As COVID-19 limits experiences, discourages use of public transportation and forces gyms to stay closed or operate in a reduced capacity, more and more people are turning to the most basic form of exercise and mobility for getting around town: Cycling! If you’re new to cycling, or you’re a veteran commuter who is shopping around for new cycling accessories to make your rides effective, productive and comfortable, take a look at these 6 new urban cycling accessories for Spring.
GORE C3 Short Tights
The GORE C3 Short Tights ($79.99) are a sleek, fitted road short with a pop of color on the legs that is well suited to urban and commuter cycling under twenty miles. The ACTIVE Comfort seat insert in the chamois, which is a single-layer of foam shaped to provide the necessary comfort to the nether-regions of the more upright styles of the urban and/or commuter cyclists. It’s also ideal for mountain biking as well. If you’re a long-distance roadie who rides in the 50 to 100+ mile range, you’ll want to look at the GORE C7 Short Tights. In case you’re wondering, GORE offers three levels of seat inserts geared for time in the saddle and the rider’s position in the saddle: Expert (very dense), Advanced (medium dense) and Active (less dense)
Fit is what you’d expect from a mid-priced cycling short. It hugs the body comfortably without the stuffed sausage look and without any bunchy or excess fabric. This allows them to fit nicely under mountain bike shorts, knickers or a cycling skirt. On the legs, a wide, flat silicon strip holds the legs in place. I give props to GORE for adding the silicon strips because believe it or not, not all manufacturers put silicon grips on women’s shorts even though they always put them on men’s.
Spurcycle Compact Bell
Along with common sense, every urban cyclist or bike commuter needs a bike bell. The ding! ding! ding! of a bike bell alerts your presence to pedestrians, dog-walkers, slower riders and, most important, motorists distracted by texting or talking on their phones. The Spurcyle Compact Bell ($39) is made of composite nylon with a brass alloy dome whose ding! crescendos to a long, loud and resonating CLANG! It’s so downright obnoxious and annoying that it’s truly the perfect bike bell. It’s also optimized for the flat bars of commuter bikes or any bike that uses a 22.2 mm diameter bar.
Minneapolis, where I live, has always been a city with a thriving bike culture. Redfin named it the Best Bikeable City of 2020. Sadly, it is also one of the cities hit hardest by the COVID19 pandemic. When the stay-at-home order went into effect this spring, people took to the bike paths and side streets in increasing numbers for fresh air and exercise. When the stay-at-home order expired they stayed out there! Which is nice. Except that the increased foot and bicycle traffic makes a bike bell like the Spurcycle Compact Bell a very critical cycling accessory.
GORE C3 Jersey
We all know that feeling (and look) of a cycling jersey that is so fitted it exudes the stuffed sausage look and its front hem barely covers a belly button. The GORE C3 Jersey ($79.99) is so not that kind of jersey. It’s the jersey that offers the functionality of a high-end performance jersey without the look and feel of one.
Specifically, it has a relaxed fit through the shoulders, a 21-inch belly button-covering front hem (on size small), versatile (for commuting and mountain biking), highly breathable (for humid rides), non-choking collar and soft. Yes, soft. The texture of the fabric, which is actually 100% polyester, feels more like a merino wool blend. For the urban and commuter cyclists, it has four highly functional pockets in the back: three unsecured (great for holding your iPod) and one secured zipper pocket for things you don’t want to lose, like a key, ID, credit card, cash or phone.
Thousand Heritage Helmet
The Thousand Heritage helmet is our favorite urban helmet because it speaks to us at its very core: It’s a company that is founded and owned by a woman (Gloria Hwang) and it’s a company that is committed to offsetting 110% of its annual carbon emissions and they partner with 1% For The Planet which supports environmental restoration and education. For the urban cyclist or commuter, it’s ideal for riding around town on upright-style bikes and fit is top-notch.
Among its cool features is classy faux-leather straps will not absorb skin oils and are easy to wipe clean with a wet cloth to wipe off dirt or grease compared to standard nylon straps. Moreover, it has a cut-out hole to slide your u-lock through and keep your helmet safely attached to your bike if you don’t want to carry it inside an office, shop or brew pub.
North Street Micro Pannier
Whether you’re commuting to work, out riding for the day, or maybe hitting the grocery store, you’ll need a pannier. The Portland, OR-made North St. Micro Pannier (from $99.99) is an ideal pannier. It is made with heavy-duty material with waterproof roll top for extra protection from the weather and clips on each side of the bag accommodate a shoulder strap, providing a convenient method of carrying the bag after it’s snapped off the bike. A bungee cord holds the bottom of the pannier securely on the bike should that city street or bike path become rough or bumpy.
When you get to your destination, you’ll love the simple (but very secure) mounting system: two simple, non-locking, durable metal hooks that hang from the top of the bike rack and lower metal hook. An adjustable strap and bungee attaches to the bottom of the rack for additional security and stability. The best sequence to attach is to clip the bottom hook first then the top. To detach, lift from the top first than detach the lower hook.
SABRE Cyclist Pepper Spray
If you’ve been reading the news, you’ll no doubt have seen a lot of references to pepper spray. It’s unfortunate, but pepper spray is also an effective method for self-defense. Especially if riding at night. The SABRE Cyclist Pepper Spray ($14.99) comes on an adjustable strap that fits on your bike’s top tube, down tube or seat tube, allowing you to access quickly if needed. Should you need to use it, it has a range of ten feet and 45 spray bursts and its contents—an inflammatory compound called capsaicin—causes burning, pain and tears when it makes contact with the assailant’s eyes. If you want to have pepper spray on you at all times, like if you need to park your bike and walk somewhere, SABRE also offers Duathlete Pepper Gel with a reflective arm band.
Recommendation: Do not leave on your bike unattended and learn the correct way to use it.
