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Stop your bike falling over whilst you working/fiddling on it..


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Over the years I've done a fair bit of damage to the various bikes I've owned when they've fallen over while pumping the tyres/applying chain lube, fiddling with the brakes/RD/FD, washing it etc etc. You lean it up against something, get going and then the bike falls over and the tubeless valve stem snaps off in the pump head...

 

Normally the front wheel rolls out, the bars spin around and the bike crashes on your head/finger/hand/cheek bone. Often whilst the bike is falling the pristine paintwork on your new frame/Thomson seatpost/Hope Stem gets torn along the facebrick wall it was leaning against, if you have terrible luck then your fork stanchion may even get scratched....

I've also had lights smashed/seats torn, various parts mangled on the way down. So bladdy irritating, nevermind sometimes expensive and that it normal happens just before you are about to go ride.

 

So anyway I have seen some guy made this rubber band thing that you hook round the bars/grip and brake lever and that locks your brake and his idea was that you can lean your bike on one pedal, supa kif. Well never seen it in SA and I've tried rubber bands that looked the same, tyre inners, nothing really works easily or effectively.

Ok found the original bike brake rubber strap thing.

http://bikebrake.com/

 

So yesterday it occured to me that a velcro strap would work perfectly, so I thought of making something up but then the light went on and I remembered I had some old straps from a RAVX frame mounted pump in the toolbox, I have also seen them at the lbs sold in pairs on their own.

 

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Tried it out, works perfectly, such a useful thing. Lock the front brake and the wheel/bike can't move while leaning up on something, all that falling over movement needs the front wheel turning. Quite amazing how rooted to the spot the bike becomes with the front locked, bike literally doesn't move an inch.

 

I've stored the strap loose on my bars for quick access but you could also store it elsewhere, that may defeat the object though. Also good for roadside/trailside repair jobs, the worst ones where you trying to use a multi-tool to loosen some seized part and the bike falls over every 2 seconds till you are forced to use one hand to hold the bike and the other to loosen the crazy tight part till it finally feels like a tendon deep in your shoulder will never be the same again....

 

Obviously you can also use this like the other guy to lock your brake and use your pedal as a bike stand, that also works a charm - the strap must be on the rear brake lever for that to work and you need some object like a rock or pavement etc to lean the pedal on.

 

Should work on any mtb or road bike with brake levers!

Edited by Skylark

That bikebrake site also mentioned another great use for this.

Locking the wheels when the bike is in a bike carrier - stops the cranks turning on the back wheel and possibly nice to have on the front wheel.

 

I wouldn't lock the brakes too tight when doing that, you don't have to anyway and I wouldn't leave the brakes locked for longer than a day or 2.

Thanks for sharing! Super usefull tip. You should post it in one of the bicycle mags where they have a column for such usefull tips, think Bicycling Mag used to have and usually have some nice price for the best tip.

 

Thinking of it and looking at the Bike Brake site, a good use for those old Livestrong armbands nobody is wearing anymore.

Edited by nimthor

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