Spring Into Cycling Buyer's Guide

May 14, 2013

Spring is in the air and bikes are everywhere in Missoula. It's hard to contain the excitement of wearing shorts and needing nothing more than a light sweater while cycling to work in the mornings.

It always feels like I'm in a mad, buying frenzie in springtime, sprucing up my riding set-up. So I thought I'd share what I'm excited about right now with a Spring Into Cycling Buyer's Guide.

1. MSR Trail Lite Duo Cooking System – Weekend bikeovernights are becomming my jam with the low-commitment, high-adventure. Having a camp-cooked meal at the end of the day is so novel. With this cooking set, you're set. (Well, you'll need a stove and food to cook, but you get the idea.) The compact design saves space without skimping on cooking/eating recepticles. This is perfect for parties of one to two.

2. Adventure Cycling Cap – Our staff was super psyched when these came in the door. (We've been known to get our Cycle Cap Friday on.) With the sun shining in full force these days, this cap will not only look stylish, it'll keep those rays off your face during long rides.

3. House of Talents Bicycle Basket – These gorgeous baskets are hand-woven in Ghana, Africa. Each creation is one of a kind and proceeds go back to help sustain the Ghanian village. My mother was so taken  by them that she bought one for me (that I put on my commuter and am in LOVE with) and one for her touring bike. Talking with my bearded manfriend about my mom's basket, I said, "Do you think it will be okay for touring? It's not really a touring accessory." To which he replied, "If it gets you excited about bike touring, then it's a bike touring accessory." Touché. Awesome.

4. Rainbow Allen Hex Key Set – Your bike is going to need fixing at some point. Some people love working on bikes, others (hehemm, myself), need a little motivation to get excited about tuning, adjusting, or fixing. These hexes will do the trick! They're so colorful and fun that taking them to your ride will be a treat.

5. Adventure Cycling Silipint – I know I talked about these in my last Buyer's Guide, but I can't stop won't stop. I love them too much! My bearded manfriend and I just recently hosted a birthday event that involved a keg in a park. We brought four of these puppies and people constantly asked us about them. And they're not just for throwing in your new bike basket to keg events, they can do so much more! This is the perfect bike touring, camping/cooking accessory.

Also check out the March 2010 Spring Bicycling Apparel post by Josh Tack. 

Whatever your set-up, I hope you enjoy the wonders of spring by bicycle!

Graphic by Rachel Stevens

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ART. ADVENTURE. AWESOMENESS. wishes to bring you enthusiasm every other Tuesday. This column is written by Rachel Stevens, a graphic designer at Adventure Cycling Association.