Gear Tips for Fall Riding and Bike Commuting
- Whether you're bike commuting or taking a weekend spin to enjoy the autumn foliage, the right bike and gear can maximize your enjoyment.
- Check out our fall gear tips–from gravel and cargo bikes to LED vests, fenders, TPU tubes, and a great new book for bike advocacy nerds.
Paul Tolmé
Don’t let shorter days, cooler temperatures, and inclement weather slam the brakes on your riding season. With the right gear, you can pedal right through fall and into winter.
We recently highlighted “10 Fall Trail Rides for Fabulous Foliage.” Below are some bikes and cycling gear to keep your wheels spinning.
Retro Chic
Merino wool is great for fall riding because it’s warm and wicking (and doesn’t hold B.O. like polyester). Look cool and rule the school in our retro chic Women's Cascade Wool Short Sleeve Jersey. $115, cbcmerchandise.com
Waterproof Gloves
Keeping fingers and toes warm and dry is one of the keys to riding in the rain. Our old pair of Cross Point Waterproof Knit Gloves from Showers Pass is getting worn out after many years of use, so I’m excited to get a new pair–this time in Jungle green. $54, showerspass.com
Sign in to the Member Benefits Portal to get up to 40% off on Showers Pass cycling apparel.
Be Seen
Sunlight is waning. Time to light yourself up so drivers see you on the roads.
Cascade Customer Service Manager Emma Wimmer wears a waterproof, rechargeable Tracer 2 LED Safety Vest ($65) when biking at night and says that cars give her a wider berth when passing. “It’s the one item I try to never leave home without,” she says.
BMC Gravel
Multiple staff members test-rode BMC’s URS 01 ONE gravel bike on the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail during Cascade’s Iron Horse Gravel Ride. What a treat it was to pedal a bike perfectly designed for the terrain.
With their wider tires, gravel bikes allow you to ride places you couldn’t on a road bike. But modern gravel bikes like the URS 01 ONE also have frames and technologies that improve handling and comfort when riding on rough surfaces.
The URS 01 ONE has a more “relaxed” frame geometry than road bikes, which means you’re in a more upright and comfortable riding position. It also has 10 millimeters of suspension in the rear to soften chattery trails, and a suspension stem with 20 mm of travel to reduce vibrations and hand fatigue. $9,599, bmc-switzerland.com
If that price is too steep, BMC offers a range of URS gravel bikes in its Exploration line starting at $1,999.
Better still, Cascade members get exclusive deals on BMC bicycles through Cascade Bicycle Studio and Element Cycles. The URS 01 ONE costs $8,399 ($1,200 off the regular price) for Cascade members. Log into the Member Benefits Portal to get details.
Cargo Bike Subscriptions
We love electric cargo bikes because they allow people to carry children, groceries, and heavy items that would typically require a car. Buying one, however, can be pricey.
That’s why Cascade partners with Wombi, which offers monthly subscriptions for high-quality Tern cargo bike models including the HSD, GSD or Quick Haul.
Cascade members get 25% off the first four months of a new Wombi e-bike subscription, which includes free service and maintenance, theft and damage coverage, 24/7 rider rescue, free delivery, and the Flex-to-Own option. Log in to our Member Benefits Portal for details.
Xtracycle
Xtracycle was a pioneering manufacturer of cargo bikes, and Cascade uses their Swoop for Pedaling Relief Project food rescues and for shuttling heavy items around at our rides and events.
Xtracycle has three models from which to choose: the Hopper ($2,499), RFA ($4,499) and Swoop ($4,999). Bonus: Cascade members get 15% off all Xtracycle bicycles and accessories through our Member Benefits Portal.
Priority Skyline
With a low maintenance belt drive, Pinion gearbox with electronic shifting, a suspension fork, and 750-watt motor, the Priority Skyline ($3,999) is an e-bike loaded with technologies to reduce maintenance. Cascade members get 15% off with the code CASCADEFAMILY at checkout.
Our friend and car-free bike adventurer Ryan Van Duzer rides a Skyline for his errands and shopping in Boulder, Colo. Watch his enthusiastic video below.
Steel Your Bottles
I’ve switched to stainless steel water bottles because plastic HDPE bike bottles taste foul. Not surprising, since they are made from petroleum.
My favorite new stainless bottle is the Tiibo, which has a food-grade silicone cap and a double-wall steel body to keep drinks colder longer. $34.95, tiibo.com
Lock the Cage
I recently bought my third Arundel Looney Bin, this time white instead of black to match my frame. The clicker dial locks in your steel bottle (or bottle of wine) so it doesn’t bounce out.
$29.95, arundelbike.com
Cleverhood
Show your support for Cascade and stay dry at the same time. The Cascade Bicycle Club Rain Cape is great both on and off the bike, and 15% of sales go to your favorite bike nonprofit. $119, cleverhood.com.
Order your cape or waterproof Anorak ($149) through the Cascade Member Benefits Portal to get 15% off. Another reason to join Cascade!
Fender Bender
Designed for stability on rough surfaces, SKS Speedrocker fenders, $85.99, can be adjusted to fit most bikes with tire widths up to 700x42. Unlike permanent fenders, you can easily remove them for sunny summer and fair-weather riding.
TPU Tubes
Flat Resistant TPU Inner Tubes are lighter, tougher, and less leaky than the common butyl rubber tubes we grew up with. They also pack down smaller than rubber tubes, which is why I recently picked up a pair for fixing my next flat.
Learn more about thermoplastic polyurethane tubes in this video.
Fall Reading
In their new book, Life after Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, the people behind The War on Cars podcast have written what should be a bike advocacy best-seller.
The book begins with a history lesson about the soaring death toll from automobiles, how Superman railed against reckless drivers, and how the automobile and fossil fuel industries invented the term “War on Cars” to gaslight bike advocates and kill projects that make our streets safer.
Part II details the costs and harms of our autonormative culture in terms of fatalities, dirty air and climate pollution, poor public health, and the loss of our streets to people walking and biking. Part III, “How We Get Free,” offers solutions for building the political will to reclaim our streets and transition toward cleaner, safer, and healthier forms of transportation. This book is a great antidote to the current president’s very real war on bike infrastructure and the de-funding of trails and safe streets projects.
Meet The War on Cars
On Nov. 5, Cascade is partnering with The War on Cars podcasters to present a live taping of their show at Town Hall Seattle. While the show is sold-out, live-streaming tickets are still available.
If you can’t make it to Town Hall Seattle, Cascade will hold a meet-and-greet, book signing, and Q&A with podcast hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear on the following night, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m., which will be held at Cascade’s offices in Magnuson Park with $10 sliding scale ticket pricing to support our mission.
Happy fall riding! And please consider signing up for our annual Cranksgiving ride.
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