BikeHacks

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.

 

Fix It Sticks Haiku Contest Round #2

Thank you to everyone who has submitted entries for our Fix It Sticks haiku contest.  This is the second summary post (first summary here) and we will definitely have more posts to come as I have time to dig through my email .  There is still plenty of time to enter so visit the original post for details. Brian over at Fix It Sticks sent along this picture to give readers a hand in writing =)

Steve: Tucson, AZ

Fix It Sticks, so cool
No need to hunt for a tool
Bike bag's hidden jewel


John: Reno, NV

Elegant tools
Cut from solid metals
It just works


John: Indianapolis

Pacing, straining... rattling... cursing... stopping
Screaming wind silenced by a lazy bolt
The T reveals the answer


Tom:  Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Old red Schwinn rides on
Both are the loves of my life
My wife's gift to me


Alex: Provo Utah! 

fasteners beware
the time for torque is present
too legit to quit


Tom: Torrington, CT

On the road in ruins,
In need of a fix quickly,
The Sticks do nicely!

Kevin:  Perry, OK

Tools you need on ride
Do it with less junk in trunk
Work those Fix It Sticks


Nick:  Birmingham, AL

The dark miles from home
This danged derailleur sprung
Fix It Sticks single speed


Rick:  Minnesota!

Things break. Who knows why?
Fix It Sticks will save your ride
But can't save the world.


Peter: Boerne, Texas

Joy Bike

Riding my bike, BAM!
Fix-it sticks to rescue me
I love riding now


Alfred: New Haven, CT

i have one from Klein
it folds like a pocket knife
thank you but I'm set

Dominic:  WI

King hubs need two 5s
Old tool only had one 5
Fix it sticks have 2!

Irvin: Detroit Rock City

I love to ride bikes
I hate to take excess crap
These sticks rock my world!

Sunglasses at Night

Post theme music is back! And even more good news, the music is from the 1980s. Crank it up and get your groove on like it's 1983 . . .

 

Listening to that makes me want to go sock-less, put a jean jacket on, and empty an entire can of mousse into my hair. 

I never ride without glasses, day or night.  This is partially due to the fact that I am blind without glasses and partially due to the fact that I want to keep miscellaneous objects from slamming into my corneas.  Even if I did say have lasek or lasik surgery, I would still wear glasses.  Getting hit in the eye is one of the worst feelings ever if you ask me. 

Some glasses are better than others for riding in, and for years I have just worn some "standard" glasses for night riding.  Sunglasses are much better designed for riding, and thanks to the folks at Sunglasses Shop I can now ride at night . . . in some sunglasses. The cool thing about Oakley Sunglasses is that there is a wide selection of lenses, including clear, and it's possible to get prescription lenses.  I ordered a pair of Oakley Fives Squared.

The glasses are designed to wrap around the eyes, providing more protection.  Here's a front view as compared to the regular glasses I had been riding in . . .

And from the top you can see the curvature of the Oakleys.

I have been very pleased with the glasses but it did take my eyes a day or two to adjust to the curvature of the lenses.  The lenses, as shown in the diagram below, provide the ability to see at an increased angle range and my eyes had been used to flat lenses.

The glasses fit well and the liklihood of something getting into my eye is incredibly small. 

The good news for readers is that Bike Hacks and Sunglasses Shop are collaborating to give a pair of these glasses away to a reader.  Stay tuned for a future post on how you can enter to win. 

 

 

Speaking of Cliffs . . .

No matter whether you live in the U.S. or not, you have probably heard a lot of news about a fiscal cliff.  The cliff is likely to impact me eventually, but a different cliff impacted me in a big way on my commute yesterday.  I left Boston in late December and for the entirety of the fall was able to wear shorts on all of my commutes.  Here is a shot of what the temps were like before I left -

I returned to town and got up yesterday to commute for the first time in a few weeks and I saw this -

The temperature fell off a cliff while I was gone.  I went from shorts and a light jacket all fall to -

• Head: Balaclava covered by hat covered by helmet

• Mid-section: Merino wool t-shirt, covered by Omni-Heat base layer, covered by light down jacket, covered by Gortex riding jacket.

• Legs: Omni-Heat base layer pants covered by rain pants.

• Hands: Snowboarding mittens.

• Feet: Wholly unprepared with just one pair of cotton socks and normal riding shoes and man were my toes cold when I arrived at work.

Many people think riding in cold temps is crazy, but it's actually not all that bad.  Except for my toes,  I was toasty and enjoyed the ride.  It's the muggy summer conditions that are worse as far as I'm concerned - you have no choice but to sweat.  At least in the winter you can control your temperature a bit better.

If readers out there have winter riding advice/tips/hacks or gear suggestions, feel free to comment or send your ideas our way for posting.

Pecos AUTOSPOUT Water Bottle

One thing I think every rider can agree on is that you never want what is on the road to get in your mouth.  Whether you ride on city streets, country roads, or dirt trails, crud can easily kick up on a water bottle sitting in a cage on the down tube.  If the spout on your water bottle gets dirty, you don't want to put it in your mouth.

The folks over at AVEX have attempted to solve this problem with the Pecos AUTOSPOUT Water Bottle.  They sent me one to review and not only will I offer comments, my wife will as well.  I thought it would be good for her to offer her comments and I was right because she mentioned some stuff I did not think of. 

First is a video from the AVEX website that shows how the spout is designed. 

 

The main design feature is a spring loaded shield that is meant to keep crud off of the drinking spout.  In addition, the bottle has an internal spill-proof valve that will only let water escape when the bottle is squeezed (seen at the 43 second mark in the video) and it features double-wall construction that keeps the contents cold for an extended period of time. 

The first comment my wife had is that the spout is a little short.  What this means is that if you do not want to digest crud that might be around the top of the bottle, the bottle needs to be held away from your mouth when drinking.  I think this is fairly standard for any water bottle. 

Second, my wife has small hands and she noted that she had difficultly squeezing the bottle to get the water out.  This is innevitable with double-wall construction I think. 

Third, my wife thought it would be cool if there was some sort of hole or clasp feature in the lid that would allow the bottle to be hung from a bag.  This is a common feature in drinking bottles, but not so much in bottles designed for bikes. 

I concur with everything my wife said, and I have one additional point, noted at the end of the arrow in this photo -

What I am trying to show is that the spring loaded shield does not create a "perfect" seal.  There is a small gap that crud could get in to, but I think this would only be an issue if you were to totally submerge the bottle, which is unlikely to happen.  Also, as long as you hold the bottle away from your mouth, even if crud were to pentrate the seal you are likely okay because there is a small reservoir of sorts that would keep crud away from the drinking spout.

All in all it is a well designed product that solves a very real problem and at $12.99 it is priced affordably. I give it five zip ties. 

Military Bike Bags

Carrying gear is an important part of riding but specialized bags can be expensive.  Reader CamoDeafie came up with an affordable options for those wanting to tote stuff around on their whip.

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My Name is CamoDeafie and I operate a VERY small tactical gear business.  I had a pile of USGI military equipment and after noticing how expensive dedicated panniers and bike bags were locally, I decided to dive into my pile of equipment, and came out with several bags with which to experiment.

This is the first attempt with my father's Bridgestone MTB/City commuter; 2 Army Frames on the cargo rack with straps, and reversed (relative to how they;re worn on person), and army rucksacks on them, and a 50 caliber ammo can being used as a waterproof trunk.

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Riding it around town, I found it to be very difficult to get on when swinging leg over the rear wheel; so when I got the Leeworld Mountain Sport and 60s Schwinn Skyway, I decided to test the smaller bags I have on the Skyway, found it to be satisfactory, transferred the Skyway;'s rear cargo rack to the Leeworld since the Leeworld is my primary bicycle.

Using 3 USGI 3-day field packs in woodland camo, and 3 USGI Medical Pockets in same pattern, I have put in a comprehensive medical kit in the two small pouches between the seat and the larger bags, and cold weather cap and wool glove liners with leather outer gloves in the 3rd small pouch positioned on the stem; and in the 3 larger bags, I have 2 to 3 days worth of clothes in one, a blanket and a rain poncho in another, and a fleece sweater and a lighter outer jacket in the third.

I have room for another bag in between the rack bags, OR the ammo can, if i can find my long bungee straps for securing it without drilling holes; and I am on the look out for a specific style rear rack since the Leeworld does not have brazed eyelets for rack mounts, so it is either one done the same as the Skyway, mounted to the seat post clamp bolt location, or one that clamps in between the seat stays, above the bridge, or one that attaches to the bridge where rear brake can be mounted.

Bike Customization #6: Cage Rocket Hack

I have made it known previously that I am a fan of the Cage Rocket. It is basically an empty water bottle type container with a quick access hatch. It allows you to store stuff, like tools, and then easily take it with you to avoid theft (like might happen with a saddle bag for example). Yes, you certainly could make one of these out of an old water bottle, but I committed the hacker sin and purchased a ready to use solution. However, when one of the arms on the hatch recently broke off my hacker sense came to life! As you can see in the photo below, the hatch is supposed to be attached by two small arms. One of the small arms met its demise recently when I bunny hopped a pot hole and the Cage Rocket suffered an ejection from the water bottle cage. 

For a week or two I simply tied a rubber band around the body and the hatch lid and called it good. But with a football game and a cold six pack of beer in the fridge, I got to thinking about another solution as I stared at my bike during commercials. I have a large roll of Velcro straps on hand for hacks. These straps are meant to be used to secure electrical cords, but they come in handy for all sorts of things - including securing the broken hatch on a Cage Rocket. I connected two together, secured them on the back with duct tape and then wrap them around the hatch to keep it on all snug and stuff. 

You definitely want tools with you when you go out riding and the Cage Rocket is a great solution. Now when I'm out and about I'm prepared to deal with minor repairs that I might encounter. For example, I was messing around with my fenders the other day and forgot to secure a screw. Somewhere one the way to work the screw worked it's way out and the fender started banging around. I was unable to locate the missing screw but I carry some zip ties in my Cage Rocket and I was able to secure the fender arm with one until I can go to the store to find an appropriate screw.

Silicone Bracelets Handlebar Mount Hack

Some say size matters, but does it really?  Maybe it's more about how you work with what you've got.  Reader John had a size problem, but he did not let that stop him from being both effective and elegant.  Enjoy his hack.

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Wondering how to mount something made for larger 31.8mm handlebars on a smaller set? Don’t throw always that “Live Strong” bracelet, it’s perfect for the job and if you happen to be mounting a camera to those handlebars, you’ll get an added benefit of image stabilization.

I purchased two K-Edge GO BIG aluminum mounts for my Go Pro camera after breaking two of the plastic handlebar mounts sold by Go Pro. I was so excited when they came in only to find that they were way bigger than my handlebars. I was looking through my old parts bin for cycle computer spacers only to find that they were too thin. I thought about using an old inner tube but I do have a limit for just how crappy something can look on my bike and that’s when it hit me, one of those silicone bracelets might just work and it turned out to be perfect.

The best part of it is that it provides a nice vibration dampening and actually provides for a more stable video taking some of the edge off to the vibration coming through the handlebars.

Open Thread: What do you Carry?

It happens all of the time - you are out on a ride and something happens and you say to yourself, "If only I had brought (insert object) with me!"   Makes me wonder what kind stuff has either saved someone in a pinch, or stranded someone in a pinch.  

A trip to the grocery store is obviously a lot different than a 6 hour epic mountain bike ride, so it is important to adapt to the particular kind of ride you are on, but you or your bike can suffer almost anywhere.  There are two main types of aid - bike aid and human aid.  So what do you carry?  Is there a tool you cannot live without?  An ointment that is sure to ease your suffering? 

What do you carry on rides?  Please comment freely.

Also, I will wrap up the Lion Bellworks contest soon . . . I've been traveling and need to catch up with my email. 

EZ2B Seen - Bike Helmet Lighting

I am happy to say that due to the generosity of another company, I have hit blackjack when it comes to batteries used to power light related products when I ride.  That's right, thanks to the gentleman behind the EZ2B Seen NEON helmet light, I have hit 21 batteries.  My goal of being visible from space while I commute at night is a step closer to reality.  The following is from my first email exchange regarding this new product -

The NEON is a new patent pending lighted bicycle helmet cover that gets bicyclists seen by motorists when it’s dark outside.  The NEON produces a very bright “Neon” like light that is easily visible to drivers at night.  The NEON is one-size-fits-all, youth through adult and slips directly over a riders existing bicycle helmet.  It comes in 4 colors and weighs only 6.6 ounces including 2 AA batteries.

Here is what the NEON looks like out of the box (batteries not included).  I chose orange.

And here is what it looks like on my helmet.

Notice that I am one of those dorks who wears a helmet mirror and the two products can inhabit the same helmet without conflict.  The battery pack and associated wire connector fit in dual pockets in the back of the unit.

 

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The unit is turned on easily by depressing a button on the battery unit (easy to reach behind your head) and has three modes - steady, slow, and fast.  Here is mine in action -

 

As far as a review, I can say I am 100% satisfied.  Let me count the ways . . .

1. Easy to install - slips on the helmet very quickly.

2. Easy to turn on - if you can touch your nose with your finger you can turn this thing on or off with ease. 

3. It gets noticed - the first two times I road with it an oncoming cyclist yelled, "Nice helmet!"

4. Easy to power - 2 AA batteries make this thing easy to power.

I do have a couple of notes that curious readers might be interested in. First, the battery pack does make a slight high pitched whining noise.  The company is aware of this and has been working on it, but to no avail thus far.  The thing is, it does not matter when you are riding with it because with wind noise, and even without wind noise, it is impossible to notice.  The battery pack is at the rear, behind your ears, and even ambient "quiet" noise makes the whining imperceptible when I am wearing my helmet. 

Second, when first wearing the helmet with the NEON on it, it did take me a ride or two to get used to the weight in the batteries in the back.  It's no big deal, after 2 or 3 rides I did not even notice any longer, but like anything else, if you make a slight change to something you wear you are likely to notice if for a short time.

Third, the material the NEON is made out of is vented with holes so your head can breathe.  This is nice because the amount of heat that comes out of my head is quite copious. 

I am not sure how long one set of batteries will last as I have only been riding with it for about a week now, but my guess is that it will last quite a while.  All in all I give the product a five zip tie rating. For more information visit the EZ2BSeen web site.