The Practical and the Fashionable

Commuter clothing and accessories for getting from A to B

Like road or mountain biking, city riding has its own set of necessary gear. You need locks, fenders and bags on your run around the city. Commuting also lets you expand your clothing options beyond shorts and a jersey. Here’s a collection of things that will keep you or your bike looking good as you zip around town.

Portland Design Works

Full Metal Fenders

US$120

If you want to press that road bike into less sporty, more practical service, you can do so easily with the pdw Full Metal fenders. Dan Powell, co-founder of pdw, says the inspiration for these fenders came out of some brutal practices he’d seen in his city. “There are shops in Portland that will charge you $100 labour to cut fenders apart to make them fit on your road bike,” he says. “Those fenders will work, but you’ve kind of com-promised the shape and integrity of the fender by cutting it. And, they are just going to break at some point. The idea we had was to make a fender that already fits a racing bike. They’ll fit on a lot of bikes – not everything, but even some bikes that have aerodynamic frames and forks.” Now if only the fenders were aero, too, you could leave them on for race day. (

ridepdw.com)

SKS

Velo 47 Trekking Fenders

$26 ($12 for optional support stays)

These durable lightweight fenders feature an easy mounting system that is compatible with bikes that may lack fender eyelets. Their almost- full- length size provides better coverage than shorter fenders and the optional support stays prevent unwanted fender rattle when riding over rough roads. This is a good, versatile fender set that should keep riders commuting in all kinds of weather. (

sks-germany.com)

Axiom

Journey Uni- Fit MK3 Rear Rack

$65

The Journey Uni-Fit mk3 rear rack delivers almost unbelievable frame compatibility making it a top choice for almost any bike. By using a patent-pending design and supplying multiple sets of hardware, this rack mounts securely on any road and mountain bike and provides solid load-carrying support. The high weight capacity ( 50 kg) is a result of the rack’s novel frame structure and Axiom’s use of 10-mm 6061 T6 aluminum tubing. This top-of-the-line construction has always been coveted by knowledgeable riders, but the typically high cost and compatibility issues have prevented more riders from using such high-quality racks. Thanks to the Journey Uni-Fit mk3 rear rack, this is no longer the case. (

axiomgear.com)