In general I try to shop around, scouring Amazon and eBay to find the best deal. I lucked out finding my bikes on Craigslist, paying way below market value for nearly new bicycles.
However it's always a balance between quality and price. You've probably noticed that there are a ton of products with insanely low prices popping up online these days. And I found out the hard way that you get what you pay for when it comes to bike gear.
I was looking for some front and rear bike lights, and saw some listed unbelievably cheaply. On both Amazon and eBay I could get a light, or even a set of both front and rear lights for less than five, ten dollars. In my mind I figured, hey why not; it's only a few bucks. And the expensive bike lights probably cost the same to manufacture. I'm just buying straight from the supplier.
So I tried it out with one of the sets. They worked ok at the beginning, but quickly got busted and stopped working after just a couple weeks. I was annoyed, but figured hey, it was a lemon. I'll just risk a few more dollars and try again with a better looking version.
Nope. I bought no less then three types of rear lights and two types of front lights, AND a couple spoke lights for the wheels. They all functioned, as in turned on, but they broke easily and weren't super bright.
I found out that last part only when I borrowed my husband's front light (since mine were all broke, obvy). When I turned his light on it was leagues better and brighter than the cheapo lights I had bought!
I learned my lesson. My husband bought me my own high quality bike light, and it's worked perfectly for weeks.
Unfortunately, before I learned my lesson I bought a few other accessories: some zippered booties for when it rains, even a cool ninja-like balaclava. While they all do the job, they're definitely sub-par gear.
My suggestion is to treat yourself!
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