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!
Thank you to everyone who has submitted entries for our Fix It Sticks haiku contest. The initial rush was fast and furious and we will roll out entries in several posts. There is still plenty of time to enter so visit the original post for details. Brian over at Fix It Sticks sent along this Fix It Sticks inspired origami to flavor the entries.
Tim: Oregon
creative new tools are not a burden at all they become so small
these immaculate sticks into my pockets fall, so light- i forget they're there..
titanium tools may or may not be lighter but orange looks so good.
Aaron: Sacramento, CA
everything you need with a trusty guarantee the tool meant for you
Robb: Kansas City
These are from my first solo trek across the Katy Trail back in 2007. Riding solo makes you do weird things like writing bike haiku. These are all 3-5-3. I was later relieved to also learn that the strict syllable count was just a suggestion :-)
Bike slowing, Road grows longer as Tire flattens ~ Freedom is Outside riding on Dusty Trails ~ This Haiku Is slowing me down Keep Going! ~ Black Dog spied Crossing path, please be... ... Nice Doggie! ~ Gate crossing Sign says Must Stop! but On I ride ~ Pedaling... My shadow grows tall It's sunset ~ Work just called Technology failed No escape ~ And possibly my fav:
Tread with Fear Honey Locust Pods Thorns be near!!
Chris: D.C.
A bike I shall ride Great fix stix added to the mix Free as I can be
John: Burlington, VT
Mid-ride break down, Doh! Need help from a multi-tool Fix it Sticks can do
Ben: Boston, MA
You gotta do 5-7-5 syllables - this 5-7-5 word thing is bogus! ------------------------
To Save Time and Space Switch to Fix It Sticks Today Small. Simple. Orange.
Fix It Sticks Are A Fantastically Unique Cyclist's Multitool
Small tools, big helpers. Don't be the unprepared guy. Get your Fix It Sticks.
It's a late Festivus Miracle! Wonderful folks out in the interwebasphere (hacking English is my specialty) want to give stuff to Bike Hacks readers! Earlier this week I announced that we are working on a giveaway for some Oakley glasses, and thanks to the developer of a new product we have an innovative new tool, Fix It Sticks, to giveaway.
Don't know what Fix it Sticks are? There just happens to be a video to tell you.
After batting some ideas around we have decided to revisit a successful idea from the past - Bike Hacks Haiku is back! As I recall, Japanese Haiku is based on writing poetry with attention to keeping count
of the syllables used. The pattern of
syllables in traditional Haiku appears to be 5-7-5. However, this site states that "In foreign languages, there exist NO consensus in how to write Haiku-poems."
So the contest is this – send us your best Fix it Sticks inspired Haiku,
following the format of three groups of words, divided into a 5-7-5
pattern (if you wish to go traditional, see #1 below). You can submit as many as you
like, and I will post them to the site.
After the deadline, the Bike Hacks and Fit It Sticks brain trust will drink beer and decide on winners. Yes, you heard it right, that's plural. Two individuals will be selected to receive and then review Fix It Sticks for bikehacks.com.
Here’s what to do:
Compose your bike Haiku – see examples of
the 5-7-5 pattern below. The Haiku
should be inspired by the Fix it Sticks product/video/concept. You can use a title if you like, but it is not necessary.
If you wish to use the traditional Haiku pattern of 5-7-5 with syllables
that is fine too.
Click on the Submit Your
Hack link in the header of the main page and send us your Haiku, as many as you like.
When you submit your entry, include at a minimum your
first name, email address, and where you live.
Your Haiku will be posted
on the site for the public to view.
The deadline to submit is Friday, March 1st.
If you wish to include a
picture to go with your Haiku that is fine too. Just let us know this when you submit
and we will reply allowing you to send along a picture or pictures.
Winners will be announced sometime after March 1st and there will be great rejoicing.
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.
This is not a strange handlebar, I would say sophisticated is a better word. I'm not sure about the functional reason for this, but in the winter maybe it does not get as cold as metal. Anyone experienced with such a handlebar feel free to chime in. Spotted in the East Village, NYC.
I am not sure what's up with the one missing pedal. I can see taking the seat with you when leaving a bike, but a pedal? Thoughts on this curiosity are welcome as well.
Sometimes I spot cool hacks or bike products but am unable to get a picture. Just such an occurrence happened a few days ago when I emerged from the subway and saw a rider going by with a windshield attached to the front handlebars. My phone was buried and a was carrying stuff so I did not have the time to take a photo. I was intrigued because it was a very sophisticated shield, definitely not homemade, and had not seen such a product before.
I did some Interweb searching and could not find an exact match for what I saw, but this is the closest thing I found. The one I saw extended higher in order to provide face protection without have to bend down.
The product in the picture is produced by Zipper Road Fairings, a company I had not heard of before, and they are a bit pricey. Any readers have experience with windshields for bicycles? Bought something off the shelf? Hacked your own? Do they work?
Comments are welcome or send us an email, we'd love a reader review. And if anyone in Boston knows of the rider I saw, have her contact us. She was riding north on Dartmouth toward Comm Ave =)
It seems that not a week passes without a bicycle related Kickstarter campaign hitting my in box. Some of them I laugh off and others I can see becoming reality. Recently an email promoting a new lock, called The InterLock, hit my in box.
At first glance I dismissed it, but I ended up taking a second look a few days later and can see it actually playing a role in bike security - not a singular solution, but part of an overall strategy. This short video introduces the concept.
My first thought was that the idea was a total fail because all you have to do is remove the seat and walk away with the bike. However, the inventor followed up with this video showing that the lock remains engaged even if the seat is removed.
There are two main reasons I can see this lock succeeding. First, most riders I know who lock their bikes up outside for any period of time do not do so with a single lock. The most popular combo I see is a U-lock combined with a cable lock. I do not see this lock as a "total" solution, mostly because based on looking at it a pair of bolt cutters would likely go through it like butter, but matched with another more substantial lock I think it would have a place.
Second, many riders just want to lock their bike up for a few mintues while they run into a store to pick something up. A lock like this would likely keep people honest and not allow someone to quickly walk away with the bike that is locked up for a short period of time.
I don't think there is a perfect lock and for a thief with the right tools and the time, any lock is not going to make a difference. However, anything you can do to slow a thief down is wise to consider and another thing this lock has going for it is a reasonable price of only $39. Reader comments on the concept are welcome.
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.
In August of 2011 I posted an article on bamboo bikes and we received an email from a reader cluing us in to a bamboo bike maker who lives in Thailand. I thought it would be cool to learn more so I fired off an email with the hope of getting a response.
Phil, the founder of WebbWorks, responded and kindly agreed to an interview. If readers want to pass along other interview prospects, our email box is always open.
Tell us a little about your background. For example, what did you study in school and can you share some career highlights? Also, what is your biking background?
I did vocational training through high school and into my late teen years, in the drafting department detailing Craftsman power hand tools. Michelin America's Research and Development Corporation recruited me from there. I began designing and over seeing the fabrication of minor testing machines and equipment used for testing different products that were used to go into tire building.
A few years later I was moved to a different design department that was responsible for the exterior of the tire; shape, markings and textures, tread patterns and modeling some tread specific properties. In 1994 I went to France for a year, as the representative of the US design team, to share our criteria and methods, and learn the European methods. The company was developing our CAD software, and wanted to make sure that it would work well on both continents, and it was my responsibility to work with the programming team to define and validate the program.
My last 7 of 25 years with Michelin, I worked in a state of the art tire building facility as a design engineer and project manager for 2 tire lines. Both emphasized aesthetics and high performance, while demonstrating the abilities of our robotic method of building tires. One is still performing well and bringing substantial revenues into the company. It was in this capacity that I was awarded a dozen or so, patents.
Why did you pick Thailand and what was the motivation behind building bikes? Did you have previous experience with bike building, repair, etc?
In 2005, my wife and I decided it was time to invest our lives in eternal values instead of temporal. This direction lead us to be house parents at an HIV/AIDS home for orphans. This disease is a big problem in Thailand, and we came here to help. After a few years, we were trying to find direction to help alleviate the social concerns we recognized here.
With my engineering and problem solving training with Michelin, it was clear that we could be more effective on a larger scale if we addressed the issues at more of the root cause level. So we were looking for a small, cottage industry, of sorts, that we could use to make something that the locals could identify with, but that the western world would pull and demand. This concept could help in so many ways, if we could pull it off.
When did you have your first experience with a bamboo bike?
My daughter and I were keeping track of the many ways that the locals here used bamboo in their everyday lives, with the intentions of writing a book of the many uses of bamboo. I was on a bike ride in mid 2008, and saw scaffolding erected out of bamboo in preparation to build a very tall concrete water tower. It was at that time that I was given the idea of using bamboo to build a bike. So upon my return home, I put my research and development hat on, and found out that it was not an original idea, but that many had it before. I found patented versions in the late 1890's, military guys building and racing them in the 1940's, and a west coast guy building and beginning to market them in 2005.
By the end of 2008, I had the first prototype finished and was very pleased with the outcome. That first bike frame still hangs in our bike shop for inspiration.
Early 2009, I built my road bike version. The frame weighed 1.98kgs. I still ride that bike regularly, and love it!
For those not familiar with the geography of Thailand, tell us about where your operations are.
Our shop is in the northern most city of Thailand, called Chiang Rai. It is very rural here, and a lot of needy people living in the mountain villages.
Tell us a bit about your operations. How many people work with you? Do the people that work with you have particular training or skills that were important when hiring them or do you provide the training?
We currently have about 8 apprentices in the shop. They are from several different people groups and all bring an element of family to our shop. Their history is different as well. Some are here as leaders and some are with us for re-habilitation. Each are used at their capacity, and are given constant mentoring for better skills and opportunities. All are paid at or above fair trade wages (except for me :) ).
The company here, is owned by 2 Thai nationals and myself. Our vision for the company is that no one get rich, but that everyone has the opportunity for a better life. We teach the importance of quality. This is directly evident by the high end frames we hand craft. This is also bridged to life applications and the importance of making quality choices in life.
How many bikes do you sell in a year and what country is your biggest buyer? Are you happy with your size or do you want to grow?
Our volume grows by a factor of about 4 every year, and I hope we can continue this trend. This means that we can help that many more people/families/villages/communities as time goes by.
How old is the bamboo you use to build the bikes? Do you grow it yourself or do you buy it from individuals or companies? If you buy from others, how do you choose who to buy from?
The bamboo poles need to be 3 to 5 years old for optimal strength and physical properties. We go out to the bamboo fields and cut it ourselves. This can only be done at the proper time of the year. We are very selective and cut about 4 stalks out of a cluster of about 50 to 80 stalks. The bamboo we use was planted around the perimeter of a very large fruit orchard for wind break and privacy.
From start to finish, how long does it take to build a bike? (not including the time to grow the wood).
Once the bamboo has been harvested and treated, we are ready to build bikes with it. Each frame takes about 3 to 4 weeks to make it through our shop once it is started. It is completely hand made. Our builders and apprentices have all been trained on site, and typically have no prior experience in anything like this, other than the the obvious daily familiarity of handling bamboo. The concept of highly engineered products and working with carbon fiber is completely new to them. Our processes and methods are designed to be easily reproduced and established at remote locations.
Is there any special care a bamboo bike requires?
We use a moisture barrier/ UV protectant polyurethane to finish the frames. This delivers a frame that needs cared for about like a carbon fiber frame. It can also be refinished like a piece of furniture, or touched up if scratched or marred. The bamboo is very crash resistant, and can usually continue to be ridden even if the crash was severe enough to crack the bamboo.
What is the most common question you receive regarding your bikes?
Is that really bamboo? Is it strong?
Are there unique challenges in building a bamboo bike that traditional bike builders do not face? And looking at it from the other perspective, does bamboo bike building have an advantage over traditional bike building?
Yes, the different properties of bamboo and carbon fiber (or other fiber for that matter) pose quite a challenge for bonding the joints. It takes much more than aerospace developed epoxy resins to deliver a joint that will stand the test of time and the rigors that a flexing frame go through. We are able to apply many of the experiences learned in the tire industry for bonding dissimilar materials to form a functional composite, and make it last for many many years. This engineering delivers a frame that has passed the European Standards for fatigue endurance and impact resistance.
In addition, the fact that no 2 pieces of bamboo are exactly the same, dictate that it is most efficient to build the bikes by hand, and that it is very labor intensive. This is a benefit for us, as we are trying to create jobs for many folks. This is also why the big companies will not likely use this method.
My assumption is that most of our readers, like myself, have never had an experience with a bamboo bike. What are three things you would share to educate a bamboo neophyte?
Strength – Stronger than steel. Tensile strength of our bamboo is stronger than many steels used in bike frames.
Ride – As smooth as Silk. The mechanical properties of the natural composite are not only strong and stiff, but they also absorb the vibrations generated by the road surface. This delivers a very responsive frame while at the same time a very smooth and quiet ride. Some riders claim that they are less fatigued at the end of a long ride, and therefore perform better overall.
Beauty – Each frame is handcrafted out of select bamboo. Therefore each is a handcrafted piece of art, beautiful in itself, even if you never took it out of the living room.
Do you have any collaborations with other companies, organizations, causes?
Yes, we have several connections to others. The Nazarene Compassionate Ministries helped us get off the ground a few years back. Another group collaborating to improve the Business for Transformation abilities has been helpful in developing our way forward. And then there's Velo Bear LLC in South Carolina who helps us in distribution and dealer networking. A university in the US has assigned 3 of their senior engineering students to work on some development this year. We hope to continue to develop this opportunity. Other organizations use us to either further develop and support leaders or mentor those in a rehabilitation program.
Did you keep the first bamboo bike you made?
Yes, and I have one of each year/genration along the way.
Do you think there will be a day when major brands that sell millions of bikes per year roll out a bamboo line? And in your opinion, would it be a good thing for a major brand to use bamboo?
Yes, I think the major companies will indeed roll out bamboo frames. Laminated bamboo tubes can be machined to be identical in size, making it feasible for them to deliver a bamboo frame for their clientele. I think they will miss an opportunity if they do not add it to their line.
I am going to assume you have left over bamboo from making the frames, if so have you found uses for the leftovers? Perhaps hacked items to put on the bikes or associated bike products?
Oh yes, nothing goes to waste in an economy like this one. For example, they use rice chaff to burn between stacks of handmade clay bricks to cure them. We use the rafters of these brick baking houses for the smoke treatment stage of processing our bamboo. Our scrap is used for tools, tests, tooling needs and other shop uses. Some makes it to furniture, the rest goes into the burning process to cook the bricks, where we smoke our bamboo, or to cook food.
How often do you ride? Preference for on or off road?
I ride my road bike at least once a week, and I use the Hilltribe for errands and quick rides as frequently as I can.
What is your coolest bike experience ever?
The maiden voyage of the first bamboo bike I made. You can see the video of that bike on YouTube.
Our best video is the one my sons just made for the WebbWorks Monsoon CX.
It's dinner time in Thailand, what is your favorite meal and where do you go to get it? And what do you wash it down with?
Quay Tieow Moo Dang! This is a rice noodle soup, with a thin broth and thinly sliced seasoned pork loin on top. Cha yen (thai iced tea with milk) which is almost a desert. But the real desert is Kaow Niaow Ma-muang, sticky rice and sweet mango with coconut syrup drizzled over it.
What is your number one piece of advice for someone visiting Thailand for the first time?
Come prepared to visit our shop and meet the builders that will be producing your bike.
Is there anyone special you would like to thank or give some credit to?
I am a Christian, so I want to thank God, The Creator for this opportunity to serve creatively, here in this land. I also want to thank Khun Siam. He is an artist and a bamboo guru extraordinaire! He taught me everything he could about bamboo in my early development days. He helped us to discover the right species for our bikes.
My wife, sons, and daughter, family and friends who encourage me to keep going, and to those who have tried to discourage me. They too, have given me motivation. Michelin RnD Corporation for investing in me for the 25 years. Not only do we implement many lessons learned there, but we also put quality as the highest priority of our products. We want our WebbWorks brand to be synonymous with quality (handmade) bikes.
Thank you to everyone
who submitted poems for our Lion Bellworks giveaway contest. We had three final entries, which I will list first, and then I will annouce the winner. There can be only one bell winner, however I will send BikeHack.com sticker packs to a few entrants as well.
I will start with the last three entries that came in.
Bradford - Brooklyn, New York
Limerick I
Richard, the Lion of Heart As monarch knew right from the start, That the bells of kings Must have lingering rings Cast in brass, to set them apart.
Paul in San Antonio
Alert on the prowl, ever ready to growl To avoid a tumble as I migrate the urban jungle
The lion stirred: Hiss—almost there Roar—out of my way Purr—thanks, good day
Darn dogs, those on foot Strike my bell, not hoot or toot
Ring-a-ling, ding-ding Hear this brassy lion sing
Those without care, the unaware Soon will hear me on these streets, For I am the king of the beasts
Felix - Cartagena
With Apologies to Mr. Poe
Once upon a bike ride dreary, while I pedaled weak and weary Behind some cyclists, intent on passing As I plodded, came bells a tapping Pace line veering past my side, Lion bells tinkling as they glide The tintinnabulation that so musically wells, From their bells, their Lion bells. Only this, and nothing more.
******
And now for the winner.
Rod - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
A Lion Bellworks Chant (or, “For Whom the Lion’s bell tolls - it tolls for me”)
Like the snowbell’s proverbial chance I wouldn’t give the slightest glance To an imitation bike bell If the Lion’s offering were to fell Onto my grateful cycling self
As I search through the dusty top shelf To find the most convincing words I hear myself cycling tunes so absurd As to conjure both the sound and smell Of a new Lion Bellworks bell
It is the shiny ringing chant That leads me on this rant About a sound I find so pleasing And the cycling image just as teasing Should my entry find success
And so I pray that you will bless Me with a cycling e-mail message Considering my advancing age Your words will not be a knell If a new Lion Bellworks bell
Ding-a-lings at my door Chiming my winning score What else is there to say But leave the ringing where it lay Kindly send me the cycling brass bell!
