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Gear & Accessories
Carrying Items with Racks, Bags, Panniers, and Backpacks
Depending on your work and your life style, you might carry a lunch, laptop computer, books and magazines, towel, change of clothes, etc. to work. If you commute by bicycle, you probably also want to carry a small tool kit or multi-tool, a spare inner tube, and a small tire pump, along with a lock. You can carry your load in a purse, courier bag, or backpack, or attach it to your bicycle in one of several ways.
A backpack or courier bag has the advantage of going with you automatically after you lock your bicycle. You need not unload or detach any bicycle bags. Unfortunately, bags carried over your shoulder(s) can cause back strain, make your back sweaty, and raise your center of gravity making it easier for you to fall.
Many of us prefer to carry the load attached to our bicycles rather than on our bodies. Small items (wallet, PDA, multi-tool, inner tube) can fit into a handlebar bag or seat bag. To carry larger or heavier loads, we recommend using a rack. Panniers are heavy-duty bags designed to attach to front or rear racks on a bicycle. Good panniers connect and disconnect quickly from the bicycle. Nearly all bicycle bags, even those labeled "waterproof," will leak eventually in a steady rain. Numerous companies make smaller bags to strap onto racks. Foldable bicycle baskets are also available to attach to racks or directly to the bicycle frame.
For small loads on short trips, a backpack or courier bag works well. For heavier loads or longer rides, we suggest carrying your load in a pannier or other bike bag attached to a rack. Always connect the load securely to the bike. It's amazing how things rattle loose from a moving bicycle!
Lights, Mirrors, and Other Safety Equipment
Lights are essential and legally required for riding after dark. Lights that barely meet the legal standard (visible from 500 feet; can illuminate a "significant object" from 50 feet) cast enough light to make you visible to approaching motorists but not enough to see most road hazards. These are typically small LED headlights costing $40 or less. To see the road ahead, you need a much more powerful headlight: a white LED light of 1 watt or more; a halogen light of 3 watts or more; or a high-intensity discharge (HID, or metal halide) lamp. The metal halide bicycle headlights on the market all cost over $200 and give much more light than needed for urban or suburban commuting. A flashing light does not meet the legal requirements for a headlight, and makes it difficult for motorists to judge its distance.
Red LED taillights vary greatly in brightness. Try a few at a bicycle shop and buy the brightest one that you can afford. Flashing light draws a driver's attention better than steady light, but steady light allows the driver to judge distance more accurately. If you ride frequently at night, you might run one red LED taillight in flashing mode and a second one in steady mode. Take care to mount taillights facing straight backward. They appear much dimmer when viewed from an angle. Mounting a taillight on a belt, backpack, clothing or other soft surface almost guarantees that it will point downward and have much lower visibility to motorists behind you.
A mirror, mounted to your helmet, eyeglass frame, or handlebar can help you quickly see whether vehicles behind you might overtake while you want to merge or turn left.
A bell or horn can help you alert drivers or pedestrians crossing your path. Some of us find it easier, and at least as effective, to shout (politely, of course)!
In addition to the legally required reflectors on the bicycle, reflective vests, leg bands, and clothing can help motorists recognize you as a bicyclist on the road.
Helmets
We recommend that all bicycle commuters wear a properly sized, well-adjusted helmet that meets the current standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). All bicycle helmets now sold in the US must meet the CPSC standard, with a label inside the helmet to show for it. Inexpensive helmets often are difficult to adjust and to keep in adjustment. More expensive helmet often have more air flow vents. All of the helmets meet the same safety standards, so there is no safety benefit to buying a more expensive helmet. Choose one that feels comfortable and that suits your taste in personal accessories. It can't protect your head if you don't wear it.
Mudguards / Fenders
Mudguards protect you and the bicycle from water and grunge splashing up from the road. It takes only one ride through a puddle without mudguards to make your bicycle filthy. Without mudguards, you will also get a "skunk stripe" up your back from riding on a wet road. Aside from the aesthetics, the dirt from the road carries abrasive particles that can wear out your chain, brake pads, and wheel rims. Mudguards provide inexpensive protection.
Locks
Don't leave your bicycle unlocked outside, even for a minute, if you don't want to lose it! Old-style cable locks, even very heavy ones, do not give adequate theft protection. Neither do the chains that you can buy in bulk at hardware stores. For good theft protection, use a U-lock, a heavy-duty bicycle-specific chain lock, or a similarly expensive (sorry!) high-security bicycle lock. Several websites and magazine articles provide comparative reviews of bicycle locks.
For More Information on Bikes & Gear
Use this website to make a list of questions to take to your local bike shop. We have excellent bike shops in Louisville, and you can learn much by seeing (or trying) the equipment in person and talking with people who have actually used it.
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