From Bicycling: Cheap Gear Upgrades That Improve Every Ride
Cycling isn’t just about bikes and marquee gear. It’s about the little things — the cheap, clever, often overlooked bits of gear that quietly make every ride better, smoother, or less annoying. None of the items below are glamorous or very expensive, but all of them are an upgrade to your cycling life. Once you start using them, you’ll wonder why you didn't purchase them sooner.
One of my favorite cold-weather hacks is pre-warming my shoes before a winter ride. Starting with toasty shoes keeps my feet warmer, longer, than putting on room-temperature or cold shoes. Some, but not all, shoe dryers can be used to pre-warm your gloves, too.
Boot dryers are also great for drying shoes after wet, muddy, or especially sweaty rides. They work on all your shoes, not just cycling ones, which makes them a solid quality-of-life upgrade. I use DryGuy’s compact “travel” warmer. It’s slower than fan-driven models, but it’s small, easy to stash, and the least expensive option.
Fastest Flat Fix: Easy-to-Reach DynaPlug Holder
When you puncture a tubeless tire, speed matters. The faster you plug it, the less sealant and pressure you lose — and the faster you’re rolling again.
For gravel and all-road bikes with a top-tube mount, this 3D-printed holder keeps a DynaPlug Racer Pro tool and a 16g CO₂ cartridge front and center. It’s so handy you can have it ready before you’ve even come to a full stop.
Kill Battery Anxiety: SRAM AXS Spare Battery Holder
Ride with SRAM’s wireless components and suffer from battery anxiety, or have an epic event on the horizon? Jank Components offers a spare battery carrier that mounts under your bike’s bottle cage, so you can always have a spare on your bike.
Jank offers it in three orientations (horizontal, vertical, and side) so you can pick the one that works best for your bike. Jank also makes combo carriers that hold a spare battery and another accessory, such as a DynaPlug tool or CO2 cartridge.
Emergency Juice for Shimano Di2
I haven’t forgotten Shimano Di2 riders. If you’re on one of Shimano’s latest systems with the magnetic charging port on the rear derailleur, there’s a whole cottage industry of tiny USB-C adapter blocks online.
Pair one with a USB-C cable, and if your smartphone supports reverse charging, your phone can donate just enough juice to get you home.
Don’t Forget the Shifters: Coin Cell Battery Carrier
Wireless shifting doesn’t stop at the derailleurs. Your shifters (and dropper remotes) use batteries too.
This 3D-printed carrier neatly stores two spare CR2032 coin cells — the size used by every wireless drivetrain shifter I know of — and slips easily into a saddle bag or hydration pack.
Strip Anywhere: The Changing Poncho
If cycling shares anything with surfing, it’s that participants in both sports often change in and out of their costumes in public. That’s why this surf accessory is also relevant to us.
A changing poncho is basically a towel you can wear. It’s roomy and long enough to pull your arms inside to change into and out of civvies without flashing unsuspecting passersby. There are simpler and cheaper changing ponchos, as well as premium options that are cozy and warm for cold weather changes .
Prefer something smaller? A changing kilt lets you swap bottoms with a reasonable degree of modesty.
Want to level up your car-side change? A changing mat provides a compact, portable, and tidy spot to stand. I typically use a simple moving blanket, but if you'd rather something designed specifically for the purpose, seek out a wetsuit changing mat with a drawstring closure. You can leave your wet or dirty gear on the mat and pull it closed for convenient and clean transport to the laundry.
Make Room for Big Screens: Offset Spacer for Large Garmin Computers
Upgrading from a compact head unit to one of Garmin’s massive Edge 1050 often reveals an annoying problem: your existing mount isn’t long enough.
If you already own one of K-Edge’s beautifully machined — and not cheap — mounts, you don’t need to replace the whole thing. Their offset spacer shifts the quarter-turn puck forward just enough to fit the larger computer.
Many other mounts use similar puck systems, so there’s a chance this spacer will work elsewhere. Your mileage may vary. Unfortunately, it does not work with Wahoo’s ELEMNT ACE, and K-Edge doesn’t yet make an equivalent spacer for Wahoo’s largest unit.
The Power of a Good Wipe
I always keep baby wipes in my day bag for post-ride cleanup of blood, mud, sweat, grit, whatever the ride delivered. But there are other wipes worth knowing about.
Single-serve Butt Napkins can be lifesavers when nature calls unexpectedly, or the aid-station porta-potty is out of TP.
Silca’s Gear Wipe Singles are great for quick cleaning and degreasing of bikes and everything else.
CrudCloth, also by Silca, is a moistened terry cloth with mild soap and a pleasant scent (also available unscented). Think of it as a fancy baby wipe for an invigorating post-ride “shower.” They’re more durable than standard wipes and washable for reuse at home.
DIY option: soak a clean washcloth in water with a few drops of essential oil, wring it out, roll it up, and seal it in a Ziploc. Chill it in a cooler for hot days or warm it for cold rides.
Disposable Gloves: Not Just for the Workshop
Disposable gloves are obvious workshop staples, but a pair also belongs in your saddle bag or pack. They work as emergency cold-weather gloves or liners and prevent grease, dirt, or sealant from transferring to your nice shorts and jersey after a road/trailside repair. They’re also a must-have for applying embrocation and are helpful if you need to administer first aid to a friend or yourself (though many, like the ones shown here, are not sterile, they can still prevent passing on blood-borne illnesses or passing germs from your dirty hands).
Matt Phillips
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