On average, every year there are over 17 million new bicycles sold in the U.S. Think about that for a minute. Then think about how many different bike brands you can name. It's certainly fewer than 17 million. The odds are high your bicycle from the factory looks a lot like many others. Do you know that feeling of seeing all the black suitcases coming off the baggage claim belt? That's your bicycle before you make it your own.
If you're like most cyclists, you take great pride in your bike. It's not just a way to get from point A to point B; it's a reflection of your personality and your style.
So how can you personalize your bicycle to make it truly unique? Here are five ideas.
Add Your Name to Your Top Tube
Put your name on your frame and add your country flag to show a little home pride. These are easy to put on your frame. Simply clean the frame, peel the sticker, stick it on there and it's go pro time!
Consider adding an extra sticker in a hidden spot to prove it's yours if your bicycle happens to end up in the wrong hands. Remember, it's one of many--but your name hidden in the handlebars is good proof to the authorities that it's your bicycle.
Frame Protection
Adding a thin layer of vinyl film, custom printed with creative designs is a great way to get a two-for-one out of your upgrade. Coming in a variety of different designs, frame protection sits on top of your frame and helps to reduce knicks from rocks, dirt, and abrasions from all sorts of unseen objects you'll encounter on the road or trail.
A thorough cleaning of your bike and some patience installing the frame protection and you have a very personalized bicycle. Plus an additional layer of protection on that bicycle that cost more than your car. (This is the right idea, by the way.)
Ditch the Factory Bar End Plugs
To be honest, these little pieces of plastic at the end of your handlebars are there to make one person happy--the lawyers. Left unfilled, the ends of a bicycle handlebar are just waiting to inflict some serious injury in the form of puncture wounds. Better to keep them filled than left open.
That doesn't mean you have to settle for a chunk of plastic that would be better suited as a cap on a gallon of milk than your sweet new set of wheels.
Pop those plastic plugs out and add a set of custom bicycle bar end plugs. We are pretty partial to our HOLD MY BEER WATCH THIS BICYCLE BAR END PLUGS, but there are hundreds of options. Really, the sky is the limit. Or at least your imagination is.
A Custom Headset Cap or Stem Top Cap
One of the easiest ways to personalize your bike is by changing your factory headset cap. This is the small cap that sits on top of the headset and is the center of attention when you look down at your handlebars. It is the ideal candidate for a custom upgrade.
There are all sorts of different designs and colors available, so you can find one that matches your personality with existing artwork or create your own. They also make excellent gifts for the cyclist in your life. New Bike Day, anyone?
Plus, you can change your stem cap in under 2 minutes. It's as easy as it gets.
Create your own custom bicycle headset cap.
Anodized Bike Parts All Over
Fun fact: Most of your bicycle parts made of some metal (aluminum, titanium, steel, etc) aren't exactly good-looking before they get splashed into an anodization tank and charged with a little bit of electricity. The die in the tank adheres to the metal and you have parts with deep blues, blacks, reds, purples, greens, and more colors.
So why settle for a plated nickel when you can have all your parts matching or coordinated?
Candidates might include your headset spacers (little rings between 2 and 20mm high that adjust your ride comfort), valve stems and stem caps, water cage bolts, other bolts throughout your bicycle (make sure you use like-for-like to avoid premature failures), spokes and nipples on your wheels and a number of other small parts just waiting for a quick swap.
So there you have it. Why settle for a bicycle made for many when you can create a bicycle made just for you. Our shorthand for that: Ride Your Ride!
DISPATCH CUSTOM CYCLING COMPONENTS
We make it easy to personalize your bicycle with unique, high-quality cycling components.
At Dispatch Custom Cycling Components we want you to ride your ride. We specialize in affordable custom bicycle components, including headset caps, bar end plugs, and small parts that we feel help us in living our mission to keep the love for your bicycle going, put more people on bikes and make the world a better place.
Based in Colorado, USA, we're proud to have inspired tens of thousands of customers to ride their ride.
More at www.dispatch.bike
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