Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => DIY => Skip Bike and Bodge It => Topic started by: mmmmartin on 17 December, 2014, 08:30:46 pm
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Here's one I'm pleased with, although as it seems to me that it does not replace anything on the market, it is not, strictly speaking, a "bodge". It is more of a superb idea - please go ahead and patent it and make millions and enjoy life.
Here goes:
The Problem
When cycle camping the bike is often heavily loaded - the New! Shiny! Thorn Raven can take 35k of luggage. When loading up, sometimes the front wheel will turn and then go round a bit and bike falls over.
The Answer
Some sort of front brake lock is needed. In the past, on the Galaxy (now sold), the Sherpa (now sold) and the Raven Sport (now sold) I had a length of cable tie attached to the handlebar (by a separate smaller piece of cable tie) and pulled the front brake and slipped the cable tie round it to lock the brake on, thus making the bike more stable when loading for nil cost. Assuming £8 for 800 cable ties counts as nil cost, which it does to me. On the Audax Mark 3 from Thorn and on a Cannondale tourer (now sold) which have drop handlebars, I pulled the front brake on and jammed a wooden clothes peg into the gap, thus leaving the front wheel locked. However, on the new Raven there is a problem caused by the position of the Rohloff gear shifter, the skibars extension and the position of the brake which is too complicated to explain but means the cable tie on the handlebars option won't work - or it will work but is uncomfortable to ride with as your hand is always on the cable tie.
So: here we go -
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/16044174952_62503c277c.jpg) shows you the cable tie threaded through the V brake gubbins - one simply pulls the front brake lever to put the brake on, moving the arms of the V brakes together then use your other hand to slip the cable tie over the top bit of other arm, thus holding them together and the brake is on.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/15858827359_ff63bb0015.jpg)
And the bit I'm most pleased with - to undo it, you simply pull the front brake lever slightly, the tension is released when the V brake arms move toether and the natural spring in the cable tie springs it upwards and the front brake is off - away you go. (This last bit was utterly fortuitous, by the way....)
If Kim thinks this is a good idea I'm in seventh heaven...............
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Top cable-tie-fu :thumbsup:
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Wizard wheeze! I'll try that on mine.
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That's a great idea!
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I've got loads of bits of Velcro[TM] lying around the place which might serve to lash a brake lever to the bars and wrap tidily out of the way around the bars when not in use.
Also I don't have a working machine with cable-operated brakes anyway ;D
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I've done the pulling-in-the-brake-lever-with-velcro thang too.
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Yes, I have a velcro cable tie that lives on the bars of the Dawes for this purpose. A bit more faff to apply, but more secure.
I fitted the Streetmachine with a dedicated parking brake on a thumb shifter, which is even more convenient. (This means you can sit astride the bike hands-free, as well as the usual parking brake benefits, and provides an emergency backup shifter in case one of the bar-ends is crash damaged mid-tour).
But if necessary I usually have a hair elastic kicking about somewhere...
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But if necessary I usually have a hair elastic kicking about somewhere...
This ^^^^.
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Excellent idea! I'm not sure why I've never hit upon the clothes peg trick though, especially as when engaged in the pursuit of audaxing, I use clothes pegs to hold the route sheet to my gear cable. Of course, this won't work if you have fancy shifters that route the gear cable under the bar tape. Actually, I do know why I've never done it - it's because I've never needed to. I never carry more than a saddlebag on that bike.
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But if necessary I usually have a hair elastic kicking about somewhere...
This ^^^^.
Haz too little hair.
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Too complicated. I just use a toe strap around the lever/bars, works on any bike, flats or drops, instantly transferable, adjust instantly to take account of pad wear, blah, blah, blah. :)
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Very good idea, never thought of that. I assume the strap is carried in a pocket while pedaling?
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I use a thick reusable cable tie on the brake lever / bars. I also use the cable tie as part of a pair to secure my D lock to my rack top. Anti rattle / slip measure, not a security one you understand.
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I use a Toe-Clip strap. Mainly to stop my loaded camping bike moving on the ferry.
I also use them when my bike is on a train, to lock my front brake on and sometimes another couple to secure to other bits of train.
I've heard tell that you can use them to secure feet to pedals but that sounds like a waste of a useful bit of kit.
You can just make it out Here (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fg87h4bzqO8/VA641LWex2I/AAAAAAAAEIs/rvpQg5xNIAw/w1153-h865-no/IMG_0167.JPG)
I also use Toe-clip straps to secure waterproof to exterior of Carradice saddlebag and to keep my wheel in line on the Bike workstand (through the wheel and around the downtube).
Is there a "Uses of a Toe-strap thread" already?
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Is there a "Uses of a Toe-strap thread" already?
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=68920.0
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I used a toe strap round the front brake lever to keep my bike steady on trains to/from LI this weekend.
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I wondered what I was keeping that odd bit of Velcro for, now I know.
Thanks
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I keep a black hair band permanently on the drops just behind the front brake lever on a couple of my bikes. It's there any time I need to park on a slope etc. then.
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Not around brake lever, I usually use if through f.wheel and downtube. Does both "put the brakes on" and "locks the steering" and makes the bike more stable leaning against things. Esp useful with heavy bikes and relaxed geometry.
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I keep a black hair band permanently on the drops just behind the front brake lever on a couple of my bikes. It's there any time I need to park on a slope etc. then.
As you would expect there is someone making and selling an 'official' solution to this problem, the hair band comes closest and has the same added benefit of being elastic enough to stay put on the bar when not in use but also stretch to the brake lever.
(http://nebula.wsimg.com/68ec5bc74b57fae8900ff76bdef0de9e?AccessKeyId=950D795EDF795FFA6E85&disposition=0&alloworigin=1)
I have a few of these that came with a clickstand (http://www.click-stand.com/products-and-ordering.html) I bought years ago and they work well, but the design is simple enough any bodger should be able to replicate, should the bobble not prove sufficient (suppose it could be difficult to grip in winter gloves?)
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aha now that IS clever. My solution works on my Thorn Raven with V brakes. On the Thorn Audax with drops I used to have a wooden clothes peg on the brake cable and bung it in the gap created at the top of the brake lever when you put the brake on. Then I lost it and never really got A Round Tuit so it wasn'r replaced. I'm going ti have a hunt round my plastic boxes of bits to see if i can copy the above idea.
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(http://nebula.wsimg.com/68ec5bc74b57fae8900ff76bdef0de9e?AccessKeyId=950D795EDF795FFA6E85&disposition=0&alloworigin=1)
I have a few of these that came with a clickstand (http://www.click-stand.com/products-and-ordering.html) I bought years ago and they work well, but the design is simple enough any bodger should be able to replicate, should the bobble not prove sufficient (suppose it could be difficult to grip in winter gloves?)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cord-Ends-Zip-Loop-Type-for-two-ends-of-3-4mm-elastic-shock-bungee-cord-black-/331036858391
Shock cord left as an exercise for the reader.
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I use these as a more tourer-appropriate version for holding a tool bag in position on my seatpost. (Didn't like the velcro straps that came with it.)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5679/30383994120_b9b0a64077_c.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5618/30052574464_36cf290071_c.jpg)
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That's quite clever, and nice.
In other news: you know how no one but NO ONE ever uses the strap on their Ortlieb barbag? It's far too long and when used over the shoulder the bag just swings around and gets in the way. Just about everyone, rather than replace the strap every time they get off the bike, removes the strap and bungs it in the cupboard, and when they stop and get off the bike they carry the barbag by the plastic thingy that clips it to the bike.
So I pushed and pushed and fiddled and whiled away a coach journey from Harwich to Liverpool Street by forcing the plastic buckle through the rubber shoulder protector and now the strap is very short indeed, so short in fact that it can sit on the barbag at all times and there's no danger of it being entangled in the wheel. But it's just about long enough to go over the top of the barbag. Now I can carry it by the strap.
I'll be the first to admit this is very much a "first world problem". But you might like to know that it can be done.
And to ensure the strap doesn't accidentally fall off the barbag and become spoke entangled*, I used a few cable ties to hold it in place. And because the strap had an annoying tendency to flop about I stitched the two sides together with black thread so it is less floppy.
*And because no bodge is complete without cable ties.
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Alternatively, you can – at least with a Carradry bar bag, and I don't see why it shouldn't be possible with an Ortlieb or other makes – simply shorten the strap to its natural minimum, lie it on top of the bag with the lid open, then close the lid on top of the strap. The lid will still close and the strap is trapped inside the lid. But I still very rarely use the strap and besides, it means you don't get to do all that satisfying shoving, poking, threading and bodging. ;D
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all that satisfying shoving, poking, threading and bodging. ;D
Very true. And the real reason for me doing this.
As an aside, I once used the method of "trapping it inside the barbag" but it was too much faff to open the lid and lift out the strap and close the lid every time I took it off the bike, then reverse the process when putting it back. Of course, cutting the rubber shoulder protector off and chucking it away would make the whole thing dead easy. But, as you point out, that's not really the point of A Proper Bodge.