As car manufacturers raised the bar on pampering motorists, all those things and many more became standard. If you think DVD players won't become standard in cars within a decade or two, think again.
Anyway, once I committed myself to cycluting (bicycle commuting) 16 years ago, I decided to search for some options of my own to make my commute as cushy as motorists'. Primary among them was a bicycle radio.
The only model I could find in 1992 was a battery powered "juvenile bicycle radio" from Radio Shack. It was AM/FM, weighed about five pounds with four C batteries inside, and included a push-button horn that wouldn't make a chipmunk flinch. The plastic bracket cracked about a month after I mounted it on my handlebars and I had to use an inner tube to tie it back in place.
Fortunately, Sony and other savvy electronics companies started to realize there was a growing market for bike radios among us grownups. I currently have a digital Sony S2 (about $60) firmly mounted on my handlebars. Not only can I listen to AM/FM radio, it includes a clock, an odometer and a speedometer.
If you have yet to discover the joy of bicycle radios, start checking some out online. Pretty soon you'll discover the joy of pumping your legs to the beat of Benny Goodman and Cole Porter! (Just kidding. I'm not that old.)
--Wordsmith 1953
1 comment:
Mr. Cycluter-how about an iPod?
One of the things that frustrated me when I married my husband 27 years ago was his devotion to having some contraption that played music in his car, living room, bedroom, office, basement, ETC.
Today's modern -- and cost-effective -- solution is an iPod. A very big selection of your favorite tunes are now 100% PORTABLE -- and ideal for the cycluter.
This would have saved us some $$ and some disagreements 25 years ago.
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