TCI Friday

If you’ve tuned in late, I was last talking about the No. 1 item that is non-negotiable on my bikes, which is rather bizarre since I don’t really dig much into equipment and accessories and basically ride what I got.

That was until I found the saddle of my dreams. Shortly after that, when I realized it was possible to make riding my bike much, much more comfortable, I stumbled on the second item I will not live without.

It all started when I got a dual-suspension mountain bike. Talk about comfort!

No, I would have never forked over the money on my own at the start. One of the beautiful perks of working at VeloNews was getting a bike. We had an arrangement with Jamis bikes, and one day I landed a Jamis Dakar.

Riding has never been the same. I fell in love with the comfort of full suspension so much that I rode the Dakar exclusively, which meant more 4, 5 and 6 hour road rides than off-ride adventures.

Fast forward to working at Bike Friday, where there are no suspension — front or rear — options for their custom bikes. Being a fat-tire fanatic, I opted for a Bike Friday Llama atop fat Schwalbe Big Apple tires.

Then I hopped on a Thudbuster seatpost from Cane Creek.

Are you kidding me? SAAA-weeettt!

I had them on my Bike Fridays, and since then have put them on any hardtail I plant my behind upon.

Of course, if you do any off-roading, ya gotta be careful. Side note, I rode plenty of mountain bike trails on my Llama with the Thudbuster. Anyways, they can, at times, work like a catapult trying to launch you over your handlebars. But when it comes to giving me the comfort cruise I now demand from my bikes, big time score.

So that’s it. The two items I have to have, no questions asked.

What about you? What’s your top two musts (if you didn’t share No. 1 with the TCI Friday on saddles)?