CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
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Cycling commuter tips always seem to revolve around mudguards, puncture repairs and so on. Anyone discovered anything in their time that just makes daily riding more efficient or effective?
For example, my jacket has a key loop on a retractable cord which makes locking/unlocking the bike 100% less faff. I never have to remember which pocket my key is in! Brilliant.
A kick stand means you can just leave your bike right by a shop entrance. If I had a nurse's lock (wheel lock) that would be even handier.
I have a hooky clip in the pocket of my waterproof cotton shorts for keys which is good. Vulpine brand. They have a zip pocket too but I have never used.
Poly bags and cable ties are cheap things that can save you
If I'm too late for my usual train I buy a coffee and end up handling bike, hot coffee and train pass. I am not sure but the coffee cup might fit safely in the bottle cage because it's mounted reasonably-vertically on the seat tube. Stable enough at least to wheel it across the concourse?
EBC used to sell a flask that fitted in the bottle cage years back to keep coffee warm
I have a handlebar mounted cup holder. :-) It is only really possible to use it while wheeling the bike or on a smooth cycle path though as the drink and possibly the cup with it get thrown out immediately on the roads. I also have a frame mounted thermos flask.
I couldn't decide if a specific cup holder for my bike was a step too far! I don't consider myself such a committed coffee drinker.
May be a obvious thing to say, but pannier bags that you can leave on bike not an expensive one . With no bag bike has no storage so if out need to remember to take a ruck sack and need to plan if going to buy anything also no nice to ride with one if hot.
@Ed1 I am so paranoid now about having things stolen from my bike! Maybe a basket or porteur rack with cargo net is the right meeting point between functional and unstealable.
Nothing on my bike can be removed without the use of tools
That means that it gets left without worry outside and picked up with no faff on a dark morning
Nothing on my bike can be removed without the use of tools
What kind of lights are you running?
Dynamo hub, B&M Lyt front and a back I don't remember. Both have standing function.
I never go anywhere now without a bikezac folded up either in the pannier or under the bungee cord. To be fair, it's probably more mending tape than original bikezac, but it's just so handy whenever I decide to make an impromptu shopping stop.
Likewise bolted-on dynamo lights. Racks on both bikes and I usually carry a cotton bag or my bag-for-life-with-pannier-hooks with me in case I need more shopping than expected on the way somewhere. Lock stuffed in a cheap underseat bag for relatively quick access. Both bikes have a bracket for the bag so that it's the only thing which needs to be switched across when switching bikes. It still seems to take me longer to lock/unlock than people around me at shops and office car parks but once when in a rush I accidentally locked my bike to a non-secure bit of fence at the swimming pool when I was about nine, so I never rush the locking-up process.
I use an axiom paddywagon rack bag. It 7 litres in it's smallest configuration but if I go shopping has another 12 litres of expansion capability.
My bike has this lot:
I saw loads of rear baskets on holiday in Europe this year and I've followed the trend by sticking a Basil rear basket on my bike. It's been my best purchase to date. I can just chuck stuff in it rather than carrying panniers. No-one's going to nick it.
I have a super Dutch (natch) pannier bag that just hooks on and off and can be picked up and carried by the handles when I'm shopping then popped back onto the bike to get stuff home. It is huge. And it is a cow print, which doesn't make it any more efficient but does cheer me up every time I see it.
I don't see many people out and about with Rainlegs - lightweight thigh chaps, like the horsey people use. Imagine rain trousers that can be put on in 10s without getting off the bike, and that only cost £20 but breathe better than goretex, and that pack up small and light. Terrific!
Wish I did have as have my 8 mile cycle home from work in jeans and its raining outside. Will have to pick some up
Can confirm takeaway coffee cups sit snugly in the cheapest of bottle cages.
The very simplest of little things. My rucksack has a couple of clips on the back (for carrying walking poles) which my coiled lock fits perfectly into. Not chance of getting oil on stuff in the bag, no need to have it dangling off the bike, not really any chance of forgetting it.
Can confirm takeaway coffee cups sit snugly in the cheapest of bottle cages.
Neat. The cheapest solutions are the best. My bike is too small to take a downtube bottle cage!
@Min What kind of cup holder do you have? I saw loads of brightly-coloured plastic ones in Copenhagen but didn't make it into a bike shop to see if they were readily available!
Now you're asking! I have had it for a number of years but it is a pretty basic metal hoop that screws on to your handlebars. It might be this:-
Nero's small-size takeaway cups are just the right size to have their lids pried off by a standard wire bottle cage.
Nero's small-size takeaway cups are just the right size to have a couple of sips before realising the coffee flavoured water tastes like it was possibly milked directly from a civet that had eaten a couple of coffee beans then strained through a used dishwasher filter that you can throw the rest away without thinking you'd wasted too much of your money.
I thought about this a bit more. My two main commuting revelations have been waterproof shoes and jeans with a gushet in the crotch.
It took me far too long to even think about looking for waterproof shoes, but what a difference it makes not having to worry about cold wet feet once I get to work. Still looking for a pair with a sole which doesn't wear through in six months, but I may just need to spend a bit more money on them.
I own two pairs of these jeans: https://www.betabrand.com/bike-to-work-britches.html Whilst the reflective details are nice, it's the gushet neuk in the crotch which makes them worth the money. I believe other manufacturers sell similar jeans which also have a water-resistant coating, but I'm hesitant to believe it lasts long enough to be worth it.
Belt drive, mudguards & disc brakes FTW.
No oil. No brake dust. No mud. No mess. Hardly any cleaning.
Even Mrs edd1e_h doesn't mind the bike being kept on the carpet.
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