6 simple ways to pimp up your bike

Adding a couple of coloured components or accessories can really improve the look of your bike. We’re not suggesting you go all Timmy Mallett about it – less is often more – but consider these six easy ways to pimp up your bike.

1 Fit some new handlebar tape — £4.99-£40.49

Replacing old, worn out handlebar tape can make a big difference to your comfort and it’ll also make your bike look a whole lot neater and more appealing to ride – mechanics sometimes fit new tape to pro racers’ bikes to give them a little psychological boost (true!). Lizard Skins DSP (read review) is very grippy and it’s available in loads of different colours for £25.

2 Saddle up — £24.99-£195.00

If you’re on the wrong saddle, you’re not going to enjoy your cycling to the max – that’s obvious. You don’t have to spend a vast amount to get a good saddle, you just need to find one that’s the right shape for you.

3 Replace your headset cap —£16.95-£74.95

Kapz offers all kinds of headset caps, including full colour custom designs so you can personalise your bike. This engraved Union Jack model might be pricy at £32.95, but it comes with red, silver and blue headset spacers.

4 Get new bottle cages — £1.99-£70

Bottle cages can start to look shabby over time, especially after a few months of wet weather when grit can get in there and scratch away at the surface. The polyamide, carbon and glass fibre Deva bottle cage from Tacx is available in a bunch of colours to match your bike, priced at £12.99 each.

5 Add a new computer mount — £41

Every bike computer comes with a mount in the box, but you can often get a better one aftermarket – or at least a better looking one. K-Edge’s mount for the Garmin Edge 1000 / 800 / 810 is CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminium and allows you to position your computer centrally. It comes with a lifetime warranty and in red, blue and gunmetal, as well as boring old black.

6 Go fully pimp with a Token Bling Box — from £50

Sometimes it’s cool to be understated, but if you want to bling up your bike you could try adding coloured parts like bolts, jockey wheels, and so on. Token even offers a Bling Box comprising a top cap and bolt for your headset, a down tube cable adjuster, a cassette lockring, and the like.