Rooster headbadge by Tangerine Treehouse - click image to view more
May is National Bike Month!
Cycling is becoming increasingly popular again across the U.S., taking cues from overseas cities like Amsterdam and local ones like Portland, Oregon. The benefits of cycling are many, including exercise, environmental friendliness, and an alternative to crazy gas prices. There are also social benefits to getting out on two wheels, like meeting other cyclists and seeing your city from a new perspective.
The League of American Bicyclists is sponsoring National Bike Month in the U.S. and their site has many ideas and ways to promote the celebration in your area. By doing an internet search, you can find tweed rides popping up all over the place, which put a nostalgic, vintage spin on velo outings, complete with old-timey dressing up. Local social bike groups and clubs are also a good way to connect with your community.
Regardless of your cycling style, why not make your bike reflect your personality? There are tons of options and vendors available to deck out everything from handlebar to tail light, and it’s yet another opportunity to support those that are handmade and eco-friendly. I just got a brand new bike for the first time since I saw my sweet fuschia ten-speed next to the Christmas tree when I was ten years old. Or maybe that was the year I got my shiny red bowling ball with my name on it… Those 80s were such a blur. Either way, I can’t wait to make her all purdy-like.
Check out these fine purveyors and put some spin on your spinner!
Tangerine Treehouse – Handmade metal headbadges are a great way to add some flair to your frame. Laura Crawford can make one custom for you or you can opt for her signature handlebar mustache badge.
Walnut Studiolo – Walnut makes beautiful, handstitched leather accessories to hold your goods and protect your stuff, including holsters for your U-lock and your sippy cup.
Bates Crates – These handmade, environmentally-friendly wooden
crates just scream “let’s go to market”.
Betty Basket Liners – Even if you’ve got a bland metal wire basket, why not slap a liner down that gives it some color and punch? Betty makes ones that double as happenin’ handbags.
Kara Ginther – Kara Ginther hand-tools beautiful designs on leather. Some of her most amazing work is done on Brooks leather saddles, which are almost too sexy to sit on.
Worlds Best Bike Stickers – Add a little lightheartedness to your bike with decals that are also reflective.
MyBikeNumber.com – No matter how much you try to make your bike unique and identifiable, there is always the lingering chance that someone else may try to take it home. Help make recovery a little easier by registering your bike serial and frame numbers so you have them handy for police and insurance needs. Your profile can also include photos and other important dates and information.
How do you like to customize your ride?
Tina Jett is an artist, writer, photographer, and world-explorer. Her husband describes her with the phrase, “It’s like she lives in a coloring book.” See how that vision influences the work on her 
Sort of the derivative of a traditional bike, I made a mesh under-the-seat basket for my Ruckus scooter; I’m also trying to configure an attachment to hold a venti Starbucks cup that will withstand some bumps and 35 MPH speeds.
http://www.merrypad.com/2011/02/02/scooter-storage-design-part-2/
Very cool that you decided to make your own. That scooter looks awesome!
[...] is National Bike Month? I do now, thanks to Scoutie Girl, and I loved checking out her list of bike-lover’s links…especially the Betty Basket [...]
I LOVE my bicycle. I have a Nantucket beach basked with leather straps that was a birthday present. The bike is blue with brown leather handles and seat with baby blue stitching…I just adore it
The blue and brown combo is always choice. Sounds cute!