10 More Bike Hacks for MTB, BMX, and Road

Last time we took a look at 10 bike hacks for mountain bikers and beyond, but we’re not finished. Today, we’ll be doing ten more hacks that mountain bikers, BMXer, and even road cyclists can enjoy. Let’s get started.

Until you get good at it, working on a bike chain can be frustrating. Your derailleur can snap back and flick the chain into oblivion. For people like me with poor dexterity, a paper clip or hair pin can serve as a third set of hands. Hook this to your chain before you start working on it, and it’ll behave a little more predictably. By the way, to set a master link back in place, just position it above the chainstay and crank forwards abruptly.

Working on your bike can get messy, and we all know that dish soap doesn’t quite do the trick. There will always be spots that you just can’t get clean. Use an abrasive like seal salt or even sand to scrub the dirt off of your hands.

A 2x4 is only a few bucks, and it’s more than enough to make a bike stand. Just cut two pieces about 22 inches long, and use two 12 inch pieces as cross bars. Fasten them together with screws, and flip it over. This needs to be made to the width of your tire, but it’ll usually work with slightly different sizes. You could build a rack with really long cross bars and multiple tire notches to keep your whole fleet parked. You can even paint it, and there’s no precision carpentry required.

There are various ways to get BMX grips off, but did you know that you could just use water? Just pour a little around the base of the grip and twist it until it comes loose. The grip should come off very easily, and the water should evaporate like it never happened.

To get the grip back on, make sure it and the handlebars are really dry. Then put some zip ties inside the grip and position them around the handlebar. The plastic will reduce the traction of the grip, and make it much easier to get on the handlebar. Once your grip is installed, just pull the zip ties out one by one. I used hairspray to install grips when I was a kid, and I must admit this is a lot cleaner.

Adjusting a road bike saddle can be pretty involved if you’re a serious rider, but a good starting point is to get it level. To do this, you can use—a level. Set the bike on a flat surface and then put the level on the nose of the saddle and on one of the butt pads. Then adjust the tilt until it’s level. From there, you have a starting point to get it just right.

When locking up your bike, it’s a good idea to secure your frame with a u-lock and your wheels with a cable. If you don’t have enough cable, you can lock the rear wheel on the inside of the frame. This secures the frame and the rear wheel. It takes some time to wrap your head around, but stare at it for a little bit and think about it. You’d need to saw the rear wheel in half to steal the rest of the bike.

Another great way to secure your wheels is with security skewers. These, unlike quick release skewers, require a key to get off your bike. They’re also lighter, better looking, and less bulky than quick release skewers. With the key, they come off easy. Note that no security measure will truly keep your bike safe, but anything that makes it a bigger pain in the ass to steal will at least buy you some time.

Your floor pump is arguably the most important tool you have, but after a while it may start squeaking and acting up. You may need to oil it, and it comes as no surprise that chain oil works great for this. Just apply some oil, clean off the excess, and usually it’ll make the pump work as good as new.

Scuffs on your bike’s paint can be pretty hard to clean off, but WD-40, surprisingly, does the job well. Apply it to a rag or paper towel and work the scuff out until you can’t see it. WD-40 won’t damage your paint, and it’s especially good for cleaning the scuffs that shoes leave on mountain bike seat stays.

Let’s be honest, we don’t all have precision braking setups on our mountain bikes. If you’re having trouble aligning your disc calipers you can use two business cards to get the spacing just right. Loosen the mounting bolts, put business cards between the pads and the rotor, and clamp it down hard with the brake lever. Then tighten the bolts while holding the lever. Release the lever and pull the business cards out. Now, your brakes mean business.

So there you have it, ten more bike hacks, or 11 or something. Even if you don’t use any of these I hope you found them entertaining. Click the scraggly head to subscribe to my channel, for more hacks, riding tips, repair tutorials, and shenanigans. Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.

[henrysmith]

“A 2x4 is only a couple of bucks.” That aged well.

[enpluson]

For getting your hands clean, here in Germany we have something called Handwaschpaste. A far as I can tell it is a specialized soap with abrasives already mixed into the formula. The good stuff is really gentle with your skin, doesn't dry it out completely but removes literally everything from really sticky pine tar to oxidized industrial strength grease with ease. That stuff is awesome.

[ObsessionChange]

"A 2x4 is only a few bucks"
-watching in 2021 *Crying intensifies*

[longwing]

Thank you SO MUCH for the business card trick. I've never been able to get my disk brakes calibrated correctly. They're always either too loose or too tight.

[synthbent]

"a 2x4 is only a few bucks"
*cries in 2021

[Ordinarysortaguy]

I saw you comments about making a schedule but please don't commit to one. After a while you will get creatively exhausted and you might loose your enthusiasm. I love your vids and sometimes the long wait makes me even more excited for your vids. Otherwise congrats with your channel, it's on fire man,

[TJWins]

It is crazy to me that I was here for when this video came out and I was so excited. Just the way time goes is a wonder

[geoloft]

A word of caution; wd-40 can lift the decals and stickers off the bike . Also I have found that the little red reach tube on the wd-40 works great for removing hand grips it allows for a small lubricant air channel between the grip and bar . Note ; if the grips are going to the trash can just slice them with a razor blade.

[joshmanis]

Seth: your floor pump is the man most important tool

Me: laughs in air compressor

[LlessurHterag]

Outstanding! I’ve been having issues getting my front discs to run freely from the brake pads and your hack with the business cards worked a treat! Thanks mate!

[stevecorcoran]

The 4x2 bike stand is good, I just made one from some short ends of lighter material and some metal brackets. Tips - they work best if 22" (55cm) long, you can make them shorter but they are less effective. 18"/45cm is a minimum effective length. Also 12" (30cm) wide only works if the tyre is a very snug fit and the bike is almost completely upright. 18"/45cm is more stable if not.

[loganoryschak]

Who’s watching in 2021 when a 2 by 4 is more like a couple hundred dollars😂😂😂

[chrisc]

Damn Seth what's up with the unusual amount of uploads? Loving it keep it up!

[victorgiannella]

I've said it before and i'll say it again, I love these hack/upgrades list videos. (well I basically love all your videos but)

[theoutlaw_]

For basic bike cleaning, the armor all rags work perfectly and leave a nice finish screen on the frame and for skewer lock, I personally prefer the pinheads. They're a bit expensive but definitely worth the investment. Just make sure to cut the extra flush to the locking ring.

[tuckera]

Seth: there will always be little spots that can't be cleaned.

Me: looks at greasy hands

[soapboxearth]

i use compressed air to install or remove grips. works in seconds

[fatcheeseburger]

“Now your brakes mean business” 😂😂 lit.

that was a good one Seth

[explorer]

1:16 I just built one for my wife’s MTB. She is impressed! Thanks Seth! Greetings from Puerto Rico.

[oliverstamey]

After watching this vid I built a bike stand and it is working great! Than you Seth!!