10 ill-advised hacks for bicycles
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 20. 05. 2024
- Here are another 10 bike hacks! We've done literally hundreds of these, and so it's starting to get a little weird, but I've been adding hacks to the list as they pop up. Whether you use these or not, it should make for good entertainment, so don't take any of this too seriously. Enjoy!
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Just a note on the chain repair âhackâ. This isnât a hack at all with a single speed chain, BMX chain, or even an 8 speed chain. This is simply HOW YOU DO IT, and in fact some chain tools even have a fence for loosening tight links. But newer 11+ speed chains, or hollow pin chains really donât hold up well when re-using pins. So if you are repairing your Eagle chain this way, it is indeed a hack.
for the crank puller, use the little metal bit / insert inside the plastic bit that screws on a shimano 9mm QR axel that little metal bit will fit inside instead of the coin you showed.. and it can be reused over and over and is most likely cheaper than the coin.
Was status quo up to 9-speed.
BACK IN MY DAY, we didnât have these fancy smancy quick links and chain pinsâŠ
as a person who works 99% of the time with older bikes it was fun to listen to you explaining how to do something so basic for me :) Normally you do lots of mysterious things like using tubeless tires and servicing forks :D
Can you do a collab with skills with Phil and go to on Killington bike park this summer.
Is this a hack I rode 100 miles on this with my cheap multi tools chain splitter won't put it back together luckily broke down next a mechanic who fixed it with a hammer and body work panel, always carry a quick linkđ
This feels like a classic Sethâs bike hacks video.
Who's Seth?
It does but i dont mind his new stuff either, its all really fun to watch. ( i love bikes )
Exactly we expect more berm stuff than hack stuff đ
Just what day I was think, when is Seth gonna hit us some Hacts. Love it
â@@johngonzalez1193 The guy Who own The channels
It's funny that normal chain repair has become an ill-advised hack.
This is how chains were repaired every day before quick links and special shimano pins.
It's also why chain tools have multiple places to put the chain. One to push the pin out. Another is to loosen to link after you push the pin back in. Every chain tool I have has this facility. Even ones I've brought recently.
I'm an urban rider and I never bother with the quicklink stuff. Anything that involves the chain is at-home work, and I do it with the bog-standard chain tool. I'm not necessarily opposed to quicklinks or anything, I just never acquired any because the tool does everything I need.
Since GoPro 10, the lens covers have been advertised as water repellent. So I guess the rainX might work on older gopro's but with the new lens cover it just makes it work worse.
Also try the concentrate rain x. Really expensive/little bottle
Cleaning it with alcohol is bad either. It will dissolve that layer of water repellant.
Might actually work a bit better than it appears, would be best to actually view some footage through the gopro rather than just observing it from the outside.
I've used RainX on windshields for about 35 years, and it only appears to work 30 mph +, it seems to actually make things worse when under that speed, stop and go traffic, etc., so I can see it not working for this application.
â@@yomuno2511 see I find rainex works great at all speeds because the rain droplets are finer and don't streak as bad, so even when stopped it's a clearer view with less sheeting on the windows. In untreated cars theres this thin film of water that distorts your view and I never noticed it until I drove an untreated car the same day I drove a treated one, and the rainx was better at every speed.
But also that won't help a camera lens and the speed is what really makes rainX shine.
Make sure your socket seats on the outer race of the bearing. If the socket is too small you will damage your new bearings. Also leave new bearings in the freezer overnight before install.
The bearing hack is sooo good. And cooling the bearings down is a great idea, too. I guess it shrinks them by tiny amount which still will make it easier to install?
I love the freezer idea! That's a hack itself, or you could just consider it a great tip for installing bearings easier.
@@SethsBikeHacks That freezer trick is almost always used when installing new crankshaft bearings on a 2-stroke motorcycle. It works great! Also helps if you first heat up the area around the bearing and then install the freezing bearing.
There are parts on some motorcycles that use this as part of the standard way to replace bearings. You heat up the outside part in an oven (low heat) and freeze the bearing. The bearing drops right in and once they both return to room temperature it's locked in place.
@@OliverWode Exactly. Metal expands with heat and contracts with cold, so if it's a bearing that goes INTO something, get it cold and if the bearing goes AROUND something, heat it up evenly in something like a toaster oven.
Love the throwback to the bike hacks videos. I'd be interested in an updated map of Berm peak trails and features. Love what you do Seth!
I was thinking the same thing
The bigger advantage of welding the end of the cable is that you can run them back through housing again without any chance of fraying. If you need to take a bike apart and want to re-use the cable (yeah some of us are cheap) this would be a big help.
Soldering would be just as effective and more widely accessible to the general pop
@@BikingVikingHH Yes, I was thinking the same thing.
a dab of superglue does the trick for me.
@@BikingVikingHH This. Especially for larger gauge cables such as motorcycles.
@@lux-3001 cyanoacrylate is unfortunately extremely brittle so while it may hold it together for a while, all it takes is a little deformation and it turns to dust
Seth'sBikeHacks is backđ€
So true! đđ„đ€â€
Love the old-school 10 hacks videos. Literally been fixing my chains the way Seth showed it since primary school, never heard of masterlinks before I started watching Seth xD
I still dont own quicklinks and do it that way
That's just how chains work. Masterlinks are the weaker option.
@@User0000000000000004I think the difference is that people advise against reusing a pin in this way - a chain is made up of new pins.
I have a chain on the go now with a reused pin and itâs seemingly still holding up.
Seth's Voice will never get old.
So soothing he should be a therapist!
Always has been.
I've been soldering the ends of my cables for years. One of the biggest bonuses not mentioned is that if you need to work on something you can just pull the cable right out. With the crimp on ends the cable usually gets frayed and damaged if you remove them.
My solution against frayed cable ends is a drop of super glue. Works every time and keeps the end neat and tidy even if you pull the cable in or out of the cable guide. Also, you can apply a drop of super glue on the part of the cable where you intend to cut it to avoid fraying.
These videos bring back that Sethâs bike hacks feel, I love it
Pro tip for getting the grips off if they aren't lock on: loosen the brake lever and use it to push the grip off. It exerts equal force on the surface of the grips and generally shoots it off without too much struggle. Same concept works for twist shifters. It has saved me a ton of time
If the grip is destroyed anyway, Stanley knife. If you want it off to reuse, get a bit of water under it then use the brake lever. Never fails. Because I use hairspray to stick them on, water is useful in breaking it down and luring it up.
This is one of the most informative videos you've made. The general sense of teaching mechanical principles and improvisation through observation is great.
For anyone looking to use coins as an alternative to crank puller adapters: If your cranks are really tight you will just bend the coin and potentially get it stuck in the spindle(not speaking from experience or anything). :D
Stack several of them?
Look at moneybags over here!
đđŒđ
But yes, stacking a few will increase their strength. Sidenote: two âstackedâ pieces of metal will have less strength than a single piece of metal of the same thickness.
Steel fender washers, while not as cheap as coins, are somewhat stiffer.
I found an Allen head bolt that was just the right size to loosely fit inside the axle, with the head not pushing through. So far it has worked well.
Hey Seth, would love to see an updated Berm Peak walkthrough video sometime. You walking around your trails sharing your thoughts today on how they came out and the features would be really cool!!
I second that.
I third that
Me too
Used to binge the olâ bike hacks videos. This one is an instant classic!
Seth, you really are a gifted creator and presenter. Thank you for all you do!
I may merely be a roadie dipping his toes into gravel, but I absolutely love all your hacks, and many are rather broadly applicable. Keep up the great work!
you can just solder the end of the cable instead of welding them
really helps when you work on your bike a lot
I thought the same thing, solder
heating the cable enough to get the solder to stick is a long and sometimes painful process. 1 second with a welder is a much better use of your time.
Tried solder. Hard to heat the cable enough for it to stick.
@@brapamaldi7666 if you use flux it sticks in a matter of a few seconds
I have been welding my cable ends with the spark oof my car battery charger. Works perfectly. Probably not healthy for the charger though.
I've mentioned the cable-end welding before. But you can do it with a normal welding pen for electronics and some paste. Biggest advantage of welding is that your can reuse that cable for life.
soldering works too
Okay đź
I have udes the "no master link" fix my whole life. I have years on multiple bikes with that fix. Pretty awesome to know how to do. Keep up the good work!
âHats off to overkillâ is the perfect tag for 99% of these videos. Love it!
My experience with rain-x (on car windshields) is that it's better than nothing at first, and then worse than nothing until re-applied. And it's very hard to clean off, so you are locked into a cycle of applying rain-x.
I had a 1970 Nova with lots of tiny scratches on the windshield, rainx was what made passing a tractor in the rain possible, also great for motorcycle helmets, one look to the side and no more drops to obscure vision
Just get Rain-X windshield wiper blades they work a lot better cheaper as well
been watching this channel since early 2016, absolutely loved this video, don't get me wrong the new content is good too, but its nice to see some og seth
A hack that I've used for cable ends is to use my torch or a lighter and heat the end up nice and hot and then quench it with some scrap plastic or clipped off zip-tie. Just like soldering, the plastic wicks in a bit and you can get a little goober on the end for a nice finish.
A good old Seth's Bike Hacks. Love it!
Even though this channel is berm peak...your still the good ol' Seth's bike hacks I remember and love! I can no longer bike...far...but I absolutely love your content and I'm thankful for all your tips, tricks, and fun content over the years! Thank you!
This was really good. Perhaps you should rename the channel for example: "Seth's bike hacks" and do more videos like this
Wow!! That was a LOT of useful information!
Merci!
Don't really know if this has been done before but using a spoke wrench can work as a vale core wrench
For the rainX thing, ive tried a few different things in the past including this and what seems to work best for me is to treat things with the cheap turtle wax ceramic coating meant for car paint. Basically makes most things repel water and pretty resistant to grime and scratches too
6:25: Consider: Superglue a ball bearing into a regular hex bolt. A little acetone/super glue remover will make it come out easily at home, but it's almost impossible to remove in the field.
That's a classic one
Seth you are a life saver! The dime trick I needed and Iâll test it out. Thank you my savior đ
Hi Seth. Im a fan from Philippines. Nice video as usual... Been waiting every week for your videos. God bless and more power to you
The bearing hack can be even simpler with using a nut and bolt and some washers insted of the clampp
I re-use the old bearing to push in the new bearing because it is the exact size you need.
@@newttella1043 this is the way!
8:30 That is just how you put chains together before "quick links" were common!
Edit: Single and 5 speed chains may give you more material to work with.
I was hoping someone else noticed too đ actually on my Bmx bike i can not use the quick links, they always brake after a few sessions. So a chainbraker is the only way đ
I was looking for this exact comment. Not everyone has money for quick links and Iâve always just done the pin halfway out kinda thing.
Finally a seths bike hacks video after years
The trampoline had me rolling. đ€Ł Good video. đ
A small strip of electronical tape, wrapped around the base of the zipper "Pull" will also get rid of any clinking sounds, from bike bags/pouches. I used this to silence the noisy buggers on my handlebar pouch. But, it works with basically any noisy clanking metallic zippers on a ride. Just add it to the base of the "pull" thingy and not covering too much of "slider" itself, so the zipper still zips correctly â
even better... a bit of heatshrink. no messy glue residue when the crappy electrical tape comes off, which it will.
I made a handlebar holder for under 1$ by connecting two 1-1/4" (32mm) PVC pipe clamps with a piece of M6 thread. One side snaps to hadlebars, other to the seatpost. Works great!
I used to superglue or just solder cable ends. It works wonders.
New to Channel love the tips a lot has changed in 30 years lol keep them coming Dylanđđ
Another little hack for if you donât have a crank puller for Isis drive cranks but you have one for square taper cranks: take out the bolt of the crank, take off the little plastic piece on the bolt, thread it back in all the way (donât tighten it down though just thread it thatâll just make it more difficult to deal with if you tighten it), then take the crank puller apart and thread the part that goes into the crank into the crank (and tighten but not crazy just enough to still be tight-ish), then all you have to do is stick you tool through the puller and loosen the bolt, (and ofcourse unthread the crank puller part to get it off). By doing this you are basically making your cranks into a temporary self removing bolt style crank. This way you donât have to waste 10 cents every time you take off your cranks.Also if youâd like to be extra careful put grease between each step
For the welding. Remember that welds are strong at the weld and the metal adjacent to the weld becomes weaker. Honestly I still trust crimps more but welded cables look much cleaner. Also for the torx vs security torx. If a thief is smart they would only buy security torx drivers. Not saying they are worth nothing, but the difference is minimal. Also torx bits can be used to get at hex bits aswell so the difference in terms of security is low. If you really want to throw people for a loop I recommend getting tri wing drive screws, they look like Phillips but have only 3 instead of 4 wings. Hardly anyone ever buys tri wing bits because no one uses them for anything.
gamebit and tri-wings are great for messing with people but anyone in console repair will have both of them since they are used quite often on Nintendo consoles
@@Bobis32 I agree that people will have them, but way way low chance of a bike thief carrying them. Not impossible obviously, but at a certain point they're lugging a whole tool box around lol.
The bearing hack man I struggled like hell changing my bb but i have all that stuff in my toolbox man u just made my life easier đ
Regarding the cable end hack, I found using a 1/8th inch aluminum pop rivet (removing the aluminum nail first) will crimp on the cable end just like a normal bike cable crimp. After reading the comments, I also like the super glue method, and the head shrink one for the same purpose.
Welding feels like overkill, but I've definitely used a soldering iron and a little bit of solder to accomplish the same thing. For best results: solder where you're planning to cut the cable BEFORE you cut it, as the soldering tip could cause fraying.
Hey Seth, I'm 13 and I currently have a Fuji Nevada 27.5 (very basic) and would like to step up to a more advanced hardtail. With a low budget in mind, would a Trek Roscoe 7 be a good upgrade?
Love it. The sock hack I used for a while. I carry a spare set of socks in my saddle bag anyway đ
i have missed the hack videos.. good to see another one.
Two socks, then if your feets gets real cold, you got spare socks.
PSA: don't weld galvanized metal, the zinc coating puts out seriously toxic fumes when heated that high. Most cables these days are stainless, but the galvanized ones are still out there
Great video Seth will use these hacks!!
Glad to have Sethâs bike hacks back!
all of Seth's bike hack is always the best đ
The clamp and socket set was taught to me 40 years ago when I was rebuilding motorcycle engines! I have to admit though, I am now going to try welding my cable ends...
Please, please more bike hacks!!! Classic Seth đ
You can also feed a little solder in the end of the bike cable and heat it with a jet lighter to bind the end so it doesn't fray. Add extra flux, and it may really depend on the quality of the flux you have whether that's really going to work. Tin solder can bind to steel fairly well but getting it to wet the steel to begin with is another matter entirely, sometimes it just doesn't work. If you have Stannol Tippy, that can help as well.
It's probably not that great a recommendation for most people, but since i mostly do electronics, i have all these things on hand in abundance.
Yay Seth's Bike Hacks is back haha
That chain trick I have done many times. Just rode it, never had an issue
It's not a hack or or trick... Its the correct way to repair chains... And the only way before quick links were invented
The obscene hardware heckling hack was hilarious because its true. That sucks to disassemble lmao. Great thought!
Seth, this hack got me out of a pinch once. before a ride I was installing new grips and forgot to tighten the collar on all the way and I was out on the trail so I had to improvise so I took off the grip and put some green leaves on the sides of the inside of the grip and slid the grip back on. It's not perfect, but it works.
Itâs been a while since Seth has done a hack video and Iâm glad to see heâs done another hope to see more
Instead of welding the cables, you can use superglue.
I have used it a few times and worked really nice.
As the bonus you can also twist the cable and when the glue dries, it will hold that shape.
The hacks are definitely my favorite videos â€â€â€
Hasn't it been SO LONG since the last hacks video? Love to have it back
I might try the cable welding... my cable looks like the one that impaled your hot dog, as the crimp came off while riding tight trails and I never seem to remember a replacement. On street rides I use a rack bag, but keep a tow strap and an extra pair of gloves in to to keep things from bouncing around. I keep the tools themselves in a Muckoff zipper bag, with other things like patch kits, tire levers, spoke wrench, air pump and such in interior pockets when I can. Thanks for experimenting for us!
I love the bike hacks keep it up
Great video Seth! Here is a hack that I use on my suspension because I don't have an O-ring: cut a rubber band in to a strip then wrap it round your stanchion then tie it in a knot so its a ring round the stanchion and finally cut the excess off with scissors.
keep up the good work you are the best:)
Welcome back Seth's Bike Hacks!
A tiny bit of solder on the cable ends worked great when I ran out of cable ends.
Strider STR! thatâs some flex :). good tips. thank you
That method of chain repair was what we called, fixing a chain, before quick links were a thing. If the link is tight the chain tool has a place to put the chain to not drive out the pin, but free up the link. Surprised my man missed that but he does seem to be a very knowledgeable source, so I'll let him slide on this
As a retired Aircraft and automotive mechanic
As mentioned in the other comments freezing bearings helps, in the Air Force I worked in the Jet Engine shop and we had bearing heaters and bearing freezers. we heated bearings to expand them so they fit over the compressor drive shaft.
If you got a full suspension bike that the champ won't fit into, using some a piece of all thread and some nuts you can use that install and remove bearings I use that setup to remove and install bushings on the control arms of cars.
Chain quick links, tape one the the bike like under the saddle or to the bar, I have also seen a rider he puts on the zipper pull of his jacket but he put tape around it so he wouldn't lose it.
2:30 I have that blue handle Park crank puller tool. It does have a removable end piece. I used it yesterday on my 1X conversion..
The cartridge bearing removal/installation without a special tool is something I've done to my old fully. But I didn't have a clamp, I had to use a long bolt, a nut and some wide washers instead. Worked a charm!
Yeeeess finally, crying with happiness here!đđđ
I utterly and completely lost it over the balance bike thing! Haven't laughed this hard in a while, so thanks alot for that đ€Łđđđ€Ł
lacking a welder I honestly already soldered wireends. at least if they were already frayed or cut to short for crimping one of those caps (fixing rookie mistakes of friends :D). also for city bikes with less stress than mtb's many chains were fixed that way. still holding tight! if the link is heavier to bend you usually didn't find the sweetspot for the pin. press it in (or out) a quarter turn and try again :)
all in all valid tips and hacks :)
Those cable caps do suck !
Good Ol' Seth's bike hacks!!!
Bearing press I did for the rear wheel of my commuter was the axle from my vintage road bikes rear hub, long enough for almost any need other than maybe headset cups, then against the new bearing the old bearing out race and then some shallow depth sockets that sre same size then washers, nuts tighten and job done
usually hacks are trash and useless but here we have a selection of very usefull and real hacks, some well known (for me), but most new (for me). Thank you for quality content.
You can also solder cable ends, assuming they're made from steel and not some fancy ultrapro material. It works best with new cables, as old frayed ends accumulate dirt and solder doesn't want to stick as well. Dipping them in flux helps. If you don't have a soldering iron, you can melt some solder in a suitable tiny metal container with a flame underneath and dip in the pool the fluxed cable end.
Besides the End Cable Soldering, the Wheel Holder is a great hack!!!
See ya, blue skies đ€đ»đđČ
I always kept a bandana in my saddle bag. Keeps everything from rattling around and it's also useful for wiping oily hands or whatever...
Quickly read that as banana. Wiping oily hands with a banana sounded a bit inefficient.
Back to your roots! I really miss your hacks videos! đą
I love this style of video
Great informative and entertaining video! A month ago I actually used a Harbor Freight shop press and various sockets and washers to press in and out bearings and races on my Corvette's automatic transmission. The seat bags (with tools) are sold seasonally at Aldi or Lidl for about $5. I have more of those than I do bikesđ. No sock, but I do sometimes throw a rag in to dampen things, but now I know what to do with the 30 or so socks that no longer have a mate because the dryer must be invaded by one legged aliens. I use a large plastic trashcan like Rubbermaid to lay my wheel on horizontally to do tire mount/dismount. RainX on a windshield is usually not effective until over 30 mph, so I can see why it wouldn't work, maybe so on a motorcycle. I was about to question you about the chain hack because I was doing that when I was 7 years old on my chopper style banana seat ape hanger single speed coaster brake bike, but you already mentioned that! My chain tool then was a nail or broke spoke and a hammer, brick or rock. Love your videos!
Did the chain trick in once in the desert when i was stuck with a broken chain. I was like 30 km away from the closest town and absolutely no signal or human being anywhere near. I messed up at the first attempt as i pushed out the little metal thing, on the second attempt it went right though and i got safely back witouth a problem. Had no problem shifting or other chain problems.
Couple years later i met this teacher who was mountainbiking with his school for gym class(so cool that he did that btw). Sadly he broke down with a broken chain and had no quick link or tools. Luckily i happened to drive by and having had my past desert experience quickly managed to help fix his chain. Riding away with a whole school class thinking thinking you are the coolest person ever was a pretty great feeling.
I wrap the multi tool in my saddle pouch in a couple of pairs of nitrile gloves. It stops the rattling, and I can use the gloves if I have to work on a grimy part of the bike.
I been doing the dimes as crank puller adaptors for years now. I only have 1 set of cranks that I need this for, so I've been putting off a new tool indefinitely. I use 3 dimes stacked up for fear of pushing them into the spindle.
Seth I literally love you
I've used an M8 button head screw in lieu of the dime a couple times. Works a treat to get the cranks off.
I love this seth
Seth, your the best !
an alternative to the rain-x you can also use liquid car polish. it makes the glass lens super slick without making it blurry. this does work better while actually riding at speed.
I put a couple of thin work gloves in my saddle bag, with some of the tools in the gloves. I can use the gloves to keep my hands clean while I work on the bike and it helps keep it silent.