Best (and worse) bike kit you have ever bought?

[DynatechFan]

I've been riding bikes for far longer than I am willing to admit, along the way I have bought some superb stuff - and some tat. I guess we all have. So please do share, what you love/loath? (PS this is to help with my Christmas list but hopefully others will benefit)

My best buy (possibly ever) would be my Ortlieb Back Rollers - got them in white so they are noticeable on the road and easy to find stuff inside. Not sure I use them enough to justify full rrp (they will probably out live me), but I picked up a set for a silly cheap price and love them

A worse buy is a recent one. Most of my bikes have SPD pedals, mainly M530s - but I fancied a change for my commuter as I do like to ride in flat shoes on nice days - a pair of Shimano M324 seemed ideal. For me they are definitely the "worse" of both worlds, not the best. In flat shoes I am constantly looking / flipping to try and get on the right side. In SPD shoes I am constantly slipping off the darn things, my ankles are battered! When I change them it will probably be to try the plastic bodied M424 or possibly the alloy bodied M545 which are both double sided

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The best thing by far is changing cable brakes to hydraulic ones. It makes a massive difference to your braking for very little outlay, and they're very easy to fit - often just three screws.

On the electric front, it has to be upgrading any Chinese controller to a KT sine wave one, which completely transforms your bike, like you got a new one. Of course, that only works if you don't already have one.

The worse thing is more tricky, but I'd say any electrical gadgets, like alarms and trackers that never quite do what you think/hope they will or they always have some fundamental flaw that makes them inconvenient to use.

 

[Nealh]

Vid cam's for bikes I think are generally still quite poor as battery life is woeful for a days filming of 5+ hrs, only the Fly12 is the real available option.

Bike smart panniers at 12 odd quid each were a very good buy from Planetx, quick fit and release in 4 or 5 seconds great for a trip to the shops.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Deciding to make a pedelec or buying a trike? Coin toss on best.

Worst, with my budget you have many worsts...