Maybe even more-so than a luggage rack, the best thing you can buy to make your bike practical and comfortable as a method of transport is a set of mudguards. We try and make sure that all the new bikes we sell are at least capable of having guards installed, if they’re not already included as a stock item.
Even if you don’t ride in the rain, guards protect you from water and muck left on the road. If your bike has the clearance and appropriate installation points, we’d encourage full coverage guards, as opposed to a plastic ‘clip-ons’. They stay in place better, look vastly prettier, and have the effect of protecting your feet from spray off the front wheel, and protecting other cyclists riding behind you from water off your rear wheel.
We stock the Planet Bike Cascadia full coverage guards and SpeedEZ guards in MTB, Road and Hybrid/Touring widths in Silver and Black, starting from around $90. They’re the best value guards we’ve seen.
Maybe the the venerable Bikesnob NYC should have the last word here:
..fenderlessness is a sign of cycling immaturity (racing bikes and offroad bikes excluded). Realizing you need fenders is as elementary as toilet training, and in both cases there’s nothing as immature as not knowing how to keep your own ass dry.
