What 10 Items Should You Take in Your Bike Saddle Bag?

Pelikan SMS Seat Bag from Clean Motion

The Best List of Top Ten Things You Should Stuff in Your Bicycle Seat Bag

Start with the best seat bag ever created. Don't take our word for it. Check out the review of the Pelikan SMS Wide Mouth Wedge Bag here.  Now add the following items for a great day on the roads and paths.


1. First aid - The following items take up next to no room. Three medicated bandaids in various sizes. Two or three individual hand wipes. You’ll be so glad you brought these one day.

2. Identification - Some don’t like to carry a wallet. At least bring the ID.

3. Cash - $5 can get you out of almost any jam. Debit card, too?


4. House key - Easy to forget when you’re traveling light

5. Multi-tool set - Find the right tools for your bike. Even if you can’t fix anything, maybe someone else can help if you have the tools.

6. Cell Phone - Probably no need to remind you to bring this absolute necessity. You may prefer to use a mounting system to attach to your handlebar. But it will fit nicely into most seat bags.

7. Mini pump - You may prefer to mount your pump on the frame. However, some decent hand pumps are now small enough to go into some seat bags. An alternative is a CO2 pump. In any case, having a way to pump up your tire or that of a stranded cyclist is worth a few ounces and a bit of room in your seat bag.

8. Patch Kit and tire changing tool - Don’t bother with the one if you don’t have the other. West of Kansas, due to tire eating thorns, you will need all the protection possible against flats. In the rest of the world, it is certainly nice to have a way to fix a flat when they occur. For the Western US, be sure to outfit your tires with RhinoDillos tire liners. Then take a patch kit for good measure.

9. A spare tube - This will act as stuffing in your seat bag to keep other items from rattling around. It is also great for those times when the patch kit doesn’t work or you go through multiple flats.

10.  Sun screen - Did you remember to put
sun screen on when you left the house early in
the day. Nutz! Now you have to hunt down and pay dearly for a large bottle of some brand you don’t even like. Instead, get the individual packets and put two or three in your seat bag. Or buy a small plastic bottle, and pour some of your favorite sun screen into the bottle as back up. You’ll thank me.

What would you add to this kit?

Bicycle Handlebar Mounted Power Bank Portable Battery Charger Will Back Up any USB Devise

 

Joose Box portable battery charger comes with two straps for mounting on bicycle handle bar

Keep Your Back Up USB Battery Power Close at Hand - Joose Box

Back up power for your consumer electronics products that can be recharged by USB are available in all sizes and shapes. No one wants to be cut off from their iPhone or unable to GoPro that huge wave, and thus a huge industry has been born to provide a jolt of extra juice should you find yourself in a place with no outlets or not in possession of your charger cord and box.

For we cyclists, it is about way more than a smart phone. It might involve our lights or our on board computer, not to mention our GoPro. It would be so sad to finally find that perfect shot and not be able to record the moment. And riding the rest of the trail in total darkness may be edgy, but sketchy for sure. There is something quite unsettling about watching a smart phone die from lack of juice. Enter the Joose Box.

Back up is more important for a cyclist on a ride than for most other times in life. To be sure, we don't need one more thing in our seat bag or our pockets (assuming we even have pockets).  We certainly don't want to have to fish around in a back pack. And assuming we carry a power bank in one of those places, how do we use it to power handlebar mounted products? Does it just hang down by the strap?

The Joose Box is a perfect solution that sits in the perfect place. Strapped to the handlebar with silicon straps, the Joose Box is positioned right next to the devices that need a boost. Designed to look like an enthusiast's item, the Joose Box is easy to mount and remove, gives hours of back up power, and is competitive with similar products on the market.

See the JooseBox at Interbike booth 13159.

When Exactly Does a Bicycle Safety Light Become a Bicycle Headlight? - See at Interbike 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The completely new-for-Interbike 2014 Pluton USB Headlight blurs the lines

But there is nothing blurry about the output of this tiny new headlight.  Just in time for the bicycle headlight season, Clean Motion is adding to its stellar list of great lighting options. The Pluton will fill the gap between the super successful Beam Bugs silicon LED safety lights, the hot selling Brutus headlight, and the top of the line Atomic Hot Dog.

The Pluton looks like a safety light in size and shape, but is brighter than the Brutus, and other similarly priced headlights. The Pluton doesn't pack the lumens of the Atomic Hot Dog, but it delivers serious illumination at a great price.

To add to the list of great features on the Pluton, you never have to worry about buying a battery. This little giant comes with a USB rechargeable battery and cord, and will give you X hours of performance on the full brightness setting when fully charged.

To reduce battery use and to increase the safety component of the Pluton, set the light to blink or chase modes.

Clean Motion also offers a companion Pluton tail light. Like all Clean Motion tail lights, the Pluton tail light is engineered to give maximum brightness as a safety product. The silicone strap mounting system makes both headlight and tail light easy to mount or remove.

RhinoDillos Are the Best Tire Liners By Every Measure You Can Imagine - Interbike 2014

Stop more flats, easier to install, don't cause flats - No other brand can claim these advantages!

Clean Motion is like the Gallup of the bicycle industry. We are on the phone year round polling bicycle retailers all over the United States to determine how they feel about various products that we carry, but also to inquire about other potential products. From these conversations we make decisions about how to improve our existing items, and determine the possible needs we can fill in the future through the invention of new, cool gear.

A perfect example of this process can be seen in the RhinoDillos tire liner changes introduced earlier this year. Tire liners have been on the market for over 30 years. When we introduced the RhinoDillos line in 2012, it was the first major improvement in the category in the new millennium. Dealers and consumers alike were shocked to see how much better RhinoDillos were at stopping flats. Since the cost was the same or less than the less effective competition, many retailers immediately switched to RhinoDillos.

However, through our phone calling, we learned that dealers had other issues with tire liners. Basically:

1. Tire liners sometimes caused flats because of sharp edges on the end of the liner.
2. Tire liners were hard to install because they came tightly rolled, and the liner wanted to hold that shape.
3. The category wasn't getting enough attention to create consumer demand

If those three issues could be addressed, the product would basically be perfect. How hard could it be to come up with a packaging solution that would allow for the product to arrive uncoiled or loosely coiled, so that it would be easier to install. Not hard at all. But our designers were able to accomplish the new packaging in a way that took up no additional display space, looked great, and provided more exposure to the consumer of the selling points. Almost a year later the other brands continue to roll their product tight.

Time to tackle the sharp end issue. Tire liners are made of urethane. In order for the urethane to stop sharp object from penetrating to the tube, the material needs to have a substantial surface hardness. That surface hardness is great for stopping thorns, but is abrasive, too. Solution, cover the end with a much softer material to protect the tube. We chose silicone. After months of testing various ways to attach the silicone to the urethane, we successfully introduced "Soft Tips" to the bicycle industry in the Spring of 2014.

Now, there is an old saying that "You can't even sell pure gold for $20 a ounce if no one knows you are offering such a deal." The competitor tire liner companies had done absolutely nothing for a generation to advertise the category. Clean Motion wants the entire world to know that there really is an easy, light weight, proven method for stopping over 95% of puncture flats. Therefore we have been advertising RhinoDillos through local and regional print advertising.

Cyclists - There are independent bicycle dealers in virtually every city that carry RhinoDillos tire liners. We have a dealer locator here. If your favorite dealer doesn't carry RhinoDillos, you might want to send him an email with a link to this post, or print it out and take it to him.

Bicycle Retailers - While we at Clean Motion understand the value of a brand name, we believe that leading brands need to keep up on technology, packaging, and marketing, or they no longer deserve to be the leading brand. RhinoDillos tire liners are clearly the leader in every aspect, and also available from major distributors including KHS, J & B, Wilson, Olympic, Down East, and Hans Johnson.  See us in booth 13159 at Interbike 2014.

Interbike New Products - Totally New Concept in Wide Mouth Wedge Bags - The Pelikan

 Everything about this wedge bag has changed except the wide mouth and wedge shape

We showed those who dropped by our booth at the 2013 Interbike Show this revolutionary new bag.  It was a 3D prototype that was so fragile we had to ask that no one actually handle the product. Even with those restrictions the verdict was clear. If you make it, we will buy it.

Making something in a completely new way takes a bit more time. In fact, as this post is being written on 8/15/2014, the final production of the Pelikan SMS™ has just begun. The first shipment should leave the factory just prior to Interbike 2014. When bike shop personnel visit us this year at booth 13159, they will be able to touch the production bag, examine the new exoskeleton, evaluate the new silicon strap mounting system, test out the way it fits up tight under the seat, and be impressed that it won't come loose even over a rugged trail.

During the year as we talked to dealers all over the US, we asked this question: "Do you have issues with Velcro straps on seat bags?" The overwhelming response was yes. The concerns centered on the straps getting dirty, wearing out, loosing effectiveness in mud and wet condition, and creating snags in Lycra garments. By using Silicone straps we solve all three of those issues.

Many said that you liked buckle systems better than Velcro, but that the buckles break, and the straps wear out. Once again, the Silicone system takes care of both of these issues.

We needed a rigid surface on the Pelikan SMS™ where the Silicone could attach that would be provide an easy way to attach the straps, and to remove the straps when taking the bag off the bike. This rigid platform would then keep the bag in place under any conceivable vibration or bumps. Our designers conceived of a solid exoskeleton that would be riveted to the bag. The exoskeleton has button type receptors for the silicone to slip over. Fast, easy, foolproof, and therefore, and elegant solution.

The picture above gives you a pretty good idea of how the Pelikan SMS™ looks and works, but you'll really want to see it to understand just how outside-the-box this product really is.

Now, you'd expect all the features and benefits, extra material, and labor to drive the price point way up. But as you may have noticed with all Clean Motion products, we have found supply line advantages that help us keep our product prices very competitive while offering higher quality and more features. That is the case with the new Pelikan SMS™ Wide Mouth Wedge Bag. MSRP is just $27.95 with full 50%+ margins depending on quantities.

Cyclists - If you are unable to find this product in your local retail store after October 1, please send us an email at info@skyebicyclesupply.com, let us know where you are located, and we will help put you in touch with a dealer in your area. You can also tell your favorite dealer to contact one of the distributors below to place an order


Bicycle Retailers - Our favorite distributors should all be on board with the Pelikan SMS™ by Interbike. You can place your order with us, but please indicate which distributor you would like the order to be billed through.

New! Small Explosively Bright Bicycle Headlight and Tail Light Now in Bike Shops - See at Interbike 2014

The Atomic Hot Dog is a fully featured bicycle lighting system

With so many bike headlight and tail light options available, why the Atomic Hot Dog? 

There are dozens, maybe even hundreds of bicycle headlights and tail lights to choose from. You can spend under $20 for a set or over $400 for just a headlight.  Some headlights do a great job of pointing to the road just ahead, some give you visibility a football field away.  Some are so bright that if there is haze or bugs, you get a bounce.  

So how do you decide among all those options? The truth is that if you know the specific use, you can make the best choice.  But sometimes you don’t know exactly what that use will be, or it may change from night to night. Clean Motion has just introduced what they believe is the perfect all around light.  It gives you:

·      Excellent light just ahead so you can see the road or trail

·      A beam that is spread wide so you can see left and right

·      Plenty of illumination down the road

·      Micro USB rechargeable

·      Two levels of brightness plus flashing

·      Sensor light indicates charge needed

Now here is the big story: the mounting system. Silicone straps with ball and cup closure offer easy on, easy off mounting. Unhook the straps in seconds and the light fits easily into pocket or purse. When strapped to the handlebar, the silicone straps hold tighter than most other systems, and never loosen. 

All of that power, engineering, and ease of use for under $40 MSRP for a set. Choose from white or black for the headlight body with the tail light always red. Initial quantities have been shipped to your favorite wholesaler with larger quantities coming within two weeks.