60 ideas
Checked October 2026

Bike Wheel Art Ideas

One old-wheel project per press, with the wheels it takes and how the spokes, rim or hub are used.

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A spiderweb of one cord looped once around every spokeWheel, 1, spokes in. Start at the hub, loop each spoke in turn and let every round sit a little farther out.

Next step Art built from circles Collage projects to glue down

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Woven wheels 12

A fringe of cords knotted along the lower half of the rim Rim, 1, spokes out. Fold each cord in half, pass the loop under the rim and pull both ends through it.
A rag-rug wheel woven so thick with T-shirt strips that the spokes vanish Wheel, 1, spokes in. Cut old shirts into long strips, weave from the hub and push each round against the last.
A spiderweb of one cord looped once around every spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Start at the hub, loop each spoke in turn and let every round sit a little farther out.
A string star: cord hooked around every fifth spoke at the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie on beside the rim, count five spokes, hook and go on until the cord meets its start.
A sunburst of yellow yarn zigzagged between the rim and the hub Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hook the yarn around a spoke at the rim, run it down to the hub and back up the next.

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Woven wheels, continued

A target of woven rings, the yarn changed every five rounds Wheel, 1, spokes in. Knot the new color to the old one behind a spoke, where the join does not show.
A wheel loom: yarn woven over and under the spokes from hub to rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie on at the hub and go over one spoke, under the next. Skip one spoke every round.
A woven outer band that leaves the middle of the wheel open Wheel, 1, spokes in. Begin a hand's width from the rim and weave outward only. The hub stays in view.
Dried grasses and long leaves woven through the spokes in place of yarn Wheel, 1, spokes in. Use stems longer than the gap between three spokes, so the weave holds them by itself.
Every spoke wrapped in a different ribbon from hub to rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tape the ribbon at the hub end, wind it up the spoke and knot it against the rim.
Four quarters of the wheel, each woven in a different yarn Wheel, 1, spokes in. Weave back and forth across one quarter, turning around its last spoke each time.
Twelve wedges of knotted fabric strips in rainbow order Wheel, 1, with 24 or 36 spokes. Divide the spoke count by twelve and knot one color of strips across each share.

Garden wheels and wind spinners 12

A bean tepee: twine from every other spoke down to pegs in the soil Wheel, 1, spokes in. Set it flat on top of a tall pole and peg each twine out in a wide circle.
A border fence of rims wired side by side along a bed Rims, 5, spokes out. Push the bottom of each rim into the soil and wire it to the next where they touch.
A peacock fan: painted paint-stirrer feathers on the top half of the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Paint an eye on each stirrer, wire them along the upper rim and stand a cut-out body in front.
A ribbon carousel: long ribbons that fly out when the wheel turns Wheel, 1, spokes in, on its axle. Mount it flat on a post and knot a ribbon at every second spoke.
A ring of small clay pots wired around an upright wheel Wheel, 1, spokes in. Loop wire under each pot's collar and around the rim. Keep the heavier pots low.
A sunflower: yellow bottle-plastic petals tied around the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Cut petals from yellow bottles, punch one end and tie each to the rim with wire.
A trellis wheel on a stake for a climbing bean to wind through Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie it upright to a stake with wire in two places and plant at the foot of the stake.
A wind spinner with eight plastic-cup scoops tied around the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in, on its axle. Face every cup the same way around. The wheel still turns on its hub.
A windmill of fabric sails laced between pairs of spokes Wheel, 1, spokes in, on its axle. Lace a triangle of cloth to every third pair of spokes, each at a slant.
Old discs tied between the spokes to flash in the sun Wheel, 1, spokes in. Thread fishing line through each disc's hole and tie it to two spokes so it can turn.
Three wheels on poles at three heights, each painted one color Wheels, 3, spokes in. Paint rim, spokes and hub the same color so each wheel reads as one round shape.
Three wheels up one pole, a ladder of spokes for a climber Wheels, 3, spokes in. Wire them to the pole rim above rim and turn each so its spokes cross the last set.

Clocks and wall pieces 12

A clock face with no numbers: every third spoke painted as an hour Wheel, 1, with 36 spokes. Paint twelve spokes, one in three, and leave the other twenty-four bare metal.
A penny-farthing outline: a big wheel and a small wheel joined by bent wire Wheels, 2, spokes in, one large and one child-size. Hang both and bend one thick wire into the frame and saddle.
A photo wheel with a print pegged to every other spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Clip wooden clothespins along the spokes. Prints near the rim have the most room.
A round mirror behind the spokes with the rim as its frame Wheel, 1, spokes in. Choose a mirror a little smaller than the rim and hang the wheel on the same hook.
A spoke color wheel: the spokes painted in steps from red to violet Wheel, 1, spokes in. Mix one new step for every three spokes and work around until violet meets red.
A wall clock with twelve number tags clipped around the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie a card disc over the hub, fit a battery clock movement through it and hang the tags.
Battery string lights wound around the rim with the spokes left bare Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tape the battery box behind the hub and wind the lights outward along one spoke first.
Clip-on spoke beads set to draw a spiral from hub to rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Put one bead on each spoke, a finger's width farther out than the bead before it.
The phases of the moon on eight discs fixed around the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Paint eight card discs from dark to full and back and tie one at every eighth of the rim.
Postcards slotted where the spokes cross each other Wheel, 1, spokes in. Slide each card behind one spoke and in front of the next. The crossing grips it.
Spoke shadows: a bare wheel hung a hand's width off the wall under a lamp Wheel, 1, spokes in. Stand it off on long hooks and aim one lamp from the side. Move the lamp, move the lines.
Three rims in shrinking sizes hung one inside another Rims, 3, spokes out. Hang the largest first and let each smaller one rest against the bottom of the one before.

Wreaths and holiday wheels 12

A birthday wheel with a paper pennant on every other spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Fold each pennant over its spoke and glue it to itself. Write one letter on each.
A candy-cane rim wrapped in red and white ribbon with a bow below Rim, 1, spokes out. Wind both ribbons side by side around the rim at a slant so the stripes spiral.
A December countdown: 24 numbered bags, one for each spoke Wheel, 1, with 24 spokes. Peg a small paper bag to each spoke in number order, going around like a clock.
A Fourth of July wheel with spokes wrapped red, white and blue in turn Wheel, 1, spokes in. Wrap crepe streamer along each spoke and let a tail hang from the bottom of the rim.
A Halloween web of white rope with a wire spider on one spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Paint the wheel black, loop the rope spoke to spoke in rings and twist a spider on.
A harvest wheel with wheat stalks fanned between the spokes Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie a small bunch of stalks to every third spoke, heads at the rim, stems at the hub.
A pumpkin wheel woven solid in orange with a green felt stalk Wheel, 1, spokes in. Weave orange cloth strips until no spoke shows and pin a black felt face to the weave.
A red cord heart strung from spoke to spoke inside the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Mark the heart's outline with tape on the spokes it crosses and wrap the cord at each mark.
A snowflake wheel: white paint and tinsel on every sixth spoke Wheel, 1, with 36 spokes. Paint it white, then wrap six spokes in tinsel, evenly spaced, as the six arms.
A spring wheel with painted eggs hung at different heights Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie each plastic egg to a spoke on its own length of ribbon so none hides another.
An evergreen wreath wired around the rim, spokes bare, bow at the hub Wheel, 1, spokes in. Wire short sprigs to the rim, all pointing the same way around, each over the last stem.
Pressed fall leaves clipped along every spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Use small clips and overlap the leaves from rim to hub, darkest colors at the rim.

Mobiles and hanging racks 12

A drying rack for herbs: bunches tied along the spokes of a flat-hung wheel Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie each bunch by its stems, heads down, and space them so air gets between.
A hat and scarf carousel on a wheel that still turns on its hub Wheel, 1, spokes in, on its axle. Fix the axle to a wall bracket and hang S-hooks around the rim.
A mobile of paper cranes on threads of different lengths Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hang it flat, tie a thread to each spoke and put the longest threads near the hub.
A necklace rack: chains draped over the spokes of a wall-hung wheel Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hang it on one strong hook. The spokes in the top third carry the chains.
A planet mobile: the sun at the hub and the planets out along the spokes Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hang each planet from a spoke a little farther out than the last, the nearest by the hub.
A pot rack: the wheel hung flat on four chains with hooks on the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Fix the chains at four evenly spaced points and hang S-hooks over the rim's edge.
A rain cloud mobile with bead raindrops on threads Wheel, 1, spokes in. Cover the top with stuffing as the cloud and hang beaded threads from the spokes below.
A reading-corner canopy of sheer fabric draped over a hung rim Rim, 1, spokes out. Hang it flat from a ceiling hook on three cords and drape the cloth over the top.
A ring of jam jars with battery candles hung from the rim Wheel, 1, spokes in. Twist wire under the lip of each jar into a handle and hook it over the rim.
A wind chime of old keys on fishing line from every third spoke Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hang it flat and cut the lines so neighboring keys can just touch.
Paper lanterns for a party, hung from alternate spokes Wheel, 1, spokes in. Hang the wheel flat and vary the string lengths so the lanterns sit at two levels.
Three hanging plants at three heights under one flat wheel Wheel, 1, spokes in. Tie each pot's cords to the rim a third of the way around from the next one.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03: 60 things to make from an old bicycle wheel in five groups (woven wheels; garden wheels and wind spinners; clocks and wall pieces; wreaths and holiday wheels; mobiles and hanging racks). Each hint opens with the wheels the make takes and whether the spokes stay in, then says how the wheel handles it. Every idea starts from a bare rim with the tire and tube already off. Read on 2026-10-03 in the English Wikipedia article Bicycle wheel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_wheel, text under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license): wheels today mostly have a metal hub, taut wire spokes and a rim of metal or carbon fiber; conventional metal wheels take 24, 28, 32 or 36 spokes, spread evenly around the rim. The clock, snowflake, countdown and twelve-wedge ideas divide those counts (36 by 3, 36 by 6, 24 by 1, 24 or 36 by 12); the sums are ours. We have not load-tested any rack. Licence: own work

How it works

An old wheel is a circle with a loom of spokes inside and a hub that still turns. These 60 bicycle wheel art ideas use one of the three: weave the spokes, hang from the rim, or let it spin.

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Count the spokes first

Conventional wheels take 24, 28, 32 or 36 spokes, spread evenly around the rim. The count decides what divides neatly. On 36 spokes every third one is an hour of a clock and every sixth an arm of a snowflake. A 24-spoke wheel holds a December countdown, one bag a spoke.

Spokes in or spokes out

Each hint says which. Spokes in means the whole wheel, hub and all, with the tire and tube off. Spokes out means the bare rim, a hoop for a fringe, a canopy or a border fence.

Spoke counts are even, so a plain over-and-under weave repeats itself. Skipping one spoke each round shifts it.
A wheel left on its axle still spins. The wind spinner and both carousels rely on that.

Questions and answers

What can you make from an old bicycle wheel?

A wall clock, a trellis for a climbing bean, a pot rack, a wreath, a mobile or a round loom for yarn. The list has 60, sorted by whether the wheel is woven, hung, mounted on a wall or set in the garden.

How do you weave on a bicycle wheel?

Tie yarn to a spoke at the hub and pass it over one spoke and under the next, working outward in rounds. Push each round against the last. Woven wheels holds twelve versions, from a rag-rug wheel to a string star.

How many spokes does a bike wheel have?

Conventional metal wheels have 24, 28, 32 or 36, and some tandem and BMX wheels have 40 or 48. Count yours before starting a clock or a snowflake, because only some counts divide by twelve or by six.

Do the ideas use the tire?

No. Every idea starts from a bare metal wheel with the tire and inner tube already off. Most keep the spokes and hub; five use the rim alone, and the hints say which.