I've needed a repair stand for a long long long time now. But....damn those things aren't cheap. Thankfully, I've got more than my share of blue collar blood in me....so I decided to build one. The process couldn't have been easier. I did a quickle google search on home made repair stands and saw some interesting solutions. In the end, I went with my own variation.

Maker Aki Mimoto wrote in to let us know about his exciting new Arduino/VR/Web app mashup. He's wired up his wife's bike on a stationary platform to an Arduino using a reed sensor. Using the sensor data from the bike, along with data from a head mounted display (HMD), Ari is able to accurately pinpoint his position within Google Street View. Additional data from the HMD allows Ari to look around at his surroundings for a true VR experience.

Pragmatically explained, it means that I don't have to sit in the darkness or stare at my garage door while I'm huffing away. Hopefully once this is done, I'll be able to spend a few nights a week pedalling away downstairs and work my way across the US or Australia over the course of the year.

In the Maker Shed:

Make: Arduino

It's not often something stops you in your bike tracks. But a spectacular "bike tree" invention from Japan bowled me over when I was in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago.

Fed up with bicycles locked to railings, piled on top of each other, blocking doorways and roads, a local council in the city installed the mechanical masterpiece. It's basically an automatic storage system for cycles and operates with computer tagging of bikes and either storage in a building or a basement structure.

There are a number of locations where these bike trees are now in place in Tokyo – some hold 600-odd bikes, others more than 6,000. The concept came from the massive Japanese steel company JFE, whose engineering works division first started them in 2007 but are now spreading.

Bar End Brake Light: BEBL

I recently got a new bike and needed to wrap my bullhorn handlebars with bar tape. Thanks to this tutorial on the Park Tool website about handlebar tape installation, I was able to do it myself with no problem.

Need extra bling on your bike? How about some human powered, light-up pedals? Rather than drawing power from a wheel-mounted generator, each of these pedals actually has a tiny generator built in. Neat! [via Gadget Lab]

I love discovering a blog like Paul Elkins'. He's an obsessive designer and tinkerer who's made all sorts of bikes, trikes, boats, trailers, tree houses, stoves out of mail boxes, and even mobile homes for birds (see above). He writes of his life-long passion for designing and building:

I've been doing this idea hatching thing since I was a kid. I received my first serious sketch pad on Christmas morning when I was 8 years old. Each day I'd think of something weird and sketch it out, and every year, another book would appear under the tree. I have at least 26 of these sketch books now, filled with hours and hours of figuring and redrawing, making lists of pros and cons on an idea. Many hours were spent drawing cartoons and the human figure. These sketches led to paintings and other forms of art, but that's for another future blog. My real passion was and is design, with subject matter varying from bicycles, trikes, cars, boats helicopters, submarines, home design or whatever happens to cross my mind. Each idea has to be original, or an elaboration of something I've seen or read about. At 16 I built my first recumbent bicycle which was never photographed or completed. Several other recumbents were made as time went by. It wasn't until I was divorced and started to enter my 40's that most of what you'll see here really started to materialize. Some of these ideas have miraculously worked out great and I've spent many hours enjoying them, while others have not. For the ones that did, I have pride in knowing that my mind and hands had a part in their creation and existence. For the ones that didn't, I chalk them up as a lesson.

High mileage trikes and more

Over on DinoFab, Dean shows off his latest bike improvement, an LED light system that uses a generator built from an old printer stepper motor. He points readers to this article about how to generate electricity using steppers.

Stepper Motor Powered Bike Light

Instructables user cmachia made a simple bike trailer from some scavanged wood and two bike tires to fill a need to haul more stuff than fits in a backpack.

The fine folks over at Core77 have a bunch of pictures from the launch of the Oregon Manifest Constructor's Design Challenge. The top 12 designs will be on display for the duration of the event.

We're looking for the next-wave transportation bike! OREGON MANIFEST has challenged frame builders from around the country to design and build an innovative, modern transportation bike in this technical trial of engineering dexterity and fabrication mettle.

Over 30 custom bike builders will be developing considered, integrated, and spectacular solutions for the everyday rider. The top 12 winners will be displayed at the OM Bike Union for our full 6 weekend run!

[via Core77]

This baby was designed by one Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen. From baubike.dk:

The BauBike is inspired by Bauhaus design. It is constructed around the geometric shape of the square and the equilateral triangle. The design is stripped down to clean lines and raw material. The design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following the principle of the golden section.

[via Recyclart]

Spotted this sexy commercial electric bicycle in a back issue of Popular Science at the barber shop today. It's called Pi, and the company that makes it is based out of San Francisco. The magazine article claims it uses a Nu Vinci continuously-variable transmission but the official company specs now only mention a Shimano 8-speed. Sounds like they're still working out the kinks. Something to keep an eye on, though.

In the Maker Shed:


MAKE: Volume 11 includes a special "DIY Wheels" section, with plans for making a mobile drive-in movie theater, a cool chopper out of an old bicycle, and a pedal powered iPod charger.

Olli Erkkilä created this custom concept bike as his graduation project from the Institute of Design in Lahti. [via Core77]

Artist Kevin Cyr made this crazy-awesome camper bike. Also, check out his camping kart, a tent that pops out of a shopping cart.

Camper Bike [via Dinosaurs and Robots]

Lane Copley sent us this link describing his encounter with a gentleman named Raymond Duarte and his tricked-out ride while selling Girl Scout cookies with his stepdaughter in SF.

Last weekend I saw this neat bike at the beach. The frame doesn't look like anything special, but the wheels, tires, brakes and other components have clearly been upgraded. Attached to the lower end of the frame is what appears to be a chainsaw motor, which drives a heavy duty chain set on a gear on the left side of the rear wheel. It seems that the traditional features of the bike are all intact. The gas tank probably holds enough gas to ride for several hours. Though the exhaust is directed down and away from the rider, it's probably a loud ride.

I shot several pictures, but have no info on the build.

More than one commenter on yesterday's post about tweels in development for the military expressed curiosity about the possibility of non-pneumatic bicycle tires. Turns out you can buy them, online, right now, from here, and here, and probably some other places that don't turn up in a Froogle search. I have not tried them myself but I'd be curious to have comments from anyone who has.

Core77 has a two part roundup of incredible cargo bikes; very inspiring!

Wrapping up my trifecta of epicyclic gear posts today (1, 2) is this practical application from Greg Harper, a resident engineer at the University of Washington's Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, who put together a custom epicyclic gear train for his unicycle hub. Designed for speed, the hub gives 1.5 rotations of the wheel for each rotation of the pedals.

• It was built, layer-by-layer, using laser sintering (SLS) rapid prototyping. It's a demonstration project by Italian firm CRP Technology to demonstrate their capabilities.
• It's made out of WindForm XT, a carbon-fiber reinforced polyimide material that's usually used to craft high-performance motorsport racing parts.
• It incorporates a planetary gearing system. Penny-Farthings have large front wheels so that they can travel further on one pedal stroke; by using this gearing, the front wheel can be a more-comfortable 20% smaller. Planetary gears are used in some 3-speed bicycles, but their beauty is hidden within the rear hub.

The material used was flexible enough to make the seat, suspension spring, and the body all one piece, too. Alas, it's just a model - just 16 inches long. Here's hoping that someone builds a rideable version.

More details:

• easy-to-read html, but small pictures
• more detailed paper (.pdf link)

Ask MAKE is a weekly column where we answer reader questions, like yours. Write them in to becky@makezine.com or drop us a line on Twitter. We can't wait to tackle your conundrums!

This week's question comes from back-to-college student Andrew:

My class schedule this semester has me riding home at night, so I need some safety lights. The lights at the bike store are not only expensive, but unattractive. How can I make them myself?

I can't imagine a better combination than bikes and LEDs. You could build your bike light from scratch, or you could hack a dollar-store gadget to blink a few LEDs. We have lots of bike light projects here on MAKE to get you started. Be sure to keep an eye on our bicycle archives for the latest bike projects, too!

Battery-powered lights:

• How-To Tuesday: Mini bike light
• Make a LED Bike light system
  
• How-To: Make the ultimate 18v bike light!
  
• Antique bike light LED mod
  
• Tape case bike light
  
• How-To: Build a simple Luxeon LED bike headlight
  
• DIY: NES controller bike light
  
• DIY: High power LED bike light
  
• Convert your vintage bike light to LED power
  
• LED Bike helmet
  
• Home Depot homebrew bicycle headlamp AND a huge LED array
  
• HOW TO - Make a 40-LED bicycle light
  

Blinky lights! Use a 555 timer chip to make your rear light blink:

• 41 LED Flasher circuit using 555 IC
• The Biggest Little Chip from MAKE, Vol 10
• More 555 timer projects
  

Alternative energy bike lights:

• Contactless dynamo bike light
• How-To: Make a solar bike light
  
• No-friction bicycle dynamo light kit
  

Style points:

• Monkeylectric LED bike wheel lights
• Light up animated Pac-Man bicycle wheels
• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch
• RGB SpokePOV
  
• Obama SpokePOV
  

Show us your bike lights! Post up a link to your styling safety lights in the comments.

This week's Ask MAKE has been sponsored by Jameco Electronics.

Mount your gadgets on your handlebars with this printable handlebar mount by aylr on Thingiverse.

Above: An old ten-speed with a rusty chain and a few missing parts. A perfect project bike for personal use or for donation. Below: A reincarnated Raleigh road bike ready to ride for many miles.

Abandoned, neglected bikes are by no means a rare sight. Seeing one sticking out of the bushes behind our parking lot made me think of Thomas Arey's "Bike Scrounging" article from MAKE Volume 12. Thomas offers up some great tips and resources on how to recover discarded rides and even donate them. Here's the full article for you.

Bike Scrounging
How to fix a castoff bike and give it away.
By Thomas Arey

I'm going to venture a guess that many makers' earliest experiences working with tools and trying to figure out machines involved a bicycle. Even today it's the rare kid who hasn't tried to fix or even modify their bike. It's one of the reasons I still have great hope for humanity.

Cycling is good basic transportation, a boon to the cardiovascular system, and most of all, fun! But have you ever considered that cycling can also be free?

In the course of the trash picking and dumpster diving I do to bring these occasional articles to MAKE, I often run across bicycles left at the curb with other signs of our society's tendency to toss away what might be repaired or repurposed.

I've taken many of these rejected rides, turned them back into working bicycles, and donated them, either locally or through service organizations, to folks whose lives can literally be changed by owning a bicycle.

My general experience shows that the parts from 2 or 3 disposed bikes can make for 1 good bike. Any leftover parts from each scrounging venture go into storage to support future bike recovery operations.

Bicycle recovery is the perfect "learn by doing" process. Beyond stripping some threads (also repairable) you can't really hurt anything. Mixing and matching parts from different bikes will make you more adept at repair. This can even turn into a marketable skill with enough practice. Good bicycle mechanics are hard to find.

Your public library and the internet will turn up dozens of books and websites to help you get beyond the basics quickly. A good book that covers just about everything you need to know and more is The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes by Todd Downs.

Sheldon Brown (sheldonbrown.com) is a well-known cycle mechanic who shares tons of information free on the web. A good source for odd and hard-to-find parts is Loose Screws (loosescrews.com).

Older bikes and most consumer-grade cycles can be worked on with common hand tools. The only specialty tool you may need from the start is a chain tool, required to remove and replace the chain on most multigear bikes. This tool can be found for as little as $10, but if you plan to do this a lot you should invest in high-quality tools.

When you come upon a bike leaning against a trash can, don't assume it's being trashed. I always knock on the door and check. More often than not I hear, "I got a couple more around back, you want them, too?"

When you get your bike(s) home, go through these steps:

1. Check your find over. Why was this bike tossed? I am always surprised to find that a few small problems led to the trip to the curb: a flat tire, snapped brake cable, or rusted chain being the most common.

2. Once you fix up the obvious problems, go over every nut, bolt, and bearing to tighten things up and check for more subtle problems that may require further disassembly.

3. In most cases, if it moves, lubricate it! Extremely neglected bikes may require greasing the bearings, but a little chain oil will get most bikes back on
the road.

4. Replace bad or worn parts with other items from your trash-picking efforts. Get friendly with your local bike shop. They have trash bins, too!

5. Even if the tires inflate, check both tires and tubes for signs of dry rot. Well-cared-for tires can last a long time but this may be the one place you need to spend money.

6. Broken spokes and bent wheels are intermediate-level repairs. Until you master the skills for this task just keep an eye out for other good wheels on your scrounging route.

7. Double-check all matters of safety, especially the braking system.

8. Enjoy the ride. It may be a little rough and rusty, but it rolls and the price is right!

After you've built a bike or two for your personal needs, why not think of getting your rebuilds into the hands of folks who can use them? Check your local social-service and faith-based organizations.

If you want your bikes to go beyond your local neighborhood to help the world, one clearinghouse website for bike donation is the International Bike Fund's page at ibike.org/encouragement/freebike.htm. This site lists organizations throughout the United States and other countries, and includes details about how your efforts to repair and reincarnate castaway cycles can truly work to change the world.

You can still pick up a back issue of MAKE Volume 12 in the Maker Shed.

Congratulations to the MFA 2009 crew!

From the Maker Faire Africa Flickr pool

• Bicycle hacksaw [above, top-left]


• Plastic recycling press [above, top-right]


• Air food cooler [above, bottom-left]


• Local chlorine production [above, bottom-right]

Dan says:

These folks dragged their bikes from all over Europe and many overseas even. The detailing is pro level and goes well beyond just the frames - there were a lot of hand made pedals, shifters, rims, brakes. There was a week of chopper bike events with up to 30 mile (!) rides but there is not any hills there.

The gathering of choppers was hosted by the Chopperdome in Amsterdam. Their site has some more amazing photos. Via Star

I've wanted to build a custom bicycle for many years. I started wondering how fat of a tire I could accommodate on a bicycle. I had seen pictures of the Hanebrink Technologies extreme terrain bicycle, but wanted something still more extreme. The problem I considered was one of drive train alignment. With the fat tire, the chain had to shift too far outside of the normal bottom bracket to rear wheel alignment, in order to clear the tire width. I also wanted to make this work with gears, as I new the large tire would weigh a lot. Originally I wanted to spoke up a fat tire rim with a standard bicycle hub, but this proved impossible due the the small rim size with the large tire.

This would be a fun way to make a snack for your next picnic or party. I'm always forgetting to make something to bring to a friend's house, and would love to be able to just load this up and head out! I might try mounting it over the back wheel though, it seems like it might be more stable there.

Some tasty ice cream recipes you could try: Oatmeal Stout and Heath Bar and Salted Butter Caramel.