I thought would post a quick update to my bike decorating adventures. Earlier this year, I posted some pictures of my bike decked out in washi tape, and while it looked darling, it soon became apparent that washi tape, while cute, does not hold up to the rigors of riding, or more specifically, the particular abuses of throwing my bike onto the rear car rack for frequent rides to and from the park-n-ride. This has torn the pink polka-dotted tape on the top tube to shreds and has torn up parts of the chevrons:
SO, I turned to the Duck brand duct tape .
I was hesitant to use this as my first approach, because I did not want to deal with removing the adhesive from the frame, however, now that I have a base layer of washi tape on the bike frame, I decided to apply the duck tape and hope that there is really nothing tougher than a duck when it comes to bike decor.
The duct tape has held up to the rigors of riding, and still looks flashy, which was my original goal of the makeover-makeover to begin with.
If you have had adventures with bike decorating, I would love to hear how they went!
Despite these aesthetic improvements, there are a couple significant maintenance issues with this particular ride. Specifically, neither derailleur works… Logically, rather than figuring out how to repair them (I have been planning to go to Re-Cycles to learn how to do my own bike repairs but been able to find the time yet), I have just been joining the throng of single speeders using my one and only gear as I cruise about town – but with none of the sexy perks of riding a bike that looks like this…
Sooo much drool.
Must.stop.looking.at.bikes.online.
I want them all.
Can’t hug every bike.
Lovely Outliers 