Bicycling Accessories: Five Useful Gadgets

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Bicycling Accessories: Five Useful Gadgets

If there's one thing we like it is gadgets. Gadgets make our lives easier to manage. When you bike ride, gadgets are both necessary and fun. Here are some must-have gadgets for the bike rider.

The extra items you put on your bicycle will depend on how you ride your bike. Are you a hard-core rider, going on trails for hours at a time? Or do you just ride for an hour here and there at a leisurely pace?

1. Bike rack

Unless you always ride from home for short distances, you will most likely want to ride in different locations, and you need to be able to get your bicycle there. A bike rack is the perfect solution. Keep in mind that if you like to ride with others, you should get a rack that can accommodate more than one bicycle at a time. This is also handy if you like to compete and need to carry an extra bike in case problems come up. When shopping for a rack, look for one that holds the bike with minimal movement of the handlebars and wheels. And don't forget that if you get a rack for the top of your car, be careful going through underpasses or tunnels.

2. Computer

Some might argue how helpful this is but if you like to track your progress it is a useful tool. These computers track mileage, trip time, clock time and speed to name a few. You can go simple or fancy depending on the stats you want to measure.

3. Water Bottle

A lot of bicycles come with this automatically, but if yours doesn't have one, you should definitely add it. The first time you go for a hard ride and are thirsty, you'll be glad you have it.

4. Bicycle Pedal Clips

Clips are very useful for keeping your feel from slipping off the pedals. It may seem that this makes it more difficult to stop, especially to a new bike rider, because you have to take your feet out of the clips before putting them down. But in reality, pedal clips make it easier on your feet.

5. Bike panniers

These are bicycle bags that attach to the bike. They are much better than carrying stuff in a backpack because they leave the rider free to concentrate on the ride instead of worrying about the bag shifting and making the rider unbalanced. You can put all kinds of handy things in them such as your phone, a first aid kit, a tool kit for unforeseen repairs, food, and a jacket (you never know when a storm will come up suddenly). Having all this gear on the bike itself allows the rider to just enjoy the ride.

About the Author

Dan Goulski knows how important bicycling gadgets are, such as the cycling water bottle. That's why he created a site devoted to it, called http://www.cyclingwaterbottle.org.