BikeHacks

NYC Bike Rack Verdict: Back to the Drawing Board

A while back the city of NYC had this open competition for a new city wide bicycle rack design.  The sad thing is that most standard bike racks are not very user friendly and I was hopeful that the competition would reveal a rack that was stylish, bike friendly, and desired by riders.  The result of the competition was a disappointment to me and from what I have witnessed, the rack is a major dud as far as actually use by riders.

Check out the following shot of a few of the racks that were installed in Times Square.  This is just one day, however I do not think I have ridden by these racks and ever seen a bike locked to one.  Right now I guess they are just art pieces for tourists to stare at. 

While standing in front of these racks, I glanced across the street and saw this common site - a gaggle of fashion challenged tourists of course, and oh yeah, a bike locked to standard green sign post. 

Witness yet another instance of this.  Close up you see the new rack chosen by the city (unused again) and in the background (with the assist of the orange arrow) you will witness yet another bike chained to a green sign pole.

And then there is this bit of genius on the part of the city. 

What Einstein installs bike racks on top of metal grates?  I can just see someone fumble their bike lock key right down into one of these sidewalk vents for the subway. The open holes are practically calling out for things that slip out of your hand or that mistakenly come out of your pocket when you are trying to fish something else out.  

I think a great rack design would not only allow for typical ground based locked jobs, but also allow a rider to hoist their bike up off of the ground, similar to the concept used in the common household tension pole.  Witness the pole I use in my apartment.

I would use a vertical set poles and throw some hooks on it about four feet high. This would allow the vertically challenged to lock their bike like normal - on the ground, and the vertically blessed to hoist their whip up and lock it off the ground.  This would make it harder for a criminal to bust the lock by using the ground as leverage for a bolt cutter.  It would also double the number of bikes you could park in the same space.  Witness this inspirational photo I took a few years ago of a creative "aerial" lock job -

Witness my mad art skills at work with this concept drawing of my idea.  There would of course be a loop, eyelet, or double poles to put your lock through on the top portion so that someone could not simply lift your bike over the top and walk away with it. 

A rack incorporating my idea might also avoid sights like this one:

I can't tell you the number of bikes I see that get bent and abused when cars or trucks cross into sidewalk territory and bend or mangle wheels and or frames. 

Does your city/town/village/shire have bike racks you love or loathe?  Feel free to send us comments and pictures. 

Burley Travoy

Photo credits go to Hugger Industries via Flickr

Eugene OR based Burley introduces the Travoy, a different kind of cargo hauling trailer partially inspired by Native Americans.  This very versatile trailer attaches to the seat post instead of the frame, and easily hauls loads up to 60lbs at a 45deg angle...redistributing the weight of the load for easier riding.  

The tote bags are secured to the frame with quick-release buckles, and the trailer breaks down to fit inside.

 
This grocery go-getter includes one bag and two tie-down straps for $289usd.  Available at your local Burley dealer, or on Amazon 

Bicycle Portraits - South Africa

Bike Hacks was recently contacted by reader Stan who shared a cool project he is working on with us.  Stan and his friend Nic are working on a book on South African bicycle culture.  This is a brief intro to the project from the Kickstarter web site they are using to help promote and raise funds for the project:

My name is Stan Engelbrecht. A friend and fellow bicycle enthusiast, Nic Grobler, and I recently started a project investigating South African bicycle culture, and the lack of cyclist commuters out there on our roads. We want to raise the funds to turn this project into a self-published full-color hard-cover photographic book ( similar in format to a previous book I've done, 'African Salad' - www.dayonepublications.com ). We'll be shooting the entire project from our own bicycles while traveling around the country - this will enable us to meet everyday South Africans out there while they use their bicycles.

Right on Stan!  I had not heard of Kickstarter before but it sounds like a great way to drum up support for projects that the public is interested in getting involved in.  The following comes from the Kickstarter web site:

We've got a pretty broad definition of creativity: art, music, design (fashion, product, game, app, etc), film/video, food, journalism, and other projects that spring from the imagination. Kickstarter is a new form of commerce and patronage, not a place for investment or lending. Project creators inspire people to open their wallets by offering products, benefits and fun experiences. Kickstarter collects 5% from the project creator if a project is successfully funded.

Sounds like an awesome tool to help harness the power of crowdsourcing.

All video, photo, and text credit below to Stan and Nic.  I hope you get there guys!  You have the support of the Bike Hack crew. Lots more of their photos can be found here.

Micky Abrahams

Cnr. Douglas pl. and Victoria rd., Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa

2010 / 04 / 07 18:05

‘I ride around on this bike. I bought it there in Goodwood. From some people there. I think 2 years, no, 3 years ago. I bought it so I can just go on with life. I’m short of breath - with the bike I can go further. I ride my bike every day. I ride to Cape Town central, Sea Point and all around. And Goodwood and Tyger Valley. I live out on the road. On heaven’s road. Out on the bushy ground, along the marsh where the rivers are. And places like that. I sleep out there at night. I hide my bike under the bushes when the thieves come around. Then they can’t find it. When they see I’ve got no stuff they move on. I have these planks tied to the bike here. It’s so I can pack stuff on top and tie it. Then I can at least get on with my life. You know, I love this bikey... its name is Tractor-Tractor. I live on my own. In my own heaven. Down on the ground. Then I live here, then I live there, all over. For 8 years already now I’ve been living all ‘round. I like it like this. But I have to get some ground for me again, a home. I have to build up a home to go on further with my life. So life goes on...’

Remo Baker

Rosebud st., Kwanokuthula, Riversdale, Western Cape, South Africa

2010 / 04 / 25 18:33

'Why do I cycle? Because it’s fun! Also some exercise and I mean, there is lots you can do with it. Been cycling about 5 years now. I use it to go to town now and then. I bought this bicycle there. I've modified the bike a little, putting in the extra pipes and different tires. It means everything to me.'

The Running (Machine) Man

Reader Ethan alerted us to a Google image that escaped our eye, but caught his recently.  Most of you that use the inter-web are probably familiar with how Google will integrate events, themes, people, accomplishments into the logo on their home page.  I guess the official name is Google Doodles. 

You might not know the name Karl Drais, but he invented the Laufmaschine or "running machine."  Here the Google Doodle Ethan caught:

When I visited the Wikipedia page and saw the term "running machine" I could not help but think about another running man . . . 2017 is really not so far away now . . .

Bike Hacks - Flashbak Haiku Contest

Riding my bike often inspires me.  Too often I ride with the simple purpose of getting from point A to point B, but sometimes I will take note of the of the world that surrounds me as I ride.  Some of the sights I see and the feelings that envelop me will awaken my creative side. 

If you have been following the blog you will know that the kind folks at FlashBak sent along a product for me to review and they agreed to give away a Flashbak light to the winner of a Bike Hacks contest.  I thought for a while about a contest idea and one day when I came up with the idea of a poetry contest. 

I’m no poetry expert and I think the last time I wrote poetry was in a college English class.  I remember feeling somewhat limited by the rules of some forms of poetry, which is funny because I’m a pretty logical and rules based person for the most part.  One nickname that I have had in my life was actually given to me by the co-founder of Bike Hacks, Brendon.  We did a grad program together and after working with me for a while he started calling me Spock (nothing to do with looks by the way).

In an attempt to merge my logical and creative sides I thought that a Bike Hacks Haiku contest would be perfect.  From my brief encounter with traditional Japanese Haiku, I believe it is based on writing poetry with attention to keeping count of the syllables used.  The pattern of syllables in traditional Haiku appears to be 5-7-5. However, this site states that "In foreign languages, there exist NO consensus in how to write Haiku-poems."   

Well for my contest I thought I would take the liberty of hacking the format to my liking and ask readers to follow the same counting scheme, but with attention to simple word count rather than syllables. 

So the contest is this – send me your best bike Haiku, following the format of three groups of words, divided into a 5-7-5 pattern (if you wish to go traditional, see #1 below).  You can send me as many as you like, and I will post them to the site.  After the deadline, I will ruminate on everything submitted (likely with the assistance of beer) and declare a winner.  The winner will receive a Flashbak.  Here’s what to do:

1.  Compose your bike Haiku – see examples of the 5-7-5 pattern below.  The Haiku should be bicycle inspired but can follow any theme you wish. You can use a title if you like, but it is not necessary. If you wish to use the traditional Haiku pattern of 5-7-5 with syllables that is fine too.   
   
2. Click on the Submit Your Hack link in the header of the main page and send us your Haiku, as many as you like.
3. When you submit your entry, include at a minimum your first name and where you live. 
4. Your Haiku will be posted on the site for the public to view.
5. The deadline to submit is Tuesday, June 1st.
6. If you wish to include a picture to go with your Haiku that is fine too.  Just let us know this when you submit and we will reply allowing you to send along a picture or pictures.
   
7. The winner will be announced on the site sometime early in June and will win a Flashbak.

Here are some samples that I came up with.  Explore your inner creative side . . . and possibly win a Flashbak. 

I Ride NYC

Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten, Manhattan

I have biked them all while smiling

Drivers don’t smile so much 

Personalize

Bike looks factory when new

Corporate stamp of no interest to me

Tape, zip ties, stickers . . . personalized

Gas-Less

Commute by bike each day

No need to make stops for gas

Free ride feels just awesome

 

Back to Basics

Bike first from of transportation

Wandered to combustion transportation over the years

Back where I started now

Hack It

Riding poses challenges for commuters

So many needs for making riding easier

Hacks make good to go

Six Feet Under

Passed cemetery on my ride

Tombstones got me to thinking about life

Bury me with my bike

Clueless

Joggers jog listening to iPod

Two earphones means they cannot hear anything

They are dangerous to cyclists

Flashbak

Road visibility is very important

Flashbak is bright, blinks, and very noticeable

Can’t wait to give away

Haley's Springer

 

All photo credits go to Andrea

The Springer is a spring-loaded arm that attaches to the seatpost of your ride, enabling you to bike with your pooch.  I was speaking with Andrea (a friend of mine) a little while back about the Springer and she bought one for her bicycle.  Now her and her German Shepherd Haley are hooked on it.  She even mailed Bikehacks a great product write-up on how her and Haley roll. 

As anyone with a highly active breed knows, giving your dog the quantity and quality of exercise they need is not an easy task. After a long day at work it’s easy for me to postpone my run for another day or find excuses to trim the minutes off Haley’s walks, but guilt over being a crappy dog owner always haunts me for the rest of the night.  

I was complaining about this to Andrew at work one day, and was promptly introduced to a product called the Springer. The idea is that you can ride your bike (how fun is that?) and have your pup along (for necessary exercise). With a Springer you can keep both hands on the handlebars and know your dog is safe from cars as well as your chain, gears, and spinning pedals.  I ordered a Springer online and attached it to my Surly Cross-Check. (A birthday gift from my husband who picked all the components and built it up for me himself. He let me pick the colors.) 

I already had a harness for Haley to wear and since she tends to pull, I attached the rope from the Springer to the ring at the back of the harness. Haley is very energetic so we started out slow to give her time to adjust. In spite of being only about 50lbs, she was pulling me down the street.  

She was pulling so much that the clamp that attaches the springer to the bike couldn’t hold tight enough and the whole arm would swing forward and get in the way of my pedal. My husband wired it for me so the springer can’t move now.  Instead of running behind me and to the right, like the dogs on the Springer demo video, she runs right next to me and often pulls me up hills.  

Once when we saw a cat, Haleys prey drive kicked in and she tried to run after it but since she was attached to the bike that’s stabilized by my weight, she was just running in place on the road and easily within my control the whole time, which is a huge perk.  The Springer has helped her be less reactive to other dogs too. Since we usually just fly by them and the bike is between her and the dog, she can just run by instead of trying to kill them.  

A few things to watch out for…

Riding on concrete and paved surfaces too much can be very hard on a dog’s footpads, especially when traveling at faster than jogging speeds. The friction causes the pads to wear down and develop sore spots that bleed. Going fast down hill is especially hard on the pads.  

The best thing to do is ride on a trail or dirt road but in a pinch, riding on a sidewalk and having your pup run in the grass alongside works too.  For now I just don’t go too fast and check her feet often.  

When we come back from even a half- hour spring, Haley’s tongue is hanging out of her mouth and she actually sits down- proof of the great exercise she’s getting that can’t be touched by a half-hour stroll.

Haley is a seasoned pro now and I have to admit that I like the look of the extra water bottle and the roll of poo bags that match my fenders.

Thanks Andrea and Haley!

Elmonica Follow Up: Tape and U-lock Updates

A while back reader Elmonica sent along a picture of his new Nashbar whip and we posted his Walmart basket hack.  Elmonica has kept busy pimping his new ride and sent along the following text and pictures.

I was debating whether to add decals or leave it all black. I decided instead to buy a roll of orange reflective tape off Ebay and cover my bike and helmet with it.  

Couple of other things to note:

• The u-lock placement - works good and I don't bump my legs against it.  I usually have my back rack and don't need this option but it is nice to have it when I need it.
• I put some duct tape on my seat to make it look cheap.
• My new yellow Ortlieb Velocity backpack that I thought I would show off even thought it has nothing to do with a bike hack.

Elmonica, did not include the moss text/arrow, that's my doing to emphasize the damp nature of the environs in which Elmonica lives.  I think I still have moss behind my ears from growing up around Portland. 

Notice the duct tape seat theft deterrence hack.

And this is a cool u-lock hack.

I do have a question for you Elmonica.  You sent this picture before:

My question . . . What happened to your rear fender and rack?  You don't actually think you are going to avoid riding in the rain do you?  If you do, you must have bumped your head pretty severely =)

E-Bikes

I have a pretty healthy competitive streak and I sometimes will race others during my commute. I have never raced bicycles competively, but I was a competitive distance runner back in the day. I have been mellowing out with age, but every now and again when someone passes me, the equivalent of a boxing bell goes off in my head and I reach for the big meat and drop hammer.  

Typically food delivery riders are pretty easy prey during a commute.  I will often see a delivery rider ahead of me (on the rare occasion they are not riding right at you, going the wrong way down a one way street) and without even thinking my legs will begin to pump harder and I will engage in a race that has no finish line. 

A few years ago I noticed that many delivery guys were giving me a run for my money, and they were not pedaling.  After a few times of catching up with them, I realized they were riding e-bikes.  I am not sure how to feel about e-bikes.  For me, the enjoyment of riding comes from the effort I exert. However, I also do not ride all day and my commute is pretty manageable.  I would like to think that no matter the distance, I would ride on my own power, however if I had a commute that was 25 miles one way, I might think differently.

I think e-bikes will only grow in popularity, and the government is bound to see them as a mode of transportation that needs regulation.  Hopefully this will not extend to the good old human powered bicycle.  Anyway, reader Elmonica, who has contributed many comments and entries over the years sent along the following story he ran into.  Do you have experience or thoughts about e-bikes?  Feel free to comment.    

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Paper Boneshaker

All image credits go to uponafold

Just how much does Japanese deisgner Shinichi Iwami love bicycles?  Enough to have 1/24 scale kits laser-cut out of 0.5mm black paper with enough precision and detail that they require a scalpel, tweezers, glue, instructions, and nerves of steel to assemble.  

This tiny paper 'boneshaker' is part of a series called 'micro museum' and is available for purchase at uponafold for only $44aud.  

The bicycle is 75mm when its fully assembled and is mailed in an envelope.  Happy cutting!

Name This Entry

I pretty much follow the same route to and from work each day and, living in NYC, I am of course subjected to over sized advertising.  The ads change occasionally, but recently I noticed a theme of sorts in the ads that are up now. 

I was trying to come up with a catchy name for this entry, and then I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you let your readers come up with a name and offer a prize for the best title?"  I thought that was a brilliant idea, and I still have some loot left over from the package Microcosm Publishing sent me, so take a look at what is available below, peruse the pictures, and then comment with your ideas for what a good title for this entry might be.  Have fun with it! 

Microcosm Loot (Pictures here)

1.  Dwelling Portably (publication)

2.  Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance (publication)

3.  Still We Ride (DVD)

4.  Chainbreaker Book

5.  Bipedal, By Pedal! zine

6.  Cantankerous Titles and Obscure Ephemera, Vol. 1 DVD

7.  Sticker - Put the Fun Between Your Legs

8.  Sticker - Chainring Heart

9.  Patch - $0 Per Gallon

10.  Patch - Bike Fist

And now for the pictures of ads I pass on my commute . . .