I concur. Regular readers know which bike I use on longer rides.

I still have a couple. I used to ride with one on the left upper arm and one on each lower leg, in addition to the generator-driven head and tail lights on the bike.

Absolutely true, which is why all of my road bikes range in age from 25 to almost 50 years. The most important component has always been the man or woman atop the saddle.

The best bike rack ever made was the Pletscher "mousetrap." I still have one on my Peugeot UO-8 transportation/beater.

If you like to collect, restore and ride classic road bikes, as I do, remember that a mixed tubeset frame with a Reynolds 531 or Columbus main triangle is 99.5% as good as its much costlier full-Reynolds or full-Columbus top-of-the-line cousin. Can't afford a Peugeot PX-10? No problem -- look for a PR-10 or PKN-10, which will ride just as well, but weigh an unnoticeable extra 100 or 200 grams. The same goes for a Bianchi Campione d'Italia versus a Specialissima or other snooty Reparto Course offering. The critical elements, i.e., the frame geometry and the main triangle, are the same.

Tire savers - those thin bits of wire which hovered close to the tire and pulled out bits of debris as you rode.

>>> Tire savers - those thin bits of wire . . . pulled out bits of debris as you rode

I just loved the quiet 'whirrrrr-whirrrr' they made in time with the micro-accelerations of ones cadence. They're gone for good too, right?

What do you do when your head itches and you don't want to stop and take off your helmet to itch it?

Homemade energy/electrolyte drink:

In one cup or a bit less of boiling or hot water, dissolve a pinch of salt and a tablespoon or three of honey (you'll arrive at the proportion for your taste). Add about a teaspoon lemon and/or lime juice for flavor. Put ice in bottle(s); pour mixture in bottle to cool. Top up with cold tap water if needed.

Considerably more pleasant (and cheaper!) than Gatorade, which frankly reminds me of overly sweetened, artificially flavored saliva. Ick.

Need more potassium? Carry a banana in a jersey pocket (and eat it during the ride, wiseguys).

LOL!
Call it what you will, it has made the inventor and several of his closest friends gazillionaires!

When you see a dog coming up to chase, instead of just hosing them with plain water, swish a mouthfull of water around like you're rinsing at the Dentist and spit on the ground in front of them.

The smell of your mouth is almost as irresistable to a dog as the smell of your, um, other orifice. (For those of you that know dogs) I haven't come across a dog yet that can pass up a puddle of fresh spit, while several will run right through plain tap water.

Thank you for sharing the recipe... I've been wondering about a good, healthy alternative to Gatorade. I like it but Hubby doesn't.

Pounding on the helmet sometimes works. Of course anyone riding with you will begin to wonder what's wrong with you

Lore has it that the original "Gatoraid" energy drink has that for a name because it was created by the sports medecine folks at the University of Florida ("Gators") for use by their football team while training in exceptionally hot weather.

I have no idea if they got rich, get royalties or sold the rights to someone else.

Just an interesting tidbit of useless knowledge. This thread has turned out to be quite a bit of fun.

You have your lore correct
https://www.gatorade.com/history/

If you prefer to drink plain water, carry a roll of Tums or other anti-acid tablets. The calcium carbonate in them is an excellent electrolyte replenisher. Any hint of muscle cramping, just pop a few tablets. They work almost instantly.

Don't they make carbon kickstands?

We used to call it, "flavored sweat."

Thanks for the link Bev. It turns out that 2 years after the invention of Gatoraid it was placed on the market by the Stokley Van Camp company.

I wonder who made the money?

Walter shared. . .

>>> I haven't come across a dog yet that can pass up a puddle of fresh spit, while several will run right through plain tap water.

That's inspired!!! I never thought of it, but it makes perfect sense. . .I'm tryin' that one next time.

Hmm...I should try dissolving a Tums in my homemade drink too.

Puce.