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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.

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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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Anker SOLIX clearance sale drops 535 PowerHouse station to $299 low + 60,000mAh PowerCore Reserve at $80, more

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September 15, 2025

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Anker SOLIX clearance sale drops 535 PowerHouse station to 9 low + 60,000mAh PowerCore Reserve at , more

Starting off this week’s Green Deals is another spotlight on Anker’s ongoing SOLIX Fan Fest Sale, focusing on the up to $700 clearance discounts on legacy power stations, like the 535 PowerHouse that has fallen back to its $299 low, among others. We also have a new low price hitting the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower at $841 (plus its upgraded and discounted variants), and Anker’s PowerCore Reserve 60,000mAh Power Station dropping back to $80. From there, we have new and returning lows on Govee’s Smart Electric Composter, Worx’s Nitro Hydroshot pressure washer, and more waiting for you below. Plus, there are all the hangover deals from last week collected at the bottom of the page in our latest Electrified Weekly edition.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Anker’s SOLIX Fan Fest clearance deals drop the 535 PowerHouse LiFePO4 station back to $299 low, more

As part of its ongoing Fan Fest Sale through September 21, Anker is offering up to $700 in clearance sale discounts on a lineup of legacy power stations for your personal device/appliance backup. Among the bunch, we spotted the tried-and-true Anker SOLIX 535 PowerHouse Portable Power Station at $299 shipped, which beats out Amazon’s pricing by $50. While it may carry a $550 MSRP, it keeps down at $500 when in full at Amazon, with discounts over 2025 mostly keeping the costs between $350 and $330, with one previous fall to $299 at the top of the month. You’re looking at another chance to pick it up at its lowest tracked price, giving you $251 in savings off its MSRP. Head below to learn more about this model and the others currently seeing these clearance discounts.

When you don’t want to lug around a larger power station or any expanded setup that you’d prefer to keep at the ready at home, Anker’s 535 PowerHouse station is a great alternative that provides a compact but ample 512Wh LiFePO4 battery capacity. Coming with a 5-year warranty (and rated to last a minimum of 10 years), this model delivers up to 500W of output power through its 9 port options: four AC outlets, three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a car port. You have plenty of recharging options for the station itself, including 120W speeds via the USB-C port, the included adapter, the car port, or when utilizing its maximum solar input.

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Anker’s SOLIX Fan Fest clearance deals:

ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower mowing grass between blocks and rocky pathway

Save up to $500 on ECOVACS’ three Goat RTK and LiDAR robot mowers starting from a new $841 low

Amazon has been rolling out plenty of new low prices this morning, and the trend is continuing with the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower at $841.20 shipped, which beats out the brand’s direct website pricing by $59. It usually goes for $1,000 at full price since hitting the market back in spring, which we’ve seen mostly dropped down to $900 with discounts, though recently things have gone as low as $850 a few times over the summer months. Today’s deal takes the costs lower than ever as $159 is cut from the tag for the best new price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this model, as well as the discounts on its two upgraded variants, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

Anker PowerCore Reserve 60,000mAh power station charging laptop and phone in back of SUV

Through the official Amazon storefront, Anker is giving folks another chance at its PowerCore Reserve 60,000mAh Power Station for $79.99 shipped in both of its colorways, which beats out the brand’s direct website pricing by $67. Without discounts, you’d be shelling out $150 in total for this popular model, with the discounts we have seen often dropping the price between $110 and $90, with a few falls lower to $80, and a one-time drop to its $75 low back during July’s Prime Day event. Outside of that short-lived Prime Day pricing, you’re looking at the best price we have seen repeat over the year, giving you $70 in savings and landing it back at its second-lowest overall price a month after its last appearance.

If you want to learn more about this power station’s capabilities, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

woman using Govee's Smart Electric Kitchen Composter for soil to put into garden box

Get low-cost soil from food waste without the odors using Govee’s Smart Electric Composter at a new $217 low

By way of its official Amazon storefront, Govee is offering the best price yet on its Smart Electric Kitchen Composter at $216.59 shipped, after clipping the on-page 20% off coupon. While it carries a $500 MSRP, we usually see it at Amazon between $427 and $455 when at full price, which has mostly been dropped between $350 and $300 with discounts. Since July’s Prime Day event the price has come down further, with a short-lived fall to $255 during that 4-day sale, before keeping at $285 and then $271 since. Today’s deal is bringing things lower than ever, as the 52% markdown cuts up to $238 off the tag for the best price we have tracked – which even beats out the $245 rate back from when it launched in October 2024.

If you want to learn more about this smarter composting alternative, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man using Worx Nitro Hydroshot pressure washer to clean deck

Worx’s Nitro Hydroshot 710 PSI portable pressure washer with a draw hose hits $130 low for second time

Over at Amazon you can find the Worx Nitro Hydroshot  20V 710 PSI Light-Duty Electric Pressure Washer down at $129.99 shipped, which matches the price we’re seeing at Best Buy while this tool is a part of its Deals of the Day promotions. This portable cleaning option carries a $210 MSRP, though we usually see it keep down near $170 at Amazon, with prices having gone as far as a one-time drop to $137 in April and a one-time $130 low last month, while otherwise keeping the costs above $140 until today. Now, you can pick it up with $40 cut from the going rate (and $80 off the MSRP) for a second chance at the best price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this pressure washer, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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Cadillac’s new electric SUVs crush real-world EV range tests

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September 15, 2025

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Cadillac's new electric SUVs crush real-world EV range tests

Cadillac-electric-SUV-range

Cadillac’s new luxury electric SUVs may offer even more driving range than the official numbers suggest. Although they boast an EPA-estimated driving range of over 300 miles, the latest models drove well over that.

Cadillac’s Optiq, Vistiq electric SUVs top range estimates

Cadillac is making a comeback thanks to its new EV lineup. The luxury brand had its best first-half sales this year since 2008.

After launching a series of new electric SUVs earlier this year, Cadillac claims to be the leading luxury EV brand in the US this year. But that doesn’t include Tesla due to its “pricing structure,” the company said.

Cadillac now offers an electric option for nearly every segment, including the entry-level Optiq, midsize Lyriq, three-row Vistiq, and even bigger Escalade IQ and IQL. It also offers the high-performance Optiq V and Lyriq V, plus the ultra-luxury Celestiq.

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Much of the brand’s success is thanks to GM’s Ultium platform, which underpins all Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac electric vehicles.

The platform provides most models with an EPA-estimated driving range of at least 300 miles. According to Edmunds’ latest EV range test, Cadillac’s newest electric SUVs may offer more range than the numbers say.

Cadillac-electric-SUVs-EV-range
Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

Powered by an 85 kWh battery, the Cadillac Optiq Sport 2 trim has an EPA-estimated driving range of 302 miles, but Edmunds drove it an impressive 339 miles, or about 12% more. It also had a better overall efficiency rating at 29.8 kWh of energy used per 100 miles, compared to the EPA rating of 33 kWh per 100 miles.

The Cadillac Vistiq 900 E4 also beat its official rating. Drawing power from a massive 102 kWh battery, the Vistiq has an EPA range of 305 miles, but the three-row electric SUV drove 334 miles during the test, or 9% more. It used 36.6 kWh of energy per 100 miles.

Cadillac-Vistiq-EV-range
2026 Cadillac Vistiq electric SUV (Source: GM)

With both electric SUVs driving over 330 miles during real-world range tests, the Optiq and Vistiq are both great options for buyers looking for an efficient luxury electric SUV.

Measuring 19″″ in length, 75″ in width, and 65″ in height, the Cadillac Optiq is about the same size as the Tesla Model Y (187″ in length x 76″ in width x 64″ in height). It starts at just $54,390.

Cadillac-Optiq-EV-range
2026 Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

The three-row Vistiq, slotted in between the Lyriq and Escalade EQ, is equipped with dual motor AWD as standard and starts at $79,090.

With the $7,500 federal EV tax credit set to expire at the end of September, Cadillac is offering a few deals that may be worth checking out. Most Cadillac models are currently eligible for a credit of at least $10,000. The 2025 Optiq is listed for lease as low as $449, while the larger 2026 Vistiq is promoted at $749 per month.

Ready to try one out for yourself? We can help you get started. You can use our links below to find Cadillac’s electric SUVs in your area.


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Tesla board links ‘the future of Tesla’ to Elon Musk’s ridiculous compensation

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September 15, 2025

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Tesla board links 'the future of Tesla' to Elon Musk's ridiculous compensation

Tesla’s Chairwoman of the Board, Robyn Denholm, says that voting for Elon Musk’s compensation package of up to $1 trillion is essentially voting for Tesla’s future.

She insists only Elon Musk can make this future come true without ever explaining why.

Tesla’s board is virtually always silent. They rarely, if ever, comment about anything unless it’s time to get Elon Musk paid.

Then, they, especially chairwoman Robyn Denholm, come out of their cave to sell to shareholders that Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world and already the biggest Tesla shareholder, should receive the biggest compensation package ever – beating the next biggest by a factor of 10.

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They recently gave Musk a $29 billion package without obtaining shareholder approval, and now they are proposing a new one that could be worth around $1 trillion in stock options for Musk if all the milestones are met.

Denholm, who rarely, if ever, gives interviews, is now making the rounds to try to sell the package to shareholders.

Tesla’s board is even buying Google ads to sell the package for shareholders, despite the automaker rarely using advertising to sell its own products.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Denholm claimed that Musk is the only one who can execute Tesla’s mission, and they believe that even though he is the single person who benefits the most from Tesla’s stock right now, he still needs to be motivated with more stock options:

AI and autonomous is at the front and center of that, both in the vehicles but also in our Optimus lineup and what we’re doing from a robotics perspective as well. And so, having the Board’s responsibility is to look at who the CEO is for the next period of time, and we believe that Elon is the right CEO for Tesla over this transformative period of time. And our view is he’s a generational leader – there aren’t any other people out there like Elon who can actually lead the Company over this next decade or so. And so, once you decide who the leader should be, you need to put in place the compensation package to incent and motivate him to actually deliver against the ambitious goals.

When asked about Musk’s political activities, Denhom basically said that it is not the board’s business and they only judge him on the company’s performance:

Yeah, I mean, what he does from a personal perspective in terms of his political motivations, et cetera, is up to him. Clearly, from our perspective as a Board, we’re measuring him on results and measuring him on what he does as the CEO of Tesla. Our view is he’s delivered big time in the past, and we look forward to him doing that in the next era.

However, she didn’t explain what he has delivered lately.

Tesla’s vehicle sales have been in decline for two years now. Earnings have been dropping for three years. Tesla’s autonomous driving effort is years behind where Musk claimed it would be since 2018.

The only thing that is up is Tesla’s stock, and it appears to be up on people believing what Musk is claiming, despite a long history of being consistently wrong.

Yet, Denhom insists that voting for Musk’s compensation package is a vote on Tesla’s future:

I think the really key thing is that shareholders get to vote on the future of the Company, not just on a compensation package. The compensation package is the instantiation of the goals and ambition – the super ambitious goals that we have as a company. So, I think with this proposal, it’s really up to shareholders what the future of Tesla looks like.

Tesla shareholders will vote on November 6 at the annual shareholders meeting.

Electrek’s Take

The board has been selling hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Tesla stock over the last year.

They want to give Elon Musk ridiculous compensation because he also allowed them to give themselves excessive compensation, to the point where they had to settle with shareholders and return almost $1 billion worth of excessive board compensation. It’s pathetic.

It’s all about greed. It’s no longer about the mission.

Forget about the clear fact that Tesla’s CEO is losing his mind and using his platform to stoke political violence almost as a full-time job for the last 2 weeks, the compensation also doesn’t make sense on a purely sensible basis.

Musk is being greedy compared to the average human, but he is also being greedy on a billionaire scale.

In comparison, Jeff Bezos never took stock options during his tenure as CEO of Amazon because he was already fully motivated to perform at the company, as he stood to benefit the most from the stock:

Musk is in the same situation, but he apparently needs another trillion-dollar worth of stock to be motivated.

If the problem is the control of the company through his stake, which is obviously nonsense as he has complete control over Tesla with just 15% of the share, Tesla could do the same as Ellison with Oracle:

Ellison managed to increase his ownership of Oracle through share buybacks that helped shareholders instead of diluting the stock like Musk’s compensation package.

In short, there are numerous ways to achieve what Musk claims to accomplish while benefiting all shareholders equally, and him more proportionally as the biggest shareholder, but he chose to push for the option that results in him getting a disproportional benefit.

That’s called greed. Pure and simple.


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