Children climb onto a bike for the first time when they are three or four years old. Many then use the popular two-wheeler into old age. For the way to school, to the office, on weekend trips, on vacation or just to get bread rolls on Sunday morning. Logical that in these many years some bikes are worn out and end up on the bulky waste. This may be justified in some cases – but not in most cases. Because with a few simple steps, a little imagination, skill and courage, second- or third-hand bikes can be made afloat again. Four (shrill) styling ideas that will make your bike shine in new splendor.
The idea is as simple as it is ingenious: Take a colorfully printed adhesive film like this bike dress from Remember, cut it to size and then fix it to the frame of the bike with a little finesse, just as you like. For the complete makeover, the film must be accurately attached to all frame parts. The result: a real one-off. More unique is hardly possible. Wheel films are suitable for racing bikes, mountain bikes and children’s bikes, but also for fixies, Dutch bikes or trekking bikes that are getting a bit old and need a fancy fresh-up. In addition to flashy designs, the Mooxibike Hamburg team also cast PVC films in black and white, camouflage optics, as a flower meadow or in a flamingo style. If you don’t feel like graphic patterns and don’t want to wrap the whole bike in a new look, the best thing to do is to use panel strips. They can be stuck anywhere on the bike and have the neat side effect that they reflect headlights.
In order to apply the foil correctly, you only need a cutter knife, a tape measure and a felt squeegee to press on, in addition to a little dexterity.
If you don’t just want to cause a sensation with the newly wrapped frame, but also with the right helmet, you should think about reflective stickers. They have several advantages: On the one hand, the waterproof stickers wonderfully conceal minor scratches and paintwork damage to the head protection. Secondly, when riding at dusk or in the dark, they reflect the headlights of cars and protect small and large bikers from possible accidents. As a rule, the stickers are sorted according to themes (for example: space, unicorn, computer games, flowers or smilies) and are available as sheets with motifs in different sizes and shapes. The Mooxibike light-up stickers are created on vinyl digital printing films and are manufactured in print shops in Northern Germany.
Important: According to the police, reflective stickers on bikes or helmets are not prohibited. However, they are not officially approved either.
The bicycle grips are one of the most abused attachments on bikes, especially for children. Nothing lies in the dirt or on the sidewalk as often as the steering ends. The handles usually look correspondingly worn. The rubber wears out over time and the grips no longer hold properly. Then at the latest it is time to think about a replacement. And bright accents can also be set here. Because bicycle grips do not have to be black. Colorful eye-catchers come from Remember, for example. For handlebars with a tube diameter of around 22 millimeters (be sure to measure beforehand), there are brightly colored handlebar grips here. The special feature: the handles made of printed plastic are sewn together from several parts with a nylon thread. Children should especially go for the comic motif “Boom”. Alternatively, you can give your handlebars a floral look (“Floretta”). Striped (“Vabene”) and dotted (“Flow”) designs are also available.
The fact that children usually only wear their clothes for one day, because they are then faced with dirt and end up in the laundry, is the daily bread for parents of younger specimens. A good way to get really dirty is to ride a bike. Especially when the offspring omits the splash guard. This is not always included even with the smaller models and must then be purchased accordingly. If you want to hit the mud hard, it’s better to ignore the sad black mud flaps and reach for so-called mudguards – preferably in flashy designs, like this crazy flamingo or this cheeky homage to the Rolling Stones. The so-called fenders weigh barely 50 grams and are either fixed to the frame with cable ties (at the front) or clamped under the saddle in two easy steps. The latter helps to protect your bum and back from rainwater and mud splashes. Small disadvantage of the clamping variant: thieves have an easy time. The colorful and handy “sheets” fit in every backpack. Just don’t forget them.
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