Your best bike bodges
Discussion
A few months ago my front mudguard (Crud Roadracer II) came loose - the little loop of plastic that you pass a cable tie through had worn away. Since there is only a tiny amount of clearance for mudguards on my forks I was scratching my head as to how to fix it back on without fouling the tyre. The solution I came up with was to try sticking it on with a good dollop of the Stixall Extreme Power building adhesive I happened to have in my mastic gun - claims to 'stick virtually anything to anything'. Well they're not wrong - this morning I remembered that I'd done this particular bodge so took another look at it and it's still stuck fast despite having been subject to some right grotty weather - I don't think I could get it off if I wanted to!
I'm quite pleased that my little running repair has proved so robust, but I suspect that as bike bodges go this is small-fry compared to some, so I wondered what quick-fixes other PHers have improvised to keep themselves on the road?
I'm quite pleased that my little running repair has proved so robust, but I suspect that as bike bodges go this is small-fry compared to some, so I wondered what quick-fixes other PHers have improvised to keep themselves on the road?
Gaffer taped my frame up to get me home when it snapped
Set off from work to home, 1 mile in down a nasty A road the bike felt a bit unsteady, like a really buckled wheel. I pulled over triple checked the wheel but couldn't see any issues I was stumped. I then noticed the frame had snapped on the chainstay! Was a bit gutted as I had the bike for over 12 years.
I whipped out the insulating tape, did about 10 wraps over the broken bit and rode the 10 miles home, even nudged 40mph on the hill into my house, which thinking back was really bloody stupid
I also once got a puncture 3 miles from home had no pump so stuffed the tyre full of hay and grass to get me home.
Set off from work to home, 1 mile in down a nasty A road the bike felt a bit unsteady, like a really buckled wheel. I pulled over triple checked the wheel but couldn't see any issues I was stumped. I then noticed the frame had snapped on the chainstay! Was a bit gutted as I had the bike for over 12 years.
I whipped out the insulating tape, did about 10 wraps over the broken bit and rode the 10 miles home, even nudged 40mph on the hill into my house, which thinking back was really bloody stupid
I also once got a puncture 3 miles from home had no pump so stuffed the tyre full of hay and grass to get me home.
I have a 26" wheel bike for commuting, with disk brakes and no mountings for mudguards.
For the last 3 years, I have used full-size SKS Chromoplastics mudguards, in 700c size (from my old bike), cable-tied at all 5 mounting points. There are about 20 cable ties used in all.
It's a bodge, but it works (just).
For the last 3 years, I have used full-size SKS Chromoplastics mudguards, in 700c size (from my old bike), cable-tied at all 5 mounting points. There are about 20 cable ties used in all.
It's a bodge, but it works (just).
Christ - 40mph on a frame held together with gaffa tape! That reminds me of a chap I used to work with who managed to split the top tube on his 'pub bike' after crashing whilst pissed. He fixed it by using a broom handle cut in half as a couple of splints, one on top and one below the tube, plus a ton of gaffa tape. It stayed in daily use like that for absolutely ages, i.e. well over a year, but he only ever needed to go about 4 miles at 10mph.
When it comes to punctures if they're on the back wheel and I'm within about 10 miles of home I've always just ridden with my weight right over the front wheel - b
ks virtually resting on the stem - as can't be bothered to fix them. I'm yet to knacker a wheel by doing that.
When it comes to punctures if they're on the back wheel and I'm within about 10 miles of home I've always just ridden with my weight right over the front wheel - b
ks virtually resting on the stem - as can't be bothered to fix them. I'm yet to knacker a wheel by doing that.The cable for my front dérailleur snapped whilst I was doing the glasgow to Edinburgh cycle a few years ago. Which meant I could only use the small cog. Ended up wedging a stone in their to keep the spring loaded part back so was able to use the big cog.
I may have left the stone there for a couple of months before I got my ginger out and sent it to the bike shop.
I may have left the stone there for a couple of months before I got my ginger out and sent it to the bike shop.
I spent yesterday bodging the brakes on my 1997 Falcon ProLine.
The original callipers were shot, rocking on their (single) worn pivot, so I decided that the Ultegra 6700 brakes from my (deceased) Merida Road-Race would be a tidy upgrade.
Rear calliper is just about perfect - at the extreme limit of the drop, but nicely lined up with the rims. So I continued with the front calliper replacement (it involves drilling out of the bolt hole at the brake bridge and fork crown) and when I bolted in the pads at the end of the job, I discovered that the drop is greater from the fork crown to the wheel rim than the rear bridge to rim drop. Damn.
So I carefully filed the bottom of the slot in the calliper arm (both sides) as much as I dare, and took a little chamfer off the top edge of the pad material, to prevent contact with the sidewall of the tyre, and I'm going to give it a test ride shortly. If you never hear from me again, chances are the bodge didn't work...
Long term, I need to track down some long-drop callipers, but it should be OK so long as I keep a close eye on the pad wear to make sure there's no contact (and potential friction damage) between the pad and the sidewall of the front tyre.
While I was at that, I also bodged the bar tape, re-using the stuff from the Merida after cutting off about three inches of damaged tape, and I also re-used the cables from the Merida, which is a smaller size, so the outer cable for the rear brake came up a bit short. I sorted that with an offcut of the old outer cable, and wrapped some black sparky's tape around the join - unless you look closely, you'd never notice. Possibly.
Time for some 14 speed (2 x 7) friction shifting fun now, to see if all the bodging has paid off...
The original callipers were shot, rocking on their (single) worn pivot, so I decided that the Ultegra 6700 brakes from my (deceased) Merida Road-Race would be a tidy upgrade.
Rear calliper is just about perfect - at the extreme limit of the drop, but nicely lined up with the rims. So I continued with the front calliper replacement (it involves drilling out of the bolt hole at the brake bridge and fork crown) and when I bolted in the pads at the end of the job, I discovered that the drop is greater from the fork crown to the wheel rim than the rear bridge to rim drop. Damn.
So I carefully filed the bottom of the slot in the calliper arm (both sides) as much as I dare, and took a little chamfer off the top edge of the pad material, to prevent contact with the sidewall of the tyre, and I'm going to give it a test ride shortly. If you never hear from me again, chances are the bodge didn't work...
Long term, I need to track down some long-drop callipers, but it should be OK so long as I keep a close eye on the pad wear to make sure there's no contact (and potential friction damage) between the pad and the sidewall of the front tyre.
While I was at that, I also bodged the bar tape, re-using the stuff from the Merida after cutting off about three inches of damaged tape, and I also re-used the cables from the Merida, which is a smaller size, so the outer cable for the rear brake came up a bit short. I sorted that with an offcut of the old outer cable, and wrapped some black sparky's tape around the join - unless you look closely, you'd never notice. Possibly.
Time for some 14 speed (2 x 7) friction shifting fun now, to see if all the bodging has paid off...
Sadly no pics from the occasion but at about 13yo my friends and I went for an "epic" ride out (probably no more than 10 miles). At our furthest distance from home, the front wheel of my friend's incredibly-poorly-maintained "tracker" bike (remember cowhorn handlebars from the late 1970s?) was so badly buckled that it wouldn't pass through the fork, so we removed it (I had the only box spanner amongst us) and we used shoe laces to tie his forks to back of my bike - one of these:
... and created the world's first TagAlong.
... and created the world's first TagAlong.
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