Glowing Bicycle Tire

Riding a bicycle at night requires extra caution. For safety, it is recommended that a headlight be used to illuminate the path in front of you. Spoke mounted reflectors and reflective sidewalls are often used to make the sides of the bicycle visible to traffic. This instructable gives a modern twist to bicycle reflectors in which an LED charges a strip of photoluminescent plastic taped to your sidewall.  Your wheel will immediately be visible at night. The glow comes from a Crayola Glow Station and Gorilla tape is used as the adhesive to hold everything on your bike.  

Step 1: Step 1. Gather the Materials and Tools

Tools
 -Scissors
 -Hacksaw
Materials
 -Crayola Glow Station Light Wand
 -3 AAA batteries
 -Crayola Glow Station Light Canvas
 -Gorilla Tape 1.88” wide 

Step 2: Step 2. Cut Out Strips From the Glow Station Light Canvas for Your Sidewall

I’m using a mountain bike with 26 x 1.5” tires.  I chose the 1.8” wide Gorilla Tape.  For this setup, I cut rectangles that measured 0.25” x 1.88”. I used approximately 33 strips to cover three quarters  of the wheel.  I left a section of the wheel blank to give it a snake-like effect

Step 3: Step 3. Create Gorilla Tape Loops and Stick Them Onto Your Glow Station Light Canvas Rectangles

Take a small strip of Gorilla tape and fold it over itself so that the adhesive side is out. This will be used to stick the Glow Station Light Canvas rectangles onto your sidewall. Once you have a Gorilla Tape tube, place it on the back of a Glow Station Light Canvas rectangle.

Step 4: Step 4. Stick the Glow Station Light Canvas Rectangles Onto Your Sidewall

Position the rectangles from step 3 close to the rim but be careful not to actually touch the rim or your brake pads may hit the plastic.. The Gorilla Tape is so sticky that I did not even need to clean the dirt off of my tire!

Step 5: Step 5. Prepare the Glow Station Light Wand

The Glow Station Light Wand will be used to illuminate our Glow Station Light Canvas rectangles on each revolution. 

Carefully take a hacksaw and cut into the top of the Glow Station Light Wand to remove the tip. Turn the Light Wand as you cut through the plastic. Be careful not to cut through the leads of the LED. Once the plastic is cut completely around the wand, the tip will pop right off.

With the wand's tip removed, bend the two wire LED leads at a right angle. This is also a good time to install three AAA batteries into the Glow Station Light Wand and turn it on. When all is working, the Glow Station Light Wand will illuminate with a bluish white hue.

Step 6: Step 6. Attach the Glow Station Light Wand to Your Frame

Attach the Glow Station Light Wand to your frame with two 5” strips of Gorilla Tape. Position the LED so that it can shine directly on the Glow Station Light Canvas rectangles.   On my bicycle, I placed the Light Wand right behind the brakes.  Make sure you do not tape over the Glow Station Light Wand’s on-off switch.  

Step 7: Step 7. Ride the Night!

I debuted my glowing bicycle wheel at  47th annual St. Louis Moonlight Ramble.  You may have seen me on the 19 mile course.  Stay tuned for more bicycle related instructables!

Please vote for me in the Gorilla Tape contest!

Comments

[Roadfighter]

That gives a nice effect and it can be easy done. But sorry no vote for the contest :(

[mefromliny]

Great Instructable. If you don't want to use the Gorilla tape, any double sided foam tape should do the job. Again, great idea!
Ken

[1up]

Ooh, this is very clever! Looks cool, and very simple. Nice.

[stringstretcher]

Great idea! And here in (very) dark scandinavia it will come in handy.

[midhunrajmr]

what is the peculiarity of gorilla tape?

[jbellmann]

They have a company that makes that for motorcycle & bicycle Lunasee
http://shop.lunasee.com/
You should check the price lol... fn crazy..... Bunch of thieves out there..

Anyway I was wondering if I could just do it with some Glow in the dark Paint and some leds

[Allureglow]

You can save yourself a lot of money and get the same affect with Photoluminescent Tape or Paint. Check out our products at: www.allureglowusa.com

[jim_2000]

Thanks, I'm always looking for easier ways to get the job done. Please post a picture of how well your tape works on a bike tire.

[jbellmann]

Thanks I'll check out.. :D

[zack247]

this would work really well on cars too! just get a couple sheets and line the inside of the rim with them, mount some LEDs on the inside of the wheel well and have it aimed at the glow in the dark stripping :D

[drewjq]

so this only works on one side of your wheel? to illuminate the other side, you'd need to repeat the whole process on the other side of your tire?

[jim_2000]

Yes, the glow station contains enough glow plastic to cover several wheels. I would also suggest running a 2nd LED in parallel off of the pen. A white LED from a keychain light will work well.

[gerardobmoreno1]

hahaha i think the same more money ??

[tionica]

in my country i don't have crayola what another idea?

[jim_2000]

Sure, look for a glow tape at your hardware store. It is used for safety egress in buildings when the power goes out.

[wobbler]

I've often wondered how to get the power to some wheel mounted leds. This is great lateral thinking! It would be great if the strip was actually built into tyres.

[calicos]

Yes, I'll vote for you - this is the kind of things to keep the kids safe(er) as well as my husband - without causing the kids any anxiety that I'll make them look like ' a baby' to their friends (hubby probably thinks so, too.) -matter of fact, they'll love to show it off!

Thanks!

[roland985]

Now that is cool, that will mean no more near misses for me...

[starplayer]

LolXD nice wheelXD