Abstract An efficient electrode for non-enzymatic glucose detection is produced with low-cost techniques on a Cu wire. ZnO nanorods (NRs) were grown on a Cu wire by chemical bath deposition and were used as the substrate for pulsed electrodeposition of nanostructured Ni(OH) 2 flakes. The effect of the electrodeposition potential on the final morphology and electrochemical behavior of the Ni(OH) 2 /ZnO/Cu structures is reported. ZnO NRs resulted to be well dressed by Ni(OH) 2 flakes and were tested as glucose sensing electrodes in 0.1 M NaOH solution, showing high sensitivities (up to 3 mA mM −1 cm −2 ) and long-term stability. The presence of ZnO NRs was shown to improve the performance of the glucose sensor in terms of electrochemical stability over the time and sensitivity compared to Ni(OH) 2 /Cu sample. The reported data demonstrate a simple, versatile and low-cost fabrication approach for effective glucose sensing system within a urban mines framework.