Commuter Music Bike
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The first car radio appeared in 1930. It is now 2016 and I still can't buy a bike with a fucking stereo.
Much the same way that the right album can turn a painfully long drive into an epic adventure, music is an absolutely essential ingredient in a superb bike ride. Since there's no bike out there that's designed with this in mind, I've designed my own setup.
UE BOOM ($124-$249)
Photo by @petericof
The heart of every sound system is the speakers. Since riding with headphones is dangerous (and often illegal) I decided to go with a portable speaker. As you know, if you're going to put any technology on your bike it needs to be portable, tough, and waterproof. The UE BOOM is all of these things plus awesome sound quality making it a great value.
The BOOM is spectacular for commute time tunes and turn-by-turn directions. And then there's the MEGA BOOM for cranking up the volume during an epic ride with your crew.
Pick one up on Amazon
Wraps up when not in use.
The UE BOOM is cylindrical so it will fit in your bottle cage. But, as with all non-water bottle items in bottle cages, it's bound to pop out during a ride. That's why I designed the Bike Strap.
Not only is the Bike Strap the perfect UE BOOM holder, it's also capable of holding any object under 5 inches in diameter (coffee mug, wine bottle, beer growler, etc). This makes it an awesomely verisitile accessory for every commuter kit.
In my years of riding with music it has become painfully obvious that adjusting volume and skipping tracks are essential functions. Rather than try and retrieve my phone from my pocket while riding, I use the iSimple Bluetooth Remote.
I chose this one primarily because it's the least expensive option on Amazon that includes all the necessary functions (volume +, volume -, next, previous, play/pause, and Siri). After a few months of riding with this controller it's clear there is room for improvement, but it is definitely worth the money.
iSimple Bluetooth Remote Mount ($15)
I really love riding with my Bluetooth remote, but the stock mount really sucked for use on my bike. So I turned to my trusty tools: 123D Design and Shapeways.
The 3D printed mount is strong and fits most handlebars. It makes the controller much easier to use and I think it looks nice too (also available in black).
With these products in your kit you'll never have to suffer through a music-free bike ride ever again. Because that would truly suck. 😉
