BikeHacks

The Heat is On - Cooking an Egg with an Indoor Bicycle Trainer

I understand why some people might want to buy an indoor bike trainer, but the few times I have used a trainer or stationary bike have been incredibly boring.  Not to date myself too much, but the last time I used a bike trainer/stationary bike was when Walkmans that played cassettes were high tech.  I hear some people rave about spinning classes and others will follow along with a cycling video in front of a T.V.  Me?  I'd rather bike out in the elements, hot or cold, than ride in place.  Riding in place would drive me to think up crazy ideas, like what other purpose a bike trainer could serve.

Perhaps reader Chad had similar feelings because he sent along the following text and video.

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Our staff here at the Trek Bike Store in Schererville Indiana found a unique way to make some breakfast.  Using an employee's old Cycleops fluid trainer and a little hacking, we were able to actually get it hot enough to cook an egg!  Obviously this blows any and all warranty hopes, and we're pretty sure the trainer is officially toast (no pun intended)...but that said, still pretty darn cool.  Thought you and your readers would get a kick out of it!

  

Bike Ski Carrier

Tom, who blogs over at The Wild Dork, was looking for a way to carry his skis on his bike and clued us on to a post on his blog that covers his project.  Full credit for the following text and photo go to Tom.  Check out his site for the full meal deal. 

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My goal is to carry either my lightweight cross country skis or carry my heavier, wider alpine touring skis on my bike and be able to bike 10-20 miles roundtrip.  I came across a couple of solutions online, one being carry them on a pack A-frame style.

This weekend I set about building a proof of concept.  It turned out to be fairly heavy since I used 3/4" plywood and 2"x4" scraps that I had lying around.  Nevertheless, I succeeded in making my ski carrier.  It holds the skis at approximately a 45 degree angle to keep the overall height to about 6' and would theoretically allow low branches to sweep up and over the skis rather than stopping me dead in my tracks.  Initial tests showed that while my bike had the wobbles as if I had it fully loaded, the skis were held securely and quietly.  I also used a lash strap to keep the skis in place in the holder.

Scicon Solar Messenger Bag - Post 2

A few weeks ago I noted that I received a solar messenger bag to review.  My initial post on the Scicon bag included this intro picture. 

When I was reviewing my initial post I found that some of the old links were not working and it appears as if they have been doing some site redesign.  So if you visited the original post and found links not working, it appears web site changes are the cause.  Anyway, I took a bunch more pictures to give readers an idea of everything that came with the bag. 

As can be seen, the straps have reflective tape, there is a car charger adapter, the battery, and a USB adapter with 10 different plugs meant to fit almost any mobile phone, camera, or portable game device. 

Also included is a rain sack in a small packing pouch . . .

. . . that fits nicely over the bag.  I have not tested to see how waterproof the cover is, but my guess is not very.  I am guessing that Scotchguard would be necessary to get the desired effect. 

The cable from the solar panel to the battery comes out of a little rubber doohickey and there is a small pocket inside the bag for the battery to fit into. 

When charging the red light on the battery is supposed to glow. 

The paperwork that came with the bag provides info on how it works and how to monitor the status of the battery. 

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In my testing I found that only very direct sunlight or very direct artificial light will charge the battery.  This picture shows direct sunlight in my office window which made the battery light glow quite bright.

I did not have much luck with cloud obscured light through my office window or my overhead office lights.  However, if I put the battery right under my office lamp it charged.  It also charged right away of course when I plugged it into a USB port on a my computer.  When I plugged the charged battery into my mobile phone it started to charge it right away.  I have not run a "full" test to see how long or if the fully charged battery will fully charge my phone battery. 

The only "problem" for me personally is that the messenger bag is a bit small for my taste. It will hold say a lap top and a few other miscellaneous items, but I tend to be the kind of person that carries quite a bit of stuff. I always like more room than I need and the number of errands I run requires a bag that is a bit heftier. 

In hindsight I should have perhaps requested the solar backpack made by Scicon.  It seems to have a larger carrying capacity.  To be honest, I am thinking about hacking the messenger bag by cutting the outer flap that holds the solar panel off so that it can be attached to other bags or clothing.  This could be done without harming the function of the panel and I could then perhaps attach some sort of clamps that would allow the panel to be attached to other things, like say my current backpack or rear pannier.  If done well I could actually make it so that the panel/flap can be attached back to the original bag, perhaps with velcro. 

I will think about it a bit more before I go and knife it up and will post again when I decide what to do.  Overall the concept is sound, the bag is great for those that do not want to carry much, and I think it is worth looking in to, especially for long trips that take you away from regular power sources.  If you have experience with similar products, feel free to contact us or comment. 

 

 

Shopping Cart Cargo Bike Hack

Shopping carts/baskets have made several appearances on the site before.  We have seen a shopping cart trailer, a shopping cart turned into a front wheel/rack, and a shopping basket affixed to handlebars.  The latest hack involving a shopping container however is by far the most elegant in my opinion. Reader George from Arizona submitted the following text and pictures. 

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Hey gang I have a cool idea here.  We found a shopping cart that had been hit by a car and we made a shopping cart bike.  The cool part is instead of paying $20.00 or more dollars for a headlight, I went to Wal-mart and got a solar garden light for about $2.00 and now I use the sun for my power.  It is very bright and living in Arizona, we have plenty of sunlight. 

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Scicon Solar Messenger Bag - Post 1

I have always been intrigued by what might be labeled as alternative energy sources, but to this point in time I had never owned a product that was powered by renewable/sustainable energy or provided energy from a sustainable resource.  Thanks to the fine folks at Scicon, I now am the owner of my first renewable energy producing product - what they call the Solar Messenger. 

Here is a picture of the bag right after I took it out of the box, with a ruler to provide scale.  That's an 18 inch ruler, about 46 centimeters for the majority of the population on the planet.   

Here is an animated GIF from their web site that shows the concept. 

I have seen some bags with solar panels in them in the past (just on people I saw out and about) and I thought it was likely that the panel would directly power whatever device you plugged into it.  I am not sure how other bags actually operate, I was just assuming, but with this bag the panel plugs into a battery and charges it, and then you use an adapter to plug the battery into the device you wish to power. 

I am sure the set up likely has something to do with controlling voltage, something I know absolutely nothing about.  I would love for those with knowledge or experience related to voltage to comment or to contact us about possibly writing a post on the topic.  And if you have experience with a sustainable energy product we would welcome a review (use this link to contact us). 

I will be testing out the bag and taking a bunch more pictures so look for some review posts in the near future. 

Maya Cargo trailer sale

The deal's over, but if you need an account at The Clymb, you can still use the invite link.

Act quick: the Maya Cycles cargo trailer is on sale at The Clymb for $150, if you're so inclined. That's about $130 savings. There are also some nice looking panniers today as well. If you don't have an account with The Clymb, you can use this invite link.

UPDATE: there are also some pretty nice looking Chrome bags on The Clymb today as well. Going fast!

TCB Prêt à Porteur Rack Review

A few months ago I took a good look at the type of riding I was doing, and compared it to the type of bike I was riding. There was a mismatch, and this is the story of how I made it better.

With four riders at my house, I've got room (physically, and financially) for exactly one bike of my own, so it's got to do everything I need. I was riding a very nice Surly Karate Monkey, outfitted for (mostly) city riding, but with a full range of mountain bike gearing. I justified it by telling myself that I could always take it to the mountains, or do a cyclocross race or two. Truth is, I used exactly 3 gears 99% of the time. When I've got spare time, I don't go mountain biking any more, I go surfing. And for me, cyclocross races are only fun to watch.

So I sold the Surly, bought a nice new wetsuit, and invested in a 1970-something Raleigh Sprite, with 8 gears. I put a little more into new tires, brake pads, and a saddle, and then started looking for a good system for hauling stuff around. I don't have much of a commute, but I do need to roll by the store now and then, or haul stuff to the UPS store. I considered all the standard stuff like rear racks, those foldable wire grocery haulers, trailers, and Xtracycle setups. I finally decided that a front rack, known as a porteur rack, was going to meet my needs the best, and then it was just a matter of narrowing down the options.

I was most interested in finding something locally made. Living in Oregon made that a very real possibility. I was starting to focus in on the CETMA racks down in Eugene, particularly the 5-rail, which looked about perfect for my needs. I also eyeballed the Ahearne racks, which are very sweet, and can be nicely customized (also see their flask holder). I checked out some DIY porteur racks, too, but didn't figure I had either the chops or the gear to make that come together.

Somehow I stumbled upon TCB racks, and knew I'd found what I was after. Tad is an engineer. He knows the hard math. And he makes these racks with math and care in his garage in NE Portland. I acquired the wood version of the Prêt à Porteur and Tad even graciously installed the thing for me. What I love most about this rack is that it's mounted only to the front axle and top of the fork at the brake mount. with a somewhat triangular mount, you'd think it might have a sort of lateral wobble, but there's nothing of the sort. It's bombproof. Tad recommends no more than 70lbs on the rack. I don't think I've hit that limit, but I've shuttled both my 6 year old and 9 year old sons (individually) around town, with no troubles other than the standard awkwardness of an extra 50lbs over the front wheel. I regularly throw a couple of grocery bags on there, or boxes for the UPS guy, with no trouble. Zero regrets with this rack. It's solid, it looks good, it's easily removed/stored, has a ton of utility, and can be easily modified/upgraded down the road. Killer rack, highly recommended. Pics follow...

Here's the bike, naked with the rack.

Here's a front view.

Close up.

With an excited kid.

Pedal Powered Forge - Get Stoked!

In our technological society we sometimes lose touch with what it means to make things.  Let's say you wanted to make a knife with the assistance of a bike - could you?  One Bike Hacks reader can.  Travis blogs over at pairoducks.blogspot.com and in his own words states the following:

I found this old ferriers forge in the back of a barn and I lubed it up and got it running. I disconnected the belts and hooked up a car fan belt from the HUGE aluminum flywheel of the exercise bike to the blower fan on the forge. It still needs some tweeking, but it works!

These pictures come from his blog -

With a little self motivation you too could make your own weapons of war . . . or fruit cutting. 

Have you turned your bike into product that resembles something from the industrial revolution?  Feel free to comment or email us.  Thanks Travis!

Bike Snow Plow

Snow removal can be a real chore, but reader Gorka passed along a link to a bike snow plow that looks like it could make snow removal enjoyable. 

Gorka passed on a link from hackaday.com and that post linked to a more detailed post on makezine.com.  The following text and pictures come from the makezine site.  Notice the steering wheel . . . cool add on.  Thanks Gorka!

The custom 3-wheel bike with sidecar was made years ago, a replica of a bike my childhood friend had. Last winter I added a snow plow accessory. Up to 1 inch of snow doesn't make it worthwhile to fire up my big 8HP snowthrower. And shoveling my 90' long driveway by hand can be too much.

So my bike plow makes it easy to make a few runs up and down the driveway to make 2 or 3 piles that can then be easily hand shoveled off to the side. A lever pulls up or lets down the plow with a rope and pulley. Pulling the lever all the way back cantilevers the rope and pivot point so it locks in place.

The plow blade is hinged with a bungee cord, so hitting a discrepancy in the road allows the blade to flop and give like a real plow. The bike can turn on a dime so raising the plow and returning up the adjacent path is quick and easy. I can do 'reverse' by pushing down on the front wheel with my foot to roll it backwards.Totally useless with larger snow falls, but the light ones make snow removal fun. (yes, my neighbors do think I'm odd)

Also, reader Blue in NYC sent along the following picture of bike parking after heavy snow fall.  If readers have snow related pictures or hacks, feel free to send them to us. 

Shopping Bike - 80s Style Cargo Hack

Reader Rob from Melbourne, Australia sent along some awesome pictures of a cargo bike created before longtail bikes began to be manufactured by bike companies.  All text and pictures are credited to Rob.  If you have pictures of bike hacks from days long ago, feel free to send them along!

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When I was young and fit, before either the internet or longtail bikes existed, in 1986 I built this shopping bike and used it regularly for the weekly shopping.  The front wheel is 28" on an old steel frame, the rear wheel is 20" on a BMX frame.

Photo 1 shows the two frames clamped together with the BMX frame upside down to get the angles right and the front half of the BMX head stem cut off to fit against the seat tube of the front frame.

Photo 2 shows the completed frame with a wire basket on the square tube rear platform.  The bike features a 3-speed internal hub and derailleur jockey wheels as a chain tensioner.  It is very low geared.

Photos 3 and 4 show the basket replaced with a lightweight lockable box made from plywood and aluminium angle.  The lid hinges at the front so that the lid can lean against the seat when fully open.  The box easily holds the contents of a full supermarket trolley.

 

This makes me long for a garage.  Nice work Rob!