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Christmas lights on the bike
December 14th, 2007 by Fritz 
I bought some inexpensive battery powered LED Christmas lights from Walgreens, secured them to the Raleigh One Way with electrical tape and the result is a new incentive to ride!
Right now, the batteries are strapped underneath my seat bag. If you run lights along your chainstay like I did, ensure the wires and lights won’t get caught in any moving parts. Many people strike the inside heel of their foot on the chainstay so watch for that also.
The Walgreens light strings are short and made for putting in wreaths. You can get a longer string of 30 lights from DealExtreme here for $6.82 (including shipping). I’ve ordered some and I might try stringing them in a wheel.
What have you put on your bike? Are there any singing reindeer, talking Santas, or manger scenes on your bike?
December 14th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
hah, thats soo sweet.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
hohoho
December 14th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Put lights on Hybridzilla last month:
http://kc-bike.blogspot.com/2007/11/parts-crafts-festive-bike.html
And also made a Holiday Wheeth out of a weak OEM wheel:
http://kc-bike.blogspot.com/2007/11/parts-crafts-holiday-wheeth.html
December 14th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Are you in San Jose? If so, I think I saw you on Tuesday.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Yep, I’m in San Jose. Are you the guy with the Madone?
December 14th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Nope. Most Tuesdays, you would see me on a Brompton, and other days on an old orange Raleigh singlespeed conversion. This week, however, I was merely a pedestrian wandering around downtown SJ.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Flag me down the next time you see me, William.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Ok.
December 14th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Are those Reelights on your bike? I thought I noticed those. I just put some on my Raleigh this weekend, and I’m loving them.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Yep, Reelights. Wow, you’re observant! How visible are they compared to my other lights?
December 14th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
This is awesome… would be great for visibility all year round too =)
December 14th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I put Christmas lights on my bike a couple weeks ago. Like Summer said, that might be a great idea for year-round use. I can assure you that I got a LOT of attention riding around with them blinking!
http://www.bikecommuters.com/2007/12/08/christmas-lights-for-bikes/
December 15th, 2007 at 1:48 am
I haven’t found a light that fits on my rack properly… and I’m crazy enough to try this. At least I could ride and people notice me…
December 15th, 2007 at 2:57 am
Well, I noticed them in the dark from across the street.
I am thrilled with mine. I’m thinking of getting a set for each bike, and for my wife’s bikes too.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I have been wanting to put xmas lights on my bike since last year. This year I found some battery operated ones from Target and I bought 5 sets. Sadly they’re all blinking!! Yikes!! I wonder if there’s a way to make them not blink?
In any case, I bought them with the intention of making a vest for a friend who does a lot of night riding. It’s part gag gift, part serious. He and his riding partner are usually lit up like Christmas trees, so this will just be a bonus. I’m planning on somehow affixing them to a reflective vest.
I’ll post pics on my blog when I’m done!
http://www.butterflybike.blogspot.com
Very cool picture!
Jenni
December 17th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Here are some photos of a rig I put together a couple years ago…
http://mattandliz.smugmug.com/photos/233480029-L.jpg
http://mattandliz.smugmug.com/photos/233479985-L.jpg
http://mattandliz.smugmug.com/photos/233480005-L.jpg
It was an extracycle with a lawn reindeer sitting on a 2×4 which was attached to the bike using an Old Man Mountain Rack Just two years ago LED lights were not as prevalent so I could only find a few strands for the back. The lawn reindeer used incandescent lamps which made powering it for 4 hours tricky. If they made a lawn reindeer with LED’s it would be VERY easy to make it last for a while. They system used two 12V batteries about 4×3x3 wired together and hooked up to an inverter. It also had an XM radio hooked up to external speakers and tuned to the Holiday Music station. Now I have an IPod for more control over the content. Oh besides all the gear I had my girlfriend riding on the back of the extracycle. It was a blast. Wish I had time to do it this year.
-matt
December 18th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Strings of LEDs with 2 or 3 AA batteries are easy to get now and easier to deal with than the ones with C or D batteries. Maybe by next year there will be solar options!
I’m still trying to figure out the musical aspect… got a speaker and baby MP3 player but I’m easily confounded.
Alas, I haven’t been cruising with my Xtracycle with tree this week ’cause studded tyres don’t fit on the back. The Gazelle is managing and I’ve sorta kinda enjoyed having my courage challenged. (I wouldn’t enjoy it, I dare say, if this weren’t a pretty vacated-for-the-holidays University town… I can wimp out and walk on the streets at will.)
December 18th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I even decorated the bike I don’t ride to work!
http://jmd1125.blogspot.com/2007/12/deck-bikes.html
I think I got the same kind of lights as you did, but I’m not sure I trust them in midwest winter weather. Has anyone found battery-powered LED strings designed for outdoor use?
December 19th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Just for kicks, I took the bait and headed over to the local Walgreens for a set of these lights. Strung them up on the bike and turned them on. Really cool. The kids loved them also. Now I have to buy a set for all the kid’s bikes. Great! Glad I had already bought a large pack of batteries for Christmas presents. Should last the winter based on the run times from the box. So far, it’s just cold and dry in Denver. I’m curious as to how they’ll stand up when the snow really starts to melt.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
My bike endures about 40 miles (round trip) on the front of a bus every day I commute, with bus speeds up to 60 mph.
Yesterday morning there was light rain and the lights (surprisingly) survived that just fine. I did wrap the battery case in a plastic baggie secured with tape.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I enjoyed reading all the comments about battery powered LED lights on bicycles. I just wanted to let everyone know that a variety of battery powered LED light strings are available in my Ebay store at http://stores.ebay.com/prestige-glass-art. We have had wonderful feedback from clients that purchased our lights for use on Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, boats, cars, mortorcyles, vespas, costumes, etc. They are very bright, wide-angle LED’s that are powered with 3 AA’s. Thanks for looling, Carol.