I do this every year around this time. Admittedly, it coincides with a falling-off in my finances, as my work remains somewhat seasonal; but it also gives me an opportunity to figure out what works and what's superfluous among my bikes and gear.
Looking at the way I carry cargo has been a major component of this year's divestiture.
1. I am on the verge of listing my Surly Big Dummy for sale and switching back to using a Burley trailer to haul my music gear to shows. I struggle with being a smaller person trying to wrangle a heavy load on only two wheels. I find that, as I get older, I prefer the stability of a two-wheeled trailer behind my bike, even of the handling isn't as sprightly.
2. I am selling my front panniers and rack, because I realized that I almost never use them together in my daily riding. I can hold out for that bike tour that I will never have time to take, or I can be honest and admit that 99 % of my rides are in the city and don't require that sort of carrying capacity. The only thing I consistently used the front rack for was to have something to strap my U-lock to. And the full-length struts made it impossible for me to attach a mechanical cyclometer, something I've missed having.
So yesterday, I removed the front rack and panniers, and installed a Huret cyclometer that used to be on the Surly.
I put the panniers and rack on eBay:
Time left:
6d 07h (Oct 29, 2013 15:56:54 PDT)
Starting bid: US $69.99
Buy-It-Now: $134.99
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Carradice-front-panniers-with-Soma-front-rack-cycling-touring-/131027371043?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e81d70423
I am beginning to scout out trailers in my area and will spend some time cleaning up the Surly for sale. I'd like to be able to wait until the spring, when I might get a little more for it; but I probably need to move this out sooner than that.
Meanwhile, I'm happy to have a mechanical cyclometer on both of my primary bikes again.
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