A Simple DIY Bicycle Parking Brake

Hello everyone, this is my first instructable. In this instructable, I will share a simple idea that makes keeping your bicycle stable when parked easier: a bicycle parking brake! When locked up (I use the term “locked up” to emphasize locking up your bicycle securely to discourage and prevent theft.) and parked, whether leaning on their own kickstands or leaning on a post or a tree, bicycles tend to roll on their wheels, tip over, and crash to the ground. This simple “life hack” (this term is overused, please use it wisely) uses a short piece of rope to keep the brake levers on a bicycle squeezed when you park and lock up your bicycle, stopping the wheels from rolling and tipping over the bicycle. This is especially helpful when your bicycle is loaded and parked. It can be used on any bicycle brake lever and on both front and rear wheels. If your bicycle has a tendency to tip over when parked and the tendency of the wheels to roll causes it to fall, this will help you out a lot. I hope you enjoy reading my instructable and get some inspiration from it. :) (that DIY front rack on my bicycle will get its own instructable some time later on)

Summary

One end of the rope is tied in a loop to the bicycle handlebars with a
bowline hitch. The bowline hitch forms a secure loop around the object it is tied to. It holds very strong, and can also be removed easily. It keeps the brake rope attached to your bicycle as you ride. The other end of the rope is an tautline hitch around your brake levers. The tautline hitch allows for the size of the loop to be changed just by pulling it in either direction. Putting the loop over the brake levers and tightening it keeps the brake levers squeezed tightly until you loosen it. When you ride your bicycle, the tautline hitch can be loosened, moved, and tightened on the handlebars to keep it from interfering with the brakes.

• a short piece of rope/paracord (I used a 50cm long scrap piece of rope,

though the required length may vary. Any decent rope will do.)

We will start by making the tautline hitch that will squeeze the brake lever. In this picture, the pencil represents the object the hitch will be tightened around, which is the brake lever. Start by making a loop around the object. Put the free end under the loop.

Take the free end and insert it through the loop two times. At the second insertion, bring it under the other side of the loop.

Take the free end and bring it under the other end and up.

Insert the free end into the gap to form a loop.

ull the rope to grow or shrink the loop.

In this step, we’ll start to make the bowline hitch that will attach the rope to your handlebars. Start by forming a small loop, then wrapping the rope around the object (handlebars).

Loop the rope around the handlebars and insert it through the small loop.

Loop the free end around the starting end and insert it back through the small loop. Tighten the hitch.

One end of the rope is tied to the handlebars with a bowline hitch. The other end of the rope with the tautline hitch squeezes the brake levers when the bicycle is parked.

in order:

The bowline hitch attached to the handlebars of my road bike

The tautline hitch released around the brake lever

The tautline hitch tightened and squeezing the brake lever

The tautline hitch released and moved away from the brake lever

Your bicycle parking brake is now complete! Thank you for reading my instructable, and I hope you got inspiration from it. :)