Originally Posted by
mlau
I have a new employee who is just getting into bike commuting ... humping 2 backpacks full of his uniform and other stuff over to the office ... no tools. no rack, no panniers, no bell.
A '70s Shogun ... as in the BMX bike? Hm.
A gift certificate to a local shop (as suggested above) might be nice. Would allow him to select his own choices.
A rack and trunk bag/panniers might suit. ToPeak makes a reasonable rear rack, along with a trunk bag that expands to panniers. (Their MTX compatible stuff.) Would be sub-$200. Assuming it'd fit on his bike and easily transfer to another more-contemporary bike.
A good bike headlight and couple of taillights. For safety and visibility.