BikeHacks

Dinotte Tail Light Film Canister Hack

J.T. from the U.K. submitted the first hack I have seen incorporating a film canister. He has an excellent Flickr set that gives a visual tutorial. He is rocking a Dinotte light, which I had never heard of before.

I have a tendency to go with pretty inexpensive lights, but I ride in a city filled with ambient light. If I was biking down a dark road with no lights, I can see a more pricy light being a wise investment. For the full meal deal, visit J.T.'s Flickr set. Thanks J.T.! Flickr Name Tompy

Made from some bits and bobs that were lying around and an old film canister. There's a metal seatpost shim inside the canister for extra strength. The canister lid gives enough of a ridge to prevent the Dinotte's O ring from slipping off. What you'll need to make this light/accessory mount: - an old film canister - I went to my local photolab and scrounged some - something to make the film canister more rigid - I used a spare seatpost shim that I had lying aound - a screw/nut and bolt - something to attach the mount to the the bike - mine is attached with an allen bolt to the rack mounting point - a couple of washers.

Bike Customization #2: Pedal Propulsion

Tops on the list of modifications to my new bike was a pedal change out. I'm addicted to clipless pedals. It feels strange if I ride without them but sometimes on short errands I will wear flip flops or sneakers as the weather dictates and want pedals that are flexible. I thus have platform style clipless pedals with the locking mechanism built in to one side, giving me the option of cleat side and a flat side. The shoes with cleats that I wear have a rubber walking sole so I can walk around in them without the fear of skating around like people do if they wear racing style shoes with a cleat that sticks out. 

One hack of sort that everyone should practice (it should be standard fare for anyone who works on their bike) is to grease the threads of any object that you are going to screw on your bike. This helps to ensure that when the time comes to remove the object, it will come off easily and hopefully you will not lose any skin or strip the head of the bolt/screw in the process of removing it. My standard operating procedure is to keep a tube of grease and some Q-tips on hand. I put a dab of grease on the threads and then spread it around with the Q-tip to ensure adequate coverage.

Lion Bellworks Bell Giveaway - Post 3

Just a reminder that today is the last day for readers to submit a poem or poems for our Lion Bellworks bell giveaway contest.  We have a great compilation of submissions in this post that should help to get the creative juices flowing.

See the first post for instructions on how to enter.

From Chris in Chicago - Lion Bell Haiku

Roar little lion

Your ring true and English

RANG! RANG! ON YOUR LEFT!


LINDA BERLAND  (Albany, Ca)

An loud air horn is what I use
When on my bike, out to cruise,
But when I ride on the bike path track
I give the peds a heart attack.

A Lion brass bell is just the thing
Instead of a blast, a sweet little ring
I need it to improve cyclist PR
And save the horn for an evil car.



Rod - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

A Lion Bellworks Chant
(or, “For Whom the Lion’s bell tolls - it tolls for me”)

Like the snowbell’s proverbial chance
I wouldn’t give the slightest glance
To an imitation bike bell
If the Lion’s offering were to fell
Onto my grateful cycling self

As I search through the dusty top shelf
To find the most convincing words
I hear myself cycling tunes so absurd
As to conjure both the sound and smell
Of a new Lion Bellworks bell

It is the shiny ringing chant
That leads me on this rant
About a sound I find so pleasing
And the cycling image just as teasing
Should my entry find success

And so I pray that you will bless
Me with a cycling e-mail message
Considering my advancing age
Your words will not be a knell
If a new Lion Bellworks bell

Ding-a-lings at my door
Chiming my winning score
What else is there to say
But leave the ringing where it lay
Kindly send me the cycling brass bell!


Nick - Kansas City

Emotions upon Emergent Pedestrians

Ask not for whom the bell rings
It rings for thee


Scott - Sydney

Poem 1

Mummy made me dress like a boy

Daddy , a little girl

The only consistency in my life,

Was a lion Bellworks bell

 

The other boys used to push me around and

the girls used to say I smell,

I used to race home from school of a day

To see my  Lion Bellworks bell

 

The other boys would read Playboy

and the girls would wear Chanel

I used to wear my brothers old clothes

But in the pocket was my Bell works bell

 

And then one day the bombs dropped

And all the earth was parched like hell

I smiled as I rode around, shouting

“The bastards didn’t get my lion Bellworks bell”

 

And now at the old age home,

Nurses shout at me and yell,

“Get out of bed you crazy old man,

this is not a hotel”

I just smile , cause under my pillow is my

Lion bellworks bell

 
Poem 2

I am in the asylum now

Everything is white and it’s quiet  as well,

The doctors come to see and ask

“What happened to you , won’t you tell?

I don’t reply from under the bed,

For I am the keeper of the Bellworks  bell


Poem 3

Lying in my bed at night,

Thinking of pretty girls

 

Mum screams, “ If you don’t stop that

You’ll end up going to hell”

 

I continue with what I am doing

With my heart racing as well

 

Mums says stand up,

I do what she insists as well

 

Much to her relief she finds my hand

firmly round my Lion Bellworks Bell
 

Chris in CA

Riding as first rain breaks from the sky;
bicycle shorts reveal a multitude of scars.
From whence do they come?  Morons in cars,
oblivious pedestrians.  Yeah, that guy.
Swerving frantically, I curse them to Hell,
yearning all the while for a Lion Bellworks bell.


John - Galveston, Texas

DING DING DING DING DING
I like that beautiful sound
ding ding ding ding ding

Bike Tree!

Supa sweet bike rack that requires no locks and resists thieves (at least thieves without ladders). Use your smart card to bring down the rack, roll your bike up to the tree, hook your tire into the rack, and watch it float into the canopy. I love this. (via)

 

Automatic Bike Handlebar Lights

Over at Instructables, contributor Handsome Ryan has an excellent guide to mounting LED lights in your bar ends. The lights are switched on via magnet attached to your bike glove.

This is a great bike hack for commuters. We commuters have already got enough lights to think about turning on and off every time we hop on the ride--two automatic lights that increase side visibility would be great! This hack looks like it takes a few less common items that you might have to source on teh internets rather than locally. But it's all pretty cheap.

If you're anything like me, you should probably set aside a full half day to get these things running. I'd probably put 'em on upside down first, then backwards the next time, before finally getting it right.

On a side note, Ryan is responsible for quite a few posts on Bike Hacks.  Spin the wheel to win.

Random Ryan Post

Random Ryan Post

Random Ryan Post

Random Ryan Post

Random Ryan Post

Astor Place and ?

New Yorkers, what's up with this thing (these things) that I spotted in Astor Place a while ago on a visit?

And on another trip I spotted the following, which caused me to wrinkle my brow at first, but then a light bulb went off in my head and I figured it out =)

First reader to comment with the correct location of the bike rack above gets a pack of Bike Hacks stickers!  I'll also toss in a sticker pack for the person who correctly identifies what the heck the thingamajigger(s) in Astor Place are - bonus points for insightful commentary.

Bike Customization #1: Bright and Shiny, but Not for Long

Back in 2009 I entered a contest to get a free bike and I ended up getting selected.  The premise was mostly for recipients to blog about their experience with the bike over the course of several months.  Since this is Bike Hacks, I focused on hacking, or customizing my bike.  When Bike Hacks moved over to a new platform (WordPress to TypePad) we were not able to transfer entries on a mass scale like we had hoped, so I am faced with the task of digging through old code if I want to publish older entries. 

Pictures of my bike appear on the site from time-to-time and readers will occasionally ask me questions about things they see.  I thus thought I would go back and detail how and why my bike got to look like it does.  For many this will be a painful series to endure since my idea of a beautiful bike does not match the majority opinion, but hopefully some will get practical hacks or ideas from the series. 

A full write up of how I came to be in possession of the bike can be found in this post which is a compilation of the first three posts I ran describing the contest details and the logic I used to pick the bike I did.  I visited the Globe site again for the first time in a long, long time and many things have changed - including the fact that the bike I was given is no longer in their product line.  At the time the contest ran, Specialized was just rolling out their Globe line and like any new line, some bikes endured and others did not.

Even though my model, what they called the Vienna, is no longer in production, I like the bike and it has been my primary commuter whip since I got it.  I did have to get a new rear wheel which I will detail later but other than that and some minor maintenance, the bike has been great. 

Getting a brand new bike is pretty exciting because I think 24 years had passed between my last new bike and the Globe that was given to me.  Thanks to a trip home I was able to rummage through old shoe boxes full of pictures (ah, remember back in the day when physical pictures exists?) and obtained a photo of my last new bike before this one.  

I'm the burly guy at the end of the arrow rocking the Centurion Accordo and styrofoam skid lid. For those of you that have followed this blog for a while, you now have visual evidence of why at a young age I determined that physical fighting was not an option for me. 

The local dealer my bike was sent to back in 2009 when I lived in NYC was Bicycle Renaissance on 81st and Columbus in Manhattan.

Upon picking it up, the bike was bright and shiny, and boring if you ask me.

Most people will likely cringe as they see the transformation I put the bike through.  To me the bike was like one of those blank white canvases you get at an art store.  The folks at Globe were kind enough to spring for fenders and a rack which I was stoked about. I am a fan of fenders because city streets get filled with a disgusting stew when it rains and I hate to think about what substances would coat me if I did not have fenders.

To start off with, I kept the promise I made in the blog post I used to apply for a free bike - upon picking it up I gave it a nice healthy scratch. To me, there's no reason to stress out over nicking the paint, it's best to get that out of the way first thing.

Lion Bellworks Bell Giveaway - Post 2

Entries for our Lion Bellworks bell giveaway contest have started to roll in.  Readers are springing into action if you will =)

See the first post for instructions on how to enter.

As a reminder the deadline to submit entries is October 15th.

Ride safe!

Brian - Greenville, NC

Bell and the bike I sing, the one I’d ring,

If I could but obtain the brazen thing!

For in my town a brand-new M.U.P.

Guides bicyclists past river, field, and tree;

I ride most days; with pleasure do I do this,

Except when the pedestrians are clueless.

My voice will never make them see the light;

My call of “On your left!” makes them turn right.

The tolling bell’s considerably less rude –

So, for your gift, please take my gratitude.


Will - CA via NYC

Poem 1

Bike bell, ring dingy
Ped can't hear me, earbuds in
Lifted shout instead

Poem 2

No roar, but a mighty ring
My bike now has some safety bling
I heart my bike, there is no doubt
But as before, I ne'er have to shout
At wayward peds who seem off their meds
And like lemmings thus, they skirt the bus
And wish to meet my wheels instead

Raiyn - St. Petersburg, Fl

Cars that beep
Peds that yell
I'm quite cheap
How about a bell?


Scott Souter - Australia

Poem 1

Got my Brooks saddle
I’m as retro as hell
As I need now is my Lion Bellworks bell

I got an old fixie
And a head full of gel
All I need now is Lion Bellworks bell                                              

The chicks think I’m fat
They pepper spray me as well
All I need now is a Lion Bellworks bell                                              

Poem 2

Ding Dong Bell   
Ding Dong Bell

You want me I can tell
Because I have a Lion Bellworks bell                                              

It changed my life, I met a girl
Quite a change from kissing cousin Earl


Poem 3

Bellworks bell Bellworks bell
Now I might meet a girl
And makes a change from kissing arse
Now that my bell is made from brass

Poem 4 (to the tune of Bicycle by Queen)

I want a Lion Bellworks bell                                              
I want a Lion bell
I want a Lion Bellworks bell                                              
Sand in your cycling shorts hurts like hell

Zip Tie Storage

I loves me some zip ties.  I use them all the time and if zip ties on bikes were currency, I would be Donald Trump (but with better hair).  Although I love zip ties, I have to admit that I don't always treat them that well.  I often shove the packages in my tool box and they fall out, get bent, or get mixed in with all of the other stuff in my tool box.  Never once had I thought to actually organize them, but reader Stephen sent along his own solution. 

I am scratching my head to think of a way I can this with my metal tool box . . . perhaps velcro strips and some tape or glue.  Take it away Stephen . . .

* * * * * * * * * * *

This forum needs no explanation of the utter utility of zip ties. My partner and I use them constantly. Hoping to add a measure of organization to my tool set-up I began looking for something like a zip tie dispenser. Unenthused by ready-made choices I developed a low-tech system that works pretty well.

The Problem in three parts:

1) Zip ties of all sizes littering the bottom of my toolbox after falling out of their plastic bags.

2) Floppy plastic bags holding zip ties prohibiting easy access to other tools.

3) Plastic walls of the Stanley Fat Max toolbox limiting choices for mechanically affixing a rack to the interior.

Zip Tie Solution for Zip Ties:

1)  For each size of zip tie to be stored, drill two 1/8" holes, a half inch apart horizontally, in the side of a deep toolbox.

2) Thread a zip tie that is a bit wider than the diameter of the hole through both holes, with the clasp on the inside.

3) Join the tie with the clasp, forming a large loop.

4) Slide a new complement of 100 zip ties into the loop and tighten. The bundle is held secure by the clasps at the top.

5) Continue tightening the loop as the ties are consumed and until a new supply is needed.

6) When it is time for a new bag of ties, replace the loop. What I like is if I take out too many, the extras are easy to re-insert into the middle of the bundle.

* * * * * * * * *

Spinlister - Rent Your Bike

Sometimes I travel and when I arrive at my chosen destination, I think to myself how cool it would be to ride a bike.  I have traveled with my bike to different cities on buses and trains a few times, but I do not make it a common practice.  I have never rented a bike from a shop, but I have borrowed a bike from a friend a few times when away from home. 

A new website out there is attempting to turn the concept of lending out your bike into a business.  We were contacted by the folks behind Spinlister and they sent along the following message.  It seems like a pretty cool concept and I thought I would share. 

Spinlister is a marketplace that lets individual bike owners rent out their bikes to locals, travelers, and cyclists looking to explore. We've been live since April 1st in SF and NYC and have gotten a great response so far.

List a Bike? National Access.

New bike-listers (users who list a bike) and all current users to get access to our national pool of over 500 bikes.

Ride for free!

Any unrented bike on Spinlister is now free for the first day, anywhere in the U.S.

NYC & SF Still Open to Anyone.

We'll still be open to both bike-renters and bike-listers in New York City and San Francisco.

What This Means:

If you're a user of Spinlister you now have access to our national network of bikes, many of which are free to rent for the first day. If you're not a member of Spinlister, list your bike and we'll grant you access to the entire national network.

Other quick facts:

- Bike owners can make up to $150 a week renting out their bikes.
- We have a national network of over 500 bikes available for rent (to listers only for now).
- We guarantee the safety of bicycles on our system up to $5000.
- Our bike prices average half of existing bike rental shops.
- Any unrented bike on our system is free for the first day!