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 ProblemWhen 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 AnswerSome 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 -
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.
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...............