Sunday, July 26, 2009

How long do bike decorations last?

As a practical joke, my daughter Abby wrapped my road bike in celery green crepe paper.



We started to wonder how long it would last. Kids' bikes on July 4th have lots of decorations, but these are ridden slowly. How would this stuff stand up to normal commuting speeds of 15-16 miles per hour?

Here we are after 7 miles. The stuff around the wheels is going (had to take a threatening piece out of the rear derailleur). Stuff on the body is in good shape.



After 14 miles, the wheels are about bare, but most of the decoration is still on the body.



At this point, I called the experiment over and removed the rest.