BikeHacks

Shlacks - Slack Hacks Post 1

We are always happy to receive hacks from readers and Will from Chico, CA recently contacted us with some "Shlacks" he has created.  This is post 1 because Will hints that he has more to share in the future.  If readers have ideas to submit, our in box is always open.

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Hi, I’m Will from Chico, CA (home of Paul Components). I’m a cyclist, but I’m also pretty lazy (a contradiction, I know). I’m also very cheap, and cycling can be a very expensive hobby/sport/way-of-life, so I’m always trying to do hacks on the cheap and lazy. I call them Shlacks (Slack Hacks). I’ll showcase some practical hacks (some featured on this very site), and work my way up to more cringe-inducing Shlacks.

Helmet lights: I have the front one mounted in inspiration of a previous hack, with those ubiquitous LiveStrong-like bands. I put one facing back, and attached some red photographic gel to simulate a rear light (leaving a hole for the heat to escape). Eventually, I want to set up two of these lights on either side, fore and aft, to simulate a car (so drivers might show me a bit of respect...).

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For some lower headlights--for more light coverage on dark roads--I used standard reflector attachments that come with many bikes.

I originally had them attached to the front fork so they would project a wider range of light, but they kept breaking off for various reasons. So, I disassembled the attachments and attached the main body directly to the bottom fork braze on. I then stuck in some free lights I’d gotten from my local HFT.

Utility Cart Bike Trailer Hack

It can be a challenge to ride a bike while attempting to transport things.  One experience I had this past winter was riding with a pizza box cradled between my left hand and bicep for five miles.  It was a Sicilian pie too so my arm was shaking quite a bit at the end of the trip.  Originally I thought I would be able to strap the box to my rack, but the box ended up being a lot larger than I anticipated. 

Reader Dave wanted a way to help transport things and came up with a simple and brilliant utility cart hack.  Dave wrote -

I used a normal steel frame foldable laundry cart that I purchased for $15-20 and attached it with a standard  Bungee cord.  I used a Bungee cause it gives it the flex it needs especially when you make turns or go over bumps.  It actually works perfect for groceries.

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Do you haul things in a non-standard way?  Let us know so we can post.

Bike Chainring Cooking Stove Hack

Collaborations between companies seem to be more and more common and reader juozapas might have come up with an idea to help kitchen appliance and bike companies market the next trendy kitchen appliance.  For more photos related to the hack below check out juozapas' flickr account.

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I bought an old camper van (VW LT 28 - built in 1981) and the cooking stove inside was without a grill. So I built them from a bicycle chainring. I took them from an old Soviet(?) bicycles "Desna".

DIY: Creating a Vertical Bike Rack

mumblion over on Flickr posted a great picture of a bike rack hack. There are no instructions, but the point was to carry large pieces of paper on a bike rack. Here is what it looks like took place:

1) Bungee cord a piece of wood flat on top of the rack

2) Find two pieces of wood to act as vertical braces

3) Screw small pieces of wood into the bottom of the vertical braces

4) Screw vertical pieces into the horizontal piece on the rack

5) Attach load

6) Ride away happy

photo by mumblion

Bike Trailer Built from Bike Parts

It is always great to see bike parts repurposed rather than discarded.  I have seen some creative uses of bike parts before, but this build, sent to us by reader Will (responsible for the rail bike post), is perhaps the coolest and most practical repurposing of bike parts I have seen - a super dope trailer.

More great pictures and details can be found over at bikecart.org. Have you repurposed a bike part or parts for use with a bike related hack?  Let us know.

DIY Windproof Shoe Covers

Awesome bike hack pulled directly from the bowels of the BikeHacks Flickr group (thanks, Nick@cheaphack)! Click on the picture to get the full-size version, with annotations from Nick.

Step 1: get some shoes

Step 2: get some old inner tubes

Step 3: sew the tubes to the size of the shoes

Step 4: slip the sewn tubes around the shoes

Step 5: PROFIT!

Dog Carrier for Bike - Crate/Rack Hack

We have featured quite a few hacks over the years designed to include man's best friend in the bike riding experience.  Reader Brian contacted us and said he was inspired by something he saw on Bike Hacks and he submitted the following text and pictures.  If you have bike hacks related to integrating animals into your riding experience please contact us for posting. 

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I rediscovered my love of bikes when I did a triathlon as an adult, and that was it. I bought a beach cruiser for getting around town and to friends for drinks.  I loved the army themed cruiser and have added onto it, while keeping the theme.  While looking for advice on how to build a back rack to ride with my small dog, I came across your website.

I wanted to match the crate with my military styled beach cruiser.  The vintage dynamite crate looked cool, but needed fastening to the rear rack.  

I used 4 u-bolts to do this.  I reinforced the bottom of the crate with two layers of 1/4" plywood. The bottom layer was glued to the original crate bottom with Gorilla Glue, and then holes drilled for the u-bolts and attached to the rear rack.  I cut 1" holes in the top layer of plywood so the nuts for the u-bolts could be flush with the base and wouldn't poke my dog, Harley.  I used more adhesive and 4 bolts in the corners with fender washers to squeeze the three layers together, with a fitted piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting.  Then put an eye bolt and chain to keep my buddy from jumping out.  

It's not a lightweight solution, but it's not like I'm on a performance bike.  It's just for cruising with my girlfriend and dog, no stunting.  Harley seems to like it, and we've been on a couple rides together already.

Rail Bike

I have had some very fun excursions on rail trails, disused railways turned into pedestrian/bike paths.  The trails typically go through very beautiful areas and rarely do you have to concern yourself with motorized traffic of any kind. 

Reader Will appears to be interested in rails as well, but he wants to ride on them - literally.  Check it out -

Will included the following text -

A rail-bike is a bicycle that has been modified to be able to ride on the rails of a railroad. The front wheel has a device attached to it so that the bike won’t steer off the rail while an outrigger is used to support the bike using the other rail.

I used conduit, cut up “razor” scooters parts, one bike fork two bits of steel and numerous nuts, bolts, washers and retaining pins.  Nothing is welded.  The hardest part is getting the spacing right so that friction and play are minimized.

A lot of person hours certainly went in to this working model and the details are pretty amazing.

New projects are sometimes learning experiences and Will also wrote -

Seems I became a bit to confident in my design, and while traveling at somewhere around 16 MPH I had a derailment.  The guide in the bike side caught a rail tie stopping the bike immediately, and as I was traveling over the bars, the frame bent behind the lugs at the head tube, seat tube and bottom bracket, so the fame is a total loss.

Ouch!  Will has noted that he will continue his pursuit of a safe rail bike and will keep us updated.  Additional photos and commentary of this project can be found on the Velospace.org Forum.

BTB Sunglasses Giveaway Winner

As noted in the blog entry on April 18th, BTB Sunglasses is working with Bike Hacks to provide a free pair of glasses to a Bike Hacks reader to review.  Thank you to the 68 people that commented for their chance to receive the glasses. 

Random.org was used to select the winner, and in this case the lucky number was 9.  That means Gentry Seagraves is our winner.  Gentry, send us an email to claim your loot.  We will post Gentry's review sometime in the future.  

We are working with some other companies on contests/giveaways of other products so stay tuned for more opportunities to receive some free swag. 

Commuting: Fender Cleaning

One thing that makes bicycle commuting a lot better is a place to park your bike inside. Leaving your trusty steed to the elements and passers by outdoors is just no fun. When you bring your bike inside you also sometimes bring in some unwanted things as well; like leaves, dirt, and road grime.

Fenders are great but have a tendency to collect all sorts of muck. I have noticed at times, especially after riding to work in the rain, that when I roll my bike out of the file room at night, there is an assemblage of items that have fallen out of my fenders as the water has dried over the course of the day. The most common culprit is leaf fragments.

In serendipitous moment one day I discovered a simple solution to fight fender muck – a plastic fork from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I happened to have a fork in my jacket pocket and a bright light went on in my head. Turns out the contour exactly matches my Planetbike Freedy! On nasty, wet days before I head inside I turn it upside down and scrape out as much of the muck as possible.

 

 

A simple way to stand at the ready is to sucure the fork with a rubber band on my seat post.

Do you have a trick for cleaning your fenders?  Let us know.