lilacs and panniers

Now that the Cherry Blossoms have all dropped their pedals, the lilacs are in full bloom this week along the West Side Greenway's Cherry Walk (100th to 125th Street)!!! They are so fragrant I've been finding myself slowing down as I bike past to make the experience last longer.

The warmer weather has also got me switching up my routine -- I'm giving my backpack (and my back) a break and testing out some saddlebag panniers for Commute By Bike. The review will be up in couple weeks!

review of Fyxation’s Session 700 Tires

My review of Fyxation’s Session 700 Tires is up over on Commute by Bike's site!

Fyxation Pedal and Strap review

I did a review of Fyxation's Gates Pedals and Straps for the website Commute By Bike... here's the link!

Knog light bliss - a Boomer Rechargeable and Wearable review

Knog, the Australian-based bicycle product company, sent me over some of their new bike lights to test out -- and they did not disappoint! Since it's (already) that time of year when the sun starts setting before I leave the office, I've been able to use them this entire month... 

The Knog Boomer Rechargeable comes as both a front white light and a rear red light - and doesn't require a single battery, hence the name 'Rechargeable'. I just plugged it directly into a USB port -- more on that below. The lighting quality is superbly bright and was particularly impressed with the front light which reflected every street sign half way down the block on my commute home through Brooklyn  ('up to 55 Lumens' as noted on their website). They also have 4 modes of lighting from HYPER blinking to solid. Although twice the price of their popular Frog Stobes you get more then twice the power ♥ hence more visibility ♥ and don't have to buy another bike light battery.

ready for my commute home

The Boomer comes in a silicone body which fits varying handle bars/seat tubes sizes and doesn't require permanent hardware -- once locked up I could easily grab them off my bike in seconds. The front light easily attached but I was a bit apprehensive with the way the rear light has a smaller fastener you have to make sure slides in - yet it never slipped off or loosened.

rear light recharging / lite up green when finished

So, more about the recharging process... these lights are smart little things. They have a built in warning system to let you when you are soon in need of a recharge and the USB plug is built into the light itself so you just have to slip off the silicon casing and plug it in vertically (I used my MAC desktop). I did notice that once plugged in, I had to push it side to side to make sure it maintained contact and make sure it was recharging. The rear light was easy to remove from the casing which peeled out like a banana while the front light took a little work to remove -- the best way was to push on the bottom to slide it up.

It just so happens that last year I bought another brand's rechargeable light but ended up pretty unhappy for two reasons: 1) in order to recharge it you needed to use a separate USB plug attachment that came with it but was so tiny I misplaced it for weeks; and 2) the bike attachment's Velcro strap, which I thought was nice and minimal, broke in half. I mention this since Knog's design doesn't have either of these issues. For weeks they've been reliable and easy to use + come in six colours so you can accessorize - and who doesn't like to have that option?! Silicone is a sticky material though I had no problem cleaning off grease (along with remnants from the bottom of my bag) by wiping them off with soap and water - after all, they're waterproof! 

Also tested out their Boomer Wearable with an integrated clip ALONG with a removable magnetic plate which attaches to your clothing/bag (similar to my Flower Power reflectors) -- pretty freakin awesome! The magnetic strength was strong I was able to wear it on my canvas bag and would work great on a jacket. I actually ended up using the clip on my belt (mostly out of habit) but still found it to be one versatile light.

the GAMOH King Carrier

This past summer (after eyeing Globe's Live bicycle) I felt the need for a front rack upgrade... and went for the GAMOH by Minoura.  Actually, we ended up with two of them (for two different bikes). Having used the GAMOH for a few months now here is a review and warning*:

FABULOUSNESS...
The rack is large (measuring at 18"x12.5"x4.25") and somewhat intimidating bumper - perfect for maneuvering NYC streets. The framing is super strong chromoly steel tubing with a powder coating that has yet to chip, dent, or show any wear. A good urban carry-all with a weight limit of 40lbs - while Ben's Cycles recommends no more then 25lbs. It is shallow enough so you can strap on all sorts of oddly shaped items. I had initially been looking for a large cargo rack which did not connect to the handlebars. The GAMOH's three point attachment (to the fork eyelets and fork crown/front breaks) makes for a nice and clean look. And how I adore the wood ♥ paneling (though since I most often lock up my commuter outdoors it didn't take long before I cleaned off the boards and applied a few new coats of Tung Oil). Though this really to be expected maintenance. And, indeed, that little cut out in the front is a bottle opener.

NOT SO FABULOUS...
This baby weighs in at 5+ lbs/2550 grams - which adds up when you commute on a steel beater though not a deal breaker for me in this instance. The biggest issues I have had is with the top mounting bracket* which connects to your front brake. Firstly, the rack comes with two steel brackets (which you are intended to just use the one which works for you) - well NEITHER were angled to accommodate the two bikes which meant the bracket had to be jury rigged and bent to fit:

via Rivendell

So all as good and dandy until riding down a decent hill - after using it for a month - I suddenly glanced down and watched my bags which were strapped to the rack move in front/away from me  ending up with them scrapping along the concrete ***THE BRACKET HAD BROKEN IN HALF*** yeah, pretty dangerous (could have actually been a catapulting situation). Naturally you could tell yourself "you totally just created that weak spot by bending it!"and while true the real issue is the quality of steel used for the bracket is just not adequate. Perhaps I was overloading - thought I do tend to use a bungee cord attached the frame and loop it around the stem - similar the Rivendell's advice:

via Rivendell

I recently spotted a fellow commuter with the same GAMOH and it turns out he had the same issue with neither bracket fitting and after trying a some self bending options went to a hardware store and bought and customized a totally new (stronger) steel connector. I knew I wasn't alone.

As mentioned above there ARE some great features with the rack but hope you find this post is helpful. And here's my carrier with bungee cords in FULL effect...