Deck the Bike with Holiday Lights

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Every year around the holidays, I think about how cool it would be to go all out with Christmas lights on my bike. And every year I punk out by throwing on ribbon and a couple of ornaments.

Not so this year!

I finally bought a string of battery-operated lights, one that’s colorful and blinks in fun patterns. Installing it on my bike was easy – I simply wrapped it around, starting from the handlebars, down along the top tube, and ending at the rack, where I tucked the battery pack under my cargo straps.

This set up makes me ridiculously happy. (It’s the little things that count.)

Plus, I’m the most visible bike out there by far! :)

Do you decorate your bike? I know several of you put lights on your bikes and encouraged me to do the same, so thanks!

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Flowers for the Tour de Fat

On Saturday I attended the Tour de Fat, an annual bike festival by New Belgium Brewing, where I ran into several people I know, including frequent commenter Scott and his girlfriend with their gorgeous Velorbis and Pashley bikes (pictured below). Chicago was the first stop on a nation-wide tour. You can read, see and watch more about the Tour de Fat at my write-up from last year.

Before heading out, I decided to decorate my bike. The flowers came from a thrift store wreath and were already strung together. I simply zip-tied each end to the top of my basket and voila – bike basket beauty.

I also decorated my hair. :) This is going down as an event in the Summer Games, “Decorate your bike.”

All bike baskets should be adorned with flowers and/or ribbon!

LGRAB Learning Experiences: Week 1 Roundup

So far, LGRAB Summer Games Part II is off to a great start. We’ve had at least one person perform every task already! From carrying groceries to test-riding a Pashley or a Trek Belleville, our awesome readers are finding fun and creative ways to learn more about cycling. Without further ado, le round-up:

• Perform a maintenance task — big or small!

Missy had to tune up her bike before competing in her first triathlon last weekend. Scott from Two Sixteen put together an amazing bar tape tutorial. Dave from Portlandize gave handsome Bertrand a bath, and Biking Toronto talked about restoring a vintage bike.

• Decorate your bike

Two creative ideas here: Sumeha’s Ugly Pad, which I find pretty cute!

And customized wine-cork valve caps from 416 Cycle Style.

• Read a book about cycling

Morty at Slow Bike Madison dug into The Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne, while Carolyn picked up The Art of Urban Cycling by Richard Hurst. Watch for our suggested bicycle reading list, coming soon.

• Carry a load on your bike — groceries, etc.

Seeing the different things everyone carries by bike is so much fun. Smallest load: Margaret’s Frozen Yogurt (hey, a load is relative, I suppose!). Biggest potential? Scott’s modified trailer, which was ready to haul fence posts.  Dave and Patrina at Portlandize went to the farmer’s market, and Carice even carried flowers. (Miss Sarah has your water!) And one of you showed us how much you carry on your normal commute. We’re still waiting for the cargo bike brigade to weigh in—show us what you’ve got! :)

• Test ride a different type of bike than you normally ride

This one brought us our first reader video submission: check out Sumehra and her sister test-riding a Pashley! Verdict: “This is the best bike ever.”

Meanwhile, Samantha rode a Bakfiets and Monty gave the Trek Belleville a spin.

What events will you be completing in this round? Don’t forget to email us with the details.