Embrocation still a thing?

[Gummee]

NVM I went back a page and realized I've already answered this one

[ldamelio]

Can you guys define the "Velocipede/Cool Kids Era" for me?

Not being facetious here. I think I'm stuck in a time warp as I still use embro in cool/cold weather and shave despite being 64 and not having raced in about 5 years.

Always Campy (rim brake SR), most rides on lugged steel, and I only went from 23s to 25s in the last few years. They seem plenty fat to me.

Am I a curmudgeon, retro cool or just hopelessly out of touch?

[bigbill]

In the 90s, I made my own with baby oil, witch hazel, and peppermint oil. It mostly made my legs shiny and my eyes burn if I touched my legs and rubbed my eyes. I certainly didn't hurt my performance and likely prevented rust on my top tube. I have a jar of Russian Tea embrocation somewhere.

I have six pair of bib knickers, half Craft, half PI. I like the Craft better but they got hard to find. With the exception of the Open Min.d., my road bikes are limited to 25s or maybe a smallish 28.

[Tim Porter]

bigbill: You're showing your Wolverine Sports Club exposure BITD. In the mid-70s we made our own embrocation during our Florida road trips (which we did in Clare Young's van, with Mike Walden in attendance). Our recipe was olive oil, rubbing alcohol and wintergreen oil. Very authentic and could be lethal if poorly placed!

Ah, memories.

[the bottle ride]

Love this list- absolutely defined this era.

Embro- I love embro. It was a great way to start a ride: I loved the way it smelled and the way it made my legs feel.

My only problem is that I never remembered to put it on until after the ride had started….

The “vsalon/cool kids” period was so fun. It was the intersection of new and old. Great characters and scoundrels that made the bike world a little better.

Originally Posted by Pegoready

The embrocation era was a good one. I remember these things well:

• Hitting refresh on the Belgium Knee Warmers blogspot every morning
• Rim brakes and 700x25 tires
• Being hard and doing dirt roads on said 700x25 tires and 53/39 crank
• Clip on fenders, filthy drivetrains
• Bib knickers
• ISP bikes from Ridley, Gualzetti, and Speedvagen
• A magazine called Embrocation. Also, Roleur.
• 3T Rotundo bars and other round bend drop bars
• Classic Flite, Regal, and Concor saddles on your state of the art road bike
• Nemesis tubulars
• Cotton cycling caps under your helmet
• iPods and corded headphones on the bike, sometimes
• 10 Speed drivetrains

What a time to be into cycling! (I'm still into half of these things)

[bewheels]

Originally Posted by ldamelio

Can you guys define the "Velocipede/Cool Kids Era" for me?

.....

Was curious about this as well considering embrocation predates the internet.

It is still "a thing" within certain circles here in new england. Its decline in use coincided with clothing companies making knee warmers that didn't end up around your ankles and as companies like Polartec coming out with functional materials that got picked up by cycling clothing companies. Though it would have been nice for Polartec to create fabric that smelled like embrocation. It could have come in different scents.

[mickey.d]

The people who don’t use embrocation, they are the fad.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by Pegoready

The embrocation era was a good one. I remember these things well:

• Hitting refresh on the Belgium Knee Warmers blogspot every morning
• Rim brakes and 700x25 tires
• Being hard and doing dirt roads on said 700x25 tires and 53/39 crank
• Clip on fenders, filthy drivetrains
• Bib knickers
• ISP bikes from Ridley, Gualzetti, and Speedvagen
• A magazine called Embrocation. Also, Roleur.
• 3T Rotundo bars and other round bend drop bars
• Classic Flite, Regal, and Concor saddles on your state of the art road bike
• Nemesis tubulars
• Cotton cycling caps under your helmet
• iPods and corded headphones on the bike, sometimes
• 10 Speed drivetrains

What a time to be into cycling! (I'm still into half of these things)

Ha, more than half over here.

[AngryScientist]

Remember when you could just tell someone to harden the f up, and it wasn't some huge overly offensive deal?

Like: "Dude, you ndon't need beach cruiser tires on your road bike, htfu"

The good old days indeed.

[bostondrunk]

Originally Posted by ldamelio

Can you guys define the "Velocipede/Cool Kids Era" for me?
...

How much time do you have??

Search for 'the jerk', atmo, track frames, stiff yet compliant, stolen underground, roy munson, fixed, swoop, french fit.

Then go visit the new forum that the special members decided to form on their own (cool kids lunch table) at Velocipede Salon, read about amazing crab feasts, nixfrixshun chain lube that magically only required 12 drops for an entire chain, 'the right ones' (when asking about frame angles), etc...

Enjoy!

[RoosterCogset]

"Embrocation"? Really? Just say it.. it's called Bengay

[mickey.d]

I remember having a great real life conversation with every single person being ridiculed in this thread.
Just because you only ride 13mph, and that caught on in a big way, doesn’t mean you are right about anything (or everything)…

A web forum founded by Serotta that spends more time talking about Specialized bikes that look exactly like old Parlees than anything remotely resembling craft-built race bikes that Freds can buy, modified for their fred-selves, is pretty sad, actually.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by mickey.d

I remember having a great real life conversation with every single person being ridiculed in this thread.
Just because you only ride 13mph, and that caught on in a big way, doesn’t mean you are right about anything (or everything)…

A web forum founded by Serotta that spends more time talking about Specialized bikes that look exactly like old Parlees than anything remotely resembling craft-built race bikes that Freds can buy, modified for their fred-selves, is pretty sad, actually.

lol. i have no idea what this post is about.

Who is being ridiculed here exactly? And by who?

[e-RICHIE]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

lol. i have no idea what this post is about.

Who is being ridiculed here exactly? And by who?

data point

gary (kahuna) founded this forum

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by Tim Porter

bigbill: You're showing your Wolverine Sports Club exposure BITD. In the mid-70s we made our own embrocation during our Florida road trips (which we did in Clare Young's van, with Mike Walden in attendance). Our recipe was olive oil, rubbing alcohol and wintergreen oil. Very authentic and could be lethal if poorly placed!

Ah, memories.

You haven't lived unless Mike Walden smacked your knee with his crutch and then told you it wouldn't hurt if you were wearing enough layers. Or have Clare yelling to upshift as you crested the climb. And chew your food, Japanese soldiers existed on a handful of rice because they chewed it excessively.

White bread, ham, cheese, and mayo sandwiches in your musette while riding 100 miles in the small ring.