Okay, here’s my blog post about the “bicycle motor exhaust” project, written from a personal, hands-on perspective:
So, I had this crazy idea the other day. You know those kids who stick playing cards in their bike spokes to make it sound like a motorcycle? I wanted to take that to the next level. I was aiming for something that looked like a real exhaust pipe and, even better, made a proper rumbling sound. I’m calling it the “Bicycle Motor Exhaust.”
First, I grabbed an old, empty plastic soda bottle – the bigger, the better, I figured. Then, I cut off the top and bottom, leaving me with just the middle, cylindrical part. I also found some cardboard.
Next, I fashioned a cone shape out of the cardboard. I rolled it up, taped it secure, and trimmed the wide end to make sure it fit relatively snugly onto the end of my plastic bottle tube.
The Mounting Process
This part was a little tricky. I needed to attach this whole contraption to my bike frame so that the open end of the bottle would be right next to the spokes. I used a bunch of zip ties – seriously, a LOT of zip ties. I wrapped them around the bottle and the bike frame, making sure it was super secure. The key was to position it so the spokes would just barely graze the inside of the bottle when the wheel turned.
- Bottle Selection: Find a sturdy, large-ish plastic bottle.
- Cardboard Cone: Create a simple cone to amplify the sound.
- Secure Mounting: Lots of zip ties are your friend!
- Spoke Contact: Position it so the spokes hit the bottle’s edge.
I tested it out by slowly spinning the wheel. At first, it just made a pathetic clicking sound. But, after some adjusting – bending the bottle slightly, tightening the zip ties – I started to get a deeper, more satisfying rumble. It wasn’t exactly a Harley-Davidson, but it was definitely louder and more “motor-like” than a playing card.
I took it for a spin around the block. Honestly, it was pretty hilarious. People definitely turned their heads. The faster I pedaled, the louder and more intense the “exhaust” sound became. The cardboard cone seemed to help amplify the sound a bit, giving it a bit more “oomph.”
My final result? A silly, fun little project that definitely gets attention. It’s not perfect, and I’m sure there are ways to improve it, but it was a blast to build and even more fun to ride around with.
I even added some decorations at the end to make the bottle look more the part of a real exhaust.
