BikeHacks

Plastic Carton Bike Moose Mitts

2012-02-10T01:01:00-05:00

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

2012-02-09T01:01:00-05:00

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

2012-02-08T01:01:00-05:00

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

2012-02-07T01:01:00-05:00

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

2012-02-06T01:01:00-05:00

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

2012-02-03T01:01:00-05:00

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.

Technology Gone Too Far? The Claw!

2012-02-02T01:01:00-05:00

I am all for product innovation, however some innovations seem a little loco. Take “The Claw.” I can just see Jim Carrey doing a commercial for this product. The Claw is made by Gladiator Garage Works and I’ll let them do the talking – this comes from their Web site:

Originally created by the finalists of the hit TV show “American Inventor”, The Gladiator Claw™ storage device easily anchors to the ceiling, and utilizes an intuitive push-lock mechanism to quickly hang or release your bike in one motion. Simply push your tire up against the Plunger Pad, and the arms close around your wheel to secure it in place.

You can get an idea from these photos. The first is of the device open, and the second closed. You operate it by pushing your bike into “the plunger.”

This fancy device can be yours for the low, low price of $59.99 $30.44 at Amazon.com. Or, you could go to your local hardware store and pick up a traditional hook like this one for probably two bucks.

Of course the claw will help you if gravity for some reason reverses itself, but if that happens I think the last thing you’d be worried about is your bike.

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Bike Hack

2012-02-01T01:01:00-05:00

I have gotten rid of a lot of clothing hangers in my time, and I have to admit, never once did I say to myself, “You know, that old wooden hanger would be a great way to fix up the front basket on my bike. I’ll just take one of my older inner tubes and badda bing, badda boom!”

We have never had any types of official awards on bikehacks, but I might have to get some official awards started. So I ask you out there, what would be a great name for an award to honor such feats of genius? Chime in with comments.

But wait, just like an infomercial that tells you there is more, so is the case with this bike! Scroll down to the second picture for a bonus hack on this baby.

A little refrigerator shelf re-use is mixed in as well. Let us honor this rider with a title. Chime in.

rimSkin Hack

2012-01-31T01:01:00-05:00

I was reviewing some of the rimSkin pages after the post on January 26th and realized I missed a great hack that I thought I would include. Glow in the dark products need light for a charge. I remember putting some glow in the dark stickers on my ceiling as a kid and they would glow for a few minutes and then would fade.

So if you are riding a bike with glow in the dark rim stickers, how do you ensure that the glow will continue? Attaching a light to the fork blades gives you a continuous "charge." So cool.

The rimskin folks seem to be including a light for this purpose in their proposal, called the BullFrog-RS.

The Chosen Commute

2012-01-30T10:12:26-05:00

I am not a big LeBron James fan. Even before "The Decision" and his move from Cleveland to Miami I thought that someone who tattooed "King James" and "Chosen1" was a bit arrogant. I do think that in order to be a competitive athlete you need to have a bit of bravado and confidence, however I believe it should be demonstrated rather than written. If LeBron had actually won a championship maybe he could declare such in permanent ink, however without having won anything it seems a bit presumptuous.

For several years I had taken note that Lebron runs a charity bike-a-thon which I thought was pretty cool, but I wondered to myself if he ever rode outside of that event. Well, thanks to a Twitter post we now have our answer, check it out -

Jack Balayla, Twitter

The following text comes from ESPN:

Word trickled out during Sunday's game that LeBron James rode his bike to AmericanAirlines Arena. Traffic was backed up because of a nearby marathon and LeBron decided to take another mode of transportation. The ride took 40 minutes and he safely arrived at the arena with plenty of time to spare.

To hold an opinion of someone I don't even know can be presumptous on my part, and although I won't necessarily be rooting strongly for Lebron, knowing that he rode his bike to work might cause me to not quite root so strongly against him when he is on the court.

Have you spotted a celebrity on a bike? Let us know.

Space Invaders Protect Cyclist

2012-01-30T01:01:00-05:00

One of my favorite artists is Invader. If you are not familiar with the art of Invader, it involves tile mosaics of the invaders made famous by the game Space Invaders. On my personal blog (which has received less attention since starting this one) there are bunch of pictures of his art from a trip I made to Paris. Here's an example:

We recently got an email from Earthling Ryan who had his milk crate basket invaded - only these invaders are friendly and offer him protection from the weapon of mass destruction know to Humans as the automobile. Other photos can be found on his Picasa page. Live long and prosper Ryan!

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rimSkin

2012-01-27T01:01:00-05:00

Worrying is a natural part of life, but level of worry has to vary, right? For example, if you live in San Diego, do you really have anything to worry about? With the weather being pretty much perfect 364 days of the year and fresh avocados grown locally, wouldn't your mind just be in a constant state of bliss?

I guess my theory is full of holes because two brothers in San Diego are worried about bike safety and are using technology, and KICKSTARTER, to do something about it. In this entry you will find some magic green material, and I am almost 100% sure that supporting this magic green technology was another magic green substance found in California . . . guacamole! KICKSTARTER page is here and company page is here. All content below credited to the folks at rimSkin.

I'm going to go look for some ripe avacados . . .

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What is the rimSkin?

It's the affordable new way to customize and protect your bicycle rims. Made of high grade vinyl material, each original rimSkin set applies easily to most existing bicycle wheels or wheelsets. Just peel and expose the adhesive backing. Spray the applicator liquid and stick directly on your bicycle rim. The rimSkin will be available for bikes of all sizes. With the original rimSkin, you can switch up the color of your rims without the need to buy all new wheels -- just PEEL, SPRAY & STICK!

What is the GLO rimSkin?

The GLO rimSkin is our latest creation. We've created the first true glowing rimSkin material, made with an ultra bright, commercial grade phosphorescent pigment. Our GLO rimSkin emits a bright glow for hours after a single 10-15 minute charge under a strong light source such as sunlight, LED flashlight or (as we recommend) a UV black light. This not only adds a unique and cool look to your bike, it provides additional safety for night time riding.

The rimSkin is something we have been working on since 2009 and have been getting requests for a true glow in the dark rimSkin from the start. We finally came around to finding the proper pigments and materials needed to create it! Backers who pledge $45+ have an opportunity to get the first batch of the GLO by rimSkin sometime in May, 2012 after we start production.

Also, we just added a $1000 limited (1 available) pledge where the backer will get a Pure Fix Cycles X the rimSkin glow bike. We are going to take the bike and have it painted in an automotive grade glow phosphorescent pigment paint. The bike will feature 50mm Pure Fix Cycles super deep V wheels with a custom GLO rimSkin set. We are excited to create this bike as well and will send photos once it is made!

The following video covers everything very nicely.

The Masked Bicycle Bandits of Korea

2012-01-26T01:01:00-05:00

I lived in Korea for a few years a long time ago and two noticeably different things (from growing up in the US) I saw upon my arrival were many people toting umbrellas in the sun and wearing surgical type face masks as they walked around. Most Americans I know consider ashen/white skin to be unappealing and pay a great deal of attention to getting a tan. Most Koreans seem to think of dark skin as the badge of someone who works on a farm and thus most shy away from exposure to the sun. As far as the face masks, they are typically worn by sick people to halt the spread of germs.

The following is a picture of some Korean cyclists posted on this Korean news page:

Photo Credit to nate.com

The Google language translation page is fun to play with and when I popped the Korean text in it spit out this:

Bike to work every time I talk to is the question, does okay in the air. Air to air dwikkongmuni jotah of a car going, but do more harm anneu concerned to build expressions.

Inappropriate for the city to make cycling in the most serious factors in cities in the world than any of the bad gonggida. The bike is not only in silk. People in the suburbs of the mountains, climbing, walking seoulhyeong chadoreu or write hijapeul. Islam in the face yeoseongman invisible man, even in Seoul, but some of you’re wearing it, and a relatively good mountain air mask, a mask is going.

Obviously some things get lost in translation but I think it is safe to say these folks are worried about air quality issues and not simply making a fashion statement. Anyone from Korea out there feel free to chime in!

LIVESTRONG Bracelet Light Hack

2012-01-25T01:01:00-05:00

LIVESTRONG bracelets have been around a while now, but I thought they were just for your wrist. JeffB502 over at Bike Forums got creative and used his bracelet to attach his Fenix light to his helmet.

We recently featured a similar hack, but with rubber bands.

Video: Turning a Ten Speed into a Fixie

2012-01-24T01:01:00-05:00

It feels pretty cool to take something old or discarded and with some elbow grease transform it into something usable. Reader Gabe sent along the following text and video showing the transformation of a ten speed that had been tossed into a dumpster. If you have given a old item new life we would love to hear about it.

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Last semester I did a video project on how to turn an old ten speed into a fixie. It is not really a kludge hack but it might give the viewers some ideas on their own projects.

A little bit of back-story on the bike is that it's a 1970s Prince Racer. I scoured the internet and could only find that it was a higher end department store bicycle that cost around $100 back in the day. Last summer I rescued the old ten speed from a dumpster. I replaced many of the components to convert over to fixie, BB, cranks, pedals, and bought new rear wheel w/flip-flop hub in addition to several other recycled parts.

Re:Cycling from Gabe Przygoda on Vimeo.