Equipment Review

1982 Miyata 610
Worked well, no regrets with the purchase.  Only changes I am considering is to drill out and tap the rear eyelets instead of using thru-bolts and nuts on the rack, I feel I might get a bit more sturdiness out of the rack with such a setup.  Front eyelets were already tapped.  May consider a six or seven speed freewheel for the back too, or at least a bit more closely geared five speed, the gaps were just too large in the back even with half step 47-52 front gearing.  Needed more time to adjust bike and work out glitches in the end, too, I feel the front wheel tightening issues may have been resolved earlier had I given it more trail time.

Maruishi LadyAce Mixte
You'll have to ask Carissa, but it went down the road faster than the Miyata!  She did not like the stem mounted friction levers was the majority of the complaining I heard, but she did like the step thru frame.  The lesson learned from this is more to proper prep, as it looked decent I didn't do a complete overhaul, which led to me missing a stripped out rear brake caliper bolt and a crushed chainstay under the kickstand plate.

Axiom Journey Adjustable Rack
Not impressed, but it worked and was cheap.  It claims a max load of 50kg, but at under 15kg it was already showing some sway in corners.  Not necessarily a problem with the rack, but it did not mate well with the Nashbar panniers either, needed a hook lower than provided to hook the bungee too.  Hoping that tapping the rear eyelets on the bike gets a bit sturdier mount for it, otherwise I may be looking for a fixed, non-adjustable option.

Nashbar Waterproof Rear Panniers 
The bags themselves are wonderful.  Big, waterproof, and lots of reflectors.  Would have preferred a yellow color, they got toasty in the sun, but not really an issue.  The issue was with the mounting system.  Just, cheap, and with my slightly overstuffed, bit heavier bags, it did not hold well and I found myself turning around for dropped bags a couple times.  Also, as mentioned with the rack, they didn't mate together well, although I can hardly fault either for that matchup.  A bit better attachment method, and I'd consider them to be great.  For the price, they are still pretty good, I'll just likely look to improve the retention on the hooks.

Axiom Flare Lights
Only did a little riding at night, worked for what we needed them for.  Never rode in the complete darkness to tell how bright the headlight was.

Incredibell
Loud, attention getting, and the unorthodox mounting location in front of the left brake worked well.  The one truly bright modification I made!

Tektro Brakes Levers
Work SO much better than the old levers.  Installed mostly for compatibility with the cross top brake levers, but made riding much more pleasant, and the large hoods gave me a comfortable way to ride in a more upright position.  May put them on other classic bikes when they get to their overhaul time.

Performance Cross Top Brake Levers
Useless on the trails, invaluable in the city.  Were quick and easy to set up, confident stopping power (even if not 100% of the regular brake levers), and allowed me to retain my upright sitting position while looking at directions, signs, and traffic.

SKS Bluemel Fenders
Cheap, flimsy, no idea how long they'll last, but kept us and the bikes clean and dry in the wet.  A bargain and well worth what we paid for the benefits we derived.

Giro Rumble Shoes
Brilliant.  Not so good for the days solely dedicated to walking, but kept my feet comfortable while pedaling while still having enough give to be comfortable walking around off the bike during breaks without having to change shoes.  Only complaint is they run a bit big, so ordering a size smaller and breaking it in took a while and almost made me send them back.  They stretched to my fet and are comfy now!