As an avid cyclist and professional triathlete, I took the whole “upcycling” concept quite literally. I have decided to use an old chainring and turn it into a functional clock. What inspired me to do this was not only my love of bikes but I wanted to give my college coach a gift, since I will be graduating this may. Though, I have not yet assembled my project, I have come up with a plan of action.
- Clean the chainring: get any old grease or lubricant off of it
- Disassemble wall clock: remove the electrical components: motor, battery, hands
- Cut a piece of cardboard into a circular shape. This will be the mount for the chainring and where I will attach the clock components using E6000 glue (apparently really strong)
- Cut out construction paper and glue it onto the cardboard.
- Punch a hole through the cardboard
- Glue chainring to cardboard and attach clock components
- Decorate! I am thinking of doing a map of the city of Boulder as the background and spray painting the chainring gold so it is Buffalo colors.
Supplies for this project include a clock, which I will disassemble 
I plan to go with the standard 4-bolt chainring
4 Comments. Leave new
Go Buffs! Enjoyed that your project was a gift. It was really good to see that you had included the design loop for your project.
Good plan! Do you know anything about your coach’s preferred aesthetics to guide you?
I think this is a great idea! It makes me think of Steampunk designs which are always really fascinating. Are you going to use the same hands that the clock comes with? It could be cool to try to create new ones that also have a biking theme…
Mmm, steampunk, yes!