8 Awesome DIY Projects to Enhance Your Bike Riding Experience

Make your cycling experience safer and more fun with these inspiring Arduino projects for your bike.

They say a bad day on the bike is better than a great day off it, and true to it, cycling is incredibly fulfilling. It uplifts your mind and spirit, promotes weight loss, reduces arthritis symptoms, saves money on commuting costs, and is even good for the environment. So, it’s no surprise that biking enthusiasts are always looking for ways to improve their experiences. If you’re one, here are eight awesome DIY projects to enhance your bike riding experience.

1. Arduino Turn Signal Bike Safety Vest

While cycling is no doubt rewarding, it also heightens the risk of collision with other motorists due to the small size and lack of protection on a bicycle. This DIY Arduino bike safety vest lets you reduce this risk by making you more visible to other motorists.

It also makes taking corners a breeze since it’s initially designed as a turn signal. Besides a generic 3D printer, you’ll need an Arduino Nano R3, customized PCB, NeoPixel RGB ring, Bluetooth module, 4.8V rechargeable battery, jumper wires, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), breadboard, and a push-button switch to make it as illustrated in the detailed tutorial above.

Check out other Arduino Uno project ideas to improve your electronics skills.

2. GPS LED Bike Speedometer

Nothing beats the excitement of riding down a bike-friendly highway at top speeds with the wind in your hair and little to no traffic. But thrilling as it may be, overspeeding even when there’s no traffic is risky. This DIY speedometer uses GPS to monitor your speed to prevent you from getting carried away and going too fast. It displays results through an RGB LED.

Additionally, you can expand its functionality so that it also displays distance or any other riding stats you consider important. Get an RGB LED strip, Arduino Pro Mini, a GPS and a charging module, PLA, LiPo battery, and a push button. Then use hot glue and a couple of zip ties to assemble it as shown above.

3. Smart LED Biking Lighting

If you mainly ride at dawn or dusk and your budget doesn’t allow you to splurge on a new set of lights, this DIY project is for you. It lets you create incredibly bright, smart lighting for your bike using a photocell, 5mm LED, a resistor, and Arduino Nano R3. And the step-by-step process is quite straightforward too. Assemble all components on a breadboard, run the Arduino code, and mount it on your bike.

Related: Ways to Use RGB LED Strips to Light Up Your Life

4. Auto-Gear Changer for Bicycles

A geared bike is a game-changer for any biking enthusiast. It requires minimal energy exertion even on rough terrains, allowing you to take on long-distance biking adventures without getting exhausted. Some geared cycles even feature gear settings for different terrains and speeds.

But while they’re great, changing gears constantly can be monotonous, and exhausting, which is why this DIY project will enhance your bike riding experience. Once complete, this auto-gear system automatically adjusts your speed to the right RPM. For instance, when pedaling faster or slower, this system automatically adjusts your speed to the correct RPM, allowing you to conquer tough terrains with minimal effort.

Check out the step-by-step guide on completing this project.

5. Interactive Bike Motion Light and Display

Want bragging rights for the coolest bike in town? If so, you’ll love this project. It uses motion sensors hooked up to high-power LED lights, addressable LED light strips, an Arduino 101, and a couple of other components to turn your bike into a fantastic light show visible from miles away.

Once complete, the interactive motion lights respond to bike motion, changing colors whenever you’re waving, turning, accelerating, braking, or even riding on a bumpy road. Lighting and color pattern control is done over a smartphone Bluetooth connection.

Here’s how to complete this project.

6. Arduino Bike Blink Lights

Need a simpler way to communicate with other motorists when switching lanes, turning, braking, or about to stop? This DIY bike blink lights project will undoubtedly enhance bike riding for you. It lets you create wireless blink lights for rear signaling using only an Arduino Nano and a pair of LED strips attached to a backpack. Mount a remote control to your bike handle for seamless control over blinking patterns.

7. Voice-Controlled Turn Lights for a Safer Ride

Imagine if all you had to do whenever switching lanes or turning on your bike was initiate a voice command, and a pair of LEDs would signal the correct direction instead of having to signal using your arm. Well, this DIY voice-controlled turn lights project lets you do just that.

It uses a machine-learning algorithm known as Edge Impulse to teach an Arduino Nano microcontroller to recognize speech, allowing a rider to activate the right and left LED turn signals through voice commands. What’s even better is that it always runs offline, meaning you never have to worry about network latency issues.

See how it’s made.

8. Loud Bike Horn (Car Horn)

A good bike bell instantly alerts pedestrians and other motorists of your presence, enhancing your safety and that of others on the road. This boosts your riding confidence and enhances your overall biking experience.

And for only $3, this DIY project lets you upgrade your bike bell to a loud car horn, so you no longer have to yell for the right of way every time in traffic. It uses an actual car horn, so get any that tickles your fancy. Then, using a 12 gauge wire, ¼ inch connectors, and mounting brackets, mount everything as illustrated in the step-by-step video tutorial above.

Put tape under the metallic components used in this project to avoid scratching your bike. Also, the higher the battery voltage, the louder the horn will be. Stick to a reasonably powered battery.

Enhance Your Bike Riding Experiences Today

The benefits of bike riding run a wide gamut. Bikes take you where cars never go, unlocking your sense of adventure while allowing you to stay fit. Whether you bike solo or prefer group cycling activities, the awesome DIY projects listed above will undoubtedly boost your safety on the road and greatly enhance your bike riding experience.

About The Author