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ewtBeen looking at bike stuff this afternoon, particularly pannier racks/rack packs.
Are there no ethical ones? They all seem to be made out of various types of nylon, it looks like you have to pay about £30 for anything that has decent pockets and versatility, and they're probably all made by slave labour by toddlers in nobodyknowswhereistan.
Maybe I shall make my own. The rack on the Strida is not as large as the standard ones anyway, so it might be better that way. I don't think I have the skill (or materials? It's the seam taping that would be getting in the way...) to achieve full waterproofness with recycled waterproofs from second-hand shops, but I could at least make something that is fairly water-resistant.
Have also been looking at bike lights. It seems to be a matter of "decide how much you want to spend, then look for the best lights you can get in that price range", because you can pay anywhere from hardly anything to £400 for a front light. Lights that are worth more than the bicycle are probably not a good investment for me; lights that are going to fall apart or require stupid small non-rechargeable batteries are definitely a bad investment for me. There's still a large range in between, though.
Must find my cycle maps. TFL is nice but requires me to do an awful lot of planning of where I want to go, whereas maps can be shoved into a pannier (once I have a pannier...) and consulted as and when I need them.
This Saturday and Sunday the DLR is broken between Mudchute and Canary Wharf, and both days I need to get places. I'm wondering about cycling to Canary Wharf instead - it isn't far - and either locking the bike up there or taking it with me.
Are there no ethical ones? They all seem to be made out of various types of nylon, it looks like you have to pay about £30 for anything that has decent pockets and versatility, and they're probably all made by slave labour by toddlers in nobodyknowswhereistan.
Maybe I shall make my own. The rack on the Strida is not as large as the standard ones anyway, so it might be better that way. I don't think I have the skill (or materials? It's the seam taping that would be getting in the way...) to achieve full waterproofness with recycled waterproofs from second-hand shops, but I could at least make something that is fairly water-resistant.
Have also been looking at bike lights. It seems to be a matter of "decide how much you want to spend, then look for the best lights you can get in that price range", because you can pay anywhere from hardly anything to £400 for a front light. Lights that are worth more than the bicycle are probably not a good investment for me; lights that are going to fall apart or require stupid small non-rechargeable batteries are definitely a bad investment for me. There's still a large range in between, though.
Must find my cycle maps. TFL is nice but requires me to do an awful lot of planning of where I want to go, whereas maps can be shoved into a pannier (once I have a pannier...) and consulted as and when I need them.
This Saturday and Sunday the DLR is broken between Mudchute and Canary Wharf, and both days I need to get places. I'm wondering about cycling to Canary Wharf instead - it isn't far - and either locking the bike up there or taking it with me.
