I scored a steal of a deal on a fabulous vintage bike and although it needed quite a bit of work (& I had zero experience with bike repair) I knew I was up for the challenge:
Check out my Upcycled DIY Bike Basket (+ my vintage bike makeover) below and learn just how easy it is to refurbish an old preloved bicycle:
I don’t have a car and had been on the hunt for some groovy 2 wheeled sustainable transportation for quite some time. My online classified stalking finally paid off and I fell in love with this rusty old gal the second I saw her photo.
She absolutely needed a makeover and tune-up to make her road worthy again.
After taking her apart, painstakingly removing all of the peeling stickers, straightening the fenders and giving her frame a good sanding, I covered the seat, pedals & handlebars and gave her a few coats of pretty robin’s egg blue anti-rust spray paint.
Absolutely all of the metal bike parts were covered with rust but unfortunately I simply couldn’t afford to replace them. Fortunately there’s a very simple way to remove rust from metal using items from your kitchen: aluminum foil & white vinegar had all of those rusted metal bits shining like new in no time!
Simply dip a foil ball into the vinegar and use it to scrub the rust off of the affected areas. For small items, like nuts & bolts, soak the metal in white vinegar for a few hours and then rub the resulting rusty paste off with a foil ball. (grab all of my metal cleaning tips and tricks here)
Once the final coat of paint on the bike frame was dry & all of the rust was removed from the metal bits my vintage beauty was ready to be reassembled with a groovy new chain and bell!
The final fabulous touch? A sturdy upcycled bike basket! Create your own with my easy step by step video:
So awesomely simple!
Totally eco-friendly too!
Grab all of my fab tutorials for the nest over here + budget friendly sustainable lifestyle tips and eco-living tricks here!
Always remember, new to you is still new!
For loads of sustainable style goodness check out my Confessions of a Refashionista e-book series!
Simply download & get started creating your own, unique, ethical, DIY eco-style!
