Upgrades, modifications & changes you should have made sooner.

[danielrlee]

Procrastination is a b**ch.

Many a time I have put off doing something, only to regret not having done it sooner. A few examples are:

Fitting mudguards - Because a mouth full of mud and a s**tty looking streak up your back is not cool.

Fitting a pannier rack - Losing the rucksack and no longer suffering sore shoulders and a sweaty back was a welcome change.

Auxiliary power from main battery - Charging batteries is a PITA. Having the ability to power lights, phone, nav and other miscellaneous gadgetry from the bike battery is ultra convenient.

Tire liners - Controversial I'm sure, but the weekly occurrence of a puncture has been totally eliminated since fitting them. Touch wood, not a single one in over 500 miles!

GPS tracker - I still worry about some thieving scumbag pinching my bike while it's left locked unattended, just less so. Gives quite a bit of peace of mind though.

Switching from chemistry xyz to lithium - I wouldn't have gotten started with e-bikes if it weren't for the freebie lead bricks I used to run, but ditching them for LiPo gave a night and day difference in performance.

Triangle mounted battery - I'm sure the sight of me wrestling with my bike as it tried to pivot about the rear wheel and turn itself upside down every time I got off must've been hilarious, but I didn't enjoy it much. Mid mounted battery makes the bike much nicer to handle both on and off.

I'm sure there are more, but that'll do for now. How about you? What do you wish you'd have done sooner?

 

[Alan Quay]

Vasectomy.

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[danielrlee]

Vasectomy.

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That did make me laugh. I was focusing on bike related points, but as I didn't specify, anything goes I guess.

 

[dinger19]

Get a better dongle.


I have already got one and what a waste of time as it did not make my laptop any faster.

 

[flecc]

Vasectomy.

Have you told the kids this wish?
.

 

[KirstinS]

Vasectomy.

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Very good Alan

Actually did laugh out loud*

* I'm a father of four and am feeding one baby as I type

 

[KirstinS]

Procrastination is a sin,
It causes me much sorry
I think I'll put an end to it
In fact, I'll start tomorrow


Taught to me by my English teacher when I was 8.

Only later did I appreciate she was a chain smoker and thisv was why it was writ large on the wall in her classroom.

 

[Croxden]

I got sent on many courses on procrastination, I got quite good at it.

 

[SteveRuss]

GPS tracker - I still worry about some thieving scumbag pinching my bike while it's left locked unattended, just less so. Gives quite a bit of peace of mind though.

Which one out of interest?

 

[danielrlee]

Which one out of interest?

Coban GPS303E:

http://www.coban.net/html/2013/12/26/2013122605122346071832.html

I'm not even sure if they're in production anymore, which is a shame since they're one of the only GPS trackers built especially for EV's and work on a wide voltage range (12-80v if I remember correctly).

 

[ocb]

You mean something like this? 13 euro.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Guaranteed-100-4-band-car-GPS-tracker-GT02A-Google-link-real-time-tracking-free-shipping/1257279802.html

Seems like quite a few on AliExpress.
I like the idea - thanks for the hint!

I need to calm down though, apart from the 2 ebikes that just arrived, I upgraded my security chain (decathlon 30 euro thing), new grips, and found an Amazon Warehouse deal on a 12v self contained pressure washer

Agree with the other points:
Mudguards were one of my first.
Instead of pannier, I went with Carradice Slim - thx to discussion on here!
Liners, got them but not fitted them. Only had one puncture this season (600km so far).
Once I'm up and running with my new bike, I'm gonna post an inventory of all the kit I've bought (it's a lot...and I still haven't gotten a maintenance stand yet...)

 

[soundwave]

aldi had them not long ago for 25 quid for a work stand and lidl had them as well so worth a check to see if any left.

same price as on ebay.

 

[danielrlee]

You mean something like this? 13 euro.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Guaranteed-100-4-band-car-GPS-tracker-GT02A-Google-link-real-time-tracking-free-shipping/1257279802.html

That's the sort of thing. You need to consider how you will integrate one into your bike before taking the plunge though. Also, pay attention to the operating voltage and be sure that it will work with your battery, else you might need an additional DC-DC converter to power it.

 

[ocb]

That's the sort of thing. You need to consider how you will integrate one into your bike before taking the plunge though. Also, pay attention to the operating voltage and be sure that it will work with your battery, else you might need an additional DC-DC converter to power it.

I was looking at exactly that spare connector on my new bike thinking "what would I use that for?"

I don't know if an SMS or 3G version would be more useful. I need to do some research

 

[Lancslass]

For me it has to be my handlebar mirrors. No more twisting my neck trying to see what's behind before I pull out to avoid that pot hole, just a quick glance in my mirror does it now.

 

[flecc]

For me it has to be my handlebar mirrors. No more twisting my neck trying to see what's behind before I pull out to avoid that pot hole, just a quick glance in my mirror does it now.

Me too, the best addition ever for any bike. I should have added one to all my bikes, many decades earlier.
.

 

[Alan Quay]

Elective operations aside, the biggest thing for me is tyres. The right ones make a huge difference. Every bike I get (and I've had a lot) I ride it for a few weeks with the stock tyres to remind myself how much I dislike them, then I change them out for either Schwalbe Fat Frank or Big Apple 2.35's. (The only difference between them is looks)

They make a massive difference to any MTB/cruiser that's primarily used on the road.







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[KirstinS]

The suntour suspension post for my road bike. Combined with my Brooks it's a much comfier commuter

 

[D8ve]

It has to be going bent.
The efficiency gains along with comfort makes this old man a lean mean cycling machine.
I can go out and bash out a 30 mile run in two easy hours or go all day in comfort.
Dam the upwrong and its inefficient design and the uci who covered there commercial arses in 1930's.

 

[danielrlee]

For me it has to be my handlebar mirrors. No more twisting my neck trying to see what's behind before I pull out to avoid that pot hole, just a quick glance in my mirror does it now.

Ooh yes, I agree. A handlebar mirror would have been on my list had I remembered.