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There are two very good reasons why most bike clothes and bags are black: chain grease and road grunge. But here are some eye-catching accessories that’ll give your wheels extra splash and panache.
Feel like the complete urban warrior in an G.I. Joe- or Jane-inspired Bell helmet in flat khaki green decorated with imperialist black star and serial number (1, Curbside, 412 Bloor West, 416-920-4933, $50).
Put the metal to your pedals with these graphic, gothic socks from Lin (2, Urbane Cyclist, 180 John, 416-979-9733, $12/pair). Made with CoolMax, nylon and lycra, they’re nearly indestructible, though the manufacturer does recommend regular washing.
Reba Plummer’s Push The Envelope has been creating custom bicycle courier bags for years. Recently, she’s started a line of hyper-stylish carryalls made from fire-retardant tarpaulins accented with rolling ball bearings (3, Urbane Cyclist Annie Thompson, 674 Queen West, 416-703-3843 and www.pushtheenvelope.com, 416-367-5944, $39).
Make love, not war with this anodized purple brake hanger by Vanguard (4, Urbane Cyclist, $5). Add some French fashion sense to your clunker or scooter with hand-painted and baked-enamel-finish bells from Pylones de Paris (5, Zuei, 4 Patrick, 416-597-0778, $29.95). No need to lug around a set of bike tools when TopPeak’s Alien XS can do the job of 17 wrenches and screwdrivers — stainless steel knife and bottle opener, too (6, Mountain Equipment Co-op, 400 King West, 416-340-2667, $38).
Get lucky with screw-on inner-tube valve caps by Trik Topz (7, McBride Cycle, 2973 Dundas West, at Keele, 416-763-5652, $6.99). Protect your bike frame’s top tube from scratches with Push the Envelope’s Velcro-fastened tube covers in made-to-order fabrics like camouflage canvas or sparkly gold metal-flake naugahyde (8, Urbane Cyclist, $29).
Add a dash of Italian flash with coloured Kevlar-protected 700mm-by-28mm road bike tires from Vittoria Rubino (9, Urbane Cyclist, $36). Fend off car drivers’ evil eyes with a swivelling, bloodshot and dilated eyeball bike bell (10, Curbside, $7.95).
Guarantee your bike is never stolen with these sucky pink pedals (11, Urbane Cyclist, $4.99/pair). Change flats fashionably with fluorescent-coloured Tacx tire levers (12, Cyclepath, 2106 Yonge, at Manor, 416-487-1717 and other locations, $3.95). The traffic code requires every bike to have a bell or horn, and these handlebar-mounted Sumo wrestler squeeze toys from Trace are completely legal (13, Curbside, $8.95). Make shopping a snap with a wicker basket complete with handle and quick release (14, Curbside, $25).
Made-to-order courier bags like this logo-embossed mega-sized Messential model from local designer Anais Fritzlan’s Under the Weather make great laundry totes (15, Cavern Cycles, 179 Queen East, 416-203-2565, and www.under-the-weather.ca, $150).
