How to Make A DIY Bicycle Christmas Decoration

Are you looking for something unique to put in your house or patio for Christmas this year?  I love outdoor lights, but the idea of getting on a ladder to put them up is too daunting.  There are many professionals you can get to do that, but I’m too cheap. We have lots of home repairs that are more important.

One night when we were out walking the dog we found an abandoned yellow OFO bike.  Those are the yellow hourly rental bikes that used to be everywhere, In Dallas at least.  This one was broken and couldn’t be ridden and OFO has left the US market.

I started to put the bike out for trash but then I had an idea to paint it red and put lights on it.  There are several bike Christmas decorations I’ve see on Pinterest that are so cute.  There is usually a basket and plants mounted on the bike.   We have many bikes in our house so it makes sense for us as a decoration.  Plus, if someone decides to steal it it really doesn’t matter because it was free.

Steps to Create A Christmas Light Bike

1.) Wash the Bike – In order the paint the bike you have to wash it.  In my case, the bike was yellow so I definitely wanted to paint it and it was very dirty.  After you wash it you have to let it dry completely before you begin painting.

2.) Paint the Bike – I bought Rustoleum Paint and spray painted the bike.  I recommend spray painting when it isn’t windy.  It’s also a good idea to spray over cardboard in case the spray spreads.  I wasn’t too careful and it turned out  a bit messy because the bike will be mostly seen at night.  For example,  there was paint on the chain and it dripped a bit, but no one will be able to see that.   I’ve seen bicycles where the entire bike was painted white, wheels, spokes and all.

3.) String the lights – Mine is strung with icicle lights because I had them unused.  I think it would look better with the small LED strings that are available now. I tried to wrap them as much around the wheel as possible, but once you do that the wheels don’t turn.  It turns out bikes are pretty heavy to carry, so be ready to lift 50lbs.

4.) Find someone to ride the bike – I think the bike looks lonely so I would like to find a Stuffed Santa to put on top, but I don’t have enough room to store that.

The entire project took about one and a half hours.

Have you tried to make any Christmas decorations yourself? How did they turn out?