Show us your best bike hacks…

My humble use of a dog lead to pull my son up a steep hill yesterday got me thinking of cheap / free bike hacks to make riding more fun / accessible / pleasant.

My other one is strapping his balance bike to the bike seat so we can do longer rides.

What are your best bike hacks?

My riding partner yesterday had some Garmin ‘O’ rings looped around his bottle cage and hooked over the spout to stop them bouncing out. Quite impressed actually,  not something I’ve seen before.

{lifetime ban for using the word ‘hack’ in a thread title}

Haha shall I change it to ‘bodge’?

lifetime ban for using the word ‘hack’

This

I’m pleased to see that RNP upholds The Standards of Rule No.1.

@tomzesty I use charity bands around cages in the same way as your Garmin friend. Plus I’m feeling good for giving to charity lol

Snip an old inner tube into o rings and use as rubber bands for inner tubes

Use a gear cable for a tandem bike to make the job of running new internally routed gear cable outer through the frame. Requires you to have a good idea of what length of outer cable you need and not to have pulled the old cable outer out of the frame.

Asking a dog walker for an unused poo bag to put a phone in when it started to rain on a “dry” ride

We need SPOONS!

And ‘hack’ can go **** itself.

I’m confused by the hack thing??

I’m confused by the hack thing??

Too me it is a term used by dreadful ‘influencers’ and wannabe online ‘stars’ to get clicks, usually just a rehashed idea or excuse to get you to watch thier video.

It’s a good idea.

It’s not a hack.

Just say no to using the word hack.

Old inner tube as a chainstay protector. Works great and costs nothing.

I’m quite fine with the word hack. It’s got lots of history with err you know, hacking and stuff, going back to the 70s I think (or further). Sounds like the word hack cracks you lot.

Use alloy bike bottle cages, plastic or carbon ones can’t be adjusted to ensure a good grip of a bottle when riding off-road. They’re cheaper too.

Utilise your second bottle cage mount (if you have one) for a tool bottle, no need to carry spares in a bag, hip pack or jersey pockets.

Made a rear rack fit a different bike as low as possible while still allowing a full mudguard by hacking 2 of the 6 uprights off it and turning it around to face backwards. Used the inner bolt holes hacked from a triple hollotech 2 crank (converted to 1x) as spacers for it to clear the disc brake.

Isotonic drinks can be made with a splash of squash and a pinch of salt, no need for expensive sprts drinks.

A homemade trail mix (or trail max as I like to call it) of the usual fruit & nut, but with other high energy, tasty and cheap treats added.

Like:

• Marzipan cubes
• Jelly babies (or other jelly sweets)
• Whole stone less dates
• Cut up figs
• Dried apricots
• Dry roasted peanuts
• M&M’s
• Chocolate raisons