Bikes @ MAKE

Gas prices got you down? Sources don’t need to tell us that fixing and riding bikes is the way to go. Here at MAKE we love riding, fixing, improving, and modding our bikes, so we thought we’d share all things Bike @ MAKE. New to bicycle commuting? Take some advice for city riding. Safety first! Read on for features in MAKE and on the MAKE blog about making bikes, making bike accessories, and even some photos of the MAKE staff enjoying their rides.

In MAKE:

Volume 11: Alternative Vehicles – buy it in the Make Store or read online for digital subscribers

Featuring a special “DIY Wheels” section including plans for making a mobile drive-in movie theater, a cool chopper out of an old bicycle, a pedal powered iPod charger, and how to U-G-L-Y your bike to deter thieves.

In MAKE: 12, learn Bike Scrounging techniques to find treasure in a trash heap.

In MAKE: 10, learn to make a Solar-Powered Bike GPS!

Building your own

Build an inexpensive recumbent bike

Build a Single Speed Bike – Make: Video Podcast

Making a Carbon Fiber Bike Frame

Don’t forget the folks at Cyclecide who make wacky bikes and bike-powered rides (a perennial Maker Faire favorite)!

Lights and accessories

If you’ve got a vintage bike light, you can update it with a powerful LED and a Minty Boost power supply for a brighter and more efficient glow.

Spruce up your cycle wear by making a turn signal bike jacket with a LilyPad Arduino:

Have extra tubes? Use them to store batteries, make rubber bands, protect your bike frame, or 1,000+ other uses!

Check out how to make an LED bike helmet and a bunch of other DIY bike lights! Even make your wheels light up with a SpokePOV.

And now for some shots of the MAKE and CRAFT crew with our bikes!

MAKE’s own PT shows off his vintage ride way downtown in New York.

I like to tote my soft circuits around Tempe, Arizona wearing my LED bike helmet.

Friends of MAKE Arwen O’Reilly and Saul Griffith like riding their new folding bikes on Angel Island in the SF bay.

CRAFT blogger Michelle Kempner takes long rides on the greenways.

So the weather’s nice, go out and ride a bike! Post your bike friendly ideas and links in the comments.