Some folks love to have all the bells and whistles; but much of such elaboration is wasted on me. That’s especially true where electronic devices are concerned!

Just look at my Garmin

Garmin Edge 520 Plus

It has many features that I never use: I don\’t much care about Personal Records; and I don\’t really need the Race mode, because I don\’t participate in races.

I\’m not sure my Garmin includes GPS; but maybe my new cell phone has it. If I take a spill during a Sunday ride when I\’m miles from home; and am unable to get back on the bike and ride; I’ll need for somebody to be able to locate me. Otherwise I might be stranded for a long time.

My bicycles do have some bells and whistles. Each one literally has a bell; and each bicycle has a handlebar computer. If nothing else, I want to track mileage and time; and I keep an eye on my average speed. No; I’m not getting faster any too fast🙄. This morning, incidentally, I simply felt too tired to work at pushing the pace.

Even more important than bells and cycle computers are lights. It can be hard to see cars in bright sunshine if they don’t have their headlights on; so it must be much harder to spot an unlit bicycle!

I added fenders to the hybrid the day I bought it, for (slightly) cleaner rides in messy weather; and I got a rear rack for it, so I can carry loads. Over the years I’ve accumulated trunk, panniers, and trailer. I have an under-saddle pack for the road bike.

And I have toe clips on the hybrid’s pedals, and … it looks like I have a lot of bells and whistles, after all!