Sorry, nope, not that kind of spoiler. Here, I'm talking about bicycle accessories that I once thought were dorky, but now that I've given them a chance, I find them eminently functional and kinda hard to live without. In other words, they've spoiled me.
Exhibit A: The front basket. Dorky, right? I mean, what are you, a paperboy? A Frenchman delivering baguettes? The one shown was purchased for Dear Spouse's now-departed single bike (what can I say? she likes riding the tandem despite having to look at me the whole time) and languished in the garage until I brought home the Klunker Project. I slapped it on there on a lark, and whaddya know? It's downright nice. Who needs a fancy commuting backpack (and a sweaty back) when you can just throw your lock and lunch in a basket? Picking up some groceries? Basket. Garage sale? Basket. Six-pack of malted adult beverage? Basket. Stray puppy? Basket.
Exhibit B: The kickstand. Epitome of dork-ness. How many times did I have to stifle my bike-shop-snob sneer when a customer asked, "Can you put a kickstand on my new bike?" Sure, I put one on our tandem because it's not always easy to find someplace to lean that two-wheeled stretch limo. But a stand never graced my single bikes... until the Klunker Project arrived. For an errand/townie bike, self-leaning is a pretty nice feature. Consider this a retroactive apology to every customer I silently judged back in the day.
I'm getting a three-fer in this photo:
- Singlespeed drivetrain: So little to go wrong.
- Flat pedals: Who needs special shoes? Just pedal!
- Chainguard: My pant leg shall never know the touch of grease again.
1 comment:
By all means, a person should spoil themselves a bit. If something as utilitarian as Wald products do it, then by all means, go for it!
For my utility/commuting bike, I'd say that my little luxuries are the fenders and the dynamo lights. It's nice to know that my day (or night) won't be ruined by a bit of rain or by darkness. The LED dynamo lights are on all of the time, and I've gotten various comments about how much they improve my visibility.
The rack and panniers might also fit into this category, since it does permit me to make a quick run to the store and pick up a few items. Sure beats making a special trip in the car!
Steve in Peoria
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