There are many contenders for most undersold category, MUC for short. For a while, it was CO2 inflators, but that’s now a staple in shops. Leg warmers, energy gels (in every seatpack), I’m sure you have your top choice.
Just got back from a ride on the Boulder Creek Path to watch my son play Ultimate Frisbee, I was regularly using my #1 MUC, and seeing others do so as well. I thought of pitching retailers going to Interbike to look for styles to stock in the Spring.
My MUC is considered a bit geeky by the fit-and-fast. Sure I have one on my commute bike, maybe you do, too. But both road bikes? The mountain bike? OK, none on my track bike.
I feel pretty lost without one. It’s really light, really cheap, few moving parts, never needs lubing . Yet it’s the friendliest, most safety-enhancing (yours and others) piece of gear you can mount.
If you haven’t guessed by now, you probably don’t own one. It’s the humble bicycle bell! Who doesn’t love the sound of one, whether the simple “ping” or the more mechanically adventurous “ring-ching.”
It announces a cyclist’s oncoming presence in a friendly, reassuring way. Many pedestrians give a wave of thanks when you use one. Two rings from about 50 feet back, one from 20. So much more user-friendly than “on your left.”
Every urban bike customer needs the offer of a bell. Pick out one that looks nice with their bike. I just “sold” one of my son’s shop cohorts a bell, I keep a bin of different styles in the shop. He loves dinosaurs, and who can resist a jiggly eyeball
