I can’t run and hell, I can’t really walk, but I sure can shop!
I bought these things (with my own money). I like them a lot. If you are looking for things like these things, you might like them too!
AquaJogger Traveler pool running belt — My gym is bring-your-own-belt, and I spent a ridiculously long time agonizing over which to buy. I am so, so happy I picked this one. First of all: the segments are removable, which is awesome; I’ve taken off the big back piece and just run with the two little bits on the side now. Second: It folds up into a little bundle, much easier to carry around than a semi-circular piece of foam. It’s also a good bridge between running belted and beltless (which I’ve been experimenting with recently).
Alite Hikari Pack — Kind of obsessed with this bag. It can be a backpack or a tote bag; it has an open top so I can just throw all my stuff in there, but the straps cinch it up so nothing falls out. It has more pockets than I know what to do with, and I love pockety bags. And old colors go on sale for stupidly small amounts of money. It’s completely replaced a traditional gym bag for me.
Starbucks cold brew — This just rolled out to the Starbucks nearest my train station, and I’m thrilled. It’s not my favorite iced coffee; hell, it’s not even my favorite cold brew available in San Francisco. But it is the best iced coffee available within a block of my office for less than $3, and it has a really wonderful, clean, nutty flavor. I’m not always the biggest Starbucks fan, but they got this one right.
eoGEAR top tube bag — My beloved Nathan bento box started routinely ejecting food earlier this year — I guess two years of stretched-out mesh and worn-down velcro will do that — so I started hunting for another bag with similar specs. My requirements: at least one exterior pocket; at least one zipper pocket; big enough for lots of food; not too tall, because my short handlebar height doesn’t leave a lot of room to work with; attachments on both the bottom and the front. The Timbuk2 bento box was the other one I found that met my setup requirements, but it was HUGE, way too big for my tiny bike. This one is just right.
Nike Rival 4″ shorts — So the theme of this post is “pockets!” These shorts have a hidden interior waistband pocket in the front, another in the back, and an exterior zip pocket. As someone who has spent more money on Lululemon shorts than I care to admit entirely because they have interior waistband pockets, I am thrilled to have an option that can be found (on sale, but yeah, they’re always on sale somewhere) for literally half the price. Also in 2″ and 6″ lengths for your leg-baring pleasure.
Now, who needs a personal shopper?
Every Day Is Another Dumb Adventure 
$26 Nike shorts that have pockets?! Oh dear, I might have to try these, although I DON’T NEED SHORTS RIGHT NOW. And that bento box is something I’ll keep in mind, because I currently have to keep my fuel in my pockets. (Box/bag only fits on my bike in two places, neither of which I can access while riding.) So, I think you and my bank account hates you. 🙂
Hee. You’re welcome!
ETA: You might want to check out the Nathan bento that’s linked up there too. It served me well for about 18 months of HARD use, and it’s small/has a weird shape that made it a good fit on my bike. I did have to attach velcro to the front to keep it from wiggling, but it was a good starter bag for SURE.
Yep, the lack of front velcro is exactly why I took one look at that Nathan bento and said, “Nope, not gonna waste my time trying that.” (I don’t sew, and for some reason I can never get super glue to actually keep things in place.)
By the way, that was supposed to say that I “THANK” you, not “think you.” Proofreading is for amateurs…
Ha, I figured! And yeah, what I did with the velcro was use an xacto knife to cut two little slits and thread velcro strips through. I’m not much of a lifehacker, but that one was pretty good.
Being the bag hoarder that I am, I might just have to jump on that Hikari bag.
The shorts look pretty sweet too. Maybe I’ll try to find some at the Nike Outlet in San Leandro.
Thanks for the recommendations!
Update: I signed up for the Alite newsletter to get an additional 20% off, so I ended up getting the bag. Excited!
NICE! They also now apparently have a shop/showroom in San Francisco somewhere in the Mission. At some point I want to check that out!