{"id":437634,"date":"2026-01-28T01:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/437634\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T01:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:54:17","slug":"small-cycling-upgrades-that-make-every-ride-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/437634\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Cycling Upgrades That Make Every Ride Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min read<\/p>\n

Cycling isn\u2019t just about bikes and marquee gear. It\u2019s about the little things \u2014 the cheap, clever, often overlooked bits of gear that quietly make every ride better, smoother, or less annoying. None of the items below are glamorous or very expensive, but all of them are an upgrade to your cycling life. Once you start using them, you\u2019ll wonder why you didn’t purchase them sooner.<\/p>\n

Warm Feet, Happy Ride: Shoe Warmer and Dryer<\/p>\n

DRYGUY DryGuy Travel Dry Boot and Shoe Dryer and Warmer<\/p>\n

\"DryGuy<\/a><\/p>\n

One of my favorite cold-weather hacks is pre-warming my shoes before a winter ride. Starting with toasty shoes keeps my feet warmer, longer, than putting on room-temperature or cold shoes. Some, but not all, hand warmers can be used to pre-warm your gloves, too. <\/p>\n

Boot dryers are also great for drying shoes after wet, muddy, or especially sweaty rides. They work on all your shoes, not just cycling ones, which makes them a solid quality-of-life upgrade.<\/p>\n

I use DryGuy\u2019s compact \u201ctravel\u201d warmer. It\u2019s slower than fan-driven models, but it\u2019s small, easy to stash, and the least expensive option.<\/p>\n

Fastest Flat Fix: Easy-to-Reach DynaPlug Holder<\/p>\n

Backroads Lab QuickFix Mount | 16g CO2 + Dynaplug Racer Pro<\/p>\n

\"QuickFix<\/a><\/p>\n

When you puncture a tubeless tire, speed matters. The faster you plug it, the less sealant and pressure you lose \u2014 and the faster you\u2019re rolling again.<\/p>\n

For gravel and all-road bikes with a top-tube mount, this 3D-printed holder keeps a DynaPlug Racer Pro tool and a 16g CO\u2082 cartridge front and center. It\u2019s so handy you can have it ready before you\u2019ve even come to a full stop. <\/p>\n

Kill Battery Anxiety: SRAM AXS Spare Battery Holder<\/p>\n

Jank Components SRAM AXS Battery Holder<\/p>\n

\"SRAM<\/a><\/p>\n

Ride with SRAM\u2019s wireless components and suffer from battery anxiety, or have an epic event on the horizon? Jank Components offers a spare battery carrier that mounts under your bike\u2019s bottle cage, so you can always have a spare on your bike. <\/p>\n

Jank offers it in three orientations (horizontal, vertical, and side) so you can pick the one that works best for your bike. Jank also makes combo carriers that hold a spare battery and another accessory, such as a DynaPlug tool or CO2 cartridge.<\/p>\n

Emergency Juice for Shimano Di2
<\/p>\n

RRSKIT Shimano 12-Speed Di2 Battery Charger Adapter<\/p>\n

\"Shimano<\/a><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t forgotten Shimano Di2 riders. If you\u2019re on one of Shimano\u2019s latest systems with the magnetic charging port on the rear derailleur, there\u2019s a whole cottage industry of tiny USB-C adapter blocks online.<\/p>\n

Pair one with a USB-C cable, and if your smartphone supports reverse charging, your phone can donate just enough juice to get you home. <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Forget the Shifters: Coin Cell Battery Carrier<\/p>\n

Backroads Lab CR2032 Battery Holder<\/p>\n

\"CR2032<\/a><\/p>\n

Wireless shifting doesn\u2019t stop at the derailleurs. Your shifters (and dropper remotes) use batteries too.<\/p>\n

This 3D-printed carrier neatly stores two spare CR2032 coin cells \u2014 the size used by every wireless drivetrain shifter I know of \u2014 and slips easily into a saddle bag or hydration pack. <\/p>\n

Make Your Gear Look Like Art: Wall-Mounted Organizer
<\/p>\n

Tons Short Bar \u2014 1x Pair of Shoes + Glasses + Helmet<\/p>\n

\"Short<\/a><\/p>\n

My own \u201corganization system\u201d is shelves and recycled cardboard boxes. You may desire something more architecturally pleasing <\/p>\n

Tons of Denmark makes beautifully designed wall organizers (and other cool home accessories for a cycling life) that turn helmets, shoes, and eyewear into functional decor. They\u2019re undeniably premium-priced. If that\u2019s a stretch, similar options are easy to find online for a lot less money.<\/p>\n

Strip Anywhere: The Changing Poncho<\/p>\n

Nomadix Changing Poncho: Pinstripes Multi<\/p>\n

\"Changing<\/a><\/p>\n

If cycling shares anything with surfing, it\u2019s that participants in both sports often change in and out of their costumes in public. That\u2019s why this surf accessory is also relevant to us.<\/p>\n

A changing poncho is basically a towel you can wear. It\u2019s roomy and long enough to pull your arms inside to change into and out of civvies without flashing unsuspecting passersby. There are simpler and cheaper changing ponchos, as well as premium options that are cozy and warm for cold weather changes .<\/p>\n

Prefer something smaller? A changing kilt<\/a> lets you swap bottoms with a reasonable degree of modesty.<\/p>\n

Want to level up your car-side change? A changing mat provides a compact, portable, and tidy spot to stand. I typically use a simple moving blanket, but if you’d rather something designed specifically for the purpose, seek out a wetsuit changing mat with a drawstring closure<\/a>. You can leave your wet or dirty gear on the mat and pull it closed for convenient and clean transport to the laundry. <\/p>\n

Make Room for Big Screens: Offset Spacer for Large Garmin Computers<\/p>\n

K-Edge USA Offset Spacer for Garmin Edge 1050<\/p>\n

\"Offset<\/a><\/p>\n

Upgrading from a compact head unit to one of Garmin\u2019s massive Edge 1050 often reveals an annoying problem: your existing mount isn\u2019t long enough.<\/p>\n

If you already own one of K-Edge\u2019s beautifully machined \u2014 and not cheap \u2014 mounts, you don\u2019t need to replace the whole thing. Their offset spacer shifts the quarter-turn puck forward just enough to fit the larger computer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many other mounts use similar puck systems, so there\u2019s a chance this spacer will work elsewhere. Your mileage may vary. Unfortunately, it does not work with Wahoo\u2019s ELEMNT ACE<\/a>, and K-Edge doesn\u2019t yet make an equivalent spacer for Wahoo\u2019s largest unit.<\/p>\n

Save Your Soles: Cleat Shields
<\/p>\n

Crank Brothers Crank Brothers Bike Shoe Shields Stainless Steel, One Size<\/p>\n

\"Crank<\/a><\/p>\n

If you run a \u201cmountain\u201d pedal system and want to protect your shoes \u2014 especially carbon-soled MTB shoes \u2014 cleat shields are cheap insurance. They\u2019re most useful with pedal systems like Crank Brothers, Time<\/a>, and HT, where the retention bars\/jaws can chew directly on the shoe sole.<\/p>\n

Shimano SPD and its many clones generally don\u2019t cause this kind of wear, but cleat shields weigh next to nothing and can prevent premature sole damage that eventually leads to cracks or outright failure. <\/p>\n

The Power of a Good Wipe
<\/p>\n

Butt Napkins Butt Napkins 10 pack<\/p>\n

\"Butt<\/a><\/p>\n

I always keep baby wipes in my day bag for post-ride cleanup of blood, mud, sweat, grit, whatever the ride delivered. But there are other wipes worth knowing about.<\/p>\n

Single-serve Butt Napkins can be lifesavers when nature calls unexpectedly, or the aid-station porta-potty is out of TP.<\/p>\n

Silca\u2019s Gear Wipe Singles<\/a> are great for quick cleaning and degreasing of bikes and everything else.<\/p>\n

CrudCloth<\/a>, also by Silca, is a moistened terry cloth with mild soap and a pleasant scent (also available unscented). Think of it as a fancy baby wipe for an invigorating post-ride \u201cshower.\u201d They\u2019re more durable than standard wipes and washable for reuse at home.<\/p>\n

DIY option: soak a clean washcloth in water with a few drops of essential oil, wring it out, roll it up, and seal it in a Ziploc. Chill it in a cooler for hot days or warm it for cold rides.<\/p>\n

Disposable Gloves: Not Just for the Workshop
<\/p>\n

Mechanix Wear Nitrile Disposable Gloves, 5 mil, Textured, 100 Pack)<\/p>\n

\"Nitrile<\/a><\/p>\n

Disposable gloves are obvious workshop staples, but a pair also belongs in your saddle bag or pack. They work as emergency cold-weather gloves<\/a> or liners and prevent grease, dirt, or sealant from transferring to your nice shorts and jersey after a road\/trailside repair. They\u2019re also a must-have for applying embrocation and are helpful if you need to administer first aid to a friend or yourself (though many, like the ones shown here, are not sterile, they can still prevent passing on blood-borne illnesses or passing germs from your dirty hands).<\/p>\n

Member Exclusive: Check Out Our Top Cycling Stories\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Headshot<\/p>\n

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt\u2019s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he\u2019s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you\u2019re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn\u2019t race often, but he\u2019s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5 min read Cycling isn\u2019t just about bikes and marquee gear. It\u2019s about the little things \u2014 the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[181607,51545,181589,49,48,181602,181601,181592,181597,181596,181604,635,170943,181608,181590,181591,181599,41260,181594,181598,24877,152105,181588,171061,82,181593,144087,181606,181605,181595,181600,181603,181609],"class_list":["post-437634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-all-road","tag-bike-maintenance","tag-boot-dryer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-changing-poncho","tag-cleat-shields","tag-co2-cartridge","tag-coin-cell-carrier","tag-cr2032","tag-crudcloth","tag-cycling","tag-cycling-accessories","tag-disposable-gloves","tag-dryguy","tag-dynaplug","tag-garmin-edge-1050","tag-gravel","tag-jank-components","tag-k-edge","tag-mtb","tag-shimano-di2","tag-shoe-warmer","tag-silca","tag-sports","tag-sram-axs","tag-supes","tag-tons-of-denmark","tag-universal-cycles","tag-usb-c-adapter","tag-wahoo-elemnt-ace","tag-wall-organizer","tag-wipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}