Do you have a bicycle talisman you would want to share?
10-15-17, 04:12 PM
#1
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Do you have a bicycle talisman you would want to share?
So, I just learned that carrying a wine cork on the rail of your saddle is suppose to be a talisman against "becoming uncorked" aka, pooping out or bonking. I've also seen what I believe is the "wire + lead tab" that often came with cycling shoes in the 70's (or earlier) wrapped around the seal rail; I assume this is a talisman of some sort, though I've never had anyone explain the reasoning (maybe someone here knows).
I had a plastic glow-in-the-dark alien zip tied to my handlebars, to give me someone to talk to, besides myself, on long rides. The alien was the last one from a bag of aliens that were my kids, and I have fond memories of playing with the aliens with my children. The alien's base eventually broke, but a friend almost immediately afterwards gave me a plastic zombie, which I took as a karma moment, and the zombie took the alien's place. When I'm feeling it, the zombie stands straight up, and when I'm dogging it, the zombie is rotated straight forward, for better wind resistance. Not very C&V, but just looking at it always bring a smirk and smile to my face. (By the way, the alien hangs from my rear view mirror of my truck, a string strung thru the loop created by his molded hand-on-hip pose, still providing his mystical karma.)
I had a plastic glow-in-the-dark alien zip tied to my handlebars, to give me someone to talk to, besides myself, on long rides. The alien was the last one from a bag of aliens that were my kids, and I have fond memories of playing with the aliens with my children. The alien's base eventually broke, but a friend almost immediately afterwards gave me a plastic zombie, which I took as a karma moment, and the zombie took the alien's place. When I'm feeling it, the zombie stands straight up, and when I'm dogging it, the zombie is rotated straight forward, for better wind resistance. Not very C&V, but just looking at it always bring a smirk and smile to my face. (By the way, the alien hangs from my rear view mirror of my truck, a string strung thru the loop created by his molded hand-on-hip pose, still providing his mystical karma.)
10-15-17, 04:37 PM
#3
Non omnino gravis
I've had a couple-- mostly things given to me by my daughter. A neat skull & crossbones which sadly started to develop cracks all around the mounting screw, then another skull which was there one moment and gone the next. For a good while now, a Catbus keychain she found I don't even know where. For a magical ride... travel by Catbus.
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10-15-17, 04:44 PM
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Ah! That Catbus rules!
10-15-17, 04:56 PM
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More than a talisman, but I have placed this little Latin quote from John 20 on some of my rides: "Noli me tangere".
It can literally be translated several ways, and the context leads one naturally to contemplation. Don
It can literally be translated several ways, and the context leads one naturally to contemplation. Don
10-15-17, 05:03 PM
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I strap a copy of the talisman to my headtubes to protect me from evil hotels.
10-15-17, 06:09 PM
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Nothing more directly bike-related, but I've been carrying the same pocketknife for a little over 21 years now so it's always with me when I ride. I switch bikes too frequently to outfit them with anything other than myself.
Somehow I noticed the legs before the bus and thought "cat-erpillar".
I've had a couple-- mostly things given to me by my daughter. A neat skull & crossbones which sadly started to develop cracks all around the mounting screw, then another skull which was there one moment and gone the next. For a good while now, a Catbus keychain she found I don't even know where. For a magical ride... travel by Catbus.
10-15-17, 07:27 PM
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Inside the handlebar of my Paramount there's a single blue feather from a Steller's Jay. To help me "fly." 
(Might also come in handy if I ever need to ID the bike after a theft. Well, until now. DANGIT!!)
(Might also come in handy if I ever need to ID the bike after a theft. Well, until now. DANGIT!!)
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A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
10-15-17, 07:32 PM
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You do realize that the condom you put in your wallet when you were 16 is probably not to be trusted, right?
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
10-15-17, 08:07 PM
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Back then they were made out of leather.
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N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
10-15-17, 11:49 PM
#12
Me duelen las nalgas
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This.
Just a brass and glass ring in the style I used to hear Texas gals call a "dinner ring".
It was given to me by Rodney, a drifter I met along a rural highway while I was riding my bike home one November evening, just hours before the first blast of cold winter air moved in.
While passing an abandoned gas station I noticed a jumble of blankets and what appeared to be bare feet. I stopped to check and be sure the fellow knew there was a cold front moving in and had some food and shelter. He was drying his only pair of socks but otherwise had enough clothing and blankets to stay warm. I pointed out the busted out rear window of the gas station in case he needed to get inside out of the wind. I got him some food from the nearby convenience store, enough for that night and next morning. He planned to hitchhike into town, about 20 miles away. I told him where he could find the homeless shelters and food.
We talked for awhile. He looked a bit like Penn Gillette, the magician. He may have had some mental health issues, perhaps schizophrenia, but he seemed coherent and competent enough to get by pretty well on his own. He'd already drifted down from Canada.
Along the way he found this ring along the highway. He decided it must have been mine, or intended for me, and gave it to me. Before we parted he decided I might be an archangel, perhaps even the archangel Michael.
I returned the next morning with some extra clothing and socks, but he was gone. The convenience store clerk said he remembered seeing Rodney that morning and he seemed to be okay. Probably hitchhiked into town, or wherever fate was taking him.
I carry the ring on almost every bike ride now. It's not a talisman, amulet or fetish. It's a gift from a lost human being, a reminder to not live and travel in fear but to appreciate each moment as it comes.
Just a brass and glass ring in the style I used to hear Texas gals call a "dinner ring".
It was given to me by Rodney, a drifter I met along a rural highway while I was riding my bike home one November evening, just hours before the first blast of cold winter air moved in.
While passing an abandoned gas station I noticed a jumble of blankets and what appeared to be bare feet. I stopped to check and be sure the fellow knew there was a cold front moving in and had some food and shelter. He was drying his only pair of socks but otherwise had enough clothing and blankets to stay warm. I pointed out the busted out rear window of the gas station in case he needed to get inside out of the wind. I got him some food from the nearby convenience store, enough for that night and next morning. He planned to hitchhike into town, about 20 miles away. I told him where he could find the homeless shelters and food.
We talked for awhile. He looked a bit like Penn Gillette, the magician. He may have had some mental health issues, perhaps schizophrenia, but he seemed coherent and competent enough to get by pretty well on his own. He'd already drifted down from Canada.
Along the way he found this ring along the highway. He decided it must have been mine, or intended for me, and gave it to me. Before we parted he decided I might be an archangel, perhaps even the archangel Michael.
I returned the next morning with some extra clothing and socks, but he was gone. The convenience store clerk said he remembered seeing Rodney that morning and he seemed to be okay. Probably hitchhiked into town, or wherever fate was taking him.
I carry the ring on almost every bike ride now. It's not a talisman, amulet or fetish. It's a gift from a lost human being, a reminder to not live and travel in fear but to appreciate each moment as it comes.
10-16-17, 06:12 AM
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A couple times I have found feathers, like big owl feathers maybe, and stuck them them somewhere on the handlebar, but I don't have one now.
Just for general good luck purposes, I carry a patch kit. Not having a patch kit, that's guaranteed to bring bad luck.
Just for general good luck purposes, I carry a patch kit. Not having a patch kit, that's guaranteed to bring bad luck.
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www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
10-16-17, 07:32 AM
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I just ride with @rhm as he's likely to get all of the flats.
10-16-17, 07:37 AM
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No talisman but the Catbus is from My Friend Totoro. A classic.
10-16-17, 07:44 AM
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10-16-17, 07:46 AM
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This.
Just a brass and glass ring in the style I used to hear Texas gals call a "dinner ring".
It was given to me by Rodney, a drifter I met along a rural highway while I was riding my bike home one November evening, just hours before the first blast of cold winter air moved in.
While passing an abandoned gas station I noticed a jumble of blankets and what appeared to be bare feet. I stopped to check and be sure the fellow knew there was a cold front moving in and had some food and shelter. He was drying his only pair of socks but otherwise had enough clothing and blankets to stay warm. I pointed out the busted out rear window of the gas station in case he needed to get inside out of the wind. I got him some food from the nearby convenience store, enough for that night and next morning. He planned to hitchhike into town, about 20 miles away. I told him where he could find the homeless shelters and food.
We talked for awhile. He looked a bit like Penn Gillette, the magician. He may have had some mental health issues, perhaps schizophrenia, but he seemed coherent and competent enough to get by pretty well on his own. He'd already drifted down from Canada.
Along the way he found this ring along the highway. He decided it must have been mine, or intended for me, and gave it to me. Before we parted he decided I might be an archangel, perhaps even the archangel Michael.
I returned the next morning with some extra clothing and socks, but he was gone. The convenience store clerk said he remembered seeing Rodney that morning and he seemed to be okay. Probably hitchhiked into town, or wherever fate was taking him.
I carry the ring on almost every bike ride now. It's not a talisman, amulet or fetish. It's a gift from a lost human being, a reminder to not live and travel in fear but to appreciate each moment as it comes.
Just a brass and glass ring in the style I used to hear Texas gals call a "dinner ring".
It was given to me by Rodney, a drifter I met along a rural highway while I was riding my bike home one November evening, just hours before the first blast of cold winter air moved in.
While passing an abandoned gas station I noticed a jumble of blankets and what appeared to be bare feet. I stopped to check and be sure the fellow knew there was a cold front moving in and had some food and shelter. He was drying his only pair of socks but otherwise had enough clothing and blankets to stay warm. I pointed out the busted out rear window of the gas station in case he needed to get inside out of the wind. I got him some food from the nearby convenience store, enough for that night and next morning. He planned to hitchhike into town, about 20 miles away. I told him where he could find the homeless shelters and food.
We talked for awhile. He looked a bit like Penn Gillette, the magician. He may have had some mental health issues, perhaps schizophrenia, but he seemed coherent and competent enough to get by pretty well on his own. He'd already drifted down from Canada.
Along the way he found this ring along the highway. He decided it must have been mine, or intended for me, and gave it to me. Before we parted he decided I might be an archangel, perhaps even the archangel Michael.
I returned the next morning with some extra clothing and socks, but he was gone. The convenience store clerk said he remembered seeing Rodney that morning and he seemed to be okay. Probably hitchhiked into town, or wherever fate was taking him.
I carry the ring on almost every bike ride now. It's not a talisman, amulet or fetish. It's a gift from a lost human being, a reminder to not live and travel in fear but to appreciate each moment as it comes.
10-16-17, 07:50 AM
#20
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10-16-17, 07:52 AM
#21
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I have not ever heard there was such a thing for bicycles, although was well versed in various motorcycling ones. Particularly that you put a bell on your bike to ward away gremlins to keep mechanical issues down.
I have occasionally seen small charms, stuffed toys, etc laying on the side of the road near me on a rest stop. Where I have never made a concerted effort to 'attach' them to my bike I will put them behind a brake cable or under a strap on the bike bag till they fall off somewhere, get lost.
I have occasionally seen small charms, stuffed toys, etc laying on the side of the road near me on a rest stop. Where I have never made a concerted effort to 'attach' them to my bike I will put them behind a brake cable or under a strap on the bike bag till they fall off somewhere, get lost.
10-16-17, 07:56 AM
#22
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10-16-17, 06:27 PM
#23
Bikes are okay, I guess.
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10-16-17, 07:14 PM
#24
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Fellow forum member bibliobob gave me this for the Santana tandem. He acquired a variety of them in his travels. Not sure how he affixes to a mount clamp but I like how the piece is nicely aging.
[IMG]
DSC_0435 by carrera247, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]
DSC_0436 by carrera247, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]
DSC_0435 by carrera247, on Flickr[/IMG][IMG]
DSC_0436 by carrera247, on Flickr[/IMG]
10-16-17, 07:23 PM
#25
Senior Member
