

I have other stuff (horn, cycle computer, pedal/shoe of choice, etc) but those are options. Shoe may not be - when I ride very far in sneakers it gets painful since they flex so much that they cause cramps.

I have an AirZound, but I'm working on a 12v car horn as well. The AirZound is fine for most of the year but they become useless at about 30*F (they're not real loud below about 40*F) so for at least 4 or 5 months a year I have no horn.

Besides, a real car horn is still louder than the AirZound, and it commands more respect as well.

I like to travel a little light

-Tail bag and contents

• Spare Tube
• Irons
• presta valve adapters
• patches
• pump "should of got one with a gauge"
• Co2, "so much faster in a pinch"

-Rolled up plastic bags, "under my seat depending on the weather, I always make sure I have it at home and at work"

-Safety Vest, "Hi Viz Green"

-Lock, "I keep a heavier one at work and put it up when I leave for the day"

-Bike Stash at work, "I have a shoe box of assorted stuff for my bike at work as well as some personal grooming products"

-Lights, I prefer a tactical flash light,

Don't leave you bike alone, stealing a bike is a crime of opportunity.

A lot of chat about this air horn thing. I have to make a plug myself. Something I got from many years of motorcycle riding.
The other guy ALWAYS has the right of way whether legally or not.
They are ALL drunk.
They are all putting on makeup or digging a cheeseburger out of a bag.
They are all searching for a better radio station or reading a newspaper.
None of them remembered to bring their driving glasses.
Bicycles should never ride on the road.
It's your fault no matter what.
Zombies always make perfect eye contact before they eat you.

Keeping you alive is solely your responsibility.

I've personally been on the fence about getting an AirZound; this may put me over the edge to get one! LMAO!

Lightweights for wheels, and reflective sidewall tires are a good safety addition, and they don't add a whole lot of weight.

Think again if you're going to commute year 'round. :p Framepump: Topeak Road Morph w/Gauge. www.bikeisland.com No shipping.

www.nashbar.com always has good deals on clothing, accessories, etc. Niterider Mi-Newt Cordless 150 headlight. 50.00 on sale. Worth every dime and more. Get a rainproof helmet cover as well. And wear a bb cap or a golf visor to keep rain out of your glasses/goggles.

Cheap, BRIGHT rear taillights: www.pricepoint.com Sette 316. They're 7.98 on sale. Get 3. Use them all. Get a Sette Glo Headlight as an emergency backup. 9.98.

And +1 on the tire levers, multi-tool, tube(s), patch-kit, reflective vest. And for cold weather 100% Merino wool sweater for at least one layer as they hold heat while wet.

Btw, never wear cotten unless it's really warm. Cotten gets wet, but doesn't wick sweat. Nice in the heat. Really bad in the cold.

Again, lighting is a whole thread in itself. While there is plenty of affordable lighting out there, cheap shouldn't necessarily be the first ingredient and to be honest, if you need tail lights, they need to be better than this. Maybe a pair of Cygolite Hotshot if you really want something effective.

I meant for now. I can always carpool if it rains, or use a normal rain coat. the bike rack is under cover so I dont have to worry too much about rain damage.

I forgot one. A really good, bicycling specific rain jacket. I bought a vented/breathable jacket from J&G at bicycleclothing.com for $99. It's far and away the best money I've ever spent on a bicycle accessory. I have worn it every day that it's been raining hard or below about 45 or 50 degrees including all winter long (down to -25*F with layers underneath) for 5 years now. It is still in perfect shape.
It wouldn't be absolutely the first thing I had to start over, but it wouldn't be very far down the list.

These are easily as bright and well made as the PBSF and any other 1/2 watt taillight on the market. They're very bright. I've had several different brands. Probably should've used inexpensive, but effective instead of cheap. My bad. :rolleyes:

Precisely my point. They don't need to be better than this. Been using them for a couple of years now. If one drops off, eh ten bucks. If one loses a Hot Shot or it breaks there goes 50. Just trying to save the OP some money.

While the PBSF is a nice light, it's effectiveness is debatable compared to other lighting (for example if you're looking for daytime visibility, you need something better) but this isn't the place for the argument. Like I said, lighting is another huge topic and there are threads all over the place to learn from. If it's me, I'm not recommending the same thing as you, that's all. The OP can take my advice or leave it.

Well if you're moving faster than the speed of sound, you're right! It won't help at all! :lol:

340m/s = 768 mi/h

Also, there is the ever-present threat of being chased by dogs. Sometimes by the lone house-broken Dachshund and sometimes by the feral pack.

Always carry pepper spray!

...Whenever riding solo, this may also come in handy as a confidence booster in a rural or isolated area.

Check out the Bell Muni helmets with mounts for a flip down mirror from your visor AND slots for Blackburn Flea front and rear lights.

All mounted on your helmet! Love mine!

The main purpose of gloves is to protect your hands during a slide. My mitts had 1mm of leather removed from the palm by a long slide down the road. You can live with severe grazing in almost any part of your body except the hand. Hand surgery is one of the most difficult and they are the slowest to heal.
Protection from normal riding wear and tear is secondary to crash protection.

seat leash and a pump w/ a gauge

proof I've lived in low crime areas all my life, I'd never heard of this. Had to google it.