Upcycle bikes to give them new life
The upcycling trend has come to the cycling world! Here are some ideas on how to recycle your bike.
Not ready to say goodbye to your beautiful bike? We understand. With all the memories you’ve made on La Vélodyssée and other cycling routes, there’s no way you want to part with it.
Plus, growing ecological awareness has led us to change our habits. Upcycling is a way to give a second life to our clothing and objects. This practice is gaining popularity, even in the cycling world. Anyone can upcycle things like furniture, decorations and clothing. It just takes a bit of imagination and elbow grease. Here are a few ideas for giving your bicycle new life.
Decorate your interior with your bike
With upcycling, you can bring cycling into your decor. It’s easy to make your wheels, gears or old bicycle frame into decorative or functional objects. Your mechanical parts can have a second life in your living room, kitchen or bathroom. For example, you can create a clock with a wheel, a candle holder with a chain, a drum from a seat or even a wall accessory with a crankset. You could even reuse your entire bike to create a sideboard!
Your old tyres can be turned into a floor rug or storage basket if you braid them together.
Decorate your garden with your old bike
What if you feel more like decking out your garden? No worries, we’ve got solutions for you. Recycle your bike into a bench, coffee table, planter, windmill or scarecrow. There’s no end to the creative ideas so let your imagination run wild. Find more ideas in this Citycle article.
Upcycle bikes as a fashion accessory
Not sure what to do with your old tires? Turn them into belts by punching holes in them and adding a belt buckle. If you don’t have a creative bone in your body, check out French startup La Vie est Belt that turns old tyres into amazing belts and dog collars. Since they’re thinner and more flexible than tires, inner tubes work better for small objects. Use them to create earrings or handbags. You can use chains to create jewellery objects like bracelets or necklaces. Find tons of other ideas for upcycling bikes here.
Lacking imagination? Not a fan of crafting but still want to recycle your bike? Then contact TriCyclÉco, a Citycle project that gives new life to old bicycles. This initiative has been part of their eco-friendly approach since 2015.