It’s wine o’clock (somewhere), so time to share an adult beverage-related repurposing find.
Today, it’s Champagne corks used as bike handlebar caps. (photo by Jon Heslop)
For earlier items in Unconsumption’s wine o’clock series, check out the archive here.
Cheers!
Nirit Levav Packer via The Telegraph (photos Nirit Levav / Rex Features)
Handlebar table.
DIY, inspiration — if you can get your hands on some old bike handlebars!
More uses for old bicycles and bike parts here.
File under “things I love”: Bike wheel snowman.
(via Recycled Cycles)
![The repurposing/upcycling of old bicycles or bike parts is a recurring theme here on the Unconsumption Tumblr, and on the Unconsumption Facebook page, we’ve covered the idea that some people might be living “overpropped” lives — you know those people who don’t hunt but whose home decor includes deer antlers hanging on a wall (or whose collections of books are arranged by color)?
Now, here’s a combination of the two ideas: Bicycle Taxidermy, “the loving and lasting solution for your mechanical bereavement.”
Bicycle Taxidermy is a business founded by UK-based Regan Appleton, who gladly mounts the handlebars of customers’ old bikes onto wood bases; each mount includes an epitaph engraved with a customer’s preferred wording.
Example:
“HETCHINS – VADE MECUM [1972-1984] ‘The Yorkshire moors shall she forever roam’”
A bonus: I think the mounts could be used as storage for belts, jewelry, ties, dog leashes, or other items!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdsv0qY3r01qzv12bo1_400.png)
The repurposing/upcycling of old bicycles or bike parts is a recurring theme here on the Unconsumption Tumblr, and on the Unconsumption Facebook page, we’ve covered the idea that some people might be living “overpropped” lives — you know those people who don’t hunt but whose home decor includes deer antlers hanging on a wall (or whose collections of books are arranged by color)?
Now, here’s a combination of the two ideas: Bicycle Taxidermy, “the loving and lasting solution for your mechanical bereavement.”
Bicycle Taxidermy is a business founded by UK-based Regan Appleton, who gladly mounts the handlebars of customers’ old bikes onto wood bases; each mount includes an epitaph engraved with a customer’s preferred wording.
Example:
“HETCHINS – VADE MECUM [1972-1984] ‘The Yorkshire moors shall she forever roam’”
A bonus: I think the mounts could be used as storage for belts, jewelry, ties, dog leashes, or other items!
This how-to video shows how to convert old, unused 10-speeds into fast, fixed gear bikes, giving them a second life. The video shows the whole conversion process from start to finish.
(via GOOD)
![Speaking of bike hacks: How about a mowercycle?
Get exercise while mowing the lawn — without using gasoline!
An Unconsumption reader sent this photo to us some time ago. (The source has since made the photo private on Flickr.)
We always love getting tips and suggestions. Is there something Unconsumption-y you think we should be aware of? Let us know via our Facebook page, Twitter (@Unconsumption us), Instagram (tag photos #unconsumption), Pinterest, or e-mail (unconsumption [at] gmail).
See also: A group of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed a somewhat different mowercycle. Our friends at Do The Green Thing highlighted the student project here.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcz3ha9gIG1qzv12bo1_400.jpg)
Speaking of bike hacks: How about a mowercycle?
Get exercise while mowing the lawn — without using gasoline!
An Unconsumption reader sent this photo to us some time ago. (The source has since made the photo private on Flickr.)
We always love getting tips and suggestions. Is there something Unconsumption-y you think we should be aware of? Let us know via our Facebook page, Twitter (@Unconsumption us), Instagram (tag photos #unconsumption), Pinterest, or e-mail (unconsumption [at] gmail).
See also: A group of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed a somewhat different mowercycle. Our friends at Do The Green Thing highlighted the student project here.
Some people may find transportation like this cart bike really useful.
Maker Ryan McFarland says:
Combine a derelict shopping cart with a bicycle for a ride with ample cargo capacity. This is a nice way to save a shopping cart and a bike that might otherwise end up in a landfill.
He adds:
It is quite the head turner but not a good corner turner.
To make your own cart bike, see Ryan’s tutorial on Instructables.
Find other trolley hacks in earlier Unconsumption posts here; all things bike here.
Photo credit: Ryan McFarland / Zieak
The Ice Cream Bike (which takes design cues from rainbow-colored ice cream) is made simply from salvaged parts and two pieces of recycled steel that were water-cut into the profile of a bike, and then bolted together at the front tube, seat tube and bottom bracket. The bike’s low-key construction requires only a screwdriver and a wrench when it come to maintenance. And because the bike can be easily broken down, it can just as easily be transported or stored.
This bike sculpture photo, taken in Portland, Oregon, by Tess Vigeland, intrigued me when I spotted it on Instagram last week.
Do any of you know the back story behind this assemblage of bicycles? If so, tell us. I, for one, am curious. My quick “Portland bike sculpture” Googling didn’t turn up anything that looks like it’s related to this.
Don’t some of the bike wheels look like they might be in pretty good shape?
(photo used with permission: tessvigeland • Instagram)
I totally admire the ingenuity here — I keep meaning to buy a bike light, and this person fashioned one out of a spice jar and easily obtainable parts (lots of which I probably already have, sitting around):
So many objects are made to break and be thrown away, but many are easily fixed if one takes the time to examine their faults. DIY not only functions as a way to easily fix broken products, but also as a way to build your own sturdy designs.
I have had so many bike lights break, get stolen off my bike, or just fall off while riding (or getting hit by SUVs) that I created LED bike lights made from recycled jars. I have never had one of my handmade lights stolen or fall off.
Recently, I found myself on the West Coast borrowing a bike from a friend, which had no light. The nearest bike shop was five miles away, so I came up with this design for an easy-to-build bike light, using parts from the local hardware store, an LED from an electronics chain, and a small plastic spice jar.
I want to try this. If I do, I’ll report back!
Lifecycle
by Ben Gould’s
via: blu3rsx
Industrial designer, Pratt grad, and veteran dumpster diver Ben Gould’s material of choice is the bike chain, and he’s found his supply source. As old chains are discarded through repairs and new chains are shortened to fit specific bicycle configurations, Gould found that “The average bike shop produces 25-40 pounds of wasted chain PER MONTH!”
While all of that chain doesn’t go into the garbage—it’s typically shipped, with an associated cost, to a recycling facility to be melted down—Gould would prefer they be shipped to him, at his own cost, so he can turn them into jewelry.
(Source: core77.com)
