Best bit of cycle kit…

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
Post Reply
David9694
Posts: 908
Joined: 10 Feb 2018, 8:42am

Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by David9694 »

Old faithful Crivit (Lidl) workstand - half of Ebay sales seem to feature one, so they must have caught on.

Tapered crank extractor - solved a problem and even seemed to get the threads ok for the ordinary one to work

Needle nose pliers, Pro-line spanner set, b & q Allen key tool;

Bolt croppers for trimming mudguard stays

Shimano cable cutters

Northwave boots : not cheap, saw me through the floods of 2013/14 with dry, warm feet

Lifeline (and similar) toolkit - I had one of these years ago and am always recommending them to beginners.

Bench vice - stuck b/b or freewheel: “do you expect me to talk?”, “no, I expect you to loosen”
Attachments
Lifeline toolkit
Lifeline toolkit
Spa Audax Ti Ultegra; Genesis Equilibrium 853; Raleigh Record Ace 1983; “Raleigh Competition”, “Raleigh Gran Sport 1982”; “Allegro Special”, Bob Jackson tourer, Ridley alu step-through with Swytch front wheel; gravel bike from an MB Dronfield 531 frame.
Carlton green
Posts: 3628
Joined: 22 Jun 2019, 12:27pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Carlton green »

For me it seems like an impossible task to select the best bit of kit, but amongst the better ones a decent spoke key has made a big difference to me. For what they are Spokeys might seem pricey, but lack of a decent tool produces both frustration and expensive scrap. Along side of the spoke key a decent set of cone spanners is a great enabler, I’ve no idea what brand mine are but they’re steel, suitably thin, suitably tough and decades old.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
esasjl
Posts: 55
Joined: 18 Feb 2021, 9:02pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by esasjl »

I agree about Spokey. Wera Hex-Plus work very well.
jimlews
Posts: 1475
Joined: 11 Jun 2015, 8:36pm
Location: Not the end of the world.

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by jimlews »

A "witness board" so I never again have to waste half the day looking for that tool that I put down somewhere.
User avatar
Paradiddle
Posts: 122
Joined: 7 Jul 2020, 10:39am
Location: London

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Paradiddle »

The bike workstand has made a massive difference for me for when I need to wash my bike or do some maintenance. No more bending over for long periods of time.
User avatar
Audax67
Posts: 5999
Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 9:02am
Location: Alsace, France
Contact:

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Audax67 »

In terms of utility and longevity, probably my Topeak Tourguide HB bag that I bought in 2007 because my Audax bike developed shimmy with just a saddlebag on and I reckoned that a load on the front end would act as a damper. It worked.

Last month I did an inventory of the stuff that's always in it:

Image

When I'm on the road my phone & camera are in it as well.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
bgnukem
Posts: 694
Joined: 20 Dec 2010, 5:21pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by bgnukem »

Zefal HPX frame pump. Most durable and effective frame fitting pump. A classic design.
Stronglight A9 roller bearing headsets, durable bearing rollers and replaceable bearing surfaces. Also lightweight and low stack height (NLA)
Shimano UN7x-series sq. taper bottom brackets - last for years in all weather with no problem. Far more durable and weatherproof than the current external bearing brackets. Sadly NLA.
Wellgo WPD801 clipless pedals. Last for years and easy to grease bearings. Sadly also NLA.
Mid-'90s to early 2000s Shimano Deore LX/XT kit - far more durable than the modern stuff and lasts 15-20 years no problem.
Jdsk
Posts: 24478
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Jdsk »

David9694 wrote: 17 May 2022, 11:02pmLifeline (and similar) toolkit - I had one of these years ago and am always recommending them to beginners.
Me too. Lifeline, Aldi, Lidl... and they're often very similar!

Jonathan
Jdsk
Posts: 24478
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Jdsk »

Paradiddle wrote: 19 May 2022, 6:23am The bike workstand has made a massive difference for me for when I need to wash my bike or do some maintenance. No more bending over for long periods of time.
Totally agree. I struggled for years without one. It's much easier to inspect, diagnose and fix with the bike at standing level, able to be rotated, and with the drivetrain unloaded.

Jonathan

PS: The last time this came up there were responses about never having needed one.... hang the bike from a convenient tree, turn it upside down...
User avatar
Audax67
Posts: 5999
Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 9:02am
Location: Alsace, France
Contact:

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Audax67 »

As an adjunct to the workstand, I have an old gas column office chair that has saved me a lot of backache when working on pedals, gears, BB etc. Height can be adjusted to put whatever I'm working on at eye-level and it's on castors so can be booted out of the way as necessary.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
esuhl
Posts: 155
Joined: 22 Mar 2017, 3:20am

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by esuhl »

The ONE bit of kit I couldn't live without is my Cateye BM 500G rear-view mirror (for flat-bars). It gives a surprisingly good view of vehicles approaching from behind, although it takes a bit of practise to quickly adust it to the perfect angle.

I was a nervous cyclist to beging with, and would often panic during unexpected overtakes. I also have a stiff back, and terrible eyesight (so I can't see beyond the lens of my glasses, and there's so much angular distortion at the edge of the lens that I almost need to do a full 180 turn to really "see" anything).

As a motorist, I'm used to knowing exactly what vehicles are around me, so nothing comes as a surprise. The mirror means I can do that on a bike. It only costs about £10, but without it, I wouldn't feel safe cycling on the roads.

-------

My Lifeline torque wrench + hex/torx key set gets used ALL the time. It's well-made and a worthy investment.

I don't have many cycle-specific clothes, but I LOVE my Gore windproof jacket, with detachable sleeves. It takes the bite out of the wind, but is well ventilated. Rain just beads off it. I've had it for quite a few years, and it still looks like new.

I have a few synthetic/polyester Primark jumpers with a zip-neck. They're cheap, breathable, and work well over a jersey (and under the windproof jacket, if necessary).

My Ortlieb Rear Roller panniers were expensive, but they're really strong and well-made, and spare parts are easily available for repairs.

I hate the garish branding of my budget MTB. So I covered it in 3M Scotchlite 580 reflective tape -- mostly black (which reflects white). It's survived for years with little damage (just a few nicks), and in the dark, the bike glows when you shine a light at it! It definitely improves side-visibility.
User avatar
Cugel
Posts: 5430
Joined: 13 Nov 2017, 11:14am

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Cugel »

Whilst I have a general reluctance to put every dang thing into hierarchies of worth ..... the recently acquired bike went out for a test ride as soon as it arrived but before I'd had the time to buy & fit mirrors. I fretted and worried all the way about the absence of the easy backward views.

All my bikes have those Sprintech mirrors at the ends of their handlebars since I find them far more effective than trying to squirm 'round on the saddle to look behind, partly because I'm now an olephart with a stiffer spine but mostly because I dislike not being able to look forward and backwards at the same time. A lot can happen in front at 20 mph in the several seconds it now takes me to try squirming for a backwards look! The Sprintechs (left & right) give a wide field of view with their convex aspect. One soon gets used to making the brain compensation to calculate the real distance behind of cars, vans, tractors and even the ladywife trying to beat me for the Drefach village sign.

But I digress.

The ride on the new bike without mirrors felt alarming. I longed for the instant backwards view that has become my habit, especially as my ears also fade i' their function as I age! I didn't ride the new bike again until those Sprintechs dropped through the letterbox and were instantly fitted. How did I manage all those years without!?

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by Mike Sales »

Cugel wrote: 23 May 2022, 8:31am

All my bikes have those Sprintech mirrors at the ends of their handlebars since I find them far more effective than trying to squirm 'round on the saddle to look behind, partly because I'm now an olephart with a stiffer spine but mostly because I dislike not being able to look forward and backwards at the same time. A lot can happen in front at 20 mph in the several seconds it now takes me to try squirming for a backwards look! The Sprintechs (left & right) give a wide field of view with their convex aspect. One soon gets used to making the brain compensation to calculate the real distance behind of cars, vans, tractors and even the ladywife trying to beat me for the Drefach village sign.

Cugel
For many of your reasons I find a spectacle mirror best.
The mirror is just a fraction from your forward sight line, and so very easy to monitor.
Slight head movements enable a very wide scrutiny of your rear view.
With no head movement I can check from a full view of the right hand side of the road to the left.
I did find it took a short time to get used to, and a little fiddling to get the mirror adjusted.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Mountgrove
Posts: 12
Joined: 8 May 2018, 12:35pm

Re: Best bit of cycle kit… Chain Wax & Connex quick-link

Post by Mountgrove »

A clean drive train is always going to benefit any bike and other components.
These 4 Saved me loads of time/effort and enable me to prepare multiple chains to clean and rotate.
Also makes cleaning the drive train easier.
1.Topeak flash-stand (smallest stand available)
2.Connex quicklink. Expensive but worth the cost as it saves so much effort and highly reliable.
3 Chain wax. (Home made or branded).
4. Argos mini slow cooker. (Dip the chains one at a time and remove after ten mins and leave to cool).
User avatar
sussex cyclist
Posts: 221
Joined: 22 May 2012, 9:25am
Location: @jollygoodthen
Contact:

Re: Best bit of cycle kit…

Post by sussex cyclist »

Image

iPod Shuffle. Music keeps my legs moving at a decent pace, else I'd just dawdle, which is my natural state. It also calms me when I might otherwise get hot under the collar - helped through many many miles of cycling in the thick of London traffic. Have been plugged in since my first end-to-end in '97: with few exceptions, I wouldn't be without it. Don't use it much off the bike, so to me, it's cycle kit.

Also quite fond of the Altura Arran:

Image

One of the zippers has gone, but I'm unwilling to pull out my spare (been sitting in the loft for quite a while now) until it truly falls apart, because the newer version is a flimsy affair.
Post Reply