do it yourself | loving the ride

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bike gear, bike safety, do it yourself, mariona otero, monkey lights, polka-dots, reflective bird pin, reflective sash, tiecycle

The other day I mentioned embracing my inner bike geek by decking myself out with reflective arm bands when I ride at night, especially important in winter, when drivers don’t expect to be competing with cyclists for road space. Writing about bike safety and night-time visibility has me tempted to splurge on some girlier gear. Much like my coveted Nutcase helmet-to-be, these 6 beauties are the coolest, cutest accessories for night riding. No fluorescent yellow safety vests here!

1 po campo’s reflective bird pins

Po Campo’s Reflective Bird Pins (available through Public) come in eye-catching fluorescent Construction Orange and Day Glow Lime but also Matte Silver. Having spent many years as an editor at a decorating magazine, I follow the tried-and-true rule of displaying multiple items in threes (or odd numbers) for impact. I apply this to my fashion accessories too, especially brooches. Nooo, brooches aren’t granny-ish! Po Campo’s modern ones certainly aren’t. As a trio, these bird pins will surely get you noticed. Superchic, no?

2 cyclestyle’s pageant queen reflective sash

If I’m going to go girly with the bike gear, I might as well go all-out beauty pageant! CycleStyle’s Pageant Queen Reflective Sash lets me do just that. It has polka-dots, and you know how I love polka-dots! The Pageant sash has a detachable bow pin (need I remind you about my need for frills?). Made from 3M Scotchlite reflective fabric, it says “look at me!” in more ways than one!

3 mariona otero’s tiecycle

A funkier, less girly reflective sash is UK designer Mariona Otero‘s reversible, multifunctional Tiecycle bag, shown above in both its day (left) and night (right) modes. Cleverly named, the Tiecycle is a cycling sash made from recycled ties. One side is reflective for night use, while the other side acts as a minipurse, just large enough to stash your phone and keys within reach. The Tiecycle is easy to DIY from two ties (for the front) and a piece of reflective fabric, like 3M Scotchlite (for the back). Mariona posted her how-to (shown below) on readymade.com, but you can also read Mariona’s more basic instructions and view more photos on her site.

4 katie barton’s spotme reflective badges

Katie Barton’s SpotMe reflective badges (from £7.50 per set of 3) are clever and cute – a cluster of these buttons will make a subtle statement by day and a bit of impact at night. I especially love the witty Oh La La version (£10 per set of 3)! If you’re still feeling crafty after you’ve finished making Mariona Otero’s handy Tiecycle (see No. 4, above), use the leftover scraps of reflective fabric to make your own version of Katie’s badges for evenings when you’re biking sans Tiecycle. Go minimal and skip the decorative hand-stitching!

5 knog’s boomer wearable clip-on safety light

I’ve raved about Knog before, and I’m going to rave about Knog now. Knog’s Boomer Wearable clip-on safety bike light (read: red) has one steady and three strobe modes. Annnd it comes in Magenta!

6 monkeylectric’s monkey light

MonkeyLectric‘s Monkey Light lights aren’t so much girly as they are frickin’ cool. I’ve seen the odd one spinning around Toronto during Nuit Blanche, and I can’t stop wanting them for my very own. The Monkey Light is a full-colour (32, in fact, to brighten your life) LED spoke light. It’s customizable, uses two AA batteries and is easy to mount. I want.