​Inexpensive and Easy Ways to Customize your Bike

At Earth Rider we like to sell basic black bikes.  It is a nice neutral color and no customer ever walked away from buying a bike because it was black.  But with something as important to your well being and transportation as a bike, it is nice to express your personality with it, just like you do with your clothing and hair style.  So, whether you start with a canvas of all black or your bike has some color you want to highlight or compliment there are several options to customize your bike so it looks like all yours and is easy to pick out among others at a bike rack.  We are going to suggest what you can easily swap out and add and what you should avoid doing without careful thought. 

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Customized accessories
With over two hundred parts on a bike, there is a lot of opportunity to replace particular items with something a little more colorful or a different style.  Some bike parts are considered accessories, easily replaced and others are considered components, integral to the operation of the bike.  Here are accessories that are easy to swap out:

1. Pedals – Pedals range from $6 to hundreds and can be made starting on the low end with resin and moving up to steel to aluminum or titanium.   Pedals come in any color you can think of ranging from muted tones to florescent colors.  With a 15mm wrench you can remove your current pedals and replace them with something new.  Some platform pedals will accommodate straps and these come in a variety of colors, but if you use clips or clips less you will probably be limited to silver or black.  
2. Grips – If you have a flat bar bike you probably have grips and these can be removed and replaced with something more ergonomic, with a different feel, or color.  Most grips come in rubber, but cork is also available for those that like the vintage look of cork or have allergies to rubber.  Removing grips can be difficult, but you can work them off your handlebar by lifting a corner with a screwdriver and spraying water inside while twising them off. 
3. Handlebar tape – If you have drop or road style handlebars you probably have handlebar tape and there are a variety of options to refresh it.  There are solids, tweeds, and printed styles in any color you can think of.  Popular materials include cork, cotton, and composite materials.  Materials that stretch and darker colors last longer.
4. Water bottle cage – If you have a water bottle cage on your bike, either mounted with brazens or a strap, you can replace it with one in color.  Popular materials are aluminum, plastic or carbon fiber and colors include the rainbow and more.  There are also quirky designs available in the shape of a dog, cat, and bird. 
5. Seat post clamp – If your seat  post is secured with a clamp and not a quick release, with a single hex tool you can loosen the clamp and replace it with a colored one.  This is an opportunity to add some color in the top center of your bike.
6. Stem cap – If you have a threadless stem, the stem cap is the round piece in the center of your handlebar that you look at all the time.  It is easy to replace with a new one by removing one hex bolt.  You can even customize the color of the stem cap hex bolt.  You can buy a new stem cap at some bike shops or from online sites.  Check out Kustom Caps for ideas such as skulls, donuts, tie dye, camo, beer, and flowers or custom laser etched designs with your name, slogan or image. Just be sure to check the size of your stem because stem caps do come in difference sizes.  Also available are colorful bar end plugs, headset spacers, valve caps, and presta valve collars.  
7.  Bike bag – The ultimate swappable accessory is a bag, whether it be a trunk, handlebar, pannier, or frame.  Bags come in colors, prints, sizes and shapes, and are easy to swap out from ride to ride.  They are a great way to customize the look of your bike on any given day.  

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​Adding to your bike
Custom decals are an easy way to personalize your bike.  Go to Etsy, search “bike decals” and get inspired.  For example, the vendor StickerLoaf can create a set of two vinyl stickers in a choice of 14 colors, 24 fonts, and 7 sizes from 4 to 20 inches with information such as your name, logo, flag, hobbies, or slogan starting at $1.99.  If applied properly they will adhere to your frame for many years but it is a good idea to apply a clear plastic sheet, known as a frame protector to help protect your decals, sort of like the clear coat that is applied over decals during the paint process at the factory.

Customizations to think twice about
Unless you have a mechanical problem with certain components, such as wheels out of true, cranks rusted and bent, we recommend you not replace the more expensive components with more stylish options without a good reason because they are a significant investment.    Sure, spokes, spoke nipples, deep wall rims, hubs, and stems come in colors but incorporating custom colors require a custom hand build and this is an expensive proposition if that  component does not need maintenance. 

Tires come in colors besides black, both the entire surface in white, red, blue and other colors or with a stripe of color to accent or complement your color scheme and they may not be any more pricey than an all black tire.  There will, however, be less options for tire width and tread.  If you are in the market for a new tire because yours is worn, then this is a good time to think about something colorful, otherwise it is more economical to wait.

Another customization to be cautious of is painting your frame yourself.  You can remove all components or mask them with tape, sand, and spray paint the frame it but it will not look like the paint job you get from the factory and will chip easily.  If you really crave a new color, either because your current paint job is chipped, or you just want a new color or one of those clever fades, have the job professionally done for the best results.  Be advised that stripping and painting a frame will void any warranty you may have on your bike.    
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While picking a color scheme can be fun, it is best to limit your pallet to up to 3 colors, otherwise the bike will look busy and pieced together, unless, of course, that is the look you are striving for.   Try to go for contrasting colors since it will be hard to match shades of color on different accessories exactly.  Remember that most every bike has black and silver so these colors don’t count.   Also there is symmetry on a bike with it having two wheels, two pedals, and two grips.  You can deviate and have each of these a different style or color, but be cautious not to overdo it so it ends up looking unplanned or random.
 
The custom bike look need not empty your wallet.  With the addition or subtraction of a few accessories you can have a bike you are proud to ride and will result in double takes on the bike path.