4 surprising Amazon Prime Day buys I use daily as a cyclist

Amazon Prime Day can be a bit of a hit or miss, especially if you’re eyeing big-ticket bike gear. While electronics like headphones, bike computers and watches are seeing solid discounts, I found the deals on cycling wishlist items a little underwhelming. You’re best off looking elsewhere.

But being a cyclist isn’t just about time spent on two wheels—it’s a lifestyle. From my garage to my kitchen, you’ll find proof that cycling influences every corner of my day-to-day life.

Here are four Amazon finds I rely on daily as a cyclist, and they’re all discounted during the Prime Day sale.

Boon Lawn Bottle Drying Rack

This is one of my all-time favourite Amazon purchases, and it’s been a constant presence on my kitchen counter for at least eight years now.

While intended for baby bottles, it’s a must-have for cyclists and water bottle users of all kinds. The drying rack may sport an unusual look, but the plastic ‘grass’ plays a specific role. The sprigs grip items of all sizes and shapes while allowing for plenty of airflow to dry the items quickly. The lawn sits in a hard plastic, low-profile container, and it’s super easy to clean. It’s even dishwasher safe.

The lawn comes in green, white or grey colours and several sizes to fit your counter space.

Dry Guy

When I bought my first Dry Guy some 15 years ago, it truly transformed my winter cycling experience. As a year-round cyclist in the Pacific NorthWET, keeping my gear dry is a constant struggle. No matter how many shoe covers I’ve tried, soggy shoes still happen, and the Dry Guy Force Dry DX has become one of those household essentials I didn’t know I needed until I had it. Forget stuffing shoes with newspaper—this is the game-changer.

The Force Dry DX is designed to dry shoes, boots, gloves, or anything else that fits on its four extendable tubes, and it does so quickly without risking heat damage. Who among us hasn’t accidentally ruined a pair of shoes or gloves by leaving them too close to a scorching radiator?

The Dry Guy uses gentle, heated air to get the job done, and in just a couple of hours, your shoes and gloves are ready to go for the next ride. It’s not just a winter or wet weather tool either. You can toggle between warm and cool air so you can dry your sweaty shoes after a summer ride as well to keep the stink at bay.

Even if you’ve already become a convert yourself, this sale is a good time to obtain some units as presents for all the outdoorsy people in your life.

Ultrasonic Cleaner

One of my favourite workbench tools is a 15-litre Skymen ultrasonic cleaner. The Pacific Northwest weather can be rough on bikes, and I spend a lot of my free time cleaning and maintaining them. While not necessary per se, an ultrasonic cleaner is a big aid in keeping your cassette, chain, chainrings, and other smaller parts clean, and by keeping these parts clean, you’re also extending their lifespan.

Ultrasonic cleaners, common in science labs, jewellery stores and bike shops alike, are water tanks that use high-frequency sound waves to agitate the liquid and, by a process called cavitation, frees grime and dirt from hard-to-reach or tight spaces of whatever item you’ve got submerged in the liquid. Basically, tiny magic bubbles scrub and loosen the dirt for you.

Ultrasonic cleaning is sometimes also called precision cleaning as the bubbles reach microscopic levels of the part you’re cleaning, i.e.: in between chain link plates.

After the bath, you’ll rinse the parts and maybe give it another gentle scrub et voilà, your parts look good as new.

You can pick up an ultrasonic cleaner fairly inexpensively but if you’ve got gravel or mountain bike gearing, I would recommend getting at least a 12- or 15-liter tank to fit the large cassettes.

Aeropress Coffee Maker

It’s no secret that coffee and cycling cultures are intertwined, and with at least six different ways to make coffee in my kitchen, I fully embrace the cyclists-are-coffee-snobs stereotype. Of all the gadgets I’ve accumulated, the Aeropress has been my main coffee-on-the-go solution for years.

It’s a simple gadget that is light and compact enough for bikepacking or #coffeeoutside moments. The plastic version is highly durable too, so I often throw it in my bag when I travel—because honestly, there’s only so much Nescafe instant coffee a person can handle (looking at you, French hotels).

The Aeropress doesn’t just travel well, it actually makes a great cup of coffee. The brew is smooth, rich, low in acidity, and packs a decent punch. You don’t need to be a barista to nail it, either. The recommended starting point is 15-18 grams of medium ground coffee to 200-205 grams of hot water. You then stir the mixture, wait 1:15 and plunge!

In about two minutes flat, you’ve got a cup of coffee that’s miles ahead of any instant or drip coffee you’d find on the road.

Another bonus is that cleanup is a breeze—just pop the used coffee grounds into the compost bin, rinse and air dry.