BikeHacks

Bike Customization #10: Cable Rubbing

I am not really fanatical about keeping my bike in mint condition. It's not that I don't care about the stuff I own, it's more that if I use something a lot, I expect that it is going to show signs of use. Also, I don't want to obsess over every little thing and that is why in the initial post to Globe about why I would be a good recipient for their Globe Experience Project, I stated that the first thing I would do if awarded a bike is scratch it.

I noticed recently that after only a few weeks of riding, more scratching has occurred through normal use. In this case, the brake and gear cables are rubbing away the paint on the front of the bike. Take a look: 

This does not bother me at all, if however you have a new bike and want to avoid such wear a see a rather simple hack - just take some clear packaging tape and put it on your frame. Do you have issues with cable rub? If so, how have you dealt with it?

The AsSALT Begins

Yes grammarians in the audience, I know I spelled assault wrong in the title.  Take a look at this picture and I will explain -

I stepped in the alley behind my place this morning and was greeted by a "crunch."  It was not snow crunching under my feet, it was salt.  All the white stuff in the photo above is salt.  When I moved to the Northeast 10 years ago I was unfamiliar with the use of salt on roads in the winter. When snow is in the forecast, salt is poured on the streets and sidewalks En masse. 

It can be argued that this is an effective solution to snow accumulation, but it can also be brutal on a bike.  So readers, this entry is a call out for hacks to help keep your bike from unduly suffering when the salt hits the streets.  Do have a tactic for fighting against corrosion?  Please share in comments or submit your solutions via our Submit Your Hack link. 

DIY Chain Tensioner

Dropping a chain stinks.  I hate that feeling when I go from having tension while pedaling to my legs spinning wildly.  Reader Christopher was having drop problems and came up with his own chain tensioner. 

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My single speed frankenbike would not stop dropping the chain with the old derailleur I was using as a tensioner so I took it upon myself to make one out of a rack support and a big ol' pulley wheel (14t).

It works a lot better than I thought it would, I figured it'd just collapse on the first rough mtn. ride, but its held up fine so far.

Shelf Bracket Bike Rack and Repair Stand

Bike racks and repair stands are among the most common search terms we see in our stats and reader Scott contacted us with yet another spin on this topic.  Take it away Scott . . .

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I don't mind spending money on my bike - if it makes sense, but I hate wasting it on over-engineered accessories that can be easily replaced by something simpler and just as functional.

I always wanted a work stand, but-

1] Don't have the room to store one, and

2] Don't have the budget for one anyways. 

Fast forward to my moving into a new house, and putting up shelves in the garage to store all my junk.  Staring me in the face are an extra pair of stamped steel shelf brackets, the one piece ones that are approx. 12" long.  Screwed into the studs of the wall at 16" on center, they are plenty sturdy enough to support my bike, so now I have a way to store it off the floor, as well as do service and adjustments - like cleaning/lubing the chain, adjusting the cables, etc.

As my bicycle is my baby, I couldn't bear to see it get scratched from metal-on-metal contact, so a well-used inner tube sacrificed itself to make grippy covers for the arms.  Soaked in some soapy water, they slid over the arms with just the right amount of resistance, and when dry locked onto the arms tightly.  Now the frame doesn't slide around and get scratched up, and it is much more stable when working on it.

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There are other shelf brackets out there, like the ones used in closets - they have a "u" drop at the ends to support a closet rod - or in our case, a top tube of a bike frame.  It also allows you to mount a shelf on top to hold your helmet and shoes, or cleaning supplies or tools.  Maybe next time...

Bike Customization #9: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Having a brand new bike in an urban area does pose somewhat of a conundrum.  If a bike is killer looking, it's also likely to be a killer target for bike thieves.  So if you plan to ride a decent bike, you best try to camouflage it.  I lock my bike outside at times while I run errands and such and  I definitely want the bike to be there upon my return so both security and subterfuge come into play.

A longstanding Make article on 8 Ways to Ugly Your Bike provided me with inspiration, although in a weird way. In listing spray paint as one way to ugly a bike, the article states:

“A can of spray paint is a good start but choose wisely. Black is out. We’re talking ugly here, not cool. Think orange.”

I take great offense because my favorite color is orange.  I guess it's a bonus for me though because if the majority of the population thinks orange is ugly, I can incorporate orange into my bike and think it looks fabulous while thieves will hopefully turn away in horror.  I used this inspiration as the basis of my own case study on making one of my former bikes ugly.

I purchased a can of Krylon 2411 Pumpkin Orange Gloss and went to town on the fenders of my old Peugeot along with incorporating duct tape, stickers, and inner tubes on the frame.  Personally I still think it looked quite cool, but not everyone shared my opinion.


Well, I still had a lot of paint left in the Krylon can and it was crying out to be used on my brand new bike.  The only problem is, I think it actually looks pretty freaking good with Pumpkin Orange fenders.  Readers can chime in to tell me if I am off base.


At first I was going to do a really uneven paint job but I figured I would give them a nice even coat and I can ugly them up over time if necessary.  I think some random purple over the orange might accomplish that objective.  Rust colored paint might also be an option - kind of an oxymoron on plastic Planet Bike fenders though.  I'll see how I feel as time goes on, and I am open to suggestions.  Feel free to comment on how I should continue to uglify.

No Excuses

After spending a lot of time away from Boston traveling in the fall I was greeted by a new road stencil upon my return to commuting by bike, check it out -

It used to be just the bike dude, who is wearing a helmet as far as I can tell, but now we have the "No Excuses" addition.  I'm a fan of wearing a helmet so I did not need the encouragement, but it made me think about road responsibility. After riding over the stencil, I asked myself the question, "If the government is asking cyclists not to make excuses, why is the government not asking motor vehicle operators not to make excuses by painting fancy stencils on the roads that apply to them?" After all, close to 40,000 people per year in the U.S. are killed in motor vehicle accidents.  One web site notes that there were 618 bicycle deaths in the U.S. in 2010, but my guess is that most of those were because of a collision with a motor vehicle. 

Here are some of my suggestions for road stencils, to be accompanied by "No Excuses," for motor vehicle operators.  Readers are encouraged to comment with their own ideas/thoughts.

An order of french fries

A cigarette

A giant mobile phone

A compact disc

A cup of coffee

Good News, I Got a Flat!

I got a flat tire recently, and ended up being pretty happy about it. 

I guess this requires some explanation because getting a flat is most typically a negative experience.  Back in March of 2011 I purchased a new tire, the Pilot City model by MICHELIN.  I lived in a city at the time and still do so it seemed like an appropriate model.  When I lived in New York City I would say I averaged about one flat every couple of months.  The Pilot has been an exceptional tire - no flats in 19 months of daily city riding (NYC and now Boston).  I am happy to say that streak is still alive, even though I got a flat.

Wait? What?  How can the streak still be alive?  Well, that brings me to the "happy" part about getting this flat.  I pulled my tire off and looked for damage - none to be found.  I then proceeded to pump up the tube and discovered something interesting - the hole was facing straight down at the rim.  The flat had nothing to do with the tire being punctured, instead it had to do with the tube protruding through a spoke nipple hole.

A few months ago I had a new rear wheel built.  The wheels that came with my Globe were not the strongest and I ended up busting a spoke about every three months.  Finally I got tired of it and decided to have a new Mavic built.  As it turns out the rim tape was a little messy around one of the nipple holes and when I pumped up my tire with some extra PSI the tube punctured.  Thus the flat had nothing to do with the performance or the tire - streak still in tact!

Sometimes performing one maintenance task will assist with another, and if your whip has fenders, taking off the wheel provides the perfect opportunity to clean the inside of your fenders.

I took the old sock I have tied to my frame and used it to dust all of the dirt out of my fender.  And when I installed the tire this time my sterile matrix did not suffer any damage =)

Bike Customization #8: Wheel Security

Most of the posts related to hacks on my bikes are solutions to what I view as problems. In the case of my new Globe, I have a problem and need a solution. Bike security is a huge issue for me as I live in a big city. I run errands on my way to and from work and have to leave my bike locked up for periods of time. I do have an OnGuard Beast chain that I have used for years to secure my frame and front wheel.

Some of you might remember that I also employ a caribiner hack to secure the chain around my waist whilst I ride. The chain is not long enough to secure my front wheel, frame, and back wheel and I have no desire to carry around another lock to employ each time I need to chain up, so on both my Cannondale and Peugeot I came up with a padlock hack.

Basically, the way that the quick release and frame are set up allows me to use a padlock to secure the back wheel. Below is an example of a padlock, combined with a bungee, that keeps someone from being able to undo the quick release: 

With my Globe however, the frame and quick release relationship is not really conducive to employing such a hack. Take a look for yourself:

The disc brake and frame configuration do not really make it possible for me to employ the same hack I have used in the past. Therefore I am putting out a call to hackers out there - what solution might I use to secure my back wheel at all times? I of course could carry around an extra cable lock or something, but it would be a major hassle to have to carry around and chain up each time I want to run an errand. At times I might just ride a few minutes and have to lock up again, and again, and again.  I would appreciate any suggestions you hackers out there might have.

Please comment but be patient if your comment does not show up right away, I approve comments due to SPAM issues and am on the move right now. 

Travel

I have spent more time away from home than at home in the past three months and biking has been on my mind a lot.  I miss my commutes when away from home and have spent some time day dreaming about what it would be like to take a bike with me everywhere.  I have seen quite a few bike share programs during my travels which is cool, but I have to admit that I have never used such a service to date. 

With travel on the brain I thought I would point back to a few posts that deal with bikes and travel.  And to all those who have posted comments or sent us emails in the past few months, apologies for some delays and thanks for your patience as my access to the interweb has not always been consistent.  

Bike Luggage - Helium bike case from Biknd

West Coast Train Travel - Amtrak is Bike Friendly

Rent your bike to a traveler - Spinlister

And one other thing I have thought about a great deal while traveling, I cannot believe that for most of my life I traveled without merino wool t-shirts.  They make travel SOOOO much easier.  I can pack a whole lot lighter (they don't stink up easily and if you do need to hand wash they dry over night) and the comfort is so superior to cotton it is amazing. 

Is a T-Shirt Worth $60?

Holy Light Colored Merino Wool!

 

Bike Sidecar - Part Deux

Back in July of 2011 reader Juan Pablo from Buenos Aires sent us a bunch of great photos of a bike sidecar he developed.  He has sought to improve his original idea and has a whole web page dedicated to his efforts.  Here is a sweet diagram he posted -

And the pictures of the final product are a thing of beauty.