Bicycle Tube Belt

In this instructable I'm going to show you how to make a belt out of an old bike tube. This is a very easy last minute gift idea.

My uncle loves fixing bikes. He gave my a whole box of old bike tubes to play around with. This is one of the things I came up with after seeing different versions of belts online.

Btw. you can find some amazing belt buckles around Instuctables, e.g. "Custom Belt Buckles", "Bioshock Belt Buckle in Bronze" or "I Heart Bacon Buckle".

Step 1: What you need

Stuff you need:

old bike tube (one with a 4 cm width works best)
sewing machine
thick yarn (I used the type you use for leather)
belt buckle
Press fasteners
super glue
hole punch
stapler

Step 2: Sewing

Before you start you will have to cut the valve off and wash the tube. The best way to do so is with soapy water. Then measure your bike tube and cut it to the correct length. Remember to add about 6-7 cm to attach the belt buckle later.

Sewing a bike tube is surprisingly simple. If your machine is having problems, simply add a small layer of oil on top of the tube. I used a straight stitch and after I was all the way around tried it strength. I noticed that the stitch was to weak and I was able to tear it apart.So I added an other stitch next to it, as shown in the pictures. I used super glue to prevent the stitches from opening.

Step 3: Secure the belt

To help holding the excess belt in place I used a small piece of the tube and stitched it together as shown in the first picture. I found out that the best way to secure it is with a stapler, as shown in the second picture. Make sure it fits around two layers of the belt and move on to the next step.

Step 4:

Before punching the holes, I used a marker to mark the right spot. I used 5 mm holes, because they worked best with the belt buckles I used.

I used Prym "Sport Mini" press fasteners, which turned out to work really well and I had no problem attaching them to the rubber. In order to give them some extra strength I used two, but one should be enough. The fifth picture shows how I marked the spot where the fastener on the other side has to go. Just press the other one down, it will leave small dent.

Step 5: Bonus: USB Bracelet

Cut a strip to the correct width to fit the flash (e.g. Transcend Ultra-Slim Metallic Flash Drive) drive between two stitches. I used a racing bicycle tube, because it had the perfect width to begin with.

Put the flash drive between the stitches and cut a slot, through one of the layers (as shown in the third picture). All that is left to do is to add an press fastener and you are good to go.

inertia18 says: Jan 2, 2013. 11:43 PM

nice one

xero.inc says: Dec 25, 2012. 9:37 AM

Nice idea, but doesn't smell the Belt very bad?

BrittLiv (author) in reply to xero.incDec 25, 2012. 10:04 AM

Thanks, it doesn't smell at all. I put it in the washing machine before wearing it for the first time, but just to clean it once again.

yoyology says: Dec 13, 2012. 10:10 AM

Great idea, and extremely polished results. Well done!

Brillidea says: Dec 10, 2012. 5:23 AM

I been wondering what all those inner tubes could be used for, though of some ideas but this seems really doable. I kknow it's not recycling as such but I think I would prefer "O" rings as the belt loops so as to avoid the staples which could come undone.
Brill

BrittLiv (author) in reply to BrillideaDec 10, 2012. 8:32 AM

Ahh they are called belt loops? I was wondering how to call them. I like the idea of using O-rings, though the stapled ones are very durable.

Brillidea in reply to BrittLivDec 13, 2012. 9:15 AM

In truth I have no idea what most things are called I used to work on my todd a lot and tools existed as that thing over there which made life fun teaching, my fellow teachers were positively nuts when I said sand paper rather than to glass paper. So who knows, if you know what I mean thats about as good as it gets.