one.piece

Got a check for my recent birthday. Woo Hoo! Been spending it on bike accessories like these:

Schwinn seat and Sunlite Utili-T QR Beam Rack. Spent about 20 minutes on the new seat, and after just 10 minutes I could appreciate the shape of the seat. The channel prevents pressure where you don't want it, and the firm high density foam supports the sit bones well. This is not a soft seat. Medium to firm is a better description. And its very light weight. About $16 at Walmart and Amazon.

The rack is feather weight, and went on with no problems. Comes with some rubber sleeves to adjust to the different size seat posts. Will glue the sleeve to the rack with contact cement to keep it from getting lost when removing the rack. This accessory is really intended for trips with the kids where we need to bring lunch and drinks. Tired of wearing a back pack when we go out as a family.

From the looks of things, there will be no problem with the tire hitting the rack when raised to the top of the seat post, and if lowered an few inches, will leave space for my seat mounted utility bag. The reality of it is I won't be doing any jumps with a back pack on the rack! Rack is about $24 on Amazon.





Got the Bell Dawn Patrol LED light and mounted on the handle bar last night. It works really well! Only 3 LED's, and 3 AAA batteries and it illuminates a surprisingly large area, and not just right in front of the wheel. I pointed it about 15 feet in front and it is still bright. Bell claims 65 hours continuous use, and 130 hours on flashing mode. It also detaches from the handle bar mount which is really handy if you need to see or adjust something on the bike at night. It does tend to have a big hot spot in the center, but what do you expect from a $8.44 light? I am impressed.





Also added this Avenir classic style seat bag. 4 x 8 inches, its great for holding a few tools, camera, and a snack. Has a PVC liner inside so it always holds its shape. Easy on & off with clips on the straps. I like Avenir products because everything I have by them is a nice quality product and reasonably priced. This is what will be used most of the time when I go out. The alloy seat post mount above will be used when need for large packages (hence the QR feature).




I fit the big Nikon digital camera (Coolpix P100), screwdriver with changeable tips, 4 allen wrenches, and an apple in the bag. Still had room for a spare inner tube and a couple of energy bars. Bag is $8.09 on Amazon.

If one chooses, they could spend a lot more than I did for similar accessories. Just wanted to share some budget priced accessories that are of good quality and perform as you would expect.

Mark.

PS also ordered a set of Shimano Acera SL-M310 Rapid Fire Shifters (hate those SRAM twist shifters... Grrrrr...) a Shimano free wheel, and Shimano Alivio M410-SGS Rear Derailleur. These should go a long way toward making shifts crisp and accurate!