SOME SPECIALIZED INNOVATE OR DIE DESIGNS

Specialized initiated a contest called innovate or die to motivate the creation of alternative human powered version of every day items that contribute to planetary pollution. Here are a few of those designs in action. The compost turner was fabricated in the Mile End Bike Garage by folks that I know. The pedal powered snow plow is pretty cool.








Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

HOWTOFIXBIKES VERSION 3.SOMETHING, UPGRADES AND REVISIONS

Reader comments on the Facebook group about adding tags made me do what ended being a well deserved revision of every post ever made on this blog. It made me realize that some of the earlier articles had no tags and that some of the pictures are all screwed up because of the multiple redesigns and change of templates over the last 3 years.

I might have known about bicycle mechanics and making decent pictures in the beginning, but I was pretty clueless about putting a website together! Well, I've seen the light and I will be doing a major revision of everything in the following weeks. Proof again that reader input is very valuable to me and to this living bicycle website.

I might have to do the same thing I did with links and make a separate post with links to all the articles there instead of having them all on the right side of the site. What do you think? Please let me know as I need your valued opinion once again.

A million thanks to all of you who take the time to read me.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

LINKS TO OTHER BIKE SITES I LIKE. (Mostly bikes anyways.)

Since the right sidebar is getting quite crowded and the links of other websites and blogs of interest, including howtofixbikes.ca reader's, is getting longer, I decided to gather them all here. I will also add any other blog or website of interest here in the future. So please feel free to suggest any additions for me to review and I will gladly add them. Here's the list:

Retro Vintage  My local buddy Wesley who restores vintage bikes.

DIGnGO   (High-end bicycle tours throughout Europe.)

Jack's Garage  (A reader's blog about homebuilt recumbents, you gotta see this)

Underground Velo (Another Rat Biker friend of mine)

Reciclone (A reader's bicycle restoration blog in Spanish and English)

TWOSPOKE.COM (Bike forum for all tastes)

Reusable Grocery Bags

Bike Reviews

Local Bike Trader

Bike Trailer Blog

Bike Hugger

Opus Urbanista Blog

Velocouture

The Bicycle Bum (Huge directory of bike makers)

Rat Rod Bikes Discussion Forum

CHUNK 666 (Bike craziness at it's weirdest!)

North Baltimore Bike Brigade

For the love of bicycles

Cycloculture

Bicycles and Beansprouts, a journey

Biking Brits

Righteous Velo Metal Broad

Bike commuting adventures in France

bikehacks.com

Montreal Gazette Bicycle Blog

The Bicycle Tutor

The Bike of Doom

For Bikes Sake!

Kustom and Classic Bicycles

BMX site and forum

ridethisbike.com

recumbents.com

The IHPVA site for recumbents

Ottawa Bicycle Club

Blog for the self sufficient family

Makezine, make anything!

Enjoy!

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

CUSTOM BICYCLE HEADBADGE

I've been wanting to make my own custom bicycle headbadge for a while now and finally found the way to do it. Some cardboard, a pencil, an X-acto blade, previous experience in drawing, some imagination, a small drill and a jeweler's saw was all that you need to make this happen. You can cut your headbadge from any sort of flat sheet metal. I prefer to use Aluminum since it is pretty easy to cut and most of all, cheap.

I make a drawing first of my design on cardboard that I then cut it out with an X-acto blade. I then transfer the design by going around the piece with a sharp pencil on the sheet of aluminum itself. Sections that are inside (like the eyes and nose on the skull and bones) are drilled with a hole so the saw blade can be put in there to cut. I cut the headbadge and finish with a small file to clean things up. All I have to do afterwards is bend the headbadge and stick it to the bike with some epoxy (most permanent) or clear silicone (can be removed). The jeweler's saw and blades can be found at hobby stores or a friendly jeweler that can buy it for you or order it.


If you don't feel like making your own, you can buy one of mine. The models below are available for $10 USD each paid thru Paypal, shipping is included for anywhere in the world. They are made from brushed recycled aluminum sheet and are shipped flat to keep cost at a minimum. I can also do custom work, just email me with your idea and I'll give you a quote.


For inquiries and orders(using the model#): xddorox@gmail.com

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

THE BICYCLE HELMET, TO WEAR OR NOT TO WEAR?

As mentioned before, I made one New Years resolution and that is to wear a bicycle helmet every time I ride from now on. I use to wear one when I was commuting and mountain biking religiously. Here's an example of me being very stupid: I stopped wearing a helmet about 5 years ago, when I started riding mostly cruisers, thinking that the low speed wasn't as dangerous and I figured I could avoid any major accident.

Now that was a totally false reason at the time and even now. Let's face it for once, one of the major reason why people, me included, don't wear a helmet is because they look dorky! I really couldn't see myself riding my cruisers with what looked like a sperm on my head. I'm the first one that should know that a helmet will save you from major head injuries since I have crashed myself 3 times on my head while riding. My last crash 12 years ago was so blindingly fast that I'm still flabbergasted to this day on how hard and quickly my forehead ended up smashing the ground after going over the handle bars.

A lot of my friends crashed or got hit by cars last Summer and it got me thinking that I should get a brain bucket while I was still ahead in the game. I do own one of those funky looking space helmets from my moungtain biking days, but there was no way I was going to wear that. I did the same thing that some of my riding buddies have done and got myself a "multi sport" helmet, basically a skateboarding helmet. It's not perfect, but it doesn't look as dorky. The thicker plastic shell offers better penetration protection from sharp objects and I slapped on one of my custom headbagdes on it. It's comfortable and the vents will actually keep my head cooler in the Summer than the usual baseball cap I wear.

Some efforts has been made for making cooler looking helmets for kids to encourage them to wear one. But some things I have seen gets me worried. I saw a helmet covered with material and one with the surface comparable to sandpaper with camo green paint. The last thing you want your helmet to do, in my opinion, is for the thing to grab when you hit the ground with your head. The risk of hurting your neck is a lot greater, you want that shell to slide. Proper size and fit is also important. I've seen people and kids wearing there helmets tilted all the way on the back of their neck, cancelling out any decent front end protection. My son would have been dead or seriously injured on his very first day on 2 wheels if I hadn't made sure he was wearing it properly. He lost control of his bike going down a slope and stopped by braking with his fore head on a cement wall! He was freaked out, but uninjured.

So, if you are a bike helmet manufacturer, and you are reading this, make a cool looking helmet! People will buy them, you'll be making money and you might save some lives in the process. For those of you choosing not to wear a helmet, I respect your choice. But remember that $30 of foam and plastic can stand between you and a life changing event that you might not see coming.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Once again another year is over and a new one begins. This blog is in its third year and the fun never stops. I plan on continuing to give you the best information about bikes in the matter that you are used to.

I was planning to use my holiday break to finish my bike maintenance book. I had figured that all that was left to do was the format to make it look nice...AAAAAAAAARGH! Somehow I got a brain fart somewhere and just realized that I have a few more things to do.

So, I will publicly commit myself to you, my readers, on getting this manual available online to you by February 15th 2009. Mark your calendars because I am usually pretty good with deadlines. This does not qualify has a New Years resolution, actually I have another post on this coming up in the nest few days, but an actual commitment to get my lazy butt in gear. It's fun being lazy but it gets boring fast and it's very counter productive.

I hope that all of you and your families have a prosperous, safe and happy 2009.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)