Gear / Accessories
The right add-ons might cost 10-20% what your bike cost, but make it 10x more useful.
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The right add-ons might cost 10-20% what your bike cost, but make it 10x more useful.
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Was this helpful?
Before I e-biked, I lived out of a backpack while in+around the city. Getting that weight off of me and onto the bike while in transit has been a huge improvement. The options for letting the bike roll things along with you – from "a purse" up to "several suitcases" – are worth exploring.
Here are a few bags/mounts I put on basically every bike:
: ($60) + ($10)
:
2x handlebar bags ($49 ea)
($59) or ($46)
($16)
($14)
For carrying substantial weight or bulk, a back-wheel rack is the platform you build on. Front baskets/racks also range in size, and can significantly add to your carrying capacity.
my VanMoof's and let me roll
my Tern has a super heavy duty that can hold 2 as well as ; I also put a smaller on the front, for .
I got great use out of a on my main non-electric bike (if not buying from the same brand that made your bike, you have to check a little more that things are compatible).
this is the bike version of SUV commercials that show ridiculous off-roading the average SUV-owner will never do
Getting weight off of you (esp. your back!) and onto the bike – where it just rolls – is an amazing part of getting around by bike (as opposed to walking or other transit modes where you may sometimes wind up standing).
Panniers are bags you can attach to a rack on the back of your bike, and are a great way to haul stuff by bike:
I've tested a few kinds:
Other lock systems worth noting:
I fear theft but I purchased an insurance policy from Velosurance. This helps me sleep at night; as long as I've locked the bike to a fixed object, I'm covered. You should think about it.
My monthly quotes were around 1/300th the bike's cost, or 4% / 1/25th per year, which was cheaper than I expected! Thankfully, I haven't had to use it yet, but having it has given me peace of mind.
When getting started, you're mostly riding in areas you're less familiar with. Having the map handy helps to not feel lost or get lost, as well as to e.g. find detours if a road doesn't feel safe.
You want a white "headlight" facing forward and a red taillight facing backward. There are many options and they're mostly all good. Here are some I've used and like:
I grew up in Miami and have bad hands/feet circulation. I don't like the cold and I'm bad at it. Biking in cold weather (let alone cold rain/snow) generally sounds miserable to most people.
These are my go-tos: charge via USB-C, sleek form factor, good warmth.
Below freezing (and without pogies), I wear them over my thin Brooks gloves, and put them on high.
Sizes run large (I got a "S" for my wife (5'4") but they ended up fitting me (6')), underside of button can borderline-overheat against bare hand on "high" setting
3 independent heat toggles for chest, stomach, and back+neck, and 5 heat levels on each.
Comfortable, feels high-quality.
Great zippered-pocket design.
Pushing buttons on the vest lets you control your core temperature across a ≈50ºF range without carrying bulky layers, and the 4 pockets are really useful. Highly recommended.
We went back the next day, and someone had put it up more visibly:
I get ≈90mins of film time per battery at 1080p24, so swapping batteries on longer rides is common. It's a bit annoying to have to pay attention to, but I guess it also ensures I don't go too long without a break / sip of water.
There are a lot of incredible bags you can put on your bike. Panniers are the workhorses, but in particular offers dozens of bag shapes you can put basically anywhere else on your bike based on where they fit and how much capacity you want:
I bought 1 (or ) of nearly every bag they offer (see ), and typically mix-and-match which bags make the most sense on which bikes for a given ride.
($190/pair, 40L ea) are that I've had the best experience with.
I have ($200/pair, 24L ea) for , and they work well.
I ordered (€78/pair, 18L ea) for , but they haven't arrived yet, and the Ortliebs fit and work well (and are larger), so I'm not sure I'll need them.
I also have a set of ($120/pair, 24L ea) that I've never really gotten in to using.
Finally, I got ($180, 30L), and it's been very useful.
I love ; I've put a pair on most of my bikes:
Between them, I'll carry a battery that charges my phone while riding (and , , etc.), a glasses case, tissues/chapstick//snacks ("it's like a deli up here", someone who borrowed my bike said recently), airpods, extra masks, , etc. They are easily opened and closed with one hand, work on pretty much any bike, and are easy to transfer b/t bikes). Very useful.
(and earlier/smaller ) are great bags that can sit on top of your top tube and hold lots of good stuff. Sometimes I'll have one up front and another at the base of my seat, and between them store wallet/keys, , full flat-change kit (, , , patch-kit), etc. They're also easily openable/closeable with one hand, and the magnetic clasp is nice.
I have used Revelate's bag and bag; both are great, especially for bulky but lightweight items like clothes.
I've also used a Topeak and .
There's no substitute for , but some locks I use that I think are basically good enough for occasional, short, daytime outdoor parking in NYC:
: medium weight, decent security
: lighter / more clearance but weaker
: compact+light extra security layer, easy to keep a spare in a .
stay on the bike and seem like a convenient and secure option
that provides added security.
.
People that have to lock bikes outside in cities can use stronger locks – like – and . However, these are heavy, and by thieves with angle-grinders and time (especially overnight, having observed bikes locked in the same place every night).
Bike theft is clearly organized crime in many cities, but is not something law enforcement seems to spend much energy on. Increasing cooperation between , , and bike- and lock-manufacturers (adding location-tracking to bikes and even ) will hopefully improve this in the future.
I got , on a recommendation from a friend whose family e-bikes in Jersey City; he said:
Bells: has worked well for me 3x. I also got ($49) after hearing that it is the best, but I think I prefer the Amazon one 🤷🏼♂️.
Hand Pump: is super compact + light and contains a hose w/ presta and schrader nozzles
Kickstand: is sturdy and easy to deal with
Rear-View Mirrors: and mounted on handlebars on 2 different bikes.
(See )
I wear on all my rides. In the past, I used , which I would clip onto a backpack and take on the subway, into the office, etc.
Having my phone mounted up front on my handlebars has been surprisingly useful. I typically have Google Maps' turn-by-turn directions or speedometer up while riding:
I've exclusively used handlebar phone mounts () and associated phone cases. They are good products, though a bit pricier than I'd expect: $60 , $10 (you'd think you could just replace the included blue one for free…), $30 for ⟹ $100/bike, and I've outfitted 5 bikes at this point! One-hand releasing is easy and convenient, but getting the right angle to rotate the phone into the mount still takes me a minute (I expect I'll get better at that over time).
($46): right head-light
($40): bright tail light
($14): front+rear, good+cheap
($29): front+rear, very convenient; plug lights directly in to any USB-A port to charge, easy to clip them to things. Good backups to keep in
is also a good light to have (at a higher, more visible location).
I've also thrown and on bikes:
:
In warmer months, I wear ($17) on most rides. Some light gel-padding is nice on hands/wrists during longer rides.
In colder months, ($50) are great touchscreen gloves with retractable, waterproof mitten covers. I can use my phone at like 90% with them, but they're also pretty warm with mitten covers pulled over. I've used them below freezing (mid/high 20ºF's) by putting in the palm or mitten cover parts; wearing them inside is an even warmer+easier setup. They're very light and easily crumple/fold into small pocket spaces, so I keep them on me ≈6mos/yr.
See below for and recs.
I often wear ($29); padded shorts seemed a little silly at first, but they're pretty good for biking but also misc other outdoor activities. I got some baggy swimsuit-style padded shorts and some spandex-y ones like this, and liked the latter better. The pockets on these are great as well. As it cooled down, I would wear them over tights.
I got some and they seem good, though I haven't used them a ton / haven't 100% integrated them into my routine yet. People I follow swear by them, and I basically get the vision of a well-designed + reliable "protection from wind+elements" system. They pack down well, so I bring them along as mix of a rain / optional-warmth layer sometimes.
, but haven't really needed them yet.
It turns out a a few $100 of gear and technology basically solves this problem. Whether you winter cycle or not, you should probably buy heated , , and . My recs are below.
I think people think it's colder in greater NYC more of the time . ; for sure there are days and times when it is annoying to go out, but for the price of a couple car payments you can move that from "days under 50°F" (several months of the year) to "days under 30°F" (odd days here and there).
In the winter, cars often function as . Clearly they maximize internal comfort for riders, but they also . It turns out it's not that hard to keep warm in most situations while traveling more efficiently.
This winter I discovered heated gloves, and they are amazing (though also less necessary once I got ):
($90-10%):
($50): good all-around, but became backups/loaners for me behind the Velazzio's above (a bit bulkier?)
($150): after the "S" Velazzio's were huge, I found this higher-end brand that made me believe their palm measurements etc. were actually accurate. Size "S" does fit women 5'2"-5'4" I ride with. They generally seem sleek and good.
($139 - $10 coupon; also ) is an excellent accessory, and dramatically changes what it's like to go out in the cold:
I started with and found them to be a revelation. Later I upgraded to and they are incredibly warm and nice. My hands always limit how cold I can be outside, and these completely solved that problem (I rode comfortably down to about 20℉; and other things start to limit me at that point).
I've bought heated socks from ($36) and ($38). In both cases, I have barely been able to feel the heat they generate, even on the "high" settings. It's possible they're still helping, but a bit strange since the / I've tried are unmistakably warm.
I have , and keep 3 pairs in a side pocket of my when it's cold out (just in case). They're a good fail-safe if or aren't enough (or you didn't think you'd need them). Supposedly you can "recharge" them with boiling water, so as to avoid single-use waste, though I've not tried that.
I film basically all my ride with 2 GoPros: . They're mostly a nice-to-have safety measure (though presumably only useful if something truly horrible happens 😔), but some of my rides also feel like incredible ways to see the city, and in ways that convey that. They're also useful for , , etc.
One day last winter, I lost a glove on a ride, and .
My GoPros are a and a , and I choose which one faces forward vs. backward each ride (rear-cam gets good front-on shots of people I'm riding with, so sometimes I'll put the higher-quality Hero 9 back there, otherwise I face it forward to get the best shots of what I'm seeing). The Hero 9 is the latest GoPro, and seems noticeably better than the ; it has a bigger battery, supposedly better stabilization, and can sit on my desk with no battery in for longer before . Both are much better than the I started with.
I have ended up with 5 batteries and 2 2-battery chargers for each of my GoPros ( is handy):
I keep one of :
…and anywhere that I need to mount them:
My chest harness came in , and involves :
I also have several tripods for stationary filming (, , ).
