How to make bicycle handlebars that light-up

[Video Link] Our pal Becky Stern shows you how to make LED bike handlebars using nifty LED tape.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Jorpho

Can’t say I’ve heard of LED tape before, but electroluminescent (EL) tubing does much the same. You can get it cheap on eBay by searching for [el tube party] ; purveyors of cycling equipment will be happy to sell you the same thing at a 300% markup.

Also nifty are LED valve caps for the wheels.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IPOSJWIKX5OXY3M2XGNIBOR4R4 JenniferS
  
  Yeah, but EL wire has a tendency to break :/
http://profiles.google.com/greeneggsandsamuel Sam Archer

I’m not a biker (IANAB?), but wouldn’t the LEDs shining back in your face make it harder to see the road ahead?
- EH
  
  Don’t be distracted by the end-scene of her riding around on the street: this is for Burning Man.
- http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood
  
  Yes.
- Aleknevicus
  
  Absolutely. However, the principle is sound — just apply the LED tape to your seat tube or seat stays so that your bike is visible without blinding yourself.
- zarray
  
  I was thinking you could make a shield with a reflective side on the reverse.
- http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
  
  I imagine it’d be okay in lit-up areas, but yeah, I bet riding in the dark would be close to impossible…
- Diogenes
  
  Reminds me of the little lights inside space helmets that movie costume designers use to light actors’ faces while blinding them to approach of attacking aliens.
http://www.facebook.com/stewart.berntson Stewart Berntson

Most important thing I learned from this: I thought you needed a butane torch for heatshrink, instead of a lighter.
- Over the River
  
  I use a heat gun which I, walk across the shop, take down from the shelf, unzip the bag I store it in, find an extension cord, plug it in and the heat gun into it, turn on the heat gun, let it warm up, run it over the shrink tubing, lay it down on the bench to be ready for the next piece, either burn my arm or something on the bench, do the remaining tubing, let it cool, return it to the bag, zip closed the bag, walk across the shop, put it back on the shelf.
  
  Easy as pie!
http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair

That battery pouch is super crafty.
Anony Mouse

I am always thinking about new ways to conveniently make bike light up. More critical during the Winter months, I guess, but hook these up to a dynamo hub via a constant current device and you have a great piece of kit!
http://twitter.com/michaelsayyes michael b

The battery pouch is neat, but as a dude I have only one response. Duct tape.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IPOSJWIKX5OXY3M2XGNIBOR4R4 JenniferS
  
  I’m female and was thinking the same thing :)
subhan

Very cool idea, but at $25/1m strip that’s some expensive handlebars!
- tyggerjai
  
  I love my adafruit, and there’s stuff they do that you can’t get anywhere else. But then there’s stuff they do that you can find on eBay in 5 metre rolls for $35 with free shipping. Just saying.
Bad Juju

Let me get this straight, does it turn off TV’s as you pedal by, or do I need to stop? What sort of range can I expect?