Today is Flag Day here in the US.
There has been no shortage of bike accessories--and whole bikes--with the Stars and Stripes in their design. Too many are, quite frankly, garish or simply corny. However, there is one that, I must admit, makes me a little sentimental.
Many of us had American flag bells on our bikes as kids. Somehow a Schwinn cruiser or lowrider from a certain era doesn't seem complete without one. I'm not sure that the Chicago bike-maker's vast line of accessories ever included such a bell, though. All of the Schwinn (actually, Schwinn-Approved) bells I ever saw had the company's seal on them.
I'll admit that I rather like this handlebar bag:
Now, it's not the sort of thing you'd use on an Audax or Brevet, let alone a cross-continental tour. But it could be fun to have on a town or shopping bike. Plus, if it's handmade and sold on Etsy, it can't be all bad, right?
The Fourth of July--US Independence Day--features parades that almost invariably include bicycles decorated with the colors of Old Glory. Many are tacky or simply silly. However, I've seen a few that use the red, white and blue in interesting ways. Here is one:
Of course, I'm not going to ride those wheels on my next century. Then again, I wouldn't ride this wheel, either:
unless, of course, I could ride it with one of these tires: ;-)
There has been no shortage of bike accessories--and whole bikes--with the Stars and Stripes in their design. Too many are, quite frankly, garish or simply corny. However, there is one that, I must admit, makes me a little sentimental.
Many of us had American flag bells on our bikes as kids. Somehow a Schwinn cruiser or lowrider from a certain era doesn't seem complete without one. I'm not sure that the Chicago bike-maker's vast line of accessories ever included such a bell, though. All of the Schwinn (actually, Schwinn-Approved) bells I ever saw had the company's seal on them.
I'll admit that I rather like this handlebar bag:
Now, it's not the sort of thing you'd use on an Audax or Brevet, let alone a cross-continental tour. But it could be fun to have on a town or shopping bike. Plus, if it's handmade and sold on Etsy, it can't be all bad, right?
The Fourth of July--US Independence Day--features parades that almost invariably include bicycles decorated with the colors of Old Glory. Many are tacky or simply silly. However, I've seen a few that use the red, white and blue in interesting ways. Here is one:
| From Or So She Says |
Of course, I'm not going to ride those wheels on my next century. Then again, I wouldn't ride this wheel, either:
unless, of course, I could ride it with one of these tires: ;-)
