5 accessories for a summer of cycling

With long summery days ahead of us, here are 5 accessories we love and recommend at London Cyclist.

Smartphone bike mount

Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, whatever your poison, you can mount it to your handlebars to follow directions and use as a bike computer. With summer here, it’s the perfect time to ditch the sweaty underground and get to know more of London. Use either Google Maps or BikeHub to find bike friendly directions to your destination, taking you along new routes away from main roads. I’ve always been a big fan of CycleMeter when I choose to track my rides (Oooh I burnt 325 calories – time for a chocolate cake!). A lot of people also enjoy using Strava, which compares your stats to fellow London cyclists.

Not everyone wants to mount their expensive phone to their handlebars. In this case, I’ve found having the device in my pocket, with just one of my earphones in and Google Maps turn by turn directions to work really well.

This still gives me good audio awareness of the traffic around, whilst directing me without having to look down at my phone.

With CycleMeter you can even turn on audio announcements every few minutes, which can tell you your speed, distance and ride time, amongst other metrics.

Levis jeans for cycling

If you’ve ever tried riding with a pair of skinny jeans, you’ll know it can be a challenge. Levis, Rapha and Swrve are just some of the brands offering bike friendly trousers. Whilst looking like regular jeans, they tend to add some elastane (Lycra), which gives them more stretch making them more comfortable on a bike ride. Depending on how much you typically spend on jeans, you may find cycling specific jeans expensive, as the price point tends to hover at around £95 and above. The good news is they’ll last you longer than regular jeans on the bike.

Typically, cycling jeans will come with additional features such as reflective loops, a bike lock pocket, zip pockets for keys and so forth.

Lezyne Zecto Drive LED Light Set

Chain Reaction Cycles have a clearance sale on right now with some of last years bike lights, so it’s a great chance to grab a bargain on a light such as the Lezyne Zectro, which we’ve highly recommended on multiple occasions. This light, which comes either as a set or as individual front and rear light, is rechargeable, it offers 180 degree side visibility and is quick and easy to attach and remove.

Even though it’s the summer and the sun isn’t setting until after 9pm, it’s still worth having a pair of lights to hand for those late night bike rides home.

Don’t forget to checkout VoucherBin for discount codes before you buy.

Flat pedals

Whilst clipping in to your pedal offers speed and efficiency, it can be prohibitive if you want to arrive at your destination with normal shoes. A nice pair of flat pedals means you can ride with any footwear you choose. Plus, with the warmer more pleasant days, you may want to drop your speed a little anyway. Of course, there are best of both worlds solutions. You can find double sided pedals, mountain bike pedals (SPDs) which allow for a recessed cleat in the shoe and casual shoes that are designed for cycling.

Bicycle plant pot

Yes, this does exist. What can be more summery than some cute little flowers attached to the side of your bike! Interested in more? Lookup Colleen Jordan and her wearable planters.