• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

London Cyclist

  • Home
  • London Cycle Routes
  • Bike Maintenance
  • About
    • Privacy and Cookies
  • Contact

10 Weird and Wonderful Cool Bike Accessories

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan · Apr 7, 2014 · 15 Comments

A new bike can of course feel amazing, but actually, sometimes just the addition of a little accessory you never knew existed can spruce up your existing bike, or make a difference to your journey.

Take a look at these weird and wonderful suggestions, and please add your own in the comments!

Folding pedals

Folding pedals can help when storing your bike

Have you ever struggled to store your bike, and thought “this would be so much easier if those pedals weren’t in the way?” Or perhaps your spouse or housemates are complaining they keep clipping their ankles on your pedals? These folding pedals are the answer.

These inexpensive pedals fold in, meaning you can store your bike on a  smaller space, and most come fitted with reflectors for visibility.

“Plume” roll up mudguard

The Plume mudguard extended

The Plume mudguards came from a Kickstarter.com project as an answer to the inconveniences of mudguards which broke, were stolen, or just failed to work.

The Plume mudguard folded away

The recoiling mudguard rolls up when not in use, meaning the bike will look sleek, and the mudguard is safely hidden away. However, at £28 these are not cheap, and you might be better off looking at more practical alternatives.

Valve bike lights

Spoke lights ensure you are seen, and look cool

You’ve probably got a great pair of bike lights, but do you have a bike light on your valve? For less than £2 on Amazon, these little lights fit onto the valve of your inner tube, and glow as they spin, creating a swish looking swoop of colour on the inside of the wheel.

Many bike lights are designed to create side visibility, but they will only do so around the edges of the light – so not only does the valve light look cool, it also seriously increases your visibility to a driver approaching you from a side on angle, for example, as you cross a junction.

SpokeLit Bike Light

Available for £8.95 from Amazon, these LED lights fit on to your spokes and can switch between a constant glow and a flashing mode. They snap on like reflectors.

Reelight SL620 Battery Free LED light

Reelight SL620 Battery Free LED light

Reelights take a crafty approach to powering. A magnet is fitted to the wheel, and the LED light sits on the centre of your bike’s fork – the light will flash multiple times as it passes the magnet. Of course, provision has been made for short steps, such as traffic light pauses, and the light will continue to flash for 2 minutes after you stop.

Banana holder

banana holder for bike

The simple banana – a fantastic low fat, carbohydrate energy boost – what could possibly go wrong? Well – squishy bananas. The banana holder prevents this – keep your handy snack suspended and safe from possible bruises!

Reflective spokes

MonkeyLectric lights will give you an individual look

Still looking for a nifty lighting accessory to help you stand out in style? Reflective spokes will ensure you’re hard to miss, and of course they look cool as they spin, too.

For a super cool version of a spoke light, check out the MonkeyLectric collection. These take the craze to a whole new level, allowing you to download images and animations, so you can display amazing full images in your wheel as you ride.

The Tigr Lock

Tigr lock

We’ve previously reviewed the Tigr lock, and whilst it sounds like a friend of Pooh and Eeyore, the Tigr lock is also a great addition to your cycling apparel. Why? It promises to be hardy, and almost as safe as safe as some Sold Secure Silver rated locks, yet the lightest lock in the range weighs in at just 510g. Make sure you read our review.

iPhone bike mount

iPhone bike mount

Cycling computers can be expensive, and almost all of us have smart phones which are capable of many of the same functions. If you just want to record where you’ve been, how fast, and perhaps upload data to Strava or another sharing site,  a mount for just £29.95 could save you spending upwards of £100 on a swish computer.

Is it a flower or is it a bike bell?

A flower bell - pretty and functional
A flower bell – pretty and functional

This little beauty from “sewcreates” is not only really sweet, it’s also functional, as the flower covers a handy metal bell. So, next time you’re riding on a pavement cycle path, or a shared use path, you can make sure everyone knows you’re coming.

Have you got any cool accessories on your bike? Tell us about them in the comments..

Related

Cycling accessories

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bfg67 says

    07/04/2014 at 12:14 pm

    There is no link for the flower bell….

    Reply
    • Andreas says

      07/04/2014 at 1:50 pm

      Have added one 🙂 For future reference, we typically include links in the images too. Hope that helps

      Reply
    • Sara says

      08/04/2014 at 12:57 am

      Hello! My name is Sara of sewcreates on Etsy, and I make the bling flower bells! You can find them (along with other cool stuff) at:
      https://www.etsy.com/listing/182446211/bling-bike-handlebar-flower-beach?ref=shop_home_active_1

      Reply
  2. Spencer says

    07/04/2014 at 9:16 pm

    Those Valve bike lights won’t fit Presta valves so likely no good for most road bike wheels.

    Also those Plume mud guards are no use for anyone following you or gunk thrown up from your front wheel. Nothing I dislike more than getting muddy water thrown in my face by the bike in front, especially as I have wrap around mudguards which protect both myself and people following…

    Reply
    • mrparsnips says

      08/04/2014 at 10:36 am

      I have them led valve caps. I glued a presta valve cap inside no problem 🙂

      Reply
    • Alehouse Rock says

      11/04/2014 at 3:48 pm

      {{{{{ Yes, and if there’s just the slightest SIDE-WIND on your ride, the spray from the back wheel goes straight onto the back of your legs, surely.
      A.R.

      Reply
      • Alehouse Rock says

        11/04/2014 at 3:50 pm

        [[[[[ I’m referring to that roll-up “muguard thingy”, I shoulda said….

        Reply
  3. Sara says

    08/04/2014 at 12:58 am

    Thank you Michelle for adding my bike bell to your wonderful list!
    – Sara of sewcreates

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/182446211/bling-bike-handlebar-flower-beach?ref=shop_home_active_1

    Reply
  4. Jozudave says

    11/04/2014 at 10:43 am

    Those Monkey Lights look incredible, but they’re almost $2000 for two wheels which does seem very pricey for what is essentially a glorified circuit boards with a bunch of LEDs stuck on it.

    Still, very cool idea even if it’s unaffordable for the vast majority of cyclists.

    Reply
  5. Tony McGuinness says

    11/04/2014 at 12:00 pm

    Also worth considering is Bike-Eye the frame fitting rear view mirror, Not weird but definitely wonderful at improving rear view awareness, is it a Car, Van, Lorry or Bus just a quick glance identifies, far quicker and safer than constantly turning to look behind.

    In depth Information and videos at:- http://www.bike-eye.com

    Reply
  6. ross says

    21/04/2014 at 7:31 pm

    As for folding pedals MKS FD-7 are great, i put them on my Dahon Mu Uno. The original plasticky ones were awful and flexy.

    Reply
    • Scott2Bgood says

      12/08/2017 at 9:02 am

      Thanks, I was wondering about that myself (Y)

      Reply
  7. Nigel Andrews says

    25/04/2014 at 2:22 pm

    Hi Anders,

    Regarding the Tigr lock. Have you seen the YouTube video that shows it to be the easiest to slice with bolt croppers? It cuts it like cheese.

    The lock is a great design, but fails the theif test easily.

    Reply
  8. Floyd says

    25/04/2014 at 4:46 pm

    I can whole heartedly recommend the Reelights. I’ve them fitted on my dutch bike as well as on my wife’s. I don’t have to worry about remembering my rear lights. I actually have it as a backup rather than as my main lights. For the last year I’ve simply forgotten about these lights as they are always on and doesn’t hinder the ride. Great lights as a backup.

    Reply
  9. littlewheel says

    02/06/2014 at 7:45 am

    Agree with most of the comments but find the mudguards fantastic when touring with weight on dodgy, muddy roads. Have a cheaper version of lights that clip onto spokes, arrived in a week from Taiwan via eBay and work brilliantly.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow London Cyclist

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Recommended iPhone Bike Apps

Repair your bike, track your cycling and find the nearest London bike shop - all from your iPhone:

iPhone apps for cyclists
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy and Cookies

Copyright © 2025 · Cravings Pro