BikeHacks

DIY Bike Fender Mudguard - Update

So I had the chance to test out my DIY attempt at an extended mudguard and learned that the material I ended up using was not quite rigid enough.  It worked fine when there was no wind, however on a day with a decent headwind, the guard bent backward due to the wind stress.  Rather than start completely over, I had an idea to add rigidity -

Yup, I just cut a standard clothing hanger, added some glue, and put some packaging tape over the top. So far so good.

If you plan on making your own mudguard do keep in mind the rigidity factor.  Other guards we have featured have featured floor mats, shoes, and beer cans. I like my mudguard because it ranks high on the ghetto scale, but I am going to keep my eye out for over-sized beer cans for another possible attempt. 

 

DIY Bike Canister

It is smart to ride with enough tools to make simple repairs, but a good set of tools can be expensive and you want to hold on to them.  Taking your tools with you can be a pain and reader Neil came up with a way to keep his tools with him and secure at the same time.  Take it away Neil.

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I wanted a way to store my road repair tools and parts, on my bike, while discouraging theft. Presenting the Tool Canister:

I'm a huge fan of PVC and the structures it can create with a little effort. They are in a sense adult LEGOs and a very easy medium to work with for people with little construction experience (*cough* ME *cough*). After spending a lot of time brainstorming in the plumbing section of my hardware store, I came up with an idea for a secure-able tool kit.

Right now I keep a metric set of Allen wrenches, a crescent wrench, screw driver, spare chain, and a spare inner-tube.

The basic parts are always the same, the only variable is the SIZE of the pipe and its accompanying fittings.

***Because you may need to place your hand inside the pipe during the build, pick your PVC pipe/fittings starting at 3 inches (that's the internal diameter or width of the pipe). If you aren't sure... try to fit your hand in the pipe @ the store, if it doesn't fit start @ 4 inches.

You will need to purchase the following essential components:

1) PVC Cap

2) PVC Female Adapter

3) PVC Plug

4) PVC Pipe (Cut 3.75 inches shorter than desired length of container from Cap to Plug)

5) U-Bolts, steel or zinc (ex: 1 inch bolts are for 1 inch diameter wide bike frames/handlebars,)

6) Carriage Bolt, steel or zinc

7) Nylon Locking Nut, steel or zinc - Count of 6

8) PVC Glue (or any Silicon Sealant/Glue)

9) Long Shackle Padlock (must be long enough to clear the diameter of the Female Adapter that you are using, and the internal clearance must be wider than the thread of the plug - see image of plug above)

You will need access to a drill, hack-saw (to cut the pipe and any screw shaft protruding past a tightened bolt), a wrench or pliers (to tighten the bolts), possibly a round file (to compensate for any miss-aligned drilled holes, or to widen holes that were drilled to small), and a hammer with a ball (not a hook).

First you want to pick a spot on your bike that you will attach the canister to. Make sure it has clearance for your widest diameter piece (the Female Adapter (2)), and the measure out the length that you want. Keep in mind if you mount this length-wise in the triangle frame of your bicycle that you may have difficulty reaching in for tools. Cut your Pipe 3 and 3/4 inches (3.75) shorter than the length that you want and hopefully just measured.

The basic construction is as follows. Put the Cap (1) on one end of your PVC Pipe (4), the Female Adapter (2) on the other end, and the Pug (3) goes in the Female Adapter. This is the same if you use larger pipe/fittings.

a) First, you will drill 1 hole where the Cap meets the Pipe. From the inside drop 1 Carriage Bolt into that hole so the thread is on the outside. Lightly screw on a Nylon Locking Nut to hold it in place. (Carriage Bolt secures Cap to Pipe)

b) Next, drill holes along the length of pipe, opposite the side of the Carriage Bolt, which will accommodate the U-Bolts (2 holes side by side the width of the U-Bolt). Do this twice, in-line so it will mount straight onto bike tubing/handlebars/rack.

c) Then, from the inside and starting with the holes closest to the Cap (this can be tricky to line up), drop the U-Bolt into the drilled holes so the thread is on the outside. If you are having trouble, grab you round file and widen up those holes. Lightly screw on a Nylon Locking Nut to each thread to hold it in place. (U-Bolts secure Pipe to Bicycle)

d) Now, drill 1 hole where the Pipe meets the Female Adapter, on the same side as the other Carriage Bolt. From the inside drop 1 Carriage bolt into that hole so the thread is on the outside. Lightly screw on a Nylon Locking Nut to hold it in place. (Carriage Bolt secures Pipe to Female Adapter)

e) Take your Plug and screw it into the Female Adapter so its snug, not tight. Note how far the Plug goes in by counting the threads. Unscrew the Plug from the Female Adapter. Measure from the exposed thread to the end of the Plug (the end that was screwed in). Approximately 1/4 inch past this measurement,is where you will drill on the Female Adapter to create holes for your Long Shackle Padlock. (Padlock secures Plug to Female Adapter, and prevents people from opening the Tool Canister).

f) Finally, insert one end of the padlock shackle into your Female Adapter hole that you drilled in step e). Mark the center, where it lines up on the square protrusion of the Plug. Drill a hole on this marking to create holes for your Long Shackle Padlock. Repeat steps e) and f) on the other side of the Plug and Female Adapter to create the other holes for your Long Shackle Padlock.

g) Unscrew the U-Bolt nuts and affix the Tool Canister to your bicycle, and tighten all of the Nylon Locking Nuts with a wrench or pliers.

h) From the inside, apply pressure to the Carriage Bolt so the square area will catch on the drilled hole. If this doesn't happen grab your round file and widen it a small bit at a time. Tighten the Nylon Locking Nut onto the Carriage Bolt. (If the Nylon Locking Nut is to hard to tighten, get a regular Nut)

i) Using your Hack-Saw, cut off protruding threads on any bolts, leaving 1/8 inch of thread exposed past the nut. Using a Ball Hammer, tap the ends of the threads, so they flare out and flatten onto the Nut. (Flared Bolt threads secure the Nut, and prevent them from being unscrewed with a wrench)

h) Now just take your sealant or glue, and coat any steams or holes to keep the water out.

Extra Credit - Buy some anti-rust spray-paint, and coat any exposed metal (or the entire canister) to prevent rust.

ADDITIONAL PICTURES FOR REFRENCE:

Inside the canister.

Padlock holes.

Final Product and Prototype

The whole project should cost about $25-50 (your stores prices may vary) plus labor and depending on which lock you get and what you use for sealant/glue.

As everyone knows anti-theft measures are meant to discourage theft not stop it. This is supposed to make the zipper bags more appealing than your canister, but if a guy brings bolt-cutters, he's cutting your bike chain and taking the whole enchilada, Tool Canister and all.

If you aren't ready for the investment of a drill, borrow one.

Notes -

Hacksaws are good for cutting your lock off if you lose your key.

Everyone should have a wrench or pliers for general bike maintenance.

Round files and hammers have so many uses and they are cheap and abundant.

Short Reach Caliper Reverse-Pull Hack

Stopping is an important part of biking, at least my opinion.  Reader Tim from Brattleboro, VT seems to agree and shares this brake hack.

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I devised a short reach caliper reverse-pull hack for my girlfriend's mixte frame, so I could mount modern 105 calipers on.  It consists of replacing the cable fixing bolt with a barrel adjuster, and replacing the original adjuster with the threaded portion of a slotted barrel adjuster.  A V-brake pad fixing nut and washer secure the cable.  The hack required no permanent modification to the caliper body.  To keep the slotted adjuster from collapsing under the V-brake nut's force, I threaded a small screw into the end of the slotted adjuster and trimmed it flush.  To install the cable, a small kink guides the tip out of the caliper.

Now the clean cable routing the bike was designed for has been preserved, and she's got good brakes.

My Bike Rocks

Reader Jorge contacted us and stated that he likes to write and has a bike.  He built his bike from scratch and writes about his rationale in choosing his build and shares some of his hacks. Enjoy!

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Hi.  This is my bicycle.  It rocks.  I'll tell you some of the reasons why... and share a handful of my very own bike-hacks.

First.  Well, it's a bicycle, right?  If you are reading this you already know... I hardly need mention that a bike can be an object of respect and lust; both sexy and utilitarian, sleek and rugged, and above all, it can be a tool that bestows on its user many great powers… powers that are just a few watts shy of super-powers.  We may not fly.  But we can bunny-hop.  We may not be able to dead-lift one car to save a baby.  But we can pass a dozen as they slog toward a traffic light.  And while we are at it, we can make funny faces at the occasional back-facing baby. 

I built my bike from scratch and christened her Golondrina.  It’s Spanish for swallow (the bird, not the verb)… It comes from this famous old Mexican song in which the author considers the little black migratory bird and wonders longingly “where could she be heading, so fast and exhausted?”  That seemed like a good motto for my new bike… and I upon it.  They know not where, but go fast and exhausted!

When I moved to California last year, I found myself temporarily in urgent need of a means to commute 6 miles to work until my truck and motorcycle arrived from Rhode Island.  A bicycle might do the trick.  Since I already owned two bicycles (also, for the time being, on the wrong coast) I wanted to keep my investment cheap bordering on disposable while hoping to avoid the Walmart look.  For $150 I got my hands on a used fixie....   It came with cyclo-crossish tires, which urged me to venture out on the dirt, and soon I was loving all the new found trails, and my new found lungs... and the cheaply made crank-set was falling apart, and the wheels were showing signs of irreparable damage.  So I decided that I would build myself a new bike.

This would be the first time I built a bicycle, and I decided it should be the last.  What I mean is that when you get to select every bit of bike... from stem to rear hub, from spokes to handlebar tape, you have time to think… what is it that matters to you? 

My own answer was easy: durability… toughness, resilience, permanence, if at all possible (without going into Titanic territory) indestructibility.  My new bike – I decided before I tightened the first nut – should be built to be my last bike.

I’m not that original. I got the idea for my project from reading the book “It’s all about the Bike” (http://www.robpenn.net) in which the author lovingly describes the process of building his dream bike.  By the way, I am in no way affiliated with him.  But as a fellow lover of the bicycle, I wish him well.  May he sell lots of books!  At any rate, I suspect other self-described bike-hackers will probably enjoy the read as much as I did.

Anyway, as I was saying: durability.  This to me meant two things.

Number one.  Stainless steel.  Wherever possible.  Frame.  Crank-set.  Chain-ring.  Cog. Spokes. Hubs.  Even my water bottle is stainless.  But it’s not a perfect world so, if something must be aluminum (rims and handlebar), then double walled, reinforced, and extra thick, if you please. 

My stainless steel frame is a Surly 1x1.  So, you never heard of a Surly?  Well, a year ago, neither had I.  But once I heard about them, I started hearing more… like, check this one out, a Surly on its way to the South Pole.

Number two.  Simplicity.  Simplicity is awesome.  Simplicity means there are few things that can break.  Simplicity means that, should you somehow contrive to break one of them things anyway (because, like, you were careless, and dropped your bike from the third floor window) you can probably fix it with a crescent wrench and a hammer.

And what – dear reader – is simpler than a fixed gear bike?  (except perhaps a unicycle) No gears.  No derailleurs.  No brakes (optional).  And thus, no cables.  Not even a freewheeling rear hub!

So, you say a fixie is not your cup of tea?  Fine.  But I'll tell you something, I have ridden bikes for 30 years.  I rode my first fixie only this year... and I’m never going back to gears.  Maybe it’s a midlife crisis thing… trying to hipsterify myself at 40.  But whatever the cause, it got me to fall in love with pedaling, all over again.  I can't quite explain it, but if you are fixie-curious, just give it a shot... you'll see what I mean.

Fine, you say, a fixie may be good enough if you intend out of it nothing more consequential than strolling harmlessly about the neighborhood.  Or even (if you dare), doing crazy brake-less street tricks.  But a single gear is not for serious long-distance bicycling.  Ah.  Yes.  Well.  They forgot to tell this guy riding to Everest on a single speed.

It took me a few months to build Golondrina: the bike that is good for everything, if you intend everything to be hard.  On any kind of a long descent, my legs turn to blenders.  On any respectable climb, I find myself standing, cursing, vein-a-popping, grunting, snarling, and inexorably, walking.

And yet somehow... I've never once missed my old gears!  Especially when I'm pedaling alongside my wife... her steed clinking and clanking and chain-skipping, while Golondrina hums along in perfect stealth silence.

Ah.  But is seems I've gone astray and written way long, and I haven't mentioned a single hack.  So let me... um, change gears, and share with you my humble contributions to the universe of bike-hacking.

1. As you new-found leg super-powers can produce 100% back-wheel breaking (once you get the hang of it), as a fixie rider, you can opt for: both, front-only, or no brakes.  I went for the middle option (the awkward no-man’s land between sissy and suicidal).  But that raised the aesthetic question: What to do with the extra brake-lever and hood?  No man wants a… um, limp lever… nor a lopsided handle-bar. 

Browsing through the bike isle at REI I came upon my answer.  A little (stainless steel) “incredibell”.  It fit perfectly (well, kind off) in the hollow space where the rear-brake lever used to be.  And there was even (arguably), a certain logic to the unusual arrangement:  should I find myself about to rear-end some unfortunate pedestrian, I have two options: a) slam the front brake and probably flip rear-hub-over-head, or b) give them a courtesy “ding-ding!”

2. I don’t know why, but the mounts that came with my fenders, did not hold the fender close enough to the tire.  This looks goofy, and probably defeats the point.  So, I provided a solid but flexible mounting point for my rear fender using a wine-cork, 2 zip-ties, and an appropriately sized doohikie (I used a plastic dry-wall anchor, I’m sure a pen-cap would work fine).  See Figure A for a better explanation.

3 & 4. I provided additional solid but flexible mounting points for my front and rear fender using pieces of braid-reinforced hydraulic hose like the one shown in Figure B.  I simply bolts (stainless steel) with nuts and washers to attach the fender to a cut-to-fit length of hose.

5. I mounted my trailer hitch (for towing two hooting monkeys… aka my offspring) onto the rear disc-brake mount (where, as previously discussed, no brakes will ever live).  My axle bolt was not long enough to engage all the threads of the trailer hitch nut… and I’d be damned if I was going to mess with that rear wheel after I spent several hours lovingly threading each spoke myself!

6. After a brief and terrifying experience wherein my right shoelaces were chewed in one side of the chain ring and spat out the other (while my ankle bent in an unusual direction)… I came up with this one.  Both ends of my shoe-laces now come out on the “outboard” side of my shoes.  When thus tied, my shoelaces are less inclined to ever want to kill me again.

7.  A few yards of camouflage gorilla tape, wrapped around my top-tube… Why?  Because you never know when the zombie apocalypse is going to hit… and if you don’t have some duct tape handy, your chances of survival are significantly reduced!

8. Presta or Schrader?  Yes.  Figure C shows a Presta valve with a Schrader adaptor.  This way I get all the pros (Presta is easier to hand-pump and the small diameter penetration through the rim means… you got it, durability.  But of course, Schrader is in every gas station, ready to do my bidding) none of the cons (All my life, I kept breaking the stupid lock-nut doohikies on Presta valves… maybe I’m a slow learner).

So, there you have it! 

My bike rocks. 

And so (I’m sure) does yours.

 

BikeWrappers - Post 1

One issue I have been curious about for quite some time is why bike companies do not paint frames with reflective paint.  We have reflectors, reflective tape, and reflective strips on tires, why not reflective paint on frames?  It seems like a no brainer to me, but I received one of my lowest grades ever in high school chemistry so I am not the guy to try to figure it out.

One common way to increase visibility is to use reflective tape, however I learned of another solution due to networking.  Check out this email I received:

I was just attending the Portland Bike Expo as a vendor and two seperate people came up to me and said that they read your site religiously and that I should contact you about getting my product reviewed... So, I'd love to submit my hack for you guys to review.

My company is called BikeWrappers and I make reflective wraps that go on your bike frame so you can be seen at night. They go on with velcro so there is no permanent adhesive you are putting on your frame and are temporary so you can swap them out between multiple bikes. In addition to being visible to car headlights from a 1/4 mile away, they help to protect your frame from scratches.

After feeling all warm and fuzzy, I responded and asked if the BikeWrappers creator would like to collaborate.  He responded in the affirmative and I received a set to review, and he generously agreed to give away a set to a reader.  We are working on contest ideas so stay tuned.  In the meantime here is the package I received.

On one side is decorative fabric, and there are many choices on the website to choose from.

And on the other side is reflective fabric that looks like this when you point a smart phone camera on it with the flash on.

When I first tried them on I noticed two things.

1) The fabric will stretch, which is good.  My downtube is a bit oversized and you can see at the end of the arrow that some of the Velcro is showing.  This is no big deal because it does not really impact visibility/reflectivity.

2) The "bad" thing is that these things have the ability to make my bike actually look good.  I love the ghetto nature of my bike, and the picture above shows how the BikeWrappers transform the look of the original appearance of my bike.

As far as performance, BikeWrappers do not disappoint.  This is a night picture (with flash) without the wrappers -

And this is a night picture(with flash) with them -

The without picture picks up some reflective tape and the reflector on my front rim, but there is no doubt that the wrappers do their job and do it well. 

As I wrote earlier in this entry, we are working on a giveaway so that a reader can receive a set of BikeWrappers, so stay tuned.

 

D-Lock Suitcase Transport Hack

Reader Adlar from Stamford, CT submitted the following hack.

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As a person who solely relies on his bikes for transportation, one of the issues I have had is transporting everyday luggage. I currently own a bike trailer that does the job but I did not feel comfortable leaving it locked at the train station with my bike. The challenge was to attach my suitcase without a trailer and have it survive the 2 mile ride.

The first picture shows the difference between the D-lock and Kryptonite locks used.

It is important to note that with the D-locks used, there was too much play between the attached handle. This led to tire rub on both the handle and the suitcase. I suppose this could have been alleviated with smaller D-locks, but then I saw my Kryptonite disc locks and figured they might work just as well. Using the disc locks kept the suitcase at a safe distance on both my 700c single speed and 26 inch folder.

The single speed has an Avenir seatpost rack and the folder has a Topeak explorer rack attached. Both have performed flawlessly! Thanks and happy riding!

Sponge Beverage Cooling Hack

Reader Florian submitted a self described "No Tech beverage cooler." This is the email we received:

Just keep the sponge wet while you ride and the evaporation moisture from your bottle contents will help provide you with an nice chilled drink anytime and anywhere. It works great even during the hottest days.

This made me think of a previous hack focused on keeping water from freezing that could possibly be used to instead keep water cold.  The hack below is meant to keep cold wind away from the bottle in the winter, but if you filled the space between the two bottles with ice or perhaps an ice pack you would have a little cooler.

Surveyer Bike Hack

Although I ride my bike to and from work, my bike is not a part of my work. A friend in NYC spotted a gentleman who has integrated his ride into his work - surveying.  Check out the sweet hack! 

I have asked myself many times why the government does not integrate more bikes into public service jobs.  After all, look at the smile on that guy's face!  I see pickups and other motorized vehicles driving down the bike path I ride on all the time.  How about investing in bikes to help clean and maintain . . . bike paths?  Has anyone out there witnessed bikes being used for the greater public good?  Feel free to contact us for posting.

 

DIY Time Trial Bars

Strange handlebar set ups are no stranger to Bike Hacks, and reader Ben spotted this DIY job in the UK.

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Whilst walking down a local bakery in (Cardiff, Wales, UK I spotted these badboys, and couldn't resist a quick snap!

Unfortunately, the owner was not around for me to inquire, but it appears that the owner of this fine specimen feels that mountain bikes are the new up and coming time trial machines. As your keen eyes can see, someone has added TT bars to a pretty average pub bike, but for some reason unbeknownst to me, has felt that its a good idea to move not only the brakes but the gears as well onto the bars.



Meaning, in order to stop or shift gear you have to be in the TT position! Now, I'm not sure how many of you have tried to steer/stop whilst in the TT position, but saying its tricky is an understatement. There is a reason why the pros have the brakes located on the flat bars after all. 

Kudos and highfive to the owner!

Boston 04-16-13