QUESTION: Bicycles are like cars. You can buy an endless selection of accessories (but you don't need air conditioning) for them. I would like to know which accessories you have found to be the best.
Answer: First, no two people will agree, and here at Pedal Pushers we are no exception. One of us believes their Cool Tool - a cast multi-tool which is no longer made and was lost when their bike was stolen was the best accessory they ever had. A truly practical answer - but one which leaves out the fun in biking.
Discussions with others have revealed a wide range of responses including handlebar streamers, front handlebar baskets, the classic rat trap carrier with or without panniers, an "aaaoooga" squeeze horn (no mamby pamby bike bell for that person). One older gentleman spoke glowingly about the Whizzer motor he added to his bike. One younger person loves the stereo speakers on the headrest of her recumbent - no doubt listening to "Life is a Highway." Tandem riders claim the best accessory is the person in front who blocks the bugs and does all the work. Noisemakers ranging from playing cards and clothes pegs to plastic Slurpee cup tops that hit every spoke as the wheel turns are fondly remembered as well. One Pedal Pusher loves kickstands, but not the telescoping ones that collapse when her bike is loaded with heavy stuff. And she does sometimes feel foolish leaving it down, riding away, turning a corner and producing a shower of sparks.
But far and away the most beloved accessory is the bike light, front and rear. Which reminds us of a story.. .. The scene takes place back in the day at West Van's Hollyburn elementary. We were riding around the playground with friends after dinner at dusk and feeling jealous of those who had lights - even though they were the old wheel-driven generators powering dim flashlight bulbs. Then I got one too. I didn't care that it was used and old, I hardly noticed that the friction of the generator on the wheels slowed me down, or that I had to be rocketing down the hill for the bulb to glow better than a firefly. None of that mattered because I finally had a bike light too. Life was great on my bike.
Then one evening, Bruce E. and his friend arrived on their bikes for the usual evening of fun and we were all put to shame. Bruce had the best bike light in the world. He had 'borrowed' his Dad's car battery and both headlights and rigged them up on his bike. Bright did not describe this light. We all clustered around like moths to the flame, making disparaging comments about how heavy the system was, asking whether or not his dad knew the car was dead, and trying to be cool by asking how come he didn't have a low beam/high beam switch.
But we all knew that his light was the coolest bike accessory ever.
The Pedal Pushers are Dan Campbell, Antje Wahl, Anita Leonhard and Heather Drugge, four North Shore residents who use their bikes for transportation. They can be reached at [email protected].
