The most under-rated sense

"I'm not being funny, but my favourite smell in the world is the smell of bicycle shops - try it, you'll never look back."

found at
https://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Manly...ner#1023980502

Is there a generic Bikeshop smell ?

I know there are particular city smells. London smells very different from Birmingham. Can you recognise a city by its smell ?
Which city smells the best/worst.
Why do cities have individual smells ????

Never noticed a bike-shop smell. I do like the smell of an army surplus store, though!

That reminds me of the movie Silverado when one of the characters played by Kevin Kline walks into a saloon after many days on the trail and takes a deep breath and says"I love the smell of a good saloon."

Every time I walk into a great bike shop I remember that line and take a deep breath.

As a kid I noticed that everyone's home had a different, unique smell.

When I was cycling in the Washington D.C. area in the beginning of June this year I noticed a very strong pleasant fragrance in the air.

I tried to locate the source of this fragrance. It seems it came from small white flowers on a sort of an ivy. Do you know the name of this plant? I've never met a smell like this in Eurasia, where I lived in different places.

This fragrance was especially noticeable on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in the very first days of June. Later it became not so strong, either because I have got accustomed to it, or because of the natural changes with the plant.

I notice different smells. Expecially between east and west coast. I went back to Ontario to visit my friends and family and found the smog almost unbearable. It was disgusting. Especially when near hamilton or TO.

As for bike shops. Yeah they have the industrial smell. Mech shops have a similar smell.

Lilly? I think.

Hey, what about week old roadkill? It has to have the most unique smell of all.

When we are on vacation the first thing i like to do in any new city is visit the LBS, I miss the smell of the shop!

I haven't really noticed the smell of different cities. As a native San Diegan, i can smell the beach miles and miles away. The Pacific smells different from the Gulf and the Atlantic.

The weirdest thing i can smell? Ants. I always know when they've invaded the house.

since i stopped smoking i have really started to smell the world around me......some good ......some not so good........but it sure beats the smell of smoke.

Just got back from riding in B.C. experienced lots of this.....the smell of pine mixed with alpine flowers and berries. It's the most wonderfully fragrant smell.

If it was Honeysuckle, I agree, I think it's one of the most beautiful fragrances I have ever come across. Another I love is Mimosa blossoms. The trees have fern-like leaves and the blossom looks like a brush, white at the base with pink on the tips of the "bristles."

Yes. It looks like it was honeysuckle. I looked up in the Babylon.com dictionary and there was a puicture of the flower. It seems it is that plant.

I always wanted to smell honeysuckle-it's not native to our area.

Speaking of smog, some of that crud from Ontario has drifted our way, and going for a ride is now a health hazard! There is even a smog warning, plus temps in the 90s. Ewwww... one guy we know went for a ride and has been coughing for two days!

I have a really sensitive sense of smell. I'm like a dog! I can smell everything. I also notice that since I stopped smoking, I am much more sensitive to the smell of cigarettes. It doesn't bother me and I'm haven't become an antismoking fanatic, but if I'm in a restaurant and someone is smoking, or if I'm on the bus and someone is a smoker I can really smell the smoke on their clothes. ANd I think gee, I'm glad I don't smell like that. OTOH, when it's hot like today I don't think I smell too good either.

My LBS has a habit of burning incense, I think to eliminate the smell of some of the lubricants they use in bike repairs and such. Personally, I love the smell of eucalyptus in the rain.

That isn't always a pleasant smell either. I am a clean freak, so when I go to other houses, I of course compare the level of cleanliness to my own. I have an extremely sensitive nose. The worst smell is when a woman douses herself (or a man) in perfume or cologne and then works out in the gym. ARRRGGHH!!!

Being a tech-no-gear-head....I love the smell of a bike shop, if they don't burn incense.

I have always wondered about places and people that add an over abundence of extra smell.....Does she think that she smells bad? Is that why she has all the perfume on?

Can't leave it alone........

When I was in college a friend of mine had wanted to go out with a certain young lady for several months. She finally relented and they went to the outdoor movies (drive-in) on one friday night.

About 10 minutes after the sun went down, George was back in town...alone. I said " George? where is the girl of your dreams? I thought she was going out with you tonight?"

He said " We went to the movies, and she snuggled against my arm. I felt something on my skin, it was sort of powedery and filmy.....I turned on the car light and saw that it was her makeup all over me. I said " WHAT DO YOU PUT THAT ***** ON WITH B!TCH? A TROWEL?", and she left!

Be warned, George is now an IRS agent!!!!

Redhed, I agree about cologne and the gym. SOme women show up at the gym doused in perfume (and wearing lots of makeup) and then work out and GAK! One woman always shows up and gets on the treadmill in street clothes- jeans and a long sleeved shirt and workout shoes. She's actually a very attractive woman in her 50s, but she must douse herself with a gallon of this incredibly strong perfume before leaving the house. One day she was on the cross trainer next to me and there were no others available and I thought I was going to puke! I'm not overly sensitive, although I have a sensitive sense of smell but anyone would be able to smell it from ten miles away. The truth is I prefer the healthy smell of sweat and sweaty clothes (except for really horrible putrid BO) to overly strong, gag-making perfume. Why do some peole have to overdo it like that? I actually like perfume although I don't really wear any, but after smelling that I wonder why bother, I'm not a terribly sweaty person, I don't need to cover it up, deodorant and soap are enough.
ANyw