What is your best cycling gadget?

strava2hive last year

Interesting question...I will need to think about this one. !LUV

luvshares last year

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mrprofessor last year

Love the idea. It comes very in handy also as I'm having a bit of a creativity blockade. Strava geeks here we go!

plints last year

My favorite by far is a simple multitool! You never know when something breaks or when your saddle is not comfortable. Worst is if you don't have a multitool and then you are stuck!

hive-177745 last year

Good one! I also have a tool with me, but this one only has some allen keys. Bdut that is enough for most repairs.

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dejan.vuckovic last year

A gadget? Uh, that's a really tough question.

I see a lot of people mention the pump, but for me it is part of the mandatory equipment for long MTB rides, along with some mini multi tools and a spare tire.

I think the only accessory that has survived on all my bikes for over ten years is the most basic MarshGuard mud guard :) The first thing I install on a new bike is a mud guard and I try to replace it as soon as it gets damaged. The MarshGard models proved to be the best for me, although I suppose a piece of cardboard does a similar job ;)

Among the very good accessories there is the Quad lock phone holder. I have their mounts on all my bikes and they do the job very well.

For a while I used Garmin cycle computers, but 5-6 years ago I switched to Garmin watches, which deserve an absolute recommendation because they offer everything that cycle computers offer and a little more.

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6 votes

hive-177745 last year

A mud guard indeed seems like an indispensable tool for a mountainbiker.
I drive my road bike all year round for commuting and I also have a dismountable mountainbike mud guard.
I first had an 'ass saver', but that one is so small that my back was still full of mud.

edina76 last year

Phone holding frame

hive-177745 last year

👍
I'm too scared my phone will jump off at full speed.

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qwerrie last year

Gadget? I dont have any! Except of a pump, only 😎

hive-177745 last year

A pump is a quite important gadget for a cyclist though 😉

Is there any gadget you would like to have?

qwerrie last year

Good point of view - imaginary wishful stuff I dont have yet (but I cant take pics, right?..) I'd rather go for a new (larger) frameset, than upgrade anything in my old Author. hmmm... maybe, a comfortable cycling gloves? the only thing that comes to my mind! that would be more useful than consuming a few bottles of !BEER 😎

hive-177745 last year

A larger frameset? Is your current one too small then?

I have used cycling gloves, but I actually don't use them anymore. Only in winter. For the cold I have a nice pair that keep my hands warm.

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beerlover last year

^{View or trade BEER.}

Hey @hive-177745, here is a little bit of BEER from @qwerrie for you. Enjoy it!

We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on HIVE .

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rynow last year

I only just started riding recently, so I don't know what will be good, I am doing my first MTB race tomorrow. I have bought myself two of those CO2 canisters, with the gadget to use with it to inflate my tyres, in case of a puncture. I also bought the puncture repair kit, I think these two will come in handy.

Further on I get some pain in the but and bought myself a nice riding bib short, I hope this will help, any good gadgets to help with this issue??

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mrprofessor last year

Considering that your saddle is the correct size and that you are using cycling shorts, the butt pain should go away with time. Gotta sore that butt to get used to it /o/

hive-177745 last year

Saddle height, that's a good one.
I use the Lemond method for that:
https://www.gobeyondexercise.com/blog/2020/7/22/finding-the-correct-saddle-height-on-your-bike#:~:text=LeMond%20Method%3A%20Greg%20LeMond%20is,your%20inseam%20length%20by%200.883.

And a short with a good seat pad helps. It won't prevent the pain after a long ride, but it will surely be less.

Some riders also apply grease in the groin area for anti friction. Sweat, fabric, movement and skin isn't always a good combination 😉
You can buy special cream, but plain vaseline also works.

rynow last year

Thanks for the tip. When I bought my bike, the shop did do a bike fit, thus I believe it is set up correctly. So far, I don't experience any friction issues, which might happen when I do longer rides, thus I will keep the cream in mind.

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rynow last year

Yes, today when I did the race, it was much better, only in the last kilometre or two did I have discomfort. (I did buy a new bib short, for this race, as the previous one that I used was a borrowed one, and I do not know how many miles was done in it before.)

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mrprofessor last year

Awesome! How was the race??

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hive-177745 last year

CO2 canisters are very useful. Do be careful when inflating your tire since the canister freezes instantly and you could really burn your hand.
I don't have a repair kit with me. I always have two spare tubes with me in my saddle bag.

Another tip:
Try to replace your inner tube at home if you have never done it before. You don't want to do it for the first time when you are in a race.

rynow last year

Thanks for the warning and tip.

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friendlymoose last year

I'm glad you like the idea @mrprofessor & @strava2hive
I think more Hivers might not have the inspiration to create a complete blog about cycling.

With this initiative everyone can share their ideas in the comments, engage with other cyclists and maybe get inspired too.

Let me kick off...
I have bought several cycling gadgets over the years. Some are good, some not as good as they seemed 😀

I have a tool to get my tire back on the rim (useful when you dont have a lot of strength in your hands).
And I have a tool to measure my chain length to see if it has worn out.

But my best gadget by far is my Garmin 530 navigation.
My sense of direction is really terrible, so I really need my navigation so I dont get lost. It's great on holidays, but I also use it in the proximity of my home.
And it shows me a lot more information than navigation only.
Speed, heartrate, cadence, percentage, climbs, disrance etc. It also notifies me when there is a sharp corner coming up and I have notifications to remnind me to drink and eat.
It was quite an expensive gadget, but totally worth it for me.

What about you guys (and girls)?

mrprofessor last year

Believe it or not, I use zero gadgets except my phone and some tools. A nice gps unit would come very in handy, especially for competitions and KOM hunting but they are (as you said) quite expensive =/ when I'm travelling I rely on paper maps hhahaha

I'm a bit of a Strava geek though. I used to spend a lot of time hunting koms until i lost a bunch of them. It's still a great tool to analyze training and compare times with other ppl.

friendlymoose last year

I'm using Strava as well, but I don't hunt KOM's. They are way to sharp here. And mostly in urban areas, so too dangerous to try.
Unfortunately they have put a lot of cool features in the paid version a while ago.

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mrprofessor last year

Those damn urban koms, that's how I broke my leg (still it wasn't my fault since the guy cut me off when I was in the main street). The worst thing about koms is losing them hahaha

Hmm, I use the paid version, it's pretty cool; would be better if I used all the sensors though.

friendlymoose last year

Ouch, that is exactly what I mean.

I have a heatrate band and a cadence meter. I don't look too much at the cadence since I mostly keep that above 80 automatically. I do watch the heartrate. Especially in climbs.

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mrprofessor last year

Do you set the HR zones in your Garmin? It's cool to monitor your effort after uploading to Strava.

friendlymoose last year

Yes, I even did a fitness test last year to determine my zones, so I know the value which I should stay under.