When it comes to e-bike gear, most of us have been burned before. That “waterproof” pannier that started leaking after the first storm, the multitool that rounded out on its tenth bolt, the lights that faded faster than a dying AA battery. I’ve had my share of disappointments. But over the past decade of nearly daily riding, there’s a small handful of e-bike tools and accessories that have stood the test of time. I’m talking half a decade or more of constant use, surviving rain, dust, sun, and the occasional crash, and still going strong.
As an e-bike reviewer who tests an untold number of new, shiny bikes and gadgets each year, I often share my early experiences with a new product. But rarely do I get to do a long-term review – and I mean years. So here’s a chance for me to look back at the gear I’ve incorporated into my car-free life for over half a decade.
These aren’t just “pretty good” products. These are the pieces of gear that have earned a permanent spot on my bike or in my toolkit. They’ve been with me through countless commutes, late-night rides, weekend tours, international trips, and enough roadside repairs to fill a small notebook. And even after years of abuse, they still do their job without complaint.
So, whether you’re building your first e-bike setup or replacing gear that gave up the ghost too soon, here’s my long-term, battle-tested list of e-bike products that have survived five years of heavy use and are still worth every penny.
Topeak Ratchet Stick
The Topeak Ratchet Stick might just be my all-time favorite bike tool.
It doesn’t cover every possible repair, but it includes the hex driver sizes you’ll use for most routine jobs, like adjusting brakes, saddles, racks, and so on. There’s also a second plastic holder with extra bits, mostly Torx drivers, but I rarely need them. In fact, I’m not even sure where that holder is anymore. I haven’t seen it in years and I’d guess it’s probably buried somewhere in my parts bin. The five bits stored in the handle of the tool are all I use regularly (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6mm).
Even without the extras, the core tool is a game-changer. All your most-used bits are right there, ready to pop into the compact ratchet, which makes tightening bolts far faster than fiddling with a standard Allen key. No more lifting and resetting every partial turn – the ratchet lets you work continuously, and the quick direction lever flips between tightening and loosening instantly. Especially for bolts with Loctite that require spending a minute or two to slowly drive down a dozen threads a half turn at a time with an Allen key, the ratchet stick takes care of it in 10 seconds.
And for cases where you don’t want the ratchet part, the end of the tool holds the bits like a typical Allen key, so you get the quick turning feature for fast bolt driving, then the ratchet action for quick tightening.
At $45, it’s not cheap, and is in fact quite a bit more expensive than the free set of Allen wrenches that came with your bike. But if you work on bikes as much as I do, it’s worth every penny. Saving the skin on your knuckles is worth it, alone.
This tool isn’t as nice and time-saving as the Topeak Ratchet Stick above, but it is significantly cheaper at $12, and it has some advantages. While you still have to take it out, turn it 180 degrees, put it back in, tighten, and repeat, it’s also a lot shorter which make it better for carrying.
My go-to tool for riding, this one slips easily in my jeans pocket-watch pocket and that also keeps it riding higher so it doesn’t drop down near my thigh. As much as I love my Topeak Ratchet Stick, that one is awkward to carry in a pocket because of its length, so I find it spends more time on my tool shelf for stationary work like repairs and bike building than mobile work like trail-side adjustments.
The AWS tool, on the other hand, is the perfect grab-and-go Allen key set. It’s small, it’s well-made, and it just simply works.
I’ve got a few of these, but the longest-lived one has been with me for over five years. It’s the tool I reach for first when I’m heading out on a ride and want to make sure I have a tool in my hand.
AfterShockz Trekz Air bone conduction headphones
I refuse to wear earbuds or “normal” headphones on a bike under basically any scenario. It started in the military when we weren’t allowed to wear earbuds when off-base for situational awareness reasons, and the sensibility stuck with me.
There’s no situation where I’d be on a bike and think, “You know what would make this experience better? Not being able to hear dangers around me.” Whether commuting in the city or enjoying a nature ride, I either need to hear potential threats or I just want to be able to take in the sounds of my environment.
And yet, it can still be nice to listen to a podcast or music on a long fitness ride or run. So I prefer bone conduction headphones. These leave your ears open for ambient noises, and instead conduct the sound right through your skull. Is the audio quality as good as over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones? Of course not. But I’d rather be alive while listening to moderate quality audio than get those deep bases right up to the moment I’m being pancaked by an Isuzu.
I’ve had these headphones since 2019, and they are still going strong. I don’t only use them for riding – in fact I use them even more often for running. I can get around five or six 45-minute running sessions in before they need a charge, so the battery is obviously worn down from when they were new, but the darn things just continue to work. Other than needing to charge more frequently, they’re as good as new.
I’m not sure they even make this exact model anymore, but Aftershockz seems to have many different models now, and this one looks close.
Cotopaxi Allpa 35 backpack
If I could have only one backpack in my life (I shudder at the thought), it would be this one. Cotopaxi is a great brand for a lot of reasons, chief among them the build quality and their commitment to sustainability, but the Allpa 35L is the creme de la creme for me.
This is more of a travel bag, and I’ve used it a ton that way. I’ve had this thing on countless trips to countless countries (I lost track at around 11 or 12) and I’ve beaten the hell out of it. I’ve taken it on jarring bikes rides, I’ve lashed it to the pillion seat on 100 MPH electric motorcycles, I’ve dragged it across airport floors, I’ve tossed it by the zipper pulls on the rare occasion that I’m in a rush and that’s the closest thing I can grab… Basically, it’s lived a hard life with me full of use and abuse. And yet, here we are, six years later.
The only wear it’s really showing is the rubberized coating on the front (and I’d even recommend getting the version without the rubberized front for that reason), but it’s merely aesthetic wear that doesn’t impact its functionality. The bag still works as well as the day I got it, which was nearly 2,000 days ago. Over $200 isn’t cheap for a bag, but when it lasts as long as this one, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a $45 bag every year.
This big boy probably isn’t the bag you want for a quick bike ride, but for longer trips like bikepacking and travel, it’s the only bag I take. Plus it also comes in smaller sizes if you don’t carry as much gear as I sometimes do.
See it in action on a motorcycle trip I took a few years ago, below.
Elite Borson bicycle travel bag
This Elite Borson bike bag has carried bikes internationally for me since 2020. It’s gotten tossed around. It’s gotten beat up. A few years ago it arrived at one international airport with one of its four wheels mysteriously missing. And yet, here we are. It keeps on trucking, and so I keep abusing it.
I’ve never once had a bike that I shipped in it arrive damaged. It’s hard where it needs to be, soft where it should be, and just gets the job done.
I love that despite all of its protection, it also packs down to around 1/4 of its size when not in use (which is good since this bag is HUGE). The only big downside to it is having to always go to the oversize bag drop/baggage claim belt at airports, but such is the life of a destination bike rider.
I’ve seen lots of cheaper bicycle bags out there, but if you’re going to travel with a heavy e-bike and you don’t want it getting damaged, this beast of a bike bag will get it there.
Oh yea, and about that wheel. It’s a bummer that I lost a caster wheel somewhere along the way. But the bag is so strong and the bottom of the bag is so tough that I have used it for years now with just three wheels. That corner of the bag simply drags along the ground.
I guess eventually it will wear down there, but who knows how long that will take. Maybe we will have hoverbikes by then.
Mirrycle bar-end mirror
There are a lot of bicycle mirrors out there, but the Mirrycle bar end mirror has long been a favorite of mine. I’ve got several, but the oldest is from around 2013. That’s a darn long time!
These are no-nonsense mirrors that don’t shake, don’t vibrate, and lock in strongly to just about any bike handlebar.
I can’t stop wobbly mirrors or models that you have to readjust after every big bump. The Mirrycle bar end mirror always stays where I put it unless I smack it into something, and I can’t really blame it in that case.
There’s not much else to say about it. It just works. It shows you what’s behind you. And it’s been doing so for me over the last 12 years. I’d say that’s a solid value for $15.
The takeaway
In a world where most products seem designed to fail just after the warranty expires, finding gear that lasts this long feels like discovering a secret. These tools and accessories are beyond reliable; they’ve become trusted companions on many of my daily rides.
Of course, nothing lasts forever. But if these items can survive my daily abuse for over half a decade, they’ve got a fighting chance of lasting through whatever you throw at them. And in my book, that makes them worth not just buying, but keeping for the long haul.
Here’s to fewer broken parts, fewer replacements, and more gear that’s built to ride as far and as long as we do.
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