BikeHacks

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.

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. 

 

Flashlight/Inner Tube Hack - Maglite Mini Bike Light Mod

Flashlights have made several appearances on Bike Hacks.  We have seen flashlights attached to handlebars with zip ties, hose clamps alone, and hose clamps with a stem assist. We have seen an inner tube assist as well, and thanks to reader Mactire we now have another great example.  Check it out -

The Ingredients are as follows:

2 Maglite Minis
1 Nite Ize Maglite Mini LED mod
1 Red Maglite cover glass
1 racebike inner tubing

The tool:

Scissors

Full write up is available on Mactire Reviews.

 

Inner Tube Cyclo-Computer Bracket

Turns out I am not the only one that struggles to keep the brackets securing various devices to my handlebars in working order.  I have broken tabs off of all sorts handlebar brakets meant to hold lights and cyclo-computers. A common hack is to use a rubber band to help hold the computer in place.

Dave from crossgeared.com encountered a similar issue when his bike (he does not specify whether or not he was on it at the time) unexpectedly met a stream bank (his words).  He experimented with zip ties but his final solution came with an inner tube.  He states:

As many of you know, inner tubes are very useful for a number of purposes other than holding air in your tires.  My new mount uses a standard 26 x 2″ mountain tube (I’m guessing it is a 2″ tube, I found it on the trail), and that is it.  I just cut a length of tube, cut a window for the computer display, and then another hole to fit around the mount base.  Normally I’d give a procedure or some simple instructions, but since all you have to do is cut two holes in an inner tube I’ll just post some photos.

Here is one of his photos to get you started, jump over to crossgeared.com for the full picture show.

Tape Handlebar Tape

Reader Ronan converted a bike recently and in an attempt to save some money, ended up using tape for handlebar tape. I might want to contact Roland in a few months to see how this hack stands up to the test of time.  In my experience with tape, it eventually begins to separate and the sticky adhesive might then be, well, sticky on the hands.  Others who have employed a similar hack are welcome to comment.

Take it away Ronan . . . .

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I recently converted an old Claud Butler 10 speed hybrid road bike into a single speed bike.  After spending nearly £200 on paint and parts for the bike I have finally finished.

But I had forgotten to buy myself some handlebar grips for my bike, so being the every resourceful person that I am I decided to try and not spend any money on the handlebar grips, so I used some black electrical tape wound round the bars as the grips.

The tape offers a very very very grippy surface to hold on to and even better than that they are very comfy little grips for less that 50 pence a side. I will be using more electrical tape handlebar grips in the future.

DIY Bicycle Saddle Bag

Reader and hack minded Karen wrote to us about solving that pesky problem of carrying necessities when you ride.  She gained inspiration from Acorn Bags and with some materials that were laying around and some good old hand sewing, she came up with a dope hack.  Description and pictures below.  Thanks Karen!

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I have been looking for a cool and practical way to put my wallet, cell phone, keys and essentials while riding. I found the Acorn Roll Bag and really like the look of it so I decided to make my own version of it. I butchered a couple of reusable shopping bags to make the body of the bag and most of the pockets.



I don’t have a sewing machine, so I hand-sewed everything together old-school style with a thread and needle. I found a zippered pouch that used to hold my Thermos and pinned that on too. What I think is the coolest part is that the bag itself actually opens up to form a giant pouch.


The whole thing is cinched together with a leather belt. I put leather toe straps through the loops in the bag (the loops used to be part of the handles). The toe straps will be what attach the bag to the saddle. I haven’t tested out the bag on an actual ride yet, but I’m pretty pleased with it.


If readers have a used a hack to carry essentials, feel free to send it along to us for posting.

Windshield for Bikes - Part Trois

Last week we featured a . . . . unique . . . bike windshield that Reader Assen was working on. After the initial pictures were sent in and posted, I received the following update -


Painted and shaped it. Will try heating it up to make the shape self-sustaining.

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Ta-dah! Heated for a good 30 minutes and slapped cold, wet paper towels on it to hold its shape.

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Bike Mudflap or Rugflap

Although I have fenders on my commuter bike, my feet still get wet when riding through some large puddles.  The over-spray is just at shoe height as it comes off the fender and mudflap.  We have seen beer cans repurposed for this cause and I have been thinking about what other materials might work for me.  I witnessed one possibility on a recent trip to NYC.  As always, food delivery riders never disappoint when it comes to hacks.

I certainly would not want anything from the streets of NYC on me, and this entrepreneurial rider seems to have taken an old door mat rug and repurposed it into a mudflap. 

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Windshield for Bikes - Part Deux

Last week I ran a post on a bike windshield I had spotted, but not been able to get a picture of. I asked readers for their experience/comments with shields and it did not take long for a reader to submit something.  Reader Assen submitted the following . . .

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This seems to have been a squirrel shield for  a tubular bird feeder.  Still debating whether it works well enough to keep or not. If nothing else, it funnels the sound of the speakers right to me, making it far easier to listen to books on tape.

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