Please help me make my men's bike look more girly ;)

[sarahkonamojo]

New saddle in preferred color. And new grips to match saddle.
Red lip/kiss stickers.

[jyyanks]

I would play up the red and white.

Red wheels or spokes, red bell and red saddle bag (which I see you have).

Change your saddle to a white one or for unexpected pop, Terry has a Butterfly in pink and red.

Accessorize with bottle cages. If you introduce another color, then I would do what Muirenn said and make all the accessories that color though it should be a color that works well with red and white

[Bethany1]

What would be cool (and I haven't done it yet to my bike) would be to design some vinyl designs for the fender and down the fork. Either some swirls, or floral (but not kiddie) or any other design and adhere them to it. Something that had a center and flowed out from there to the edges of the fenders. For the fork, you'd need something that flowed from the top down.

I have an industrial cutter but I haven't gotten brave enough to try it out on a bike. I'd like butterflies on mine with flourishes but sizing and finding the right butterfly has been hard as everything is kiddie or overdone. It might just be better to keep it simple in turquoise blue racing stripes.

I have plans to do my Sirrus frame in the color of my tires (turquoise blue) and silver/gray in either a matte or a pearlized vinyl if it exists. I just need to find the right colors and matching up vinyl online is hard. I just don't know if it would look tacky and homemade if I did.

[rubysoho]

red, black and white... what about a Ladybug theme?

[Owlie]

That bell is adorable.

How different we all are! I would love a red-black-white bike, since red is my favorite color. Alas, they don't exist in entry-to-mid-level WSD frames most of the time.

Accessorizing your bike in coordinating colors, as others have said, is probably the best way to "girlify" your bike--most guys would probably just go for black everything. Personally, I'd go with red and white, unless you hate red--those are easy colors to match and lots of things exist in those colors. A red saddle bag (the one Muirenn linked to looks fun!), perhaps, and those heart cog reflective stickers are cute. White or red bottle cages?

Remember, red ones go faster!

[withm]

Remember, red ones go faster!

Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth.

[jyyanks]

Ok- this post is making me want to spend money!! I really need a painted bike bell - they are too cute to pass up!

[marni]

I would go with red bar tape, a red seat, red bottle cage and handlebar plugs , red bell , rack, and then fashion coordinate my jerseys, sock and shorts accordingly.

I ride a blue trek pilot 5.2 which is a mans bike and the closest I have ever come to doing anything even vaguely stylish, coordinated or girly matching is to insist on blue bar tape and add a silly blue bell. But that is just me, I also wear my hair in a very short buzz and only wear black shorts so I can spit on my hands and wipe my hands off on my legs. I do however love jerseys with orange or orange and other color combinations and a majority of my socks are orange and red so who's to say.

Whichever way you go you willl have fund shopping and accessorizing.

Marni

[rubysoho]

I've needed one for awhile now! The only reason I don't have a cool bell is that at least 5 of them 'speak' to me.

What's a girl to do?

I'm sorry... what's the problem? 5 bells? Seems like one for each day of the week. Actually, I think the REAL problem is you need to find two more bells to cover Saturday and Sunday.

[Owlie]

What would be cool (and I haven't done it yet to my bike) would be to design some vinyl designs for the fender and down the fork. Either some swirls, or floral (but not kiddie) or any other design and adhere them to it. Something that had a center and flowed out from there to the edges of the fenders. For the fork, you'd need something that flowed from the top down.

I have an industrial cutter but I haven't gotten brave enough to try it out on a bike. I'd like butterflies on mine with flourishes but sizing and finding the right butterfly has been hard as everything is kiddie or overdone. It might just be better to keep it simple in turquoise blue racing stripes.

I have plans to do my Sirrus frame in the color of my tires (turquoise blue) and silver/gray in either a matte or a pearlized vinyl if it exists. I just need to find the right colors and matching up vinyl online is hard. I just don't know if it would look tacky and homemade if I did.

Not to threadjack, but one LBS in this area actually does custom vinyl graphics and powdercoating. Seriously. Is there somewhere in Nebraska that does that?

[channlluv]

I like that red and white Hawaiian print tool bag. I love your new bike!

I also like the ladybug bell.

Roxy

[Annie9]

OMG!!!

You guys (gals) are SO GREAT! Thanks so much for not making me feel like a complete ninny-fool.

I can't believe this but I just got home and my kids are still up - so I can't type much yet but for now let me just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE these ideas! I am sooooo getting that bike seat that's both red and pink. That is actually what I wanted to do to incorporate pink: to have it mixed with red - kinda like traditional valentines colors you know?

Oh and if I didn't say it already - I can return everything/anything cause I have 30 days. I'm trying to talk myself into holding on to the bike (not taking it back due to not getting the color I really wanted which was any version of light blue/sea foam/turquoise I could get - booooo - I've wanted one of those colors for YEARS) but I could certainly take black the black fenders and order the white ones I found online - Planet brand I think it was. I love the idea of powder coating (will have to google locally). Maybe buy an aluminum rear rack and just spray paint it white. I think I really do want to get the red basket I showed you in the first post (link to it). I thought that with a white rear rack would be a great combination...I'm so happy to have all this feedback!

Seeing the black bike w/ orange flowers a.k.a. the "Flower Power" bike (love it) made me realize what this bike's name could be if I added even just a few of those heart stickers. Ready? Drumroll.... "Queen of Hearts." You like?

The hand-painted bike bells are just killing me, they're so cute. I have no idea which one to pick! I love them all. the cherries. the strawberries. The flowers that have some red in the centers. The ladybug's cute but yeah a bit too kiddish for my tastes but still adorable (as if the berries aren't kiddish - haha). And more of the bells I"m forgetting right now (I read those posts a few hours ago on my way out!).

I had actually already found and bookmarked that red and pink saddle bag - it's cheap enough that I might get it even if I don't end up liking it. I was concerned it might be too small. I'll go look at the animal print one again too.

You're right - this is getting kind of fun! But only cause you're helping me!!

More later and thanks so much...

[Annie9]

p.s. and thanks so much for liking the bike. I think if done right - not overdoing it but just a few little things here and there - it could send out the message that it's a WSD bike and some may not even consider that it ever wasn't.

[sah]

rhinestone accents! Bell, stem cover, cup holder.

http://cruisercandy.com/bling-bling/

[Theresse]

Hellooooo!

See attached pics... (edit: I forgot to add one of how the bike first looked, so that will be in the next post)

It's been a long time and I just want to thank everyone again for the wonderful suggestions (!!!) and to share pics of my bike now that I've girlified her. Or is it girlified him? I don't know. She's now the "Queen of Hearts." Totally cheeseball name and I really overdid it with the hearts...so I'll probably pull off a sticker or two! What's funny is that when you add the yellow pannier bag/s, the bike shows every color in the actual Queen of Hearts card (white, red, black and yellow).

The first pic is a reminder of what my bike looked like (Trek FX 7.5) when I took HIM home from the shop. To be fair though, the shop did add some things: woman's seat; black fenders, silver mini bike pump; kick stand; cup holder; red saddle bag and mirror. Didn't help - just looked more like a police bike than anything, lol.

Then I added an argyle saddle bag that had red, pink and white colors but it didn't quite work either. Was trying too hard...

Then finally I did the following, the majority of which was thanks to all your advice! Looks so much better, me thinks: changed out the handlebars to ones that fit me better (a bit more upright and not so black - though kept the shifters); got an even cushier seat; went back to a red saddle bag; replaced the break cables with white; added a metal red front basket; white fenders; put on a silver rear rack; added a rhine stone red heart bike bell; added reflective stickers and red heart decorative tire valve caps (and good lights, a silver bottle cage and an iphone clear vinyl handlebar case, though those have nothing to do with girlifying the bike). Last but not least I changed out the 28c Bontrager tires for 32c Panaracer T-serv protex tires which feel AMAZING compared to those skinny hard sons o' beeches that came with the bike. I'm now bouncing along, as happy as can be.

...which is not to say I've gotten over the kidnapping of my '91 Bianchi Advantage hybrid women's bike. Every time I see a bright blue-purple bike go by I have to take a double-take to make sure it's not my beloved stolen bike.