Alt Bike Culture - Loud Stereo for Bike

I had to take the fairing off the Type 10 to do it, but I've mounted a Ghetto Blaster on the forward cargo platform. I have two batteries, a 12V/12ah and a 12V7ah, and a 140 watt 115 volt inverter.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0674.jpg
Photo was lit by the morning sun.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0675.jpg
Plugged into the Battery charger.

Here's a bike I see around town all the time that has a car stereo and speakers installed on the front. Sounds pretty good too:thumb:

http://vimeo.com/35823307

http://vimeo.com/35823307

i've seen a dude around here riding a bike with big ass ape hangers and a trailer which has a giant pa speaker.. it's ridiculous lol

Good to know that now a bike can just as irritating as a car.

A bike stereo is pretty easy to make. If you don't want anything that's too loud, the easiest way is to get some computer speakers that take 12v at Goodwill and power them with a UPS battery and get your music out of an iPod.

To get louder than that, the best way is to get some car stereo speakers (preferably more efficient ones! efficiency matters!) and make enclosures for them (styrofoam works well -- it's light, though it's not sturdy so you'll have to make it stronger somehow) and mount them somehow -- a trailer or Xtracycle works nicely. To power them, get an efficient T-amp (much better than a car stereo amp) and more UPS batteries or possibly LiPos if you have them available, and again, the music comes from an iPod.

Good to know that now a bike can just as irritating as a car.
True, but at least the guy in my video isn't playing rap songs that talk about drugs and violence. To me, that bike is a refreshing change from the usual bass-heavy cars I hear rumbling around here.

True, but at least the guy in my video isn't playing rap songs that talk about drugs and violence. To me, that bike is a refreshing change from the usual bass-heavy cars I hear rumbling around here.

True that. My response is more tongue in cheek than serious. We've been literally silent for over 100 years, our time has come!

Here's a bike I see around town all the time that has a car stereo and speakers installed on the front. Sounds pretty good too:thumb:
video

Yea, That guy has a cool bike. I like the fenders. Unfortunately, I'm logged in at a Library computer today, where I don't have the privelege of sound. The first twenty seconds of the video were best, where I could see the fiberglass job the guy did.
Thank you.

Yea, That guy has a cool bike. I like the fenders. Unfortunately, I'm logged in at a Library computer today, where I don't have the privelege of sound. The first twenty seconds of the video were best, where I could see the fiberglass job the guy did.
Thank you.
You're welcome:) I hope you can hear the sound sometime. It's pretty good.

You're welcome:) I hope you can hear the sound sometime. It's pretty good.

Yes, I can hear the sound now. I think that the second song is Pink Floyd. I don't know what group played the first song, but if I was forced to guess, I would say it sounds like Frank Zappa's band.

But that is loud. My boom box can't go that loud.

That guy obviously built his own speaker enclosures as well as fenders. It also looks like the front of the bike is still in primer gray.

True that. My response is more tongue in cheek than serious. We've been literally silent for over 100 years, our time has come!
:lol:

I'd love to see more bikes like this. There is a pedicab around here that runs around with a small boom box strapped to the frame. Here's a video I got of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EZrYaK3fFg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EZrYaK3fFg

You can beat that. Take the body off the Pedicab and set up a dance platform. Add a pole, pole-dancing young lady, and some disco music, and you're good to go...

You can beat that. Take the body off the Pedicab and set up a dance platform. Add a pole, pole-dancing young lady, and some disco music, and you're good to go...
:lol:

:lol: This thread reminded me that I have a small set of powered speakers that I have always wanted to attach to a bike, but could never think of a way. Well, after adding some baskets to my mountain bike I realized I solved the attachment issue:http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/manuel_f_p/0314111754.jpg
Its an "iPal", got it for Christmas or a b-day one year. Hooks up by cable to my mp3 player. Not as big or elaborate, but will help make the ride to and from work a little more interesting.

:lol: This thread reminded me that I have a small set of powered speakers that I have always wanted to attach to a bike, but could never think of a way. Well, after adding some baskets to my mountain bike I realized I solved the attachment issue:http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/manuel_f_p/0314111754.jpg
Its an "iPal", got it for Christmas or a b-day one year. Hooks up by cable to my mp3 player. Not as big or elaborate, but will help make the ride to and from work a little more interesting.
What an interesting design:D The speakers look like twin shower massages:lol:

this is how they do it around my town: http://images.craigslist.org/3n43m13l85Z15P05S3b3j895296415ff31304.jpg

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2274672848.html

my setup motorcycle radio and yes it gets pretty loud
http://i.imgur.com/7aJ6b.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z9P4I.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I04TQ.jpg

Not sure how well styrofoam enclosures would work (styrene maybe, but foam?) but PVC works.

Hello,

The stereo did it's job. I just got back from the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. I rode the bike ahead of the parade as soon as the road was closed. I chose to play the song "Pink Elephants on Parade" (from the Walt Disney movie "Dumbo"). I had to rewind ten times. Actually, it wasn't loud enough. And after I watched the parade, the battery was too weak to play, and the tape slowed down. I had the lights on, so I killed the battery.

If you can figure out some type of amplifier, the SanDisk Sansa Clip is a tiny mp3 player that has an FM tuner, voice recorder, and capability to record from the FM tuner. I have two of these that I use all the time on rides.

Seems to me you should be shopping around for a durable, lightweight solar panel for keeping your battery topped off.

Seems to me you should be shopping around for a durable, lightweight solar panel for keeping your battery topped off.

That's a good idea. I had a 20 watt solar panel a long time ago, but I sold it to a friend who needed to keep his boat battery charged, in order to power his bilge pump. I really need to get a new 12v PV panel.

It's monaural, but here's another amplified bike I saw today. He wired a small mp3 player to an old Radio Shack megaphone. He also has some tiny powered speakers for when he doesn't need much volume.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5548772577_de679938e3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5548772577/)
megaphone music amp 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5548772577/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5549356626_3f0230dbc0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5549356626/)
megaphone music amp 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5549356626/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0713.jpg

I don't mean to get off topic, but I started this thread, and I thought it would be better to have one long thread, rather than two short threads, about the same bike.
Can you see what I did? Yes, the BMX bars have been replaced with ape-hangers (we called them hi-rise handlebars when we were kids).
Much more comfortable to ride. I don't have to bend over. I have actually used this bike to haul potatoes and onions home from the local vegetable market.

I have also made feet for the kickstand. Each leg of the centerstand kickstand has ten disks of yellow foam poster board, five drilled, three with cut slots, and two left whole to cover the holes, and epoxied together. Surprisingly , the foam board has held up to the weight of the bike. The feet were needed because the kickstand was a little too short for the bike. These feet also work to prevent to bike from sinking into soft ground. As you can see , I have a small piece of cabinet drawer plywood, under the kickstand, to protect the carpet.

These are the photos I took a few weeks ago and forgot to upload, Thanks for waiting patiently.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0714.jpg

What are you protecting that carpet from???

What are you protecting that carpet from???

Vibration from the music on the boombox so the neighbors downstairs will not complain- that is the subject of this thread; is it not? :D OK, OK. I will hush up....

What are you protecting that carpet from???

The kickstand.

Hotbike, I have a suggestion that will allow the fairing to remain.

A CAR STEREO and small 12V sealed lead-acid batter of the type for the EXIT emergency lighting/signs found in public buildings everywhere. The hobby shop sold me a 12V wall adapter I could plug in to charge it. Since you will probaly have to place the weight FORWARD it would make good sense to store it in the fairing and to power some 12V LED or halogen (MR series) lamps. While I don't know about the possiblility of halogen car and multipurpose bulbs being phased out like the older fluorescents and iconventional incandescants the LEDs can be adapted from many existing flashlights on the market or built up by hand. Want a good taillight? Go to a motorcycle shop wity a parts yard and find one you like then mount an LED 56/57 equivalent in it.

Himt: Older analog car stereos lack clocks that drain a battery slowly and mechanical presets likewise mean no residual drain. I recommend old Kracos or Sparkomatic especially something not very powerful and 4-5 1/4" dullrange or coaxial round speakers. 4-7 or 10 watts maximum will help preserve the battery and LOW VOLUME when operating lights, if at all.

If a TANK can be incorporated into the design then you can build a battery pack for one or the other or whatever. Dont forget to make a locking watertight cover for the stereo and make a covered plugin to easily charge.

NiCad batteries BURST in freezing temperatures--DON'T USE THEM! Likewise I have no idea what NiMH cells do in those circumstances. STUDY STUDY STUDY

Good luck with your continuing lessons...it looks as if you are learning a lot as you progress.

Hotbike, I have a suggestion that will allow the fairing to remain.

A CAR STEREO and small 12V sealed lead-acid batter of the type for the EXIT emergency lighting/signs found in public buildings everywhere. The hobby shop sold me a 12V wall adapter I could plug in to charge it. Since you will probaly have to place the weight FORWARD it would make good sense to store it in the fairing and to power some 12V LED or halogen (MR series) lamps. While I don't know about the possiblility of halogen car and multipurpose bulbs being phased out like the older fluorescents and iconventional incandescants the LEDs can be adapted from many existing flashlights on the market or built up by hand. Want a good taillight? Go to a motorcycle shop wity a parts yard and find one you like then mount an LED 56/57 equivalent in it.

Himt: Older analog car stereos lack clocks that drain a battery slowly and mechanical presets likewise mean no residual drain. I recommend old Kracos or Sparkomatic especially something not very powerful and 4-5 1/4" dullrange or coaxial round speakers. 4-7 or 10 watts maximum will help preserve the battery and LOW VOLUME when operating lights, if at all.

If a TANK can be incorporated into the design then you can build a battery pack for one or the other or whatever. Dont forget to make a locking watertight cover for the stereo and make a covered plugin to easily charge.

NiCad batteries BURST in freezing temperatures--DON'T USE THEM! Likewise I have no idea what NiMH cells do in those circumstances. STUDY STUDY STUDY

Good luck with your continuing lessons...it looks as if you are learning a lot as you progress.

Well dude, I'm one step ahead of you. The bike already has lead/acid batteries, a 12v12ah on the left and a 12v7ah on the right. They are on the "shelf" under the boom box, look carefully at the pictures.

I had a 12v mr16 halogen light, but it remained attached to the fairing when I removed it, and it is now in a closet.

I am looking for 12 volt LED lights, but the local auto parts store doesn't have any. I have seen some nice things online.

I want you to look at this link:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/353403770/2010_Daytime_running_lights.html

I can NOT find anything like this at the local auto parts store, but I would buy a set if they had them.

Here is my rig. 199749 (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_yKKUFHQ3jAc/TIvQUb1b-mI/AAAAAAAACVA/Fjfc9Ptnzk4/boom%20bike%202.jpg)
It is now on a trailer with four more 10" pro-speakers for a total of six 10's and 28 tweeters.

Cool thread! I wouldn't take it to the level others have but I do have my own setup. Me and my fiance attach her iPod Shuffle to our rear bicycle rack with a bungee cord when we go to the lake. We usually drink, dance, have good conversation, and I usually enjoy a Romeo Y Julieta cigar! Good times and works perfect for what we use it for! Check out the video below. Sorry, my fiance left our bungee in her locker at work so I couldn't set it up to show you it in complete action but this will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxhPlwvaOfU

Here is my rig. 199749 (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_yKKUFHQ3jAc/TIvQUb1b-mI/AAAAAAAACVA/Fjfc9Ptnzk4/boom%20bike%202.jpg)
It is now on a trailer with four more 10" pro-speakers for a total of six 10's and 28 tweeters.

Where do you put the batteries?

Well dude, I'm one step ahead of you. The bike already has lead/acid batteries, a 12v12ah on the left and a 12v7ah on the right. They are on the "shelf" under the boom box, look carefully at the pictures.

I had a 12v mr16 halogen light, but it remained attached to the fairing when I removed it, and it is now in a closet.

I am looking for 12 volt LED lights, but the local auto parts store doesn't have any. I have seen some nice things online.

Pilot Travel Center (truck stop chain) is where I got mine. With the phaseout and selldown of many incandescent buld mandated by federal law over the next couple years they will become quite common soon. Marker lights for semi-trailers and utility lights run mostly under 20.00, white, amber and red (any other colors are not really allowed on commercial interstate transporation vehicles, you'll get in trouble).

Pilot Travel Center (truck stop chain) is where I got mine. With the phaseout and selldown of many incandescent buld mandated by federal law over the next couple years they will become quite common soon. Marker lights for semi-trailers and utility lights run mostly under 20.00, white, amber and red (any other colors are not really allowed on commercial interstate transporation vehicles, you'll get in trouble).

You seem to forget, I live on Long Island, and L.I. is a dead zone for commercial trucking. Long Island is a "dead end", and any truck coming to Long Island has to backtrack a hundred miles before it is back on the nations interstate highway system. There are no long haul truckers living on L.I. So we have no Truck Stops, nor any suppliers of truck parts worth mentioning.

Please have another look at this link, which I gave you in reply #30:


http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/353403770/2010_Daytime_running_lights.html

This is what I want.

LED trailer lights are not available at the local auto parts stores around here. I'm waiting.

I want you to look at this link:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/353403770/2010_Daytime_running_lights.html

I can NOT find anything like this at the local auto parts store, but I would buy a set if they had them.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&source=hp&q=driving+lamps+for+sale&aq=3&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=driving+lamp&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=710f75bbac2df164&biw=770&bih=277

http://www.ioffer.com/i/12-led-light-driving-lamp-universal-super-bright-white-134949973

Don't forget that by 2013 many incandescent lamps will be banned in the US to manufacture or import, with the present stocks legal to sell until they are sold out. LEDs will be the only hoice for small applications such as stereos, flashlights and bike lights to the best of my understanding.

Why you are wanting to use Alibaba (Chinese website) instead of a US source I can't understand. You can DIY with LEDs sold in the US as easily.

SPEAKERS PULLED FROM AN OLD IMAC (PHOTO BELOW)
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0766.jpg
Anyone know how to wire these? If I hook them up to an old 8 Ohm amplifier, will I fry them? Would they work with some kind of mp3 player?

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0772.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0771.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0770.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0768.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/IMG_0767.jpg

Now the iMac plastic is back on the bike. That boom box was a piece of crap, the radio stopped working, and then it started eating tapes. There's plenty of good music on FM radio, so I now have an old AM/FM/VHFhi radio inside the iMac fairing. The VHF hi is cool, I can hear the weather radio, and air traffic control, the new/old radio also has TV sound, but it's the old analog kind, and all I can hear is digital hash noise.

SPEAKERS PULLED FROM AN OLD IMAC (PHOTO BELOW)
Anyone know how to wire these? If I hook them up to an old 8 Ohm amplifier, will I fry them? Would they work with some kind of mp3 player?They look like they're just standard speakers. Probably not very high power.

Cut the plugs off, connect the wires to the amp, start with the volume on low, and turn it up. Stop turning it up when they speakers start sounding bad.

You could probably wire them into a mp3 player directly without an amp, but the volume would be very low.

Really, the easiest way to make a bike stereo is to find a set of computer speakers that have 12 VDC power (that includes the amp -- you just have speakers here) and power it with a gel cell battery. You can generally find plenty of these at Goodwill or the equivalent for cheap.

I still don't understand why one would avoid using a tiny + lightweight music player with headphones on a bicycle, then go to the trouble of mounting a large radio and large batteries, and then never play the radio at high volumes "because it's dangerous"....

Also We Note: cassette players started out a great idea but ended up being a colossal scam: the way that most were built, they would slightly erase the tape in them each time it was played.

I still don't understand why one would avoid using a tiny + lightweight music player with headphones on a bicycle, then go to the trouble of mounting a large radio and large batteries, and then never play the radio at high volumes "because it's dangerous"....


I have been told just the little powered speakers I have are "dangerous", but I see them as safer than headphones because I can still hear everything going on around me. I get slightly nervous when I have to have all the windows up in my car, always afraid i will not hear emergency vehicles, lol.

On a similar but different note (no pun intended) any special music y'all like to play whilist riding, or is it just personal favorites? I got an mp3 of this song and added it to my play list for when I am out on the bike, lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTlCIrflE4o

Ha! Not my kind of music. Try this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JAfnwzHcdk&NR=1

I still don't understand why one would avoid using a tiny + lightweight music player with headphones on a bicycle, then go to the trouble of mounting a large radio and large batteries, and then never play the radio at high volumes "because it's dangerous"....A good stereo system can turn a bike ride into a party on wheels ...


Also We Note: cassette players started out a great idea but ended up being a colossal scam: the way that most were built, they would slightly erase the tape in them each time it was played.i.e. the tape wore out? That happened to records too. And wax cylinders, and DATs and many other formats and it's hard to avoid with the technology used at the time (though somebody did make a record player (recently, long after vinyl became a niche market) that read the grooves with a laser rather than a stylus.)

(If you're claiming that the read head erased the tape when it was turned on or something, I imagine that's possible, but it would be a bad design and the vast majority of players were not designed that way.)

http://gatged.com/amazing-ipod-speaker-for-your-favorite-bike.html

http://gatged.com/amazing-ipod-speaker-for-your-favorite-bike.htmlI have this.

-- it's out of production, so might be hard to find.
-- it drains the battery even when turned off -- you have to remove the batteries (or stick some paper in there to block the contacts) or they'll be dead in a few days.
-- most importantly, it's not very loud, even at full volume. Riding in traffic, you may not be able to hear it with the volume turned up all the way. (And the sound gets crappy at full volume -- you need to back off a bit for normal use.) And that's just for the rider -- if you're looking for a party on wheels, this isn't it. (But for quiet rides by yourself, it's nice.)
-- it's not stereo (it just has one speaker.) (Not really a big problem, however.)
-- it's a tad bigger than your average water bottle. So it might fit in your holder, or might not. (It does come with it's own holder, however.)

On the plus side, it's very convenient, and the remote control is nicely done. It comes with an AC adapter that's pretty much useless (it'll let you use it inside without discharging the batteries, and will charge the iPod inside while doing this, but you didn't buy it to use inside.)

Where do you put the batteries?
They mount to the rack with with the T-amp.
Car amps and head units burn up your battery as heat so a efficient amp and speakers will give you much longer run times. Look up the "Boominator" ultimate DIY boom box for information on amps/batteries/solar for this type of project. The $25 Lepai t-amp is loud enough for most people but my bike is using a $55 Shure 4x100watt chip amp.

My system is light loud and cheap, it can run off 12v or 24v and I have both the heavy SLA batteries and some cheap light cctv li-ions that are working great.
The trailer with four more 10" speakers is almost done and I will post some pictures when I figure out which lights to mount onto it.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/hardmf1/bikestereo.jpg


http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/hardmf1/cruiserwithbikestereo.jpg

If I had nothing better to do, I have some 6X9's in some modified boxes that became part of my home stereo. Looks like it all fits nicely. I take it you didn't get to hear it cranked up?

If I had nothing better to do, I have some 6X9's in some modified boxes that became part of my home stereo. Looks like it all fits nicely. I take it you didn't get to hear it cranked up?
Nope, didn't get to hear it. The bike was unattended. If I could have heard it I would have recorded video. ;)

that would be cool, but really its not safe, you cannot hear the vehicles thats passing by... just my opinion..