With the PBR Pub Bike Ride gaining more and more momentum (punny!) in the Tampa area, I thought it a fine time to introduce you to some radical new accessories for your two-wheeled pals. Sure, different seat covers are fun, new grips are exciting, but I'm going to show you four add-ons that could seriously and drastically change your pedaling experience.
Here we go!
FIrst, if you're like me, sometimes you have a decision to make. You want to go to your bff's house to partake in a bit of wine on the porch, but you also want to be environmentally conscious and sneak in some exercise while you're at it. Do I risk the ole' hold the wine with one hand and the handlebar with the other trick? Or do I ditch the bike altogether and take the car, ensuring my delicious bottle's safety? Doing both seems impossible. This is where Oopsmark comes in. Gaining his talents from his father, designer Jesse Herbert got into using leather in college in Ottawa. He makes wonderful things. My absolute favorite item in his shop is the Bicycle Wine Rack. It's genius. It attaches to any 1" bike frame with gorgeous antique brass fasteners. The "hidden clamping mechanism holds the bottle securely." The wine rack is adjustable to fit three different size bottles. There's even a video to see the invention in action!
(as always, clicking the image will take you to the item's Etsy page.)
Maybe you aren't a wine drinker? You prefer something a bit smaller, a bit more refreshing? Walnutstudiolo out of Portland, OR makes a really fantastic and handy item dubbed the Bicycle Can Cage. Perfect for a can of soda, beer, juice, or whatever you like, it attaches to the front of your bike securely and beautifully. As the photo shows, the Can Cage is a perfect companion for your cold can of PBR.* To insure the safety of said PBR, shop owner, Geoffrey Franklin, uses "three clamps [to] connect the cage to the bicycle, two on the handlebar and one around the stem spacers." Beautiful! Walnutstudiolo has various other beverage holders to choose from (the 6 Pack Frame Cinch is amazing), but if said beverage holders aren't your cup of tea (more puns!) this Etsy shop has a ton of great leather bike accessories to choose from. The Seat Barrel Bag is definitely work a click.
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2011.