It’s time for another blog!
First, an update on how things are going…. Things are going pretty good. I decided to wait another year on the house, and save up more “up front” money… so I’m going to be transferring $300 a month to savings towards it, so when I get my taxes back next year, I’ll have a pretty good heap of cash to put down. The St. Paddy’s day party was great. Managed to do a good number on the J&B Bottle. In all, life could be much worse.
So anyway, as the subject says…. this isn’t just an update on how things are going, it’s also about some plans for this Spring.
I bought a bike a few years ago (26″ Huffy Crandale Cruiser – $50 at Wally World – Yeah, I like comfort) with the plan of riding it a bit, but hadn’t found anyone to ride with me. So anyway, one of my brothers has decided this year that he wants to start riding, which is great since it means getting out of the house to go do something fun and healthy.
Now for the beef….as you all know, I love gadgets and everything about them, so here is what I have found. Previously, I had a radio/light/horn that came from somewhere in china…. it broke off so I need to replace that.
As far as the radio goes… no biggie, I have a cheap memory stick that has a built in mp3 player (bought it for the memory… mp3 player is just a nice bonus). I’ll get some speakers from the 99 cent store, so I don’t need to use the awful ear buds that came with it…. that ought to provide some entertainment.
Now, in NY State you are required some safety equipment if you plan to ride when the sun isn’t in the sky (early morning or at night) which isn’t out of the question for me. NY Requires a horn, and a light. What I have found are – a nice loud, and unobtrousive horn and a set of “generator lights” so that requirement is met. The horn should be small enough to keep out of the way, and loud enough to be heard, while the lights should be reliable because they have their own power source. I considered a 12V Generator, but decided that the price to return ratio dictates that I just use the one included with the light.
So, since the law is satisfied, I move on to gadgets and other miscellaneous things I found. (If you haven’t noticed, I use my blog to bookmark things I want to get in the future, while providing links for anyone who might be similarly interested)
I want to get a speedometer. There are two that I am considering right now, since they are relatively low priced and do what I need them to do. There is the classic analog speedometer one the new fangled digital one. The classic analog has the advantage of being mechanical and not requiring a power source, while the digital has the advantage of being smaller, easier to read, and has more functions. I’ll probably go with analog just because it is a lower maintenance option, but the digital, or a higher end digital is still not out of the question.
Finally, there are the utility options. If I plan to do long bike trips, I will want a cargo rack, some sort of water source, some basic tools, and a tire pump. I’m pretty much decided that the rear mount cargo rack is the best option for cargo since it will keep the extra weight off me, and be less of a hassle if I get off the bike to do other things. As for the water source, I’m not sure if I want to get a hydration pack, water bottle, or just refill a squeeze Gatorade bottle. As for tools, I’ll probably get something like the Park Essentials Bike tool kit or the Bell Ultra Tool Kit and just take a few of my other multi function tools with me on the cargo rack. Then there is the tire pump. Something lightweight and frame mounted is the best choice. The most important thing is functionality, and unobtrusiveness, so I’ll probably go with the Blackburn Mountain Air Mountain Bike Pump since it is inexpensive, lightweight and small.
I think that covers everything pretty well, and I’ll keep an eye out for better items to refine my experience, but I think that’s it for now. If anyone has better suggestions, comment me and I will look into it. Otherwise, above is a pretty complete shopping list, and most of it is on Amazon so it can be one-stop.