Hot Buy: Hip & Knee Saver -Pedal Extenders on eBay

The pain in my hip has had me thinking about KneeSavers/Pedal Extenders for quite a while but the price ($45 plus $3 s&h) always put me off. But I recently found them on eBay at Bicycle Pedal Extenders for $19 with free shipping.

My industrially sized sandals tend to rub against the crank arms and a little more pedal clearance should be a good thing? I’d love to hear from riders who have tried them.

Hot Buys – My Favorite Panniers 2nds Sale

See original posting – Hot Buys – My Favorite Panniers on Sale

Update: 2/23/08 – 2nds Sale at Jandd – Mountain Expedition Panniers for $218 current list is $284.95

By the way, the Jandd Mountain Expedition Panniers shown on my Slipstream above are seconds.  I couldn’t tell you why they are seconds.  It isn’t obvious to me.

NB I have two sets of Jandd Paniers. The very large Mountain Expedition Panniers for self contained tours and the smaller Mountain Panniers for riding to the store or trips when I won’t be camping.

Hot Buy – Off the Bike Lights

On a tour, off the bike lights are much more than a convenience, they can be a safety item. A good light will let you make repairs by the side of road in the dark, it will also light your way home from dinner, and to the bathroom at night. Those are all important but my light has to also be great for reading in the tent at night, be very reliable, be very light and small and not use many batteries.

That used to be hard to find but LED lights give 50 to 150 hours of good light with just 3 AAA batteries so they are both small and light. I can travel with these and only carry one set of spare batteries, that save a lot of weight.

Two companies seem to really stand out when it comes to LED lights, Princeton Tec and Petzel. They make fairly priced reliable high performance LED lights. I usually find the best deals at Campmor.com on Princeton Tec Lights. For example, the Princeton Tec Aurora is on sale now at Campmor for $16.97, they usually sell for around $30. This is a great little light (less than 3 Oz.) at a great price.

The Aurora is a great little light, perfect for reading in your sleeping bag and working on your bike when it is dark. It is also easy to change batteries on this light. That may not sound like a big deal but trying changing batteries on some of the newer models with better seals in the dark.

The Aurora is not as fancy as the newer models but that translates into lower price and fewer things to go wrong. I always carry two when I tour with my wife because I know that she will have forgotten hers.

I also always keep a smaller LED light attached to the zipper on my panniers and another one is my wash up kit. This light is handy for reading a map when it starts to get dark or finding things in your panniers at night. They are also nice if you don’t want to wear your head light when you walk around at night. The blinking mode is great when you have to walk along a road at night. I like the ones with an on/off switch so that I don’t have to keep my fingers on it to get light. These lights are also on sale at Campmor.com. The Pulsar with no switch for $7.99 and the Pulsar II with a switch for $10.99. These little lights weigh 7 grams and run for 12 to 14 hours.

At these prices it is time to stock up for the summer. I like to give them away to friends and people I met on trips. Everyone loves having one of these little light attached to their key ring.

Patagonia 50% off sale

It is time for the annual almost Labor Day Sale at Patagonia. Here’s their latest announcement.

Patagonia July Sale

 

Here’s the latest Sale at the Patagonia Freeport Outlet. I have gotten some great buys on previous year gear at these sales. Two year ago, I got 2 R0.5 Jeseys for $15 each. They are normally $70 and would have been marked down to $35 but since they were from the previous year, the price was $15 each.  

Patagonia Freeport Outlet July Sale
30% Off Current Outlet Prices Storewide*
Friday, July 20 – Sunday, July 29Sale Hours: Sunday & Monday 10-7, Tuesday – Saturday 10-8

The Patagonia Outlet
#9 Bow St., Freeport
207-865-0506

Click here for directions to the store:
patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=1937

*Sale prices apply to Patagonia(R) clothing only on days specified.
Surfboards and wetsuits are not included. Sale limited to stock on
hand. No fax or phone orders.

Wear the Yellow Jersey for $7.99 – Hot Buy

 

Here’s a nice buy on a simple Yellow Poly Jersey from Sierra Trading Post, the Columbia Sportswear Omni-Dry Top – Highland, Short Sleeve (For Men) at $7.99 each. This is an excellent warm weather Recumbent Cycling Jersey and a great first layer when the weather gets cooler.

Columbia makes nice clothing, with flat seams that don’t rub and sturdy construction. These make very comfortable cycling jerseys that really breath and don’t get soggy with sweat. No pocket in the back that just gets uncomfortable on a recumbent seat and at $7.99 if you get some grese on it, Oh Well!

Recumbent Rain Pants

The same folks from Sweden, Craft, who make the shorts I recommended also make some nice Recumbent Cycling Pants, Craft Storm Tights. They are 100% poly with a very nice finish and much nicer that anything you will see on the normal cycling sites.

The Craft Storm Tights are just the thing for that cold morning start or the day you have to ride in the rain. They are also nice off the bike at night or to wear into town. Plus they pack well. These are fairly heavy pants, heavier than the tights I would warm for summer ridinng. But they are perfect for fall and winter riding and in the rain when the temps get down to 60 or lower

The Craft Storm Tights are on sale now at Sierra Trading Post for $53.95. These pants are a very nice buy at that price.

Also see, Rain Gear for Recumbent Cycling

Good Buy – Recumbent Cycling Shorts

Sierra Trading Post is having a sale on what they call fitness shorts. These Polyester/Lycra shorts with no liner or pad are just the right thing for Recumbent Cycling in Hot Weather. They have a very small rear pocket but nothing that will interfere with butt comfort and them do come in industrial sizes. Take a look at Craft Trail Fitness Shorts (For Men), they are on sale now for $24.95.

These aren’t the great buy you can sometimes get on Duofold Poly Fitness Shorts, but I haven’t seen the Duofolds for a few years and these are half the price of the similar Nike shorts I usually buy.

Good Buy – Recumbent Cycling Jersey – Safety Yellow

The Duofold Poly tee shirt is my warm weather cycling jersey and undergarment of choice in cooler weather. I really love Duofold poly tees and Hydrid shorts. Nothing extra in these garments but they perform very well, none of the clamminess of cotton, have flat seams and the prices are good. They are comfortable and cool, what more could you ask for?  Plus at these prices when you get a grease stain on them from the bike or that after ride pizza you don’t feel bad.

Campmor is having a sale on the Duofold Short Sleeve Tech Jersey. I usually wait and buy the straight poly tee when the price hits $2.95; but I love the Safety Yellow color on these jerseys and at $9.95 I am buying. This is a great cycling color and a safety plus.

Hot Buy – Women’s Nike Kato III

George Garner Cyclery is having a great sale on these excellent and comfortable shoes. Their sale price is $53.99. These shoes normally sell for around $90. This is the 05 model but looks great to me.

The only bad news is that the Men’s version is still selling for around $90.