A few of our favourite things 2025

Tech Tech - What to Buy
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I thought it would be nice if the community had a space to share their favourite things for 2025. I always enjoying learning about new products via these articles each year.

My list is below:

Jack the rack

This was my birthday present this year and it has rarely been off my bike since. I have carried laptops, shoe boxes, groceries, camping gear, swimming gear and every manner of random packages.

Jack really encourages you to use your bike more often and to ride for fun.

Granite Rock n roll ratchet mini tool.

https://granite-design.com/products/rocknrol

I lost my saddle bag earlier this year and needed to replace it and its contents. The Rock n Roll was on sale and seemed like a good option. While I have other ratchet tools, the size of this makes it very useful for hard to reach bolts. I have found myself using it regularly, both with the bike and off.

Brainwave T-shirt

The best thing I did this year was volunteer at Brainwave Bikes. While unemployed I serviced all of the bikes my kids had outgrown to sell them on Facebook marketplace and a second hand bike for them to grow into. My partner noticed I enjoyed it so much and suggested I find somewhere to volunteer. Starting with one day a week, I was very soon heading in two or three days to prepare pre-owned bikes for resale.

Having left a toxic workplace, it was so nice to be somewhere that was friendly, inclusive and appreciative of whatever you could offer. The work is as hard or as easy as you want it to be, with thousands of bikes ranging from brand new to those ready for the scrap heap. This meant that while I was reasonably handy with bikes to begin with, I have learnt something new almost every time I have been in.

If you have some spare time, do yourself a favour and volunteer somewhere similar.

Velosamba

https://www.adidas.com.au%2Fvelosamba-shoes%2FIE7024.html

These aren’t new, but I have worn them much more often as a result of doing more utility riding with Jack the rack, riding with my kids and commuting to Brainwave. Very practical. I can now say they stand up to a fair amount of use as well.

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Aah great idea!

A few of mine:

-Sierra : great spot for deals on things like helmets and boxes of honey stingers. I’ve gotten a few POC helmets for $40.

-Pro Kit Club : I know it’s viewed as un-cool to wear pro team kit, but I have gotten some great pieces from here for a fraction of usual price. Bibs are getting expensive as hell so if so can get some nearly new Mitchelton-Scott bibs for $50, hell yeah.

Goodr sunglasses : sunnies also starting to cost crazy amounts of money, and I have a hard time finding a shape that doesn’t catch airflow and spray sweat all over the inside of the lens, but these Goodr’s are great and cheap enough that if they fall and scratch I can just replace em

Muc Off chain cleaner/drivetrain cleaner : I need to take better care of my bike. This was a good step. A clean chain makes a big difference, now just need to find a drip-lube I really trust!

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Glasses: Have been happy with these: Cycling Glasses | Rail XC | Tifosi Optics The regular Rail is larger for folks who like bigger lenses. Photochromatic is nice for variable conditions or the end of the day.

One of the best buys I’ve made for outdoor activities have been better insoles. For cycling, these work for me: Body Geometry SL Footbeds For other activities, PowerStep Insoles | #1 Podiatrist Recommended Orthotic Insoles or Premium Insoles For Comfort & Pain Relief – Superfeet Worldwide Makes a big difference compared to the flat limp foam that’s standard in most athletic footwear.

I hate getting soggy shorts from riding on wet roads . A quick-mount rear fender goes on if there’s even a slight chance of getting wet: X-Tra Dry XL Rear Quickrelease Fender – SKS USA or Win Wing 2 Gravel Spektrum – Ass Savers have worked well for me.

O.W.L. Energy Bar are full of ingredients you recognize. Pricey for everyday use but good to keep stashed as a backup or special treat.

1" Oralite V92 Daybright Prismatic Tape Rolls - 30’ & 150’ Rolls – Tape Finder Online Store - Division of Reflective Inc. I’m a huge fan of retroreflective tape as a low-cost, lightweight safety enhancement. Red on the seatstays, white on the fork, white or gold on the crank. Add to anything you want to find in the dark. You can do inside car doors so it shows to someone approaching from behind when you start to open the door. I’ve also seen a black tape that reflects silver if you prefer to be more stealthy. This V92 is seriously bright and has a good adhesive.

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Ass savers and reflective tape both sound like good low-cost ideas

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I’m amazed at how rarely I see fenders like that SKS being used. No real downsides – it’s on/off the seatpost in seconds with one clamp, no tools, no rubbing issues, minimal weight and drag. It doesn’t offer the protection of a full fender but it will minimize the soggy skunk stripe on damp roads. For “chance of rain” rides or early-morning puddles it seems like an obvious choice.

I use the Win Wing on a bike where the saddlebag and Varia take all the available seatpost room. Seems to accomplish the same task of minimizing the stripe.

Good reflective tape: ugly phone flash photo, but you get the idea:

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When cutting the tape, put a generous radius on the corners. Sharp corners are an invitation to peel.

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Silca hot melt wax. Makes maintenance of all the bikes in family (currently 11) WAY easier/faster. As well as easier/cleaner to transport and to handle (e.g. roadside repairs/taking off rear wheel). Maybe not my first year with it, but still my favourite.

Silca waxing system - or rather the exact same product directly from chinese manufacturer for ~20usd (without fancy stand). WAY faster to melt wax than slow cookers/electric pots. I use 2 - one for “dirty” wax, second one for “clean” wax.

Vessel electric screwdrivers. After buying one - I already have 3 and will probably buy 1-2 more (plus bought 3 for my father). Very cheap if ordered directly on amazon.co.jp.

Vessel bits and other tools - also crazy cheap on japanese amazon, while they can rival wera in quality/fit. Same applies to koken hex sockets for 1/4 square drive.

Orbea Orca M30i - way more comfortable than my old ‘97 Cannondale Caad 3 (non-production version which was only available to sponsored riders). Cannondale is a great bike despite the age (and lots of interesting tech - spinergy RevX wheels, Coda cranks which were “hollowtech” many years before shimano engineers even dreamt of it), but Orca fits me way better and is way more comfortable - making me faster.

Unior torque wrench - bought it after my old Syntace one broke as my main torque wrench (I have a couple of cheaper ones lying around for less important parts). Electronic is way faster / easier to work with. No need to wind it down. No need to preset it (because I can just read scales). More accurate (without that “jump” that can cause additional torquing on non-electronic wrenches). And quite affordable compared to bike-specific brands (or other brands in general) + very compact.

SQlabs saddles - not that much time on them yet, but I find them promising.

Just a couple of things from the top of my head :slight_smile:

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100% on Goodr. Been using them for sunnies for personal, swim and cycling uses.

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