How to Make Bike Spinners

Add spinners to the handlebars of your bicycle.

Bike spinners are accessories for your bicycle that attach to the handlebars and spin as you ride. The air moving past the bicycle causes the spinners to rotate. You can make bicycle spinners out of recycled plastic water bottles. These spinners can be any color you want, depending on the color of tape you use to decorate them. Coordinate the color of tape on the water bottle with the tape you use to mount the spinner onto the center of the handlebars.

Things You'll Need

• Empty water bottle
• Electrical tape
• Scissors
• 1 wooden dowel, 6 inches long, 3/4 inch diameter
• Plastic milk cap
• Tack
• Toilet paper cardboard roll

Instructions

1. Wrap lengths of electrical tape around an empty water bottle to decorate it with bands of several colors or one color. Leave some of the clear plastic of the water bottle to catch the light.

2. Cut off 2 inches from the bottom of the bottle. Cut into what is now the bottom of the bottle to the neck of the bottle, making five evenly spaced cuts around the diameter. Fan out these cut portions so they become arms in a star shape fanning out from the neck of the bottle.

3. Cut 1 inch off the cardboard cylinder of a used toilet paper roll. Cut this ring of cardboard open so you have a thin strip of curled cardboard. Wrap this strip tightly around a 6-inch dowel, 1 1/2 inches from one end. Secure the cardboard by wrapping electrical tape around it.

4. Affix the dowel to the handlebars so 4 inches protrude straight out from the front of the bars, using electrical tape wound several times tightly around the dowel and the handlebars.

5. Insert the neck of the plastic bottle onto the front end of the dowel that protrudes in front of the handlebars. Place the milk cap against that end of the dowel and pin in place with a tack.

Tips & Warnings

• Test ride the bike with the spinner before riding a long distance or in traffic to make sure the spinner does not impede your vision. Cut the spinning arms of the water bottle shorter if the spinner interferes with vision.

References

• Family Fun: Spirited Bike Spinner