This past winter I had two of my bikes rebuilt at the bike shop, one new bike put together and highly customized, and I rebuilt one bike myself. After many years of riding bikes that looked exactly like they did the day I bought them, it was kind of fun to customize my bikes and give them a bit of personality. If you want to customize your bike the easiest place to begin is by replacing the stem cap (AKA, headset cap). Stem cap don’t offer much in the way of functionality, but they do offer you a chance to add some personality to your bike. To say these caps are easy to replace would be a gross understatement—a trained monkey can do it in under two minutes.
KustomCaps.com Stem Caps
KustomCaps.com makes beautiful, laser-etched headset caps in a variety of anodized colors. Their stock caps come with phrases like, “Shut Up And Ride,” “Point It And Go,” “Ride It Like You Stole It,” and my favorite, “Mud, Sweat, And Gears.” The stock caps retails for $8. You can also have a custom message laser-etched on a cap for only $16.
Mellow Johnny’s Stem Caps
The most famous bike shop in Texas has to be Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, mainly because it is owned by Lance Armstrong. Back when Lance was riding the Tour de France he called the yellow jersey (the maillot jaune) the Mellow Johnny. While you might never visit his shop you can still feel like you did by buying one of the Mellow Johnny’s Stem Caps. These caps all have the same design, but they are available in several different colors. The caps retail for $10 and will add a touch of class to any bike.
StemCAPtain Stem Cap Thermometer
I installed StemCAPtain Stem Cap Thermometers on two of my winter bikes. The folks at StemCAPtain have several stem cap products available, but I like the thermometer the best. The temperature range on the thermometer goes from -15 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 to 57 C). I have found the thermometer to be very accurate when during the winter and when the bike is in the shade. However, if the bike is sitting still in full sun it can sometimes show several degrees higher than the actual temperature. On the other hand, this stem cap is so cool I’d hate to live without it. The StemCAPtain Stem Cap Thermometer retails for $25.
Jeff Shone
June 22, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Nice post. Shame my design wont fit these.
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Too bad! A good stem cap makes the miles go by faster (in my mind).
disapyr
June 22, 2012 at 8:35 AM
Those are really neat. A nice subtle touch to any bike.
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Subtle, but still cool!
scalaarsenal
June 22, 2012 at 8:41 AM
Have a Mellow Johnny’s on my Giant in a matching blue, nice idea for small customisation as you say
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:10 PM
The colors they have available ake them useful on just about any bike.
Chatter Master
June 22, 2012 at 3:35 PM
GOTTA HAVES LIST!
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:10 PM
Probably the lowest priced item you can add to a bike — move it to the top of the list.
Chatter Master
June 23, 2012 at 4:43 AM
I have! 🙂
bikevcar
June 22, 2012 at 4:26 PM
I am all over this one. Great find 😀
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Thanks! A little bit of fun never killed anyone.
docsmultisportlife
June 22, 2012 at 5:17 PM
Lovin that thermometer cap. Could use to confirm that it’s Hot as Hades here.
Doc
All Seasons Cyclist
June 22, 2012 at 11:13 PM
Doc, the funny thing is that I bought the thermometer for the other end of the scale — to see how cold it was. There is just something about looking down and seeing the temp in the negative numbers that makes a ride more memorable.
scorpioscott
June 23, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Reblogged this on Scorpioscott's Blog and commented:
Check this blog post out, such a simple custom touch…
AndrewGills
June 23, 2012 at 6:57 PM
Oh nice! I wish either of my bikes had a replaceable stem cap because I’d so get one. But both my bikes are old and have one-piece stems connecting them to the handle bars 😦 I particularly like the thermometer and the mud, sweat and tears ones 🙂
All Seasons Cyclist
June 23, 2012 at 8:09 PM
Andrew, that is a shame! The thermometer would add a touch of class to any bike in Oz!
motopsyco
June 24, 2012 at 7:46 AM
This is a cool idea for the BMX and cruiser crowd too.
All Seasons Cyclist
June 24, 2012 at 8:27 AM
You are absolutely correct — and the “Mud, Sweat, and Gears” would be prefect.
redrobinsnest
June 25, 2012 at 10:52 AM
I LOVE the thermometer….I didn’t know this existed. I am not as hard core of a year round cyclist but it would be nice to know exactly how cold it is when I am riding while I am freezing my tail off! Much cooler than pulling out a cell phone to check. Love this custom feature! Thanks for sharing.
All Seasons Cyclist
June 25, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Red Robin — you are right — the temp shown on your cell phone is more accurate (by a degree or so), but the coolness factor of a thermometer on your stem cap is way up there!
isaac976
June 29, 2012 at 11:00 PM
Oh my .. that is such a blng to have on the bike … yumz !! thanks for sharing
Mike
July 4, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Reblogged this on I Love (A)Mystery! and commented:
Check out this post from All Seasons Cyclist
Karen
July 10, 2012 at 9:51 PM
Love this!!
All Seasons Cyclist
July 10, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Karen — Be careful, if you start with a stem cap you can easily end up rebuilding an entire bike — one piece at a time!
Karen
July 11, 2012 at 4:23 PM
lol, I shared your blog with a friend and she said she saw one that was a bottle opener….ingenius! Although I wouldn’t want to fall on it 😛
All Seasons Cyclist
July 11, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Karen — I saw the stem cap that has a bottle opener for a “post-ride drink,” but my chocolate milk bottle is not all that difficult to open as is!