BikeHacks

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

DIY Business Pannier

One of the complications of relying upon a bike for transport is transitioning into business settings.  I am lucky to have a locker room at work where I can clean myself up after riding and change into my business attire.  Reader Dana, who lives in London, wanted to be able to ride with a bag that suitable for the office and she came up with the following hack.  Brilliant!

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I was searching for a pannier that I could pull off my bike and head in to the office with - that would go with my business suit and heels....one that I could take in to a meeting with clients and not feel like I just rolled in off my bicycle...and I just couldn't find one that was quite dressy enough.

So, I took a decent/sturdy leather handbag that I purchased from Marks & Spencer a month or so ago, and I used the rail and locking hooks from my QL1 Ortlieb pannier (have already ordered replacement parts, of course!) and I went to work.

I used wood screws to bore careful holes in the thick leather and through the fabric lining (I put text books inside the bag whilst I was working) and then used the original Ortlieb hardware, as is.  I filled it full of my usual items, and added my heavy duty u-lock...took it for a ride on some very bumpy London roads and it was splendid!

I admit, the pannier hooks keep the flap from sitting flush against the bag, but it still looks great and works well - and it looks more like a handbag than a pannier.

DIY Pedal Cleat Adapters

People have varying opinions about bike pedals.  I for example cannot imagine riding without clipless pedals. I like to be locked in, but I also hate to walk in cleats.  Thus I have shoes with the cleat embedded in the rubber sole so I can walk around and not go "clickety clack."

Some people abhor clipless pedals, and others want flexibility to choose depending on the kind of ride they are doing.  If you are going on an "epic" ride you might want clipless, and if you are making a quick run to the store (for beer let's say) you might want to wear flip flops or sneakers.

Reader Shootr wanted to be able to use his clipless pedals for runs to the store and came up with a DIY idea for this purpose.  Shootr sent pictures of the gross story he references below that gave him the time to come up with this hack, but I decided to leave those out because, well, they are pretty gross.  Let's just say his friends might call him "stumpy" instead of Shootr.  Take it away Shootr . . .

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I only have my one road bike, and up until now I've always used it just for exercise, because wearing cleats to the store or other recreational destination wasn't practical.  (I don't like tearing up my cleats by walking a lot in them, and if you ever walked a while with cleat covers, you know this isn't very fun either)

So since I had a little downtime (long, gross story - let's just say chains, sprockets, and fingers don't mix!) I decided to figure out a simple super-cheap design - something that would let me cruise to the ice cream shop or the park with the wife, wearing regular shoes.  A trip to the home improvement store netted me all the parts I needed.

1 - 7/32" Drill Bit (5.52mm)
6 - 5mm Screws (w/ nuts and washers)


And I already had the other stuff:

1- 24" Carpenters Square
2 - Cleats of the appropriate type
Paint (optional)

 My main goal was to build as cheap as possible.  Well, a pretty piece of aluminum (and even steel) was running $10-$15 or more, because you have to buy 3 ft. of it.  As I wandered, I saw the carpenters squares - $6.00 for all the steel I needed, plus some.  The bonus was I already had three at home, and one was a $0.50 garage sale score - so that solved that.

I clamped off the square in the vise and used the cut-off wheel to make 2 - 5" long pieces (just a guess on my part, but seemed about right) because I needed enough extra material for some leverage to yank them back off when not being used.  Next I centered the cleat and marked the holes for the screws.  Then I stacked the two plates in the vice and drilled the holes - the 7/32" bit is perfect, screws went through but no sloppiness feel.

After deburring the holes, I bolted the plates together to shape them and smooth the edges.  I'm sure I will revisit this step to add a little more "style" to the plates, but for now it was still a proof-of-concept kind of project, so just rounded the edges and made sure there weren't any sharp edges.

Unbolted them and sprayed a little black paint to cover the rust on the steel.  Now I have to admit, at least the number scales on the metal still show through - and I like it as a badge of cheapness, a tribute to spending as little as possible and embracing the re-purposing lifestyle!

Next morning, after giving the paint time to dry, I bolted on an old set of cleats (I hung onto them knowing this project would get done eventually).  The screws are just right, sticking up enough to get some traction without being uncomfortable.

Only issue really is getting them off, I have to use my tire prybar to do it.  I hoped they would be long enough to get some leverage to remove without assistance, but I have too much tension on the cleats.  I chalk it up as a feature - "difficult to steal"!

There you have it, and now I'm a happy camper.  I can cruise the neighborhood with family and enjoy a stop at the park.  They aren't made for the Tour, just the occasional evening outing - and for $7, I'm very happy with the outcome.

DIY Bike Fender Mudguard

I do not mind riding in the rain, but one downside is wet shoes.  Wet shoes take a long time to dry and as a result can start to smell musty.  Newspaper and powder can be used to help with drying and "de-stinking," but it is also a good idea to take measures to keep water away from your shoes as much as possible.

Even though I ride with fenders, I have found that my shoes get really wet because when I ride through big puddles, the water kicks up right at shoe height.  My fenders have a small mudguard, but it is not big enough to avoid the splash impact.

In an effort to fend off the spray, I decided to create my own additional mudguard. I started off by cutting a magazine page in the shape of what I thought would do the trick.

My first thought was to use a milk carton, but the milk carton did not seem to have the surface area shape I needed to conform to my cutout.

I started looking around a had and spotted a surge protector I had purchased but not opened.  The packaging looked about the right size so I opened . . . 

. . . and it was the right size.

I added some velcro to my fender and to the mudflap so I could attach and remove as I liked . . .

. . . and now I just need for it to rain to test it out.  I report back when tested.