| Cargo trunk |
Cargo trunks go on the rear racks.
They should be large enough for a sack or two of groceries, a coat, a laptop computer, or your rain gear.
Many soft-sided trunks are available, and several detach quickly.
For a hard-sided, rain-proof, lockable trunk consider the Cargo Cache from Otivia.
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| Panniers |
Panniers are generally mounted to the sides of the rear rack.
Some mount to the sides of the front wheel, but these are usually used for long distance touring.
Most panniers have a quick release so that they can be carried away from the bike fully loaded.
Except for wire baskets, all panniers we are aware of are soft-sided.
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| Cargo trailer |
For more cargo or larger bundle a trailer makes good sense.
Most have quick disconnects, but many of them will only attach to diamond frame bikes.
There is even a trailer that converts to a pop-up camper with room for one person to sleep.
Several trailers collapse for easy storage or transporting.
Otivia offers the Quik-Pak, a light-weight, collapsable trailer.
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| Town Bike |
Town bikes, or some hybrid bikes, have street tires and an upright riding position.
These are a better choice to start with than a mountian bike or a road bike.
Some, like Breezer Bikes, come with headlamps and dynamos installed.
Breezer also offers many accessories to enhance daily use bikes.
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| Headlamp |
The need for a realiable headlight is very important for a daily rider since it is not always known how late a rider may be out.
Battery powered lights require some level of scheduled charging or changing of the batteries since they may not be used on a regular basis.
For random use, a generator, or dynamo, should work better, but then there is the issue of the light going out at a stop.
The better solution is a generator system with an energy storage device.
These units are now hitting the market.
Also, LED lights use far less energy but have not been as bright as the more expensive halogen lamps.
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| Taillight |
Tailights suffer from the same issues as headlight in many cases.
But the flashing LED tailights use so little energy that they can last for months of intermittent use without a recharge.
Many small LED flashers are given away as promotions - it would be wise to pick up one of these to carry as a spare in case your main taillight fails.
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| Bell or Horn |
In many urban areas it is suggested, or required, that a cyclist be able to give an audiable warning to pedestrians and other cyclists.
A pleasent sounding bell or horn is best - one that can easily be recognized as a bike sound but not loud enough to scare walkers.
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| Fenders |
Whether you ride in the rain or you accidentally run through water puddles, fenders are worth it for a daily rider.
They can keep the splash from your front tire from hitting your legs and the splash from the rear tire from drawing a skunk stripe down your back.
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| Brake Light |
Brake lights can let the cars and cyclist behind you know you are slowing or stopping.
This can be very important if you ride in traffic.
There are a couple of brake lights avalable that are actuated by the braking system.
Some have switches in the brake levers, and some are actuated by the brake cables.
There are also units operated by separate buttons.
We are testing the Multi-Function Rearlight for Bike from Pioneer.
It is a five function LED light with a brake light switch that attaches to the rear brake cable.
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| Chain Guard |
Few bikes have chain guards these days.
Most of the time we just put on clips to keep our pants cuff out of the chain.
One problem is that this does not work for shoestrings.
Believe it or not, federal law requires chain guards for single speed bikes.
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| Street Tires |
There are two important reasons to use street tires on a town bike.
The first is that a knobby mountian bike tire can have twice the rolling resistance of a higher pressure street tire, requiring twice the energy to pedal at slower speeds.
Second, knobby tires tend to slip easier on concrete while turning, causing the front wheel to slide out from under the bike.
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| Rear Rack |
Rear racks are probably the most used item on a town bike.
They are needed to carry panniers, trunks or the Cargo Cache from Otivia.
Most rear racks are limited to ten or twenty pound loads.
(Five to ten kilograms)
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| Front Basket |
There appears to be a comeback in front baskets.
They are showing up in wire, wicker or cloth.
They are very handy for items that require quick access, such as a cellphone or map.
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| Mirror |
A good mirror is essential if you ride on the road.
Many are too small and many shake so much they become useless on anything but the smoothest roads.
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| Seat Leash |
A seat leash is a cable that keep your seat from running away.
Used on bikes with quick release seat posts, a seat leash allows the seat to be adjusted but keeps the seat from being stolen.
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| Tool Kit |
A handy little tool kit and tire pump are good to have even for in town bikes.
The tradeoff is that they are easily stolen unless secured with something like the Cargo Cache from Otivia.
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| Lock |
Bike thefts appear to be up these days.
There were over $1m worth of bikes stolen last year.
Many bikes are recovered but not returned to the owners due to lack of information.
Check out the National Bike Registry
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| Substantial Kick Stand |
If you have ever tried to use a standard kickstand to hold up your bike as you load it with groceries, then you already know the problem.
Better kickstands are needed for town bikes.
Two leg kick stands appear to be a solution and we will be testing some soon.
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| Lighted Turn Signals |
Over the years (decades) there have been lighted turn signals.
We have not seen a system yet that we would use on our bikes, but we will keep looking.
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