Bicycles are growing It’s only getting more popular as people look for alternative ways to meet friends, get to work, cross town to run errands and stay fit, and e-bikes are expanding accessibility for those who have never been. bicycles are now considered the primary (or even secondary) mode of transportation.
However, most of the bikes that come from the factory are ready for a casual Sunday ride, but not many others. If you want to put your bike on for hauling groceries or commuting to the office, you’ll need some accessories to make those rides comfortable and fun. Luckily for you, the majority of bikes are highly customizable and easy, and there’s plenty of worthwhile gear to choose from.
In fact, all of these accessories will work for non-electric bikes and most e-bikes. Take a look at ours Guide to Ebike Classes and The best electric bike for more of our thoughts and explanations on electric bikes.
Update October 2022: We’ve reconfigured the guide to be more clear. We also added the Herschel Heritage laptop backup, which replaces the TimBuk2 Division backpack.
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These days a lot of things are a pain in the back. Your bike ride doesn’t have to be one of them. Changing the handlebars, seats, and even the seat posts are some of the easiest modifications you can make to dramatically improve your ride.
Top picks
Poor wrist posture can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome or cyclist’s palsy, where you’re putting pressure on your median and medial nerves. The ergonomic Ergon GA3 are my favorite bike grips because they have small wings that help correct your wrist posture to prevent these conditions. Even after long rides, I find my wrists don’t ache like they used to.
Upgrade Pick
I didn’t find any cheap or heavily gel-padded saddles that improved much, if any, over the seats that come with the bike. The Brooks B17, a school legend, is extremely comfortable despite its tough leather texture – or perhaps because of it. I spent hours in its saddle without the sore spots of sitting in the soft gel seat. Like a good chair, solid support is more important than pure softness. These saddles are also rugged; they usually last for a decade or more. If you didn’t make leather, Brooks would go vegan nylon option ($130).
Other great options:
- Cirrus Kinekt for $270: For some extra shock absorption on rough roads, you can add a seat belt to a stationary hardtail bike. Some reviewers noticed the bounce of its dual coil spring suspension, but I didn’t have that problem. Make sure when you buy Kinekt that you are buying springs that are appropriate for the rider’s body weight.
- REI Co-op Link Padded Shorts for $35: They add an extra layer of softness between driver and engine on longer rides and wick away sweat to keep you from feeling stuffy. That link is for women’s style, but version for men available for the same price.
Very few bikes come with the accessories needed to haul loads of errands and run groceries. Whether you’re carrying a backpack or a crossbody bag – a luggage rack style bag that you mount on one of your wheels – make sure you can get real work done by turning your bike into a backpack. become a means of transporting goods.
Top picks
If your bike doesn’t already have a pannier rack, you’ll need to install one if you want to use a pannier bag. Explorer fits most bikes (with and without disc brakes) and weighs up to 55 pounds. It also weighs only 1.5 pounds, so it won’t weigh down your bike significantly. The wide clearances between the deck and the outer slats make attaching and removing pannier bags a breeze.
runner-up
Heritage was named the best budget bag in our guide to Best laptop backpack for padded laptop sleeves that can fit laptops up to 15 inches and for sturdy 600-den polyester fabric. After using hers for years, my colleague says it shows almost no signs of wear and tear.
More accessories:
