Both lights have been specifically designed with the rider in mind. First up is the Helmet Light. Its streamline, lightweight design means the light does not weigh your head down like older styles of helmet lights. It provides front and rear lighting and is a great combo used along with bike mounted and wearable lights.

Much like the Halo Belt, the new Wearable Light is the ultimate multi functional riders light. You can wear it on your ankle, arm, bag or bike. Made from a strong flexible composite material, it has a simple hook system that is designed to stretch and hold firm.

Both lights are conveniently USB rechargeable so you don’t have to worry about the fuss and expense of changing the battery when it runs out.

Wearable lights like the Helmet Light, Wearable Light and Halo Belt are just one of the ways in which you can make yourself more visible out on the roads after dark. The more lights you sport the easier motorists will see you, which is a plus for riders and the other motorists we share the road with.

BICYCLE + ME = HAPPY

Our new reusable coffee cups are available in four amazing colours - Red, Teal, Blue and Black. There is a cup to suit everyone’s taste.

The reusable cup is an unbeatable combo with our PDW Bicycle Coffee Cup Holder. Particularly in the summer months if you are planning on jumping on your commuter bike, beach cruiser or vintage bicycle and going to grab a coffee to go, then you'll find plenty of use in the bicycle coffee cup + holder combo.

With Christmas on the way and an abundance of birthdays to shop for, these cups and holders make the perfect wee gift for the cyclist in your life.
Be quick as stocks are limited.

Bells & Whistles is very excited to discover our Halo Belt bike light featuring in the latest issue of KiaOra, Air New Zealand's in-flight magazine!

The new Halo Belt 2.0 is one of our most exciting bike lights. It is designed to save lives. It is an illuminated reflective belt that provides optimal visibility and safety for its user. The Halo Belt 2.0 is a versatile safety light that takes wearable technology to a whole new level within the safety field.

Designed for law enforcement, highway patrol, military, roadside safety, jogging, cycling, hiking, child safety, or just about any avenue where visibility is a top priority. The Halo Belt 2.0 merges safety, fashion and culture into an essential everyday product.

With road congestion levels rising in our cities it has become a chore in itself going anywhere in a car, having to battle with traffic and the inconvenience of finding and paying for car parking. Particularly for those with children, it can seem like just getting them in the car can take more time than the actual task at hand!

For this reason many families are turning to cargo bikes and kids bike seats to get around the neighbourhood happy and hassle free. Children cannot get enough of riding with you on your bicycle. There is no need to drag them kicking and screaming into the car, when they will be begging you to take them with you on your bike.

There are many options of dutch cargo bikes and long tail bikes or more simply you can adapt your own bicycle. This can be achieved by installing a kids bike seat (like the Do Little bike seat) where the child sits in front of the rider, leaving you free to use your back carrier or back pack for items you may need to take you’re your or collect along the way. This system may not have the large carrying capacity of the cargo bikes but it is a cheap and simple way to enable you to undertake most of your day-to-day tasks by bicycle with your child. And I am telling you now your children will love you for it, and you will love seeing the huge smiles and excitement on their faces as you ride around your local neighbourhood with them. I see this everyday from our office, fathers and mothers taking their kids to school not by car but by bike, it is life changing.

Sharla Phyllis Haerewa was cyling to work at Christchurch Hospital around 6.40am on April 2^nd when she was struck by a truck that turned left from Lincoln Road into an unnamed road opposite Domain Terrace. The truck dragged her bike nearly 40 metres before coming to a halt. Haerewa died at the scene.

Police at the scene of the cyclist fatality involving Sharla Haerewa on April 2, 2014

There has been talk of the road being widened and requests for road users to be vigilant, however of everything that was reported from the fatality, there was not one mention of how side lighting may have helped prevent Haerewa from being hit.

Bells and Whistles is committed to improving cyclist visibility during hours of darkness and has introduced several products that are aimed at achieving our objective.

We have equipped more than 300 cyclists in New Zealand with MonkeyLectric wheel lights on their bicycle and these have provided greater safety for riding in darkness as other road users immediately identify and associate them as cyclists. These side on bike lights also provide more enjoyment for those cycling early in the morning and after work.

The Fibre Flare tail light is designed in the form of a tube and therefore also provides side on visibility. These are among the most visible bicycle lights on the international market.

The other light which will add more safety to night time riding is the brand new Halo Belt 2.0. This USB rechargeable light comes with 3M reflective straps and can be worn over the shoulder, around the waist or around your back pack.

With daylight savings now over, there is no better time to properly equip your bike with the most effective bicycle lights that provide maximum front, rear and side visibility.

The newest of these lights is the improved Halo Belt 2.0, superseding the previous Halo Belt 1.0 from 2012. The hot off the rack Halo Belt 2.0 is the perfect addition to cycling in the dark as it is brighter, more versatile and is USB rechargeable. Whilst it’s designed as a belt for the waist, it is also commonly worn over the shoulder, loosely around the waist or even clipped around a backpack, the options are endless. It is perfect for cyclists, runners, walkers and motorcyclists.

Unlike highlighted reflective jackets that are only visible when a light source is projected onto it, making it impossible to spot someone in the dark. The Halo Belt 2.0 has been designed to have a combination of high quality 3M reflectives as well as our illuminating LED fibre optic technology, helping the user stay visible when he or she may not be in direct headlight projection.

Here at Bells & Whistles we are about providing you with BRIGHT bike lights, you will not find a dim bicycle light sold at our store. The Knog Blinder is not called the ‘Blinder’ for nothing. This bicycle light has four super bright LED lights that pump out up to 80 lumens of front light and 44-Lumens of rear light, making it one of the most powerful and effective USB bicycle lights on the bike light market. The Blinder’s optimized optics focus and direct a smooth beam pattern that makes the Blinder USB bike light visible over 800 metres.

Another super bright rear light is the Fibre Flare. This uses the latest super-bright fibre optic technology in a flexible tube providing 360-degree visibility. Not only are Fibre Flare lights a super bright light, the versatile design allows it to be mounted on seat posts, chain stays, bags or clothing due to the quality stretchy silicone rubber straps/clips. The Fibre Flare can also be quickly removed from your bike and popped into your bag or onto another bicycle.

As far as side visibility goes the MonkeyLectric M210 and M232 wheel lights are at the top of the game. Fast becoming a phenomenon throughout the world these eye-catching, fun and practical lights have bought a whole new meaning to night riding. The LED light board connects to two of your spokes and is attached to a hub-mounted 3AA battery pack. Each of the lights displays amazing bright patterns as your wheel spins. The MonkeyLectric M210 has a 10 LED light board with 20 programmed themes and hundreds of colour combinations. Its big brother the MonkeyLectric M232 bike light includes 42 amazing themes and 32 ultra bright full colour LEDs (16 on each side). Both these lights provide front, rear and side visibility at any speed. If you’ve worried about being hit from the side by car or just not having enough visibility in general, the MonkeyLectric spoke lights are the perfect solution. Cycling has always been fun. This robust, waterproof spoke light adds a while new meaning to the word!

With these amazing bicycle light options, do yourself and others that you share the road with a favour and be seen this winter.

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With the whole concept now firmly in the minds of parents in all cities and small towns, the question now is what type of kids bicycle seat is the most practical and suitable?

As far as designs are concerned, a parent has the choice of carting their child in a seat that sits forward of the handlebars above the front wheel, behind them directly above the rear wheel or between themselves and the handlebars.

Since late 2013, Do Little, a Tauranga based kids bike seat manufacturer, has seen a noticeable surge in sales from retailers and bike stores throughout New Zealand, suggesting that parents have finally settled on a child bike seat design of choice. The Do Little kids bike seat was first launched in 1998. Their mid-mounted design caters to the outdoor lifestyle of mountain biking and family bicycle riding. They are suitable for children from 18 months up to 7 years of age.

So why is the Do Little kids bicycle seat the preferred choice among parents?

Front Suspension Comfort

The majority of bicycles today are equipped with front suspension meaning Do Little’s mid-mounted seat provides a more comfortable ride for kids than if they were behind the parent. Children will feel all of the bumps on the road unless the bicycle has full suspension.

Unobstructed View & Interaction

With the Do Little mid-mounted kids bike seat, your child can enjoy having a fully unobstructed view, which in turn creates an interactive experience being your platform from which to coach your budding cycle enthusiast, such as when to lean forward or lean back and when to lift their weight off the saddle. Before you know it your child will be reading the terrain like a pro and their balance is set for when they do it alone. With a rear carrier seat you have no idea what your child is doing, if they haven’t fallen asleep from boredom as a result of having a view of your backside.

Centre of Gravity Safety

We'll have our MonkeyLectric lights on display using our wind trainer, plus we'll have our full line-up of bicycle bells and of course our grip rings, plus many other fantastic bike accessories for young and old.

See you there for some last minute Xmas shopping!

If you're looking for Christmas gift baskets, be sure to check out the full range available online at Funky Gift Boxes.

One of the reasons for the inception of Bells and Whistles was to inspire more people to ride bicycles and ride more often and to express themselves as cycling individualists. We are confident that our ever-increasing collection of cycling accessories go a long way towards achieving our goal.

Recently we were emailed a photo (below) by a customer of ours showing off their new bike grip rings, Monkeylectric spoke lights, Knog lock and bell. This is the sort of set up on two wheels that inspires us and puts a smile on our faces.

However for some cyclists, riding a bike is not just about riding in style or to have fun (although we think it is). Bicycles and bicycle accessories take on a whole new meaning for some people around the world in that the bike serves one purpose only - carrying cargo. Check out some of the set ups below, most which would certainly capture the curious eyes of the authorities in most countries... well 2nd world countries anyway.

If you have a photo of your pimped out bicycle send it to [email protected] and we'll add it to our site or Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you.

We've had some great feedback and all credit must go to Luc Verstraeten, the owner operator at Wild Group International NZ. Luc normally applies his graphics to yachts and other boats in Auckland, so we were grateful that he could help out with our bike accessories store vehicle.

Keep an eye out for us around Tauranga. This summer will also see our tandem bike get some much needed Bells and Whistles branding.

Founded in 2009, Kickstarter is now the world’s largest funding platform for creative products. Their all or nothing approach to funding bike accessories and other innovative products has drawn considerably popularity with both creators and funders and has allowed young entreprenNZDs and enterprising individuals to bypass other more traditional establishments.

This successful crowd funding platform has allowed for some wonderful creative ideas to be brought to life. In fact, more than 5 million people have funded more than 50,000 products or services.

Bells and Whistles has jumped on the back of several Kickstarter bike accessories projects, including bike grips by Spur Cycle ($16,000 pledged), bicycle spoke lights by MonkeyLectric ($67,000 pledged) and LED belt lights by Halo Belt ($57,000 pledged).

Too often many promising creative ideas remain just that due to a lack of capital required to get the idea off the ground. Kickstarter has allowed the launch of some world-beater bike accessories and other products onto the market and has consequently encouraged many entreprenNZDs to test the waters with their ideas. Bells and Whistles now has some of the most exciting bike accessories NZ cyclists will ever see.

For consumers, buying wicked accessories for bikes from abroad is not always overly appealing because of the cost of shipping. That’s where Bells and Whistles comes in.

The latest bike accessory on our list of must-haves is the Plume Mudguard. This is a recoiling bicycle mudguard that is built from resilient stainless steel. It simply rolls out into a firm, well-shaped bicycle mudguard and rolls back into a small circle that sits snugly behind your seat post. We have already established supply agreement so will be able to bring these to you in the next few months.



Check out this video

John Buckley who writes for www.thegadgetguy.co.nz happened to stumble across our MonkeyLectric bicycle lights in public and decided this particular product was worthy of a mention on his fortnightly 'Gadget Guy' segment on the TVNZ breakfast show.



We decided to send Buckley a MonkeyLectric M210 being that the M232 wasn't available at the time. They dimmed the lights and spun the wheel and helped spread the word about cycling's latest technology.

There's no guessing who showed the most enthusiasm :)

Our bike accessories store features some of the best performing bike lights. We’ve selected ultra bright lights that will allow you to be seen from all angles. The MonkeyLectric spoke lights are our biggest sellers and add more fun and safety to a bicycle than any other cycle accessory on the market. Check out our MonkeyLectric reviews from our customers.

Want a USB bike light that is small, stealth but super bright? Look no further than the Knog Blinder. Available in 4 styles in front and rear, the Blinder pumps out 80 lumens of front and 44 lumens of rear light. It features a flexible silicone rubber strap and clip, meaning you can attach or detach it from any part of your bike frame in 3 seconds flat.

For your cycle safety we’ve also got the highly powerful and flexible Fibre Flare rear bike light, which like the Blinder, will fit around any part of your frame, no matter how wide. Rear bike lights don’t get any more visible than this puppy. You’ll also find the wearable Halo Belt and New Zealand’s two top selling CatEye bike lights.

No matter what type of bike you have, we have handlebar grips that are sure to make it look even cooler. The Spur Cycle GripRings, which were funded through Kickstarter, are famous throughout the world and we’re the only company in New Zealand that stocks them. Carefully tested for over 12 months prior to production, these innovative stretch-on silicon rubber bike grips fit nearly all handlebars. Combine your favourite colours here.

Another one of our intriguing and practical bicycle accessories is the Ass Saver, a Swedish-born bike mudguard that is ‘there when you need it and gone when you don’t’.
Bells and Whistles wouldn’t be such without a vast range of the best bicycle bells on the market. There are a lot of decidedly average bells out there but we’ve tracked down the pick of the bunch from Crane, Mirrycle and Dringdring. We’ve got the right size bike bell for your bike.

Some of our other popular bike accessories include the bicycle coffee cup holder, bike locks from Knog, the 6 pack beer holder and the slim line recycled inner tube wallet.

Buying for a friend or family and not sure what they might like or need? Take the safe option with a Bells and Whistles store gift voucher.

Be sure to check back regularly as we’re always introducing more new exciting bike accessories.

Happy Riding!

Dave & Charlotte