BikeHacks

Shoe Mudflap

Grime, dirt, and water can all be enemies of a cyclist.  There are many ways to play defense, however reader Rob came up with a solution that is truly unique . . . and stylish.  You may have seen beer can mudflaps, but a shoe mudflap?  I highly doubt it.  Take it away Rob . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I needed a mudflap for my fender, but I didn't want to make an ugly one out of black rubber for my beautiful old Raleigh. Brooks sells a leather one for $40, but I am not spending $40 for a tiny piece of leftover leather.

Then I remembered I have a pair of thrift store wing tips that I don't wear anymore. First I tried cutting out the tongues, but they were too narrow. Then I tried cutting out the toes. Presto!

Rather than drill holes, I attached them with two tiny document clips and slid  out the shiny metal handles when they were on. Now I have a wing tip mudflap. I rode through some water today and it worked just fine. Best yet, when I took apart the shoes I realized they were actually pleather. Even better. For mudflaps, not feet.

Have you found a creative way to fight grime?  Feel free to let us know so that we can post for the benefit of all. 

Bike Racks Taken Hostage

Way back in May of last year I posted an entry on how disappointed I was with a contest to design a new New York City bike rack.  The design that was chosen, in my opinion, was a huge dud.  The main evidence is that rarely do I ever see bikes actually locked to them.  Maybe it is because the average cyclist can not identify them as bike racks because they are not labeled like the ones in Prinecton. 

A while ago reader Ian submitted some photos showing that some people are taking advantage of the racks, but perhaps not for the intended purpose.  Take it away Ian . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

I came across your post "NYC Bike Rack Verdict: Back to the Drawing Board." I work at Queens Borough Hall, where city DOT installed two of the new circular racks. They were used regularly in the summer... to chain up motorcycles!  These motorcycles' owners may just be the most enthusiastic users of the new bike racks!

This may already be on your radar, but DOT is actually still installing the "old fashioned" U-shaped racks. Several have been installed on and around 36th Avenue in Astoria/Dutch Kills. Sorry, no pictures.

 

Interestingly enough, The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), which manages Queens Borough Hall, still doesn't allow employees to bring bicycles inside the building. I lock my bike to a railing behind the building.

- - - - - - - - - -

Shopping Cart Cargo Bike

There are some hacks that are kind of fun to look at and think about, but when the proverbial "rubber meets the road" you wonder how practical the hack might actually be.  Take this shopping cart hack that I remember running into a few years back.

It's a cool idea and all, but the wheels on that cart actually handling what a typical road might throw at you?  This hack would not last one block on most Manhattan Streets where some potholes can swallow small children. 

We did post this trailer back in April of last year and it is moving toward a more practical hack that I can actual imagine working. 

Image from No Tech Magazine

And then there is the person who completes a hack that is both awesome and practical.  Reader Laurent sent along the following pictures for posting.  Laurent noted that he would have difficulty detailing the process in English so you will not see text notes on the process, which in this case is not really a problem because a picture is worth a thousand words.  Merci Laurent!

Just one comment from me, the tire bumpers are awesome!

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

 

Frisbee Chain Guard

Let me start off this entry by saying I am not one to point fingers.  I like to observe and share my observations, but I do not think that I am some arbiter of bike culture, if there is such a thing as bike culture.  I try to be funny on this blog occasionally and rarely achieve what could be categorized as success.  I also wear a helmet mirror and I think that probably takes me out of the running of being invited into any "cool" group of cyclists.  I do like to be among living cyclists and a helmet mirror helps me to know if 2,000 pound missiles on wheels are bearing down on me. 

Having said all this, over the years the recumbent cyclists I have met have proven to be a unique breed of cyclist.  I guess it's like any small group within a larger culture - there is a bit of an inferiority complex or something that causes recumbent cyclists to talk at length about the benefits of their whip. 

I remember being on a group ride once where I was talking to my wife about a Bike Friday that had just gone by us.  She was asking about the wheel diameter and its impact on riding and I began to offer my comments when  a recumbent cyclist pulled alongside us.  Before I knew it, the recumbent cyclist had jumped into our conversation mistakenly thinking we were talking about his bike. 

I let him talk for about 3 minutes uninterrupted and when there was a pause I said something like, "Wow, that's all nice, but we were actually talking about a Bike Friday."  A blank look came over his face and he dropped back. 

Last week we featured an entry on pie plates and chain guards, and in another entry focused on a recumbent fender hack I noted that we have had very few recumbent cyclists contribute hacks over the years.  Reader Leo is a one man army at present and is doing his best to supply us with some recumbent content and sent along a link to the following picture posted to the Photobucket Account of Poiter H -

I am both not surprised and very impressed at the same time =) 

One man's helmet mirror is another's Frisbee. 

Thanks Leo.  Other recumbent cyclists, your content is always welcome!

Princeton - Land of Confusion

I grew up on the west coast and to me the Ivy League was mythical.  It was a group of schools inhabited by people with extraordinary intellectual abilities that vied for things like Nobel Prizes and were trained to take on leadership roles to guide the rest of us with subpar intellectual capabilities. 

I visited one of the Ivy League schools recently, Princeton, and it only took one second for the image that had been cultivated over decades to be shattered.  What great act would could cause years of previously held beliefs to crumble?  Well take a look at this -

A President (Woodrow Wilson), a Supreme Court Justice (Sonya Sotomayor), a Secretary of State, (James Baker), a top Military Commander (David Petraeus) are examples of the graduates Princeton churns out, consistently . . . and local officials need to label bike racks? 

You can imagine the confusion and sense of dissorientation I felt.  You mean to tell me that leaders such as these would not be able to identify a simple invention to assist with bike security?  I can just imagine this list of great leaders staring, stupified, at a bent piece of metal bolted to the ground and saying, "What possible purpose could that serve?  I wonder what it is meant to be used for?"

As I walked around the now mere mortal shire of Princeton I continued to be my mystified.  I live in New York City so you must realize the horror I felt when every bike that I saw "locked up" was secured with a 99 cent store lock, and most were locked like this -

 

The cheap lock is securing only the frame and the wheels are left completely defenseless. 

 
You want more proof?  Check this out.  Two quick release wheels just waiting to walk away.

It's almost like the people in Princeton hold to some ancient belief that someone who buys a possession should continue to maintain full and unblemished ownership of that possession until willingly departing with it. How crazy is that!? 

New York City is literally a show room floor for bikes.  A lock or locks on a bike are merely an inconvenience for "shoppers."  If locked outside for very long either a whole bike will be taken or it will start to get picked clean like a turkey in the days after Thanksgiving. 

This beauty would not last 5 minutes in NYC.

Some of my faith in the intellectual merit of Princeton students was restored when I learned that they have a bike share program - a true sign of genius.  It's called the U-Bike Program and here is one example of their bikes, a Worksman Cycles model. 

One other slightly depressing thing is that I saw at least 50 bikes in Princeton and not one of them had what I would identify as a hack (except for plastic bag on the seat in one of the above pictures).  I guess it's because people spend all their time studying. 

 

Blind Fender

Fender hacks are some of the most common and we have yet another addition to the long list of materials that can be used to keep grime off.  The following comes from reader Lorena.

I made a fender from a recycle old blind.  I only used a blind, scissors and a couple of screws.  It fits very well to the width of my rear tire. I just tried it during a long ride under the rain, and it has proved to work pretty well!

The Bicycle City

I recently posted about a city with no bikes - Venice.  The layout of Venice does not make it practical or possible to bike, but in many parts of the world there are cities/towns without bikes that can benefit from their introduction.  Reader Kimberly sent along this great little trailer about the introduction of 20,000 bikes into a town in Nicaragua.  Sounds like an Academy Award front runner!  For more information check out pedals for progress. 

The Bicycle City. Trailer from Greg Sucharew on Vimeo.

 

 

Recumbent Fender Hacks in Two Acts

Bike Hacks has been going strong for over three years now but I think I can count the number of recumbent hacks we have received on one hand.  With this addition from Leo we might just have five full fingers.  If you are recument rider send us your hacks! 

This is a hacking tale divided into two acts.  Take it away Leo!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ACT 1

On my EZ-1 Recumbent bike I had made my own studded snow tire, but the fender I had on the bike was designed for only a road tire profile.  I had the fender off for some time but found a need to keep the spray off.  I had a brainstorm one day and the experiment worked pretty well.

I started with a square shaped 1.75L bottle.

I cut off the angled sides as well as the back to make a more effective fender and I felt it would look a little better.  I also cut it to the neck of the bottle and that rested  around the bottom of the head tube pretty close.  The plastic was heavy enough I used tin snips.

I had to trim the edges to allow the cranks to miss the fender.

The full length of the bottle from the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the bottle fit  close to the distance from the BB to the head tube.

I sliced 4 holes on either end of the fender and ran a cable tie to secure it.

The only downside was that there needed to be a fender in FRONT of the head tube.  If I went much over 10-12mph, the spray would shoot up and your speed carries  you into your own mess.  I did not attempt to make an improvised section in front of the head tube, I just keep my speed down when the road was wet.

ACT 2

My improvised liquor bottle fender worked only at slow speeds.  Someone suggested cutting the fender so instead of resting against the bottom of the head tube, the upper support brace could just attach the fender TO the mounting hole in the head tube.   I had a plastic fender, so just took my tin snips again and cut the fender even with the existing upper mounting bracket (an L shaped bracket).  This worked, but caused two issues, the fender stays did not meet the fork anymore and the front of the fender was unsecured.

I went to the hardware store and found a piece of metal that would allow me to extend the fender stay to the fork.  It is a specific product called, a MENDING PLATE and they come in different sizes in the brackets bin at a local bigbox hardware store.  There are 2 predrilled holes and, for my needs, I had to redrill holes to one side of the existing hole in order to secure the fender stay.  I used the existing 5mm screws on the forks with lock washers and purchased extra bolts and hardware, with lockwashers, to secure the fender stay to the plate.

For the front of the fender, I found a small L bracket, drilled a hole in the fender and attached the front piece from the fender I’d cut to the L bracket and fastened that bracket to the same bolt that held the rear fender piece to the head tube.  I actually made the effort and tried out both my road tire and my studded tire and found that the studded tire wouldn’t clear the front fender piece I’d mounted.  I saw though, that if I just turned the L bracket in the front 180 degrees and remounted the fender piece on top of the bracket again, there was more than enough room to clear the tire. 

The brake cable, however, then ran UNDER the fender piece, but there is clearance.  Your bicycle model may vary.  On my bike, the appearance is close to original looking and I find it acceptable looking when all is said and done.

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

Inner Tube Key Chain Bling

Little things make me happy.  Often I will try to spice up my whip or clothing I wear with little things that are somewhat unique.  Reader Cory shares a similar penchant and came up with this great little way to bling up your key ring. 

- - - - - - - -

I recently flatted while out on the road and had a spare tube as a result.  Rather than just recycle it, as I normally do, I started thinking of what I could do with it.  I came up with the idea of using the valve as a keychain to spice up my keys a bit!  All you need is one old road tube and a pair of scissors.

Cut the tube a few mm from where the valve meets the tube.  Then, slide it on your caribeaner or key ring!  Looks awesome, starts conversation, and can even get you connected with other cyclists!

Readers - have you found creative use for valve stems?  We have two previous examples here (key rack) and here (fender mount).  Let us know in comments.

Chain Ring Pant Guard

Sometimes I wonder if the people that work at bike companies actually ride bikes.  Two of the reasons that cause me to wonder are pie plates and plastic chain guards.  The majority of new bikes (of all types) seem to come with these two items and the vast majority of cyclists that want to maintain their dignity in their community make it the first order of business to remove these two items upon purchase.

Like many other things in life this is most likely the fault of lawyers.  I would like to think this at least since any self respecting bike designer/engineer would likely not be caught dead sporting either of these two items on his/her whip. 

Cyclists are not unlike any other segment of society in participating in acts of vanity, but sometimes it can be hip to be square.  I did not think a chain guard could ever look cool, but reader Luke (who blogs over at Luke of New York) came up with a great little hack to keep your pants out of your chain with a guard and not look like a dork.  Check it out -

Luke took an old Schwinn World Sport and put in a fixed gear drive train which made the outer chain ring moot.  Rather than remove it he grinded the teeth off and now has what I would consider to be a respectable looking chain guard. 

What do you thing readers?  Hip or square?