I wouldn't bother with dynamos, unless you have one already or you love spending your free time doing electronics and soldering stuff. They are really faffy and people spend ages talking about them and messing around with them. No idea why - battery lights have improved so much in a generation so there isn't really any benefit. Cheap spare lights from eBay cost a couple of pounds and weigh nothing - if you take a set then you don't even need to stress about charging your main light batteries. Or you could just remember. But two lights at each end is a good idea for winter riding anyway.
We have very different experiences of dynamo lights. Mine (Edelux II, B&M Secula, Shimano DH-T8000) has been a fit and forget setup. Only time I've had to do anything with it was when I forgot to unplug it when removing the wheel in Finland, it took me a couple of mins in the hotel that evening to put it back together. That's in something like 20000+km of use.
I use reflective tape for bikes that go out in the dark a lot.
I have a lot of reflective tape on my bike, a long with 3 rear lights with built in reflectors. But I only fitted the tape because it was a requirement for events I do.
I do have pedal reflectors, I have M324 pedals, and the reflectors have been great. My experience of stealth cyclists in .NL, is that often the pedal reflector is the most visible part of an unlight cyclist.
Marathon Plus or Durano Plus tyres.
Be careful of Marathon Pluses in winter. They area bitch to fit at the best of times, in the cold, with cold hands, they take on a whole new level of pain in the arse. I have a VAR Bead jack in my toolbag, for such things, tho I haven't riden with Marathon's on the big bike (other than the studded tyres), for a few years.
There is a middle ground below full studs, which is the Continental Top Contact II Winter, these are reasonable on ice, not quite as good as full studs, but a good middle ground.
You have to get bike out anyway. It’s a quick check whilst putting bike out, both how it feels and what the thermometer is saying. No faff at all.
Yes, but you then get straight on it. If you have to take it out of the secure storage location, it then needs to be secured somehow while you do what ever it is you're doing. That feels like faff.
Just get an outdoor thermometer, it's simpler. And less risk of it being stolen.
I just use the thermometer at Schiphol, it's close enough to be close enough a temp, and maintenance free.
If you're going to leave your bike locked up outside, get battery lights rather than a dynamo so you can remove them and lessen the value of stealable bike.
Or look at pitlocks. I have Pitlock nut things on my Edelux II, not that I ever actually lock the bike up anywhere. I take it into the office at work, and store it in the server room. Pitlocks won't stop someone angle grinding the bracket off to steel the light, but chances are if they are that equipped, they are going to take your whole bike. I have matching pitlocks for the two wheels and the light. The nut thingy to undo them lives on my keys.
Bags: let the bike carry the weight, obvs. Don't get anything that takes ages to attach to the bike - you want everything to be simple, remember.
Agreed.
Also, some people are fine with operating brakes and gears with gloves twice the size of their hands, but others aren't. No point having warm hands if it means crashing.
I have Buffalo mitts (as mentioned in the glove thread), I can operate gears with them just fine. Ditto brakes. They are great, I really recommend them for cold weather.
Pogies are excellent on flat bars. I wouldn't say it has to be really cold to use them, just cold. Never used them on dropped bars.
Pogies are indeed excellent, and you can get them for drop bars as well as flat bars. The only reason I don't use them is I use multiple hand positions, including the aerobars, so I need to use gloves instead. Hence Buffalo mitts.
Pedal reflectors are good, and legally required, but they restrict you to expensive hybrid pedals (M324, which are shite, or T8000, which are a fortune) or clunky adaptors that tske one side of your double-sided SPDs out of use.
We have different experience. My M324's have been great, 20000+km and still going strong. The additional reflectors aren't great, I am on my second set of them, but they cost about €8 a set, so not a major issue.
I permanently kept a few useful things in the cupboard under my desk (You know, that bit of legacy kit from the days of paper files)
A paid of "work shoes" as I only wore them in the office they didn't need rotation, much care or cleaning.
An emergency pair of pants and a polo shirt, for those times I forgot to pack one in the pannier.
This is an excellent idea.
My common mistake is cycling to work in civvies, wearing a skirt and tights, with my cycle gear in the bag on the back, ready for an afterwork training ride, only to realise I forgot to include a pair of socks. Just shoes is fine in warmer months, but not fun in the winter.
Check where the radiators are in the office, you're gonna want to put your gloves and maybe socks somewhere to dry if it rained on the way in. Do not do what I did at my first job aged about 17, cycle in in the rain, think "I'll just dry my gloves out" and put the wet gloves on the top of your nice warm CRT Monitor. BANG! oops... Being in IT I tend to stick my gloves near the back of the rack in the server room to dry out.
J
