What Are Bike Streamers?
Gone are the days of a plain-looking bike handlebar. You’ll want your two wheels to have bike accessories to personalise your ride.
Some are essential for certain people, such as bike baskets or panniers for commuters. But others are nice to have just for aesthetics. A wide range of fun accessories is available on the market, so there's a lot to choose from.
And one of our picks is tassel streamers - a favourite amongst kids and adults alike. Commonly known as bike streamers, they add an extra oomph to handlebar grips.
Keep reading to find out what bike tassels are, their uses and how to attach them.
Retro-fy Your Bike With Bike Streamers
Bike streamers may feel old school or retro, but they’re a fun way of personalising bikes, be they adult bikes or kids bikes. Designed to assemble onto bar grips, they make handlebars worthy of their style.
These tassels are made of durable ribbons and are sold mainly by many bike shops. Alternatively, you can go the DIY route and mix ribbons with other materials like coloured string.
The length of the bike streamers you buy or make depends on your personal taste. For small-balance bikes and tiny tricycles, 9 1/2" lengths of streamers work great.
But our experts recommend 14" look best on adult bikes. Once attached to a moving bike, they add to a real sense of freedom like the wind blowing through your hair.
Installing tassel streamers to the handlebar grip
Attaching bike streamers on the bar grips is as simple as it looks! Pinch the spring-tight metal clips together and insert one end at a time into the grip's hole.
Once both ends of the clip are inserted, push the length until the round part touches the grip hole. Make sure the neck of the clip fits snug.
If you have soft rubber grips with a very small hole, you may want to gently stretch the hole open just a bit for easier installation. You can do this using a screwdriver or a similar bike tool.
Bike streamers also work for scooters! When installing, remember to add little bumpers to the ends of the metal clips. This is because the scooter grip ends tend to be very soft due to the rubber material used.
Removing them for replacement
The easiest way to remove streamers is to turn the retainer all the way into the grip. Then, plug the holes one at a time and use the same compression method we went through for loosening the grip.
Use needle nose pliers if necessary to pull the streamer through the bar grip from the inside.
Bike streamers maintenance
For normal stains, you can hand wash the ribbons with a mild detergent and leave them to air dry. If necessary, you can iron them for a polished look. Don't leave them outside and exposed to the sun for weeks, otherwise, the colours may fade.
How to Make DIY Bike Streamers
For this DIY project, you'll need the following supplies:
- A variety of ribbons, lace, fabric strips, yarn, etc.
- Scissors
- Two paper clips
- Toothpicks and tapes
- Glue
- Sewing needle and thread
- Spray adhesive (optional)
Step 1
Cut all your ribbons into pieces at your desired length - the ideal is equal length. Here, the ribbons were cut to 22" and were folded in half later on.
Step 2
Take some of your ribbons, fold them in half over the paper clip and stitch to put them in place. Or, use a yard needle or a toothpick and tape, then thread the ribbons through the grips.
Step 3
Finally, insert the paper clips into the holes on the ends of your handlebar grips! If you use a needle or toothpick, apply glue to the ends, trim off any overlap, and let dry.
Step 4
Once everything has dried, slide the grips back onto the handlebars. If they're loose or rotating, use some spray adhesive to lock them in place.
You also want to ensure there isn't any risk of the bike streamers tangling in the wheel spokes.
DIY Bike Streamers Design Ideas
There's a huge range of tassel styles you can find online, which you can recreate as DIYs. If your choice coincides with the latter, below are a few bike streamer designs you can DIY in no time.
1. Parade-ready
What could be better celebrating the Fourth of July than with themed handlebar streamers? Great for bikes and scooters, kids and adults alike can celebrate the event with fancy bike setups.
Made from toilet-paper tubes, paint, stickers and curlicued ribbon check this guide out!
2. Made from pom poms
These bike streamers are easy and quick to make, and they are inexpensive. Look for a good pair of cheerleader pom poms at a nearby dollar store and two zip ties.
Feed the zip tie into the handlebar end and push it in, even the square part, so it stays in securely. Repeat for the other side, and you are done!
3. Using wooden golf tees
For this DIY, you'll need wooden golf tees, metal screw eyelets, and a few grosgrain ribbons. Nail polish is optional, mainly if you wish to paint a part of the golf tee and eye screws.
Use a small drill to drill a hole into the tees, where the metal screw eyelets would then be screwed in.
4. Upcycled plastic bags
These DIY streamers are not only cute, but they are also very cheap because they are made out of plastic bags! You can find ready-made items in the party section of the dollar store.
But if you have suitable bags on hand, then make use of them to save money. Opt for heavier bags that can hold up better to play and weather.
5. Add daisies for flair
Mix strands or braids within the bundle for variety. Using cut-out daisy flowers, glue them haphazardly to the individual ribbons.
Arrange the daisy flat on your work surface, dab it with a bead of glue, and press the ribbon flat into the glue. If you aren’t using hot glue, give the daisies some time to dry.
6. Crochet style
For this crochet approach, use acrylic yarn for stretch and durability and, ideally, a 5.5mm hook. Make the streamers bling-ier by tying on extra ribbons or beads.
You may also make a crochet cover for the bike seat to match the look.
7. Use artificial climbers
This bouquet of blue forget-me-not flowers is the perfect garland for your bar grips. Attach them on both sides, and you're on your way to blooming adventures!
Make sure to decorate your basket (if you have on) as well to finish off the look.
8. Invest in one from Bobbin!
This set of high-quality satin ribbon handlebar tassels is handmade. Simply attach it behind the grip end, letting the elastic slip into the groove to prevent it from falling off.
Bike Decorations for Girls and Boys
Below are a few Bobbin bike accessories that will look amazing on the bar grips and along with the bike tassels:
Ding Dong Bell
This classic Ding Dong bell is available in a palette of classic Bobbin colours. It is so named for its very loud doorbell-style 'ding-dong'. Let them know you're coming!
Bike Basket Garland Craft Kit
This garland kit contains jute string and cute felt shapes to decorate your basket or streamers. The flower designs are a little more advanced but simple to construct!
Note: Kit contents may vary a little from batch to batch. Garlands are shown on our baskets, which must be purchased separately.
Duracork Grips
The grips are a pair of stylish handlebar grips made from a natural, non-slip rubber and cork compound. But they only fit Bobbin handlebars with a regular 25.4mm diameter (all Bobbin models).
Bike Basket Goa Garland Mini Tassels
The tassels are delicate garlands made from vegan leather and transparent beads. Comes threaded - just attach it to your bicycle basket, or cut them in half and use them as streamers!
Cambridge Bike Basket
Finish off the look with a basket! Cambridge bike basket features high-quality European wicker, a plaited lip and squared-off corners.
This is a large, deep, rectangular bicycle basket that needs support from underneath. We recommend Front Carrier E, adjustable support that fits a variety of bike sizes, to mount it on.
Round-up
The wind blowing through your hair is just so much better when it’s accompanied by the look and sound of streamers. The faster you ride, the better they fly and dance in the wind.
Bike streamers are inexpensive accessories and easy to make for DIYs. They're so classic and a wonderful addition to bikes, trikes, and scooters.
Bobbin offers a wide range of bikes that guarantee aesthetics, freedom and fun. Check our worthy-of-investment products and ride in style!
Ready to shop? Click here to view our range of kids bikes, kids hybrid bikes, kids bike with stabilisers, kids bike with baskets, toddler bike helmets or kids bike helmets.
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