BikeHacks

Modular Cargo Rig

Quick pointer to a great bike hack over at BikeCommuters.com. The picture pretty much says it all, but basically you cobble together a spare seatpost, saddle, seapost-mounted rack, and some panniers.

Bingo, you've got a hot-swappable cargo module. Keep your bike free of cargo cruft until you need it, then drop in this modular cargo rig.

Extra bike hack points for the seatpost collar mounted low on the post as a slide stop!

Bike Chain Lubrication: Why not to use WD-40 for your Chain

Sometimes you need professional help for projects and other times you make a go of it on your own. The Bicycle Tutor, run by Alex Ramon who resides in Vancouver, B.C., is a web site aimed at helping you do basic repairs and maintenance on your own. One of the most important and simple steps you can take to keep your bike in good condition is to lubricate parts appropriately.

Without a doubt the most important part on any bike that needs to be maintained is the chain. How many of you out there have heard a squeak and immediately reached for the bottle of WD-40? Well, as the Bicycle Tutor explains, this is not a good idea.  Text below in italics credited to the Bicycle Tutor:

WD-40 was developed by the military in the 50s as a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser to protect missile parts. It quickly became a household item when people discovered it had thousands of other uses as a cleaner, rust-prevention agent, squeak-stopper and more. It also works wonders as a light lubricant on small items like hinges, locks, and toys.

Bicycle chains, on the other hand, are far too heavy and fast-moving for the lubricating power of WD-40 to have any effect at all. As a matter of fact, WD-40 will actually strip away any existing lubricant and leave your drive-train dry – metal on metal. Basically, spraying this stuff on your chain is worse than using no lubricant at all!

Alex runs a great site and has all sorts of very helpful videos.  A basic subscription to his site will likely save you hundreds of dollars in bike shop repairs and there is a helpful forum as well.

 

Security: Padlocking your Quick Release

It's never fun to leave your bike outside, but for some it is a necessity or part of the daily commute.  There is always the risk of theft and if someone really wants your whole bike or a part of it, they will find a way.  There are a variety of ways to deter thieves or slow them down and as a daily commuter I seek ways that are as practical as possible.

I do have a one of those hefty bike chains that could easily be used as a boat anchor.  I ride with it around my waist and it is not hard to get used to riding with it.   To lock up I loop the chain around the frame and my front wheel, but it is not long enough to include the rear wheel.  Of course I could take off my front wheel and loop the lock through the rear wheel, front wheel, and frame, but doing that over and over just ain’t no fun.

Some people end up using a separate lock, chain, or cable for the rear wheel.  When I first moved to NYC I noticed that many people used plumbing clamps to secure their front or rear wheel (the clamp loops around the quick release lever and one stem of the fork or rear lower tube).  It's a great thought, but it would not make changing a flat very easy.  I liked the idea though and came up with my own security hack.

I ended up using padlocks on my rear wheel quick release levers.  The perfect fit is not necessary if you just buy a small bungee cord so the lock does not rattle around.  When the weather gets nasty I wrap the locks with plastic wrap to keep the grime out.

You could of course go with a quick release skewer with a locking mechanism, but that would not have the city flair a protruding lock does.  Just make sure you carry the key or remember the combo when that rear tire goes flat.

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Skateboard Bike Rack Hack Part Deux

We recently posted on a skateboard themed bike rack and reader George contacted us and wrote the following:

Here is another skateboard hack.  This one is a kids 20 in bmx bike converted into a cargo bike A friend of mine makes these type cargo bikes this one was made about 2 years ago.  Lots of fun and the skateboard was found at a neigborhood yard sale. Very durable - keep on hacking.

Here is the before:

And the after:

 

Dictionary of Roadie Slang

Part of any subculture is slang. The words are often not the hard part, rather it is inflection and timing. If you want to impress all your road bike friends (or look like a fool when you mess up) The Dictionary of Roadie Slang might come in handy.  Stumbling across this roadie dictionary was actually part of the inspiration for the Dictionary of Bike Commuter Slang featured on Bike Hacks.  New additions always welcome! (submit here)

I highlight some of my personal favorites from the Roadie Slang Dictionary below, but I must admit I would not be able to hang with the in crowd because although a lot of the terms make perfect sense, I have not heard of most of them.

all show and no go -- A not so good rider with a state of the art bike and gear.

bubba -- (Southern USA) A rude driver, usually in a pickup truck. Can also be used to describe probability of encounter, i.e., "That loop is about a 2 bubba ride." When encountering a bubba, the best response is to smile and wave - that irritates them more than any other response without increasing the odds they will come back and make a road pizza out of you...

carrot choppers -- Spinergy wheels.

EWD -- Extreme Wiener Discomfort, (aka: penile numbness).

human lung -- A rider who doesn't need to breathe while everyone else is gasping.

invisible hill -- A headwind.

kite -- Good climber, bad descender. Opposite of: brick.

pump the big meat -- Push a big gear.

vulture -- To circle at the top of a hill waiting for slower "friends".

Pizza Delivery Front Rack Hack

I have love-hate feelings toward food delivery cyclists in New York City.  The hate feelings mainly come from them breaking every conceivable common sense rule related to cycling.  They ride the wrong way down one way streets, ride on sidewalks, ride without lights, ride without helmets (the exception being the Domino's Pizza guys - must be the corporate lawyers), and generally are impossible to figure out.  And their bikes generally are not in the best mechanical condition.

The love part has to do with admiration for them riding in any conceivable weather condition and of course their ingenuity when it comes to rigging up their bikes to deliver their cargo.  The funny thing is that I think most of the hacks they come up with are due to the penny pinching ways of the restaurant owners.

I remember being in a bike shop one day and a delivery rider wheeled in his accident waiting to happen, I mean, delivery vehicle.  The rear cantilever brake was broken beyond repair and he wanted to know how much it would be to replace.  The kindhearted owner quoted him the price of parts and whatever the guy wanted to tip him for labor (he may have well been a food delivery person in the past).

The rider looked at him, looked at the bike, looked back at him and said without blinking, "That's okay, I'll just ride with the front brake" and took off into the mean streets of Gotham.

Anyway, back to the ingenuity part, check out this hack for delivering pizza.  Ingredients?  Breadbasket, zip ties, piece of rotting wood, scrap metal, u-bolts and sweat.  The upside down thumb shifters are awesome.  Kind of makes me want to order delivery right now.



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Pedal Bike Rack

My recent move from NYC to Boston was a great relief to my wife in one major way. In NYC we had no extra storage and I had to keep our three bikes (one belongs to her and two to me) in our apartment.  She was not a huge fan of bikes inside our place and I can't blame her, dust and dirt falling off your bikes in your apartment is not a great thing.

In Boston however, we have an extra storage area outside of our condo to keep the bikes.  Yeah!  At this point I do not have to deploy any storage hooks which is nice as well.  For those that are space challenged, reader Nicholas sends along yet another bike storage hack.  He most recently submitted a bike frame bike rack, and he sent along another great storage hack.  Text and picture below credited to Nicholas, and more pictures of the hack in action can be found here. 

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I've got another bike storage solution.  Someone commented that my last one wouldn't work with all frame styles.  I think this one will, and it holds 2 bikes.  Oak dowels were driven through the yellow pine beam into the frame tubes and wood-glued in place. The opposing angles of the dowels prevents the frame from moving. The pedals are locked in place by rust (but could be spot welded).

Overalls Repurposed for Bike Storage

Reader Travis contacted us with a great clothing related bike hack. He converted his son's old overalls into Carry-alls that loop around the handle bars. Picture and description below. Thanks Travis! 

On the handlebars of my bakfiets, repurposed overalls from my youngest son. Straps go over the bars and there is a tie on the back at the bottom. Great for storing gloves and such when I take them off half way through the ride, or a place to store snacks for kiddos. Plenty of pockets for sundries.

Click here to visit the associated Flickr photostream.

Skateboard Bike Rack Hack

Last week I think I witnessed a first on bike hacks - the incorporation of a skateboard for cargo/passenger transport. The electric assist bike we featured had a skateboard fastened to the rear of the bike, meant for someone to sit on.  I am not sure how comfortable that might be without padding, but it still was a pretty ingenious idea.  As a kid I both pulled and was pulled by a bike while riding a skateboard with a rope - an entirely different and often unsafe mode of cargo transport that resulted in a few scars I carry with me to this day. 

I bumped into a second instance of a skateboard rack while trawling the blog of a reader, Old Fool.  The gentleman in charge has been cobbling together a cargo bike and it looks like a pretty formidable cargo transport machine.  The full write up is here and all pictures below are credited to Old Fool.

On the rear it is easy to spot the repurposing of a skateboard.

From the looks of it, a few animals must be quite grateful for this extreme sport bike hack.  Have you merged two forms of transport?  Let us know.

 

Plastic Carton Bike Moose Mitts

A few weeks ago a post on some DIY moose mitts fashioned from t-shirts was panned by some readers. One reader described using t-shirts as moose mitts as "stupid and useless."  Ouch! 

About a week ago I was running an errand and saw a recumbent rider go by with what appeared to be some killer DIY moose mitts.  I did not have the time to get my camera out and take a picture and was bummed.  Well, as luck would have it I stumbled upon the same bike yesterday, this time locked up which made ogling and picture taking very easy.  Check it out -

The owner did an excellent job of execution if you ask me.  They would appear to do the trick without being too bulky or hindering handling or braking. 

What say the critics?  Stupid and useless, or cool and ingenious?  Weigh in!  And if you have hacks to keep your hands warm when temperatures dip, let us know so we can share.

Leather Shoe Laces for Handlebar/Brake Wrap

Brooks certainly offers up some great quality cycling products, but they also come at a price.  Reader Michael used leather shoe lacing from a sewing department as bar/brake wrap. In his own words . .

It is way cheaper than Brooks, but it gives a good look.

Electric Assist Cargo Bike

I admit to being a snob when it comes to bikes - I feel a bike should be powered by muscles.  When I lived in NYC I was always peeved when someone on an electric assist bike passed me.  Mostly the individuals were food delivery riders. They were just earning a living, not out to piss anyone off. 

Is my bias justified?  No, it's just a personal feeling that I should probably get over.  If people want to get around on two wheels without pedaling they have every right to.  People might also have loads to carry that might not be easy with just their muscles.   There are lots of good reasons for electric assist bike usage, however I still take on a curmudgeon mentality when I run into them on the road.

Maybe I will get over my feeling if people send along electric assist bike hacks, like reader Steve did.  Text, links, and pictures below are credited to Steve.  If you have electric assist bike hacks, feel free to send them along - I won't let my bias keep me from posting.

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I have a bike I built to carry my self and my daughter cargo.  The updated version is here -

- and the original can be found here.

 
Both versions are electric assist with the original being a friction drive and the updated version a rear hub motor.

Third Hand Bike Clamp

Sometimes when repairing or fixing your bike you could really use an extra hand.  We have featured hacks involving both a toe strap and a bungee cord as a third hand.  In response to these posts reader John sent along the following third hand hack. 

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In response to "third hand" hacks I submit a quick grip clamp, not as creative as a bungee or a toe strap but very versatile.

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Complete Tandem Bike Build

The thought of sharing a bike with another person is both intriguing and disturbing to me.  I am intrigued mainly because I have never done it.  I am disturbed because the thought of not being in total control scares me.  Driving a car is far more dangerous than riding in a plane, but I feel safer when driving because I am in control of the car.  In a plane, the pilot is in control and I have no impact on what is going on.

The more tandems I see, the more intrigued I become and I know I am destined to try one some day.  Reader Eric's interest in tandem's led to the creation of a very stylish tandem.  Eric sent along the following text and picture. 

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During the summer of 2010, I acquired two cruiser style bicycles from the 1960's and used them to build a tandem bicycle.

The bikes were made by Sportmaster and had what I thought were beautiful curves in the top tube and seat stays.

The bikes were left outside and un-sheltered for a number of years so they needed some serious TLC. In the end, they cleaned up really well and now make one heck of a tandem bike!

Eric did a project write-up for the DIY website Instructables.com and you can find a link to the tandem build here.

Bike Frame Bike Rack

Yesterday we posted on a high tech bike hook for bike storage, today we feature a bike for bike storage. Reader Nicholas contacted us and pointed to his take on bike storage - Etsy page here.

A ingenious use of an old frame if I have ever seen one.  Have you repurposed bike parts for bike related purposes they were not originally meant for?  We would love to hear from you.