10 Bike Hacks that will Blow Your Mind! 🚴🏼 Sorta

Okay so I got a little carried away with the title. Really this is just the third edition of 10 bike hacks, and some of them are pretty weird. From how to film, to how to eat, here are some fun tricks for mountain, road, and bmx. Let’s get started.

Get a huge nail, bolt, or even a tent stake, and mount one of these GoPro bases to it. Heating up the tape a lot will make it stick better. Once it cools you can use it as a handle, or stick it in the ground to film yourself. Although it’s clearly unsafe, It’s more badass than a gorilla pod, and easier to set up. I call it a GoShank.

While the GoShank is great in a pinch, some jobs require a real tripod. Many hydration packs have these buckles at the top for the front pouch. Secure the upper part of a tripod leg behind this buckle, and tuck the bottom of the leg behind the shoulder strap. It’s amazing how well the tripod stays in place. I've seen more than one Youtuber use this trick.

Old inner tubes are usually left in the trash, but actually you can make heavy duty rubber bands out of them. These don’t dry out as quickly as normal rubber bands, and they’re great for securing—inner tubes. It looks like if you double them up they could also be used as volume reducers. After all, volume reducers just sit there and take up space.

There's nothing worse than showing up to a race without the entry fee, which is usually cash only. Pull the end cap off your handlebar and hide a $20 bill inside. Put an inner tube rubber band around it so that it doesn't slide around, and you'll have emergency funds if you forget your wallet. This could get you out of a jam someday.

As we saw in another video you could also use that bit of currency to brace a sidewall tear. After experimenting with 5 different methods we found that a rolled up bill holds up with the best of them. This is because currency is made from a water resistant durable cloth, rather than traditional paper. Just slip the bill between the tire and a tube, and carefully pump it up. This can get you back to the trailhead without walking.

When I showed the cable fray trick in another video, some of you thought I was playing it in reverse, but it’s true! You can unfray some cables by twisting them from the base and working your way back up. This works particularly well on cables that were recently frayed, and usually by clipping a little off the end and adding a new cap, you’re back up and running without needing to swap the whole thing.

Car interior cleaning wipes are a really convenient way to clean your bike. Although I wouldn’t use them on moving parts, and certainly not on disc brakes, they do work great on the rest of the bike. They’re great for getting into tight spaces, and you can always leave a can of them in your car for ease of use. I’ve heard you shouldn’t use these on tires, but I’ve been doing it with no adverse affects. Of course I do take care not to get any on the tread.

When you’re climbing a fire road the summertime, particularly in the northeast, gnats seem to find their way to your face, eyes, and mouth. This is because they tend to fly to the highest point on your body. So while you’re climbing that fire road, put your arm in the air for some temporary relief, and then sprint away to make your escape.

If you want to accurately weigh your bike these purpose built scales are just awesome, but you can do it on the cheap with a fish scale. It’s not pretty, and it’s not easy to hook your bike to, but it’s surprisingly accurate and it gets the job done for $10. Fish scales sometimes have a measuring tape built in, which is a cool bonus.

I see a lot of riders use trail mix as a snack, in fact the sweet and salty mix seems to be ideal for some quick, filling energy. But trail mix is lame, so make your own!

Home made trail mix is anything but lame. Just pick out a few awesome ingredients, pour them into a container, and mix them up real good. I’m using cranberries, peanuts, and reese’s in mine. If you want to spice it up you can snap into a Slim Jim. I guarantee you won’t find this trail mix in stores.

So there you go. 10 more, sort of bike hacks. I’m starting a new list now and figure it should be done by the summer. If you have any bike hacks let me know in the comments and maybe you’ll see it in the next video. Until then, thanks for riding with me today and I’ll see you next time.

[mrNw]

1:50 - awesome! I'm out now to start checking handle bars on the bikes parked on the streets... emergency beer money...

[lukecooper]

Can we just give kudos to Seth for writing out the entire script to this video under in the description, good job man

[noobsssddd]

I slipped a pedal once and hurt my shin I went inside and told my mum that I did. Her response was that’s why you always wear a helmet 👌

[TheLuMIze]

if you get a flat tire somewhere far away and you don't have anything to fix it, use a lighter to melt some plastic on the hole, this will get you ~ 1-2 km (my experience)

[peacerich]

Bought my first mountainbike 4 days ago and found this channel yesterday. I really like you'r channel and you're a very good biker. Keep it up! Sincerely from Sweden! Subscribed btw👍

[henriquemeloalves]

I’m a novice rider (actually an old rider rediscovering the pleasure of a mountain bike), and I really enjoy your videos, especially this simple hacks/tips that can really make a difference even on a budget. Thanks for sharing your personal knowledge, it’s truly helpful!

[cody]

trail mix? you mean m&ms with obstacles?

[andrewgordonn]

my favorite bike hack is crush an empty soda can and put it between ur frame and back wheel. When u ride it sounds like a motorcycle and makes you the most badass 8 year old on the block

[kaelslivers]

Depends on how much you care about how much your bike weighs but another thing to do with older inner tubes is to cut it vertically down the middle and wrap it around your new tube it basically makes you tube twice as thick. I've done it a lot before and it definitely helps stop pinch flats!

[natehills]

I spilled my beer when you used the three way to mix the

[hergyhergy]

I'm not sure about the name goshank, how about the trail nail?

[enlightenedidiot]

Those interior wipes are FANTASTIC for bike cleaning...

[dalelawson]

I take the brake levers off my bike and spray them with rubber spray paint to increase grip. You can do it with any color to match your bike as well, and it holds up surprisingly well.

[hench_wrench_repairs]

0:49 I’ve watched this like 19 times and this gets me to laugh every single time

[davehuffstetler]

my bike hack. To store bikes vertically, zip tie (or inner tube rubber band) the rear brake, and then just lean it up against a wall on the handlebars, the handlebars balance it, and it won't move with the back wheel locked up. A lot simpler than a wall mount, and a lot cheaper.

edit: also ride with me when u move to avl seth, I go to school here.

[dannymac]

I wear some spare chain links around my wrist so when I snap my chain I have extra to use on the trail, and it overall looks dope.

[kylegreenbmx]

In Canada it gets icy so when I want to ride to a friends house I put zip ties around my rim and tire like tire chains.

[aniruddhtewari]

A hack, add this into your next list!

Using alcohol wipes (the ones doctors use before using an injection) on your disc brake rotors can remove any sort of oil!
I've tried and tested this method, works like a charm because these wipes contain only pure alcohol! Not to mention they're easily available at any pharmacy.

[chas]

On a hot day ride, fill your hydration bladder or water bottle half way and lay it at a slight angle in the freezer overnight. For the bladder make sure you blow up the bladder like a balloon to make sure the water freezes in the shape of a full bladder. For water bottles make sure the cap is not partially submerged. Then fill with water and you will have ice cold water for the whole ride.

[claytonmcglothlin]

Hold bike, step on scale, record.
Set bike down, step on scale, record.
Math