Bike accessory reviews

No matter what type of bike you own, you’ll need to regularly pump your tyres. There are two options, a hand pump or a floor pump. A small hand pump can be useful, getting you out of tricky situations if you need to pump up your tyres while you’re out on a ride. However, to pump your tyres quickly and with minimal effort a floor pump is the way to go.

Bicycle Victoria published the results of their floor pumps test in the February-March 2010 issue of their Ride On magazine. They put seven higher priced floor pumps to the ultimate test of both performance and endurance – the nine-day 2009 Great Victorian Bike Ride, whereby hundreds of riders used the pumps each day. Only two pumps managed to survive the nine day drilling, the Serfas FMP-500 and the Tioga Super Deluxe. Their sturdy construction, easy-to-read pressure gauge and overall ease of use gave them a good overall rating. The Serfas FMP-500 was the favourite among the participants of the ride. The Topeak Joe Blow Turbo may not have survived the onslaught of use, but it also rated highly and is recommended as the value for money option.

Jargon Buster

Presta valve or also known as “French valve”, is a narrow valve with an in-built valve cap, which must be opened to inflate the tyre and retightened afterwards to ensure no leakage. Presta valves are more common on racing bicycles because of their narrow diameter.

Schrader valve is larger than Presta and has springs that close the valves. It’s also known as an “American valve” and is the type found on cars, as well as being the most common valve type on bike tyres. The spring loaded pin however, must be depressed before air can flow during inflation. As a result, some air is lost when attaching and detaching pumps to Schrader valves.

What to look for

You first need to consider the type of bike you own, as this will depend on the type of floor pump you'll need. If you have a road bike, you'll need a pump that's quick to connect and disconnect to Presta valves and which will easily inflate to pressures of up to 120psi. However, there is more options available if you own a mountain bike (MTB) or hybrid with Schrader valves that only need to inflate to 80psi.

Before you buy a floor pump, test it out first in the store. Keep in mind the following:

• Does the pump easily inflate to your desired pressure? Try this out a couple of times, does it work consistently?
• Does it have a pressure gauge with a pressure indicator, to make it easy to read?
• Does it have a solid construction that allows for good stability?
• Is it comfortable to use, or is it awkward and tiring?
• Can it fit to Presta and/or Schrader valves? And is the pump head easy to attach and detach from the valve?
  
  

Armoured cable locks vs. D-locks

According to Australian Cyclist, it's been estimated that one in 10 Australian bicycle owners will have their bike stolen in the next five years. So choosing a good bike lock could be the difference from an enthused thief taking your bike, or moving on to an easier target. Armoured cable locks are essentially a metal spine coated in plastic or rubber, whereas a D-lock is more of a scaled up padlock.

Bicycle Victoria tested five D-locks and five armoured cable locks. In sequence, they used a jemmy bar, hammer, hacksaw, 24-inch bolt cutters and an angle grinder to try and break each lock, with the process being timed to see how long it would take to break. Combination locks, steel cables, chains and padlocks were excluded from the test as in comparison they are easier to break. All the armoured cable locks withstood the onslaught of the jemmy bar, hammer and hacksaw; however the 24-inch bolt cutters highlighted what makes a good armoured lock. On the other hand, one D-lock broke when struck by the hammer. However, all the other D-locks survived the assault of jemmy bar, hammer, hacksaw and bolt cutters, though not surprisingly, none survived the final assault with an angle grinder. Therefore, it's fair to say that since an angle grinder is almost unbeatable, D-locks offer a superior level of protection from a thief.

With armoured cable locks, bolt cutters will work when they fit around the armour. Testing found, that when the jaws didn't fit, the hammer was used to flatten the armour in order for the jaws of the cutters to get around, in order to break the lock. D-locks are more likely to resist breakage at this point. A well-designed D-lock will have its lock mechanism in the barrel's centre as end-mounted locks are easier to attack with a drill. When it comes to the security of your bike, the sturdiness and weight of D-lock's make them more likely to do the job. 

When you're out looking for a bike lock, examine it first for any weak points. Don't buy a lock if it's going to be too small for your bike, however also don't get one that will be too hard to fill. The more space between the shackle and the bike frame, the easier it is for a theif to stick in a levering bar. When locking your bike, make sure you choose a visible well lit area, secure the frame to a solid structure and remove any lights, panniers, or anything else that isn't fixed to the bike.

What to buy

To be a legal road vehicle at night the National Transport Commission has Australian Road Rules which require bike riders to have a steady or flashing white light that is clearly visible for at least 200m from the front of the bicycle and a flashing or steady rear light that is clearly visible from at least 200m from the rear. Riders are also required to have a red rear reflector that's clearly visible from 50m when light is projected onto it by a vehicle's headlights on low beam.

Bicycle Victoria takes these rules and regulations into consideration when they conduct their annual lights test; whereby industry experts are called on to judge a range of bike lights. The 2010 lights test included front and rear compact lights as well as high-powered LEDs and Dynamo lights. The front lights ranged in price from $25 to $120 while the rear lights were $50 or under. High-powered LEDs were priced between around $250 and $300 while you can expect to pay anywhere between $45 and $300 for Dynamo lights.

The S-Sun Ilumenox 1W Highpower SS-L 122W and Basta Polaris BA3C stood out above the rest for front lights. The Basta Polaris was the winner in the previous test, and also represents a value for money option. The Planet Bike Blaze broke under testing. On the other hand, the Cateye TL-LD 610R is the best performer out of the rear lights. It's disappointing that the S-Sun SSL310R Eaglefly broke under testing and cannot be recommended as it was the standout out of the rear lights for visibility.

High-powered LEDs are most useful if they come with a strobe function, without one their light tends to melt into the ambient street and traffic lights. In this test the Ay Up Twin Sports stands out, receiving a perfect five-star rating and perfect scores along all tested categories. It can be used in any riding situation; it has the brightest light and can be easily pointed to any position on the road. The Niteflux Vision Stick Enduro 8 is also another standout in the category. While the NiteRider MiNewt mini-USB wasn't up there for performance, it has a USB charging option which can be convenient.

Dynamo lights require no batteries to recharge and/or replace and can also be permanently fitted to the bike. Hub dynamos are built into the front wheel of the bike; however you'll need to keep in mind that this requires the wheel to be rebuilt which can be a pricey exercise. You can expect to spend anywhere from $600 to $1000 for both the dynamo light and wheel rebuild. In this test the dynamo lights varied greatly in price and it's a case of you get what you pay for. The Schmidt Edelux is the best overall for this category followed by the Supernova E3. The B&M IQ Fly takes out the value for money option.

What to look for

• Good visibility: head-on and angled.
• Durability: robustness and how securely the light stays in its mount.
• Type of batteries required - AA or AAA are easier to get and you can use rechargeables.
• Ease of battery replacement.
• Ease of fitting and removing.
• Compact size for taking with you after you park on the street. 

What to buy

Front lights

Basta Polaris BA3C

Price $40

Contact  www.echelonsports.com.au

S-Sun Ilumenox 1W Highpower SS-L 122W 

Price $90

Note: may not be widely available. CHOICE was told older stock models are 
still on shelves but there is no longer an Australian distributor.

Rear lights

Cateye TL-LD 610R   

Price $50

Contact www.pacificbrands.com.au

Dynamo lights

Schmidt Edelux (LED)        

Price $289

Supernova E3 (LED)                               

Price $289

Contact www.stkildacycles.com.au

High Power LEDs

Ayup Twin Sports                                  

Price $297

Contact www.ayup-lights.com

NiteFlux Vision Stick Enduro 8  

Price $280

There is a vast array of bike baskets and racks on the market, so the models chosen for this test are only a representation of the different varieties available, where we aim to highlight the issues and/or limitations involved with each.

Baskets are ideal for situations like carrying your shopping home. They can be either wire or wicker in construction and you can get front baskets which attach to the handle bar or rear baskets which need a rear rack to attach to. You need a basket that's easy to attach and remove, is stable when you're riding and is also lightweight to carry.

In this test, the Velogear Front Wire Basket came out on top with a 4.5 overall rating. It scores well for its ease of attachment and removal, and its light weight also makes it easy to carry. However, on the downside, its instructions state that it only has a 3kg maximum loading weight. The tested baskets all fare well overall, however they are mostly let down by their stability. You need to keep in mind that when a basket is fitted to the bike, the steering is altered, particularly for a front basket, which you'll need to get used to.

There is a vast array of bike racks on the market, so the models chosen for this test are only a representation of the different varieties available, where we aim to highlight the issues and/or limitations involved.

Racks attach to the framework of the bike and are used to carry baggage like rear mounted baskets and/or panniers. In this test we looked at two different types of rear racks. While the racks we looked at are reasonably priced, the Tubus Cosmo Stainless Steel stands out at $289. This rack is designed for serious expedition trailing, so if you're not a serious rider and only need to carry a small pannier or basket, cheaper racks will do the job.

The Topeak MTX BeamRack V-type attaches to the seat post of the bike via a lever mechanism. This type of rack is designed to be easily removed, especially when leaving the bike in public places. While this is a useful feature, it doesn't fit as securely as a rack that is fitted with screws, and has a comparatively low loading weight. When our tester took the bike for a ride, he found that there was slight sideways movement of the rack when cornering.

All the other racks are attached to the bike with screws which allows for a more secure attachment. While they score lower for attachment and removal (as its more time consuming and fiddly), this type of rack is usually only fitted to the bike once and stays permanently fixed to the bike. It also sits very securely allowing no movement of the rack in any direction. However, keep in mind that some racks may need to be manipulated to fit, depending on the build on the bike. This may need to be done at a bike store which can be a hassle.