what's the most useful/best thing you have bought?

[young Ed]

so what is the best or most useful thing you have ever bought, cycling related only, regardless of price
oh and apart from a whole bike

mine might be something that came in the post only today it is one of those cheap 4 quid BB lockring spanner with a little pin and then on the other end it has a 15 and i think 16mm spanner but it is thin so it does pedals and axle nuts and the pin spanner bit does the BB lockring and the fixie sprocket lockring
oh and it is so light
Cheers Ed

 

[I like Skol]

About 25 years ago I bought a cheap little spoke key.................

Still got it and use it to build my indistructi-wheels

EDIT: I'll post a pic later if I get chance, just to show how basic it is. It goes everywhere with me so has done thousands of miles too.

 

[Dave 123]

Overshoes..... Or leg warmers, but I can't decide which one wins!

 

[numbnuts]

The bike

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Mine was many moons ago when M&S labelled things St Michael's and it was a puncture repair kit. The tyre levers from that kit has never ever failed or broken despite being plastic, that totally non-destructive, non-degradable stuff we used to get back in the late 1980's...

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Track pump

 

[Salad Dodger]

A "Buff" look-a-like from Aldi.

In cold weather I use it under my crash hat as a head warmer, and as a scarf / neck warmer when out walking. Weighs very little, so it lives in my rucksack when not being worn.

 

[Brandane]

Pedals. I really struggled until I got them.
But seriously .... probably a Garmin 200. It has opened up a whole new network of previously unexplored routes.

Or was it the glue-less patches? Or puncture resistant tyres? Lezyne multi-tool?
Then again, there was the LED lights. And the Brooks B17. Oh, and the Ortlieb panniers. So many choices!

Edit... The workstand; don't forget the workstand! And Koolstop brake pads.

 

[Cycleops]

The bike

Very clever, but he did say except the whole bike.

 

[ColinJ]

I couldn't name just one thing so - GPS, digital OS Landranger map covering whole of mainland UK, track pump, chain tool (on multitool), arm warmers, leg warmers, gilet, wind top. SPD pedals/shoes, overshoes, buffs.

 

[MontyVeda]

The bike

yup. this

 

[jhawk]

Probably... probably my touring bike!

 

[coffeejo]

Useful? Definitely the panniers. Though I didn't buy them, they were a hand-me-down from a guy in my cycle group.
Best? SPDs.

 

[young Ed]

oh and apart from a whole bike

The bike

yup. this

Probably... probably my touring bike!

grrrrr

oh and i must add my garmin edge touring i just love it!

I couldn't name just one thing so - GPS, digital OS Landranger map covering whole of mainland UK, track pump, chain tool (on multitool), arm warmers, leg warmers, gilet, wind top. SPD pedals/shoes, overshoes, buffs.

are the digital os landranger maps for the garmin? what GPS is it?
Cheers Ed

 

[ColinJ]

are the digital os landranger maps for the garmin? what GPS is it?
Cheers Ed

I have a very old Garmin Etrex which doesn't have a mapping facility. The map is used by my MemoryMap software on my laptop at home. I plot the routes on that and save them as GPX files which I then upload to the GPS. I follow a 'breadcrumb trail' on the GPS screen when out on the road.

That system works really well until there is a change of plan! Usually, all is well, but just a few times in 8 years I have encountered diversions and had to improvise.

I know that you can get OS maps for many GPS devices these days, but I don't have experience of them.