I like twine. Some people think it’s snooty (whatever), but I just think it’s fun to work with and more attractive than electrical tape. If you’ve wanted to give it a try but haven’t yet, here are a couple of how-to’s…

Rivendell [PDF] →
Epicurean Cyclist [YouTube] →

The Busch & Müller Ixon is an oldie but a goodie. This light has been on the market at least a couple of years, which is eons in the fast-paced world of bike lighting, but it still has some characteristics that makes it an excellent choice as a secondary bike light.

My ideal light set-up is a bright, focused-beam light mounted low on the bike (around mid-fork) to highlight debris and reach down the road, and a secondary light with a wider beam and more spill mounted on the handlebars to supplement the main light and improve visibility to motorists. The old Ixon, with its large reflector, wide beam, forward facing emitter, and gobs of side spill, serves this latter function perfectly. It’s pretty expensive to be used as a secondary “be seen” headlight, but the Ixon is a bit of a rarity amongst the new crop of inexpensive LED lights, many of which are designed with tight beams to put a bright, focused patch of light on the road surface. These new tight-beamed headlights are certainly good at laying down an intense patch of light, but they don’t do nearly as good a job as the old Ixon at announcing your presence to other road users.

Busch & Müller Ixon →

We’re fortunate that we have the opportunity to play with a wide variety of commuting gear. We’ve been particularly inundated with bags and racks this past year. As much as we enjoy testing new equipment, it’s been a little puzzling, and more than a little frustrating, that many of the panniers and rear racks we test are not compatible with one another. Some racks don’t accept closed loops, others don’t accept standard clip diameters, some aren’t compatible with loop straps, and so on. The one pannier rack that we’ve had in-house that accepts every bag in the bike room is the Rivendell/Nitto Big Back Rack.

Take a close look at the above photo to see why this rack is so versatile. At the bottom, near the dropout eyelet, you’ll notice a pin that accepts loop-style pannier connectors. Above that there’s a horizontal bar suitable for S-type connectors, and on top of the horizontal bar is a loop that can be used for strap-type connectors such as those found on some European panniers. There may be others out there, but this is the only rack we’ve seen that can accommodate all three types of pannier connectors. And unlike some of the European racks we’ve tested, the Nitto is made from small diameter tubing that accepts every type of upper rack attachment as well.

The Big Back Rack is manufactured by Nitto for Rivendell. It’s constructed from 9mm tubular chromoly, the joints are fillet-brazed, and the whole thing is nickel-plated. Besides being the most versatile rack we’ve tested, it’s also one of the strongest and most beautiful.

Rivendell/Nitto Big Back Rack →

Note: A similar, if not identical, rack is sold under the Nitto label as the Campee R-32 Rear Rack.

Disclosure: Rivendell is a sponsor of this website.

The clever little Gino Light Mount bolts on to any M5 threaded eyelet, rackmount, or braze on and accepts any headlight with a standard handlebar-type clamp. It’s a must-have item on bikes with Moustache handlebars or any other bar that doesn’t have a straight section on which to mount a battery-powered headlight. It also allows you to mount a headlight down low on the fork for MUP politeness and improved beam efficiency. The Gino is machined from 6061 aluminum and is available in anodized silver or black. $20 from Paul in Chico.

Rivendell Bicycle Works is primarily known for their beautiful, intelligently designed, lugged-steel bicycles. They’re also credited for helping to revive and keep alive traditional items such as wool clothing, leather saddles, platform pedals, and canvas bags. What some people may not realize is that Rivendell is nearly as passionate about bag making as they are about bike building. As they say on their website, “We’re nuts for bike bags. They’re the best part of the bike.”

Working with various small bag makers, Rivendell has designed and delivered to market a variety of attractive, functional, and extremely high quality bike bags over the years, the most recent being their Sackville line of dry-waxed cotton duck bike bags. Here’s a description from their website:

Sackville bags are made in America for Rivendell by a small company led by former employees of Coach and Dooney & Bourke. These are lovely bags that some may think are too fancy, but they’re highly functional and durable too. The heavy canvas duck is waterproof and as tough as an old army tent. The heavy duty brass fittings will probably outlast most bikes. The smart designs reflect Rivendell’s 15+ years of designing and using saddlebags. If you’re interested in alternatives to the ubiquitous Cordura nylon bike bag, these are just about as good as it gets.

We’re currently using the Sackville SaddleSack Medium and the Sackville TrunkSack Small. The SaddleSack M is a relatively large saddlebag with a square-ish profile and a flat bottom. It’s a clever design that accepts a small laptop and a change of clothes, or a stack of library books and lunch. The large, rear-entry flap is held closed with a pair of brass snaps which makes opening and closing the bag a cinch. The zippered pockets on each side of the bag are large enough for a few tools and a patch kit, and the external pouch on top is ideal for quick access to items such as a wallet or bus pass.

The TrunkSack S is a small rack trunk, perfect for holding a spare tube, a patch kit, a few tools, and wallet/keys/cell phone. It features the same robust construction and detailing as the larger Sackville bags. Its size and shape makes it a perfect match for a Nitto Mini or Mark’s Rack.

Rivendell Bicycle Works →

Disclosure: Rivendell is a sponsor of this website.

Dibs!

We have an entire closet full of hats for riding, everything from old school cotton caps to high tech balaclavas, but it seems we always end up fighting over who gets dibs on the Pace merino wool cap. Casey at Spokepunchers sent us a sample a while back and now it’s everyone’s favorite. Soft, warm, reversible, machine washable, with just the right size ear flaps and visor. And because it’s made from wool, it wicks nicely and it doesn’t stink. Couldn’t ask for more from a winter cycling cap…

Spokepunchers →

Recently I’ve been riding the new Raleigh Alley Way outfitted with a Gates Carbon Drive and Shimano Alfine internal gear hub. I’ve never experienced such a smooth, quiet drivetrain. It feels like an over-oiled fixed-gear drivetrain, but with 8 speeds and no grease stains; completely clean, smooth, crisp, and quiet. From all reports the bugs are pretty much worked out of this system and it’s ready for prime time. My experience so far bears this out. If you have an opportunity to ride a bike with this drivetrain, definitely give it a try; you’ll be amazed by the performance.

Following are a few benefits of the Carbon Drive System:

• Durable (CDS technology has been used with motorcycles and dragsters for years)
• Special sprockets shed all types of debris including mud and snow
• 100% maintenance free and clean
• Twice the life of a bike chain
• Lighter than conventional chain drives

Gates Carbon Drive Systems →

The Pletscher Deluxe Top Plate replaces the standard top plate that comes with the Pletscher Double kickstand (a top plate is used on bicycles that don’t have a kickstand plate welded between the chainstays). The Deluxe Top Plate includes the metal plate, two plastic sleeves to protect the chainstays and a longer mounting bolt. The metal plate is drilled to accept tabs protruding from the plastic sleeves. The tabs hold the sleeves in position while allowing them to rotate left and right.

Installation was a simple bolt-on affair. To provide a little extra grip and protect the stays on the bottom side, I wrapped the stays with a single layer of cloth bar tape prior to installing the kickstand. It’s also a good idea to put a little Loctite on the mounting bolt during installation.

It took me a bit of searching to find one, but the Deluxe Top Plate is available through Thor USA. I ordered the part through their website and it arrived just a few days later. It’s well worth the $8 plus shipping if you have a Pletscher Double. While you’re at it, I’d recommend ordering a pair of Double Shoes as well. They’re only a couple of dollars and they improve stability on slick surfaces.

Thor USA →

PS – Scroll about half way down the above linked page to locate the plate and shoes.

Not much to say here. The PB Superflash is widely acknowledged as the best little battery powered tail light on the market. Bright, light, reliable, and tough. We’ve been using them for a few years now with no issue. With one or two of these on the back of a bike I have no worries about being seen.

Planet Bike →

MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals are essentially copies of the old Lyotard and Campagnolo touring pedals. They aren’t the grippiest pedals out there, they don’t offer the most support, they’re relatively heavy, and they don’t even have the best bearings among the various offerings from MKS, but all that said, they’re still my favorite pedals. Maybe it’s because I grew up with department store “Rat Trap” pedals that looked and felt like these, but the way they sit under my feet when I’m wearing sneakers or sandals just feels right. When I think of a generic, universal pedal, the MKS Sylvan Touring is what comes to mind; they’re the modern incarnation of a cycling icon.

The Marathon Supreme is Schwalbe’s top-of-the-line touring tire. It serves as an exceptional commuting tire as well. It’s extremely durable and flat-resistant, it’s relatively light and fast (37-622mm = 440 grams), it’s grippy in corners but rolls like crazy, it has a nice round profile, it has a supple feel and absorbs road shock better than many other “flat-proof” tires, and to top it off, it looks good. What’s not to like? Well, at $69.95 per tire it’s pricey! The fact is, you have to pay for all the tech that went into this tire, but if you can swallow the initial investment, you’ll love ‘em.

Schwalbe →

These are my favorite shifters. In my opinion they’re much nicer than Shimano bar-ends. They’re longer than the Shimano for better leverage, the ratchet is velvety smooth, and they have a subtle contour that lays nicely across the palm. Friction only. Nearly perfect.

Silver Shifters →

Who doesn’t love a Japanese brass bell? This is the larger size from Crane that is plenty loud — 50% louder than the little brass bells that aren’t quite loud enough, and louder even than your typical “ding – ding” bells from your LBS. Every bike should have one.

I’ve been asking around, looking for a better degreaser, one that’s non-toxic but really works. A few people suggested El-Duke, so I ordered up a bottle and gave it a try. Dribbled it on, let it work, rinsed with water, and voilà — clean parts. Couldn’t be simpler. And because El-Duke is soy-based, it does its work without stinking up the place. Good stuff.

El-Duke →