Outfitting a commuter

[Owlie]

I'm picking up an old rigid mid-90's mountain bike (a Giant Iguana) for use as a commuter and beater bike on Tuesday, and I'll be picking up all the stuff I need for it after that.
Okay, what do I need? Since it's a commuter/beater, I don't want to put anything super nice on it, but I want the stuff to last. (Oh, and I'll be in desert-land for most of my time with this bike, so I doubt I'll need fenders.) I'll be using it to commute to school, possibly light grocery runs, study breaks at the coffee place, that sort of thing.

Given: New saddle, probably new chain.

Must-haves: Rack (it does have eyelets), lights (suggestions for bright-but-inexpensive ones?), flat kit for this bike (how to stow it?)

Probably: Second bottle cage, wheel reflectors

Maybe: Pannier(s) of some kind, very basic computer (that I'll store with me).

Any suggestions? Other stuff I should get that I haven't thought of.

[Irulan]

Mirror

[OakLeaf]

I use the horn on my commuter all the time because I wind up on a lot of shared use paths. I'm guessing a campus situation would be similar. Usual order of notification is bell (which came with the bike, I wouldn't bother with something no one can hear when there's a single car on the same block), spoken warning, horn, wish I had an air horn when they continue to weave all over ...

[shootingstar]

You probably have it --water resistant jacket/pants.

Otherwise you're good.

[Crankin]

No need for those in Tucson... unless Owlie plans on riding in the monsoons next month.

[colorisnt]

I think you pretty much got it

If you want a pannier, get a big grocery-style pannier. If you want to commute in the rain, invest in something waterproof (doesn't seem like that's a big problem for you haha). I have determined that our trail is simply not safe for me to take the road bike in the rain so I gave up on it. I have a cheap bag. I paid about $30.00 for it and it's plenty big but not too big for my 47 cm bike. I also have a trunk bag (waterproof!) just in case it rains. I haul my books, computer, etc with me to campus along with a change of clothes no problem. I hate hate hate backpacks so I carry the bag instead. If you have a backpack, YMMV. I just hate having to carry one with me around campus.

[Owlie]

I don't know if I want to put the Jett on the commuter! It's more upright than either of my bikes, and I'd like something with a bit more padding. (Oh, and it also has to be comfortable in regular clothes.) I'm thinking the Riva or Lithia. The Riva seems to show up on Ebay for not-much too.

[Melalvai]

Walmart has these blinkies that are so easy to mount, for $12. I keep a set handy for travel (I like to rent a bike when I travel) and visitors. I've given more than one set away. (One unintentionally to someone who raided my seat pack.) They seem bright enough for city riding which is mostly pretty well lit by street lights. My commuter has lots of lights, generator powered or magnet powered. If you can spend a little more I really like the reelights which are magnet powered, so I never have to worry about a battery running out.

[Owlie]

I was thinking of putting the Jett on my cross. What do you think? I was afraid it would be too padded!

How does the cut-out on the Jett compare to the one on the Ruby? Smaller? Larger? Does it feel similar overall?

I had a friend who bought a Specialized Ariel hybrid a couple of years ago. It came with a Riva, she really liked it. But, I think the Riva is 150 mm, and that may be the only size? Not sure, and they change things frequently.

I didn't notice much of a difference between the Ruby and the Jett, save the level of padding. Only problem is that I'm riding an older Jett, which has a larger cutout/depression in the back of the saddle. I was also riding your old Ruby, so my comparison isn't going to be entirely accurate! None of the editions of the Jett are terribly squishy, though.

[OakLeaf]

I can't compare the Jett to the Ruby, but an old Jett is what I have on my hybrid, and it works fine there. Not too padded for me in that riding position. It was the shape more than the squishiness that made this saddle less than ideal for me on the roadie, but the padding didn't help.

[Owlie]

It's home! Pics when I get it fixed up.

Saddle replacement might have to wait for a bit. It's an older-style seat post with an actual BOLT as a saddle clamp, requiring a wrench of unknown size, and I'm not sure I own one.

[OakLeaf]

It's an older-style seat post with an actual BOLT as a saddle clamp, requiring a wrench of unknown size, and I'm not sure I own one.

Crescent...

[Owlie]

Crescent...

I might just take it to work. I know we've got wrenches there. And at least one of them is nice enough to help me out.

[tzvia]

If you are looking for a nice bright daylight visible but not too pricy tail light, I would suggest the Serfas UTL-6 Thunderbolt. Yea it's a bit more than the typical AAA blinkie, but has a number of pluses. It's USB rechargeable, I take mine into my office at work and charge it every day (comes off in 2 seconds) and it's much brighter (subjective yes but obvious IMO), than the AAA blinkies I had. All three AAA blinkies I had (Performance, Planet Bike, Blackburn) had plastic mounts that suddenly snapped as I rode, and I lost the blinkies. As the whole thing comes of in a moment (no tools), it is easy to take from bike to bike, and as it weighs almost nothing, I've been using it on my road bike too, and it does not look too geeky. It can be strapped just about anywhere, I mount mine low on the seat stay. It could probably be strapped to the back of a rack, provided the location is not too thick for the mounting strap to wrap around, and be off in a moment and tossed into a backpack or into the pannier and taken with, one less thing to get swiped. I also use a Dinotte 300r which is brighter, but at a cost. The two together make me very visible in the dark, and catch peoples attention from a distance even in daylight.

If any commuting is pre-dawn, I would suggest some good reflective tape. Been using tape I bought here http://www.reflectivelyyours.com/generic156.html and some Nathan stuff I got at REI. Put some on the seat stays, chain stays, fork and down tube, and put the Nathans tape on the helmet. Also bought some 'Lightweights' reflective tape that is wrapped around each wheel spoke. Takes a little time to put on, but it provides great side visibility in cross-traffic in the dark. I also wear a Nathan mesh reflective vest and leg bands.

Another neat light is the Fibre Flare bike light. Been using that as well, strapped on the downtube, as a side visible light. Wish it was USB rechargable (uses 2 AAA), and quicker to get on and off but the batteries do last quite a while.

Up front, I use a Nightrider Mininewt 600 all in one light. The middle brightness is fine in the dark, it has a blink mode for daylight, and again I can charge it at work as it's USB rechargeable. I also use a helmet light (L&M Stella 150 lumen) that I can 'point' at inattentive drivers.

As you can guess, I spent quite a bit of time researching and setting up my lighting as my winter rides are in darkness, with the first mile or so, with no streetlights, and the rest, on urban streets where I am competing with storefront lighting for motorist attention. I pass a ghost bike every day, so I'm always thinking of ways to stay safe. Maybe I went too far, but co-workers say they can see me from a mile away.

Congrats on the new commuter and be safe out there!

[Owlie]

Got Lightweights (for wheels), blinkies (a selection!), a rack, two new bottle cages, and new grips. Next on the list is new tires (we're going skinny and slick!), a mirror, panniers of some kind (suggestions?), and reflective tape. Oh, and a new seat post (saddle clamp is annoying as heck, and I can't get quite enough setback with this one), possibly a new clamp that eliminates the quick release.

I need to tweak the rack. Can't quite get the bolts tightened.