Happy National Bike Month! 4 Gadgets That’ll Rock Your Ride
May is National Bike Month and, while here in San Francisco it's bike season all year long, we love a month dedicated to celebrating adventures on two wheels. There are hundreds of incredible bicycling doodads out there, from handlebars that turn your high speed road bike into a beach cruiser to full-on bicycle sidecars. But we've found a quartet of whimsical bike accoutrements that are sure to make your ride a little more colorful, beautiful, and, yes, creative.
Bike Planter: Don't you wish your bike felt a little more alive? Or at least felt more in tune with nature? Grab this planter, a sweet little succulent, and instantly add charm, color, and more oxygen to your daily ride. We don't think we're going on a leap when we assume that most bicyclists love a bit of greenery, and this darling number is sure to make your two wheels feel more like home.
And, because it is the future, these planters are created digitally with modeling software, and then 3D printed out of nylon! Each item is hand-dyed and sealed with a UV protective varnish. It attaches to your bike with an elastic nylon cord that should fit snugly on most tube sizes.
Chalktrail: Described as miles of creative, colorful fun, this bicycle (or scooter) attachment quite literally adds a splash (or trail) of color to your ride. It attaches to the bottom of your back wheel and holds a piece of sidewalk chalk, allowing you to draw sweet designs, leave a trail for friends, and even dabble in a little bicycle street art. The product is marketed for kids, but we're betting bike messengers and hipsters from Brooklyn to Oakland will eat this puppy right up, or try to make it themselves.
This gadget lends itself to our love of all things analog. We're kind of surprised this didn't exist when we were kids, or at least in the late 90s when razor scooters were all the rage. Plus, we really love the idea of using sidewalk chalk for large scale designs and drawings.
: We've shown you the
. We've mentioned the Jambox more than once. But how bought a small, nearly weightless speaker that straps right onto your bike? First of all, if you're reading this and thinking my headphones are just fine. We're here to tell you, no they're not! Biking with headphones is dangerous and silly. Enter the SleekSpeak, a flexible way to get huge sound on your bike.
The speaker's flexible rubber skin and silicone rubber strap lets you slap it anywhere on your bike quickly and easily. The sound, which is high powered at over 80 dB, is claimed to be loud enough to conquer any level of traffic or wind. Employing Bluetooth to connect wirelessly to any compatible device and bike party-ready, the SleekSpeak was specially designed to allow one person to DJ several speakers at once! The SleekSpeak is currently waiting for funding on Kickstarter, so pledge it up!
GripRings: And finally, a way to totally customize the grips on your handlebars, that doesn't involve sticky tape! If you're a biker, you've probably made the move to kick your grip tape up a notch more than once. And more likely than not, that tape wore away just as quickly as the first round. Now, thanks to GripRings, you can style up your bars in any color combo you like!
We adore customization in any form, and being able to coordinate your handlebars with your bike frame, bike shorts, or helmet is right up our alley.