BMX HACKS
This here instructable is brought to you by. bobdole1221. Also by instructables (no affiliations by the way) and im also throwing a shout out to Haro and Trek bicycle companies. Before i begin id like to take a moment and say. R. I. P Dave Mirra. A legend and a beast on his trusty haro bikes. How many riders do we have here at this site? If you could just comment, me or I do. Or even better share any hacks you may have.
The one thing BMXers are always striving for is, the next big trick, the highest jump, the longest manual, maybe pull off a quintuple backflip or even a quadruple frontflip. ... Ok i was stretching that last part a little bit. I mean yes we are now passed the quad backflip and triple front flip. Thanks to the nitro circus boys. Now what alot of these pros do is modify their bikes in creative ways to acheive lighter more spinnable bikes.
Quick disclaimer. Some of these hacks will void any warranty you may have. And you will need to use some power tools. So think safety first. Probably wont be riding as good with missing fingers or eyeballs.
The one thing BMXers are always striving for is, the next big trick, the highest jump, the longest manual, maybe pull off a quintuple backflip or even a quadruple frontflip. ... Ok i was stretching that last part a little bit. I mean yes we are now passed the quad backflip and triple front flip. Thanks to the nitro circus boys. Now what alot of these pros do is modify their bikes in creative ways to acheive lighter more spinnable bikes.
Quick disclaimer. Some of these hacks will void any warranty you may have. And you will need to use some power tools. So think safety first. Probably wont be riding as good with missing fingers or eyeballs.
List of Hardware and Supplies (list Covers All Hacks)
°First and foremost you will need a bmx bike.
°Shoelace
°scissors
°power drill
°sawsall, portable bandsaw, or a hack saw with saw blade meant for metal.
°Drill bits. There isnt a particular size to use. Just dont go to big. Other than that it's your preferred size.
°And just gonna name these all at once. A multi bit screwdriver, assortment of bits ranging from Phillips, to flat head, to star and/or hex screw bits. I always keep pliers regular and needle nose on hand. Socket wrench and correct socket for axle nuts. There are different size axles. For instance my white trek i need a 13/16 and for my red haro i need 5/8 socket. BMX bikes with pegs you will need socket extender. Back to the power tools. The absolute bestbest tool would be a portable bandsaw. You get the cleanest cut. Since i have just a sawsall. I will use my dremel to clean up any sharp edges. I know alot of this may be a bit to simple or been there done that kinda instructable. And i apologize in advance for boring some.
°Shoelace
°scissors
°power drill
°sawsall, portable bandsaw, or a hack saw with saw blade meant for metal.
°Drill bits. There isnt a particular size to use. Just dont go to big. Other than that it's your preferred size.
°And just gonna name these all at once. A multi bit screwdriver, assortment of bits ranging from Phillips, to flat head, to star and/or hex screw bits. I always keep pliers regular and needle nose on hand. Socket wrench and correct socket for axle nuts. There are different size axles. For instance my white trek i need a 13/16 and for my red haro i need 5/8 socket. BMX bikes with pegs you will need socket extender. Back to the power tools. The absolute bestbest tool would be a portable bandsaw. You get the cleanest cut. Since i have just a sawsall. I will use my dremel to clean up any sharp edges. I know alot of this may be a bit to simple or been there done that kinda instructable. And i apologize in advance for boring some.
Shoelace Around the Hub Hack
This hack is non evasive. Anyone of almost any age can do it. And its always a good thing keeping your valuable BMX bike clean and healthy.
To perform this hack all you need is a new shoelace, a pair of scissors, and of course your bike. More importantly the hubs on your bike.
What you do is, cut a shoelace long enough to wrap around your wheel hub with an inch or inch and a half of hanging room. You dont want to tie it tight, or even snug. You want a loose loose fitting. But also not too loose that it can become tangled in your rim's spokes.
Make one loop around the wheel hub and and get your length where you want it. Then make a stopping style knot to hold it on the hub. Then cut any exces ends off. That simple. It requires a little bit a fang-dangleing your fingers to the center of the hub. . What this does is clean and pretty much polish your hubs as you ride. Spin the wheel and you will see how the shoelace isnt spinning with the wheel. If it is your gonna need a bigger length. Or your hub may have damage or dirt catching the shoelace. If that the case may need to clean your hub. And in damaged cases. Depending on how bad a shoelace wont be what you need. Remember too. If riding in muddy ar wet conditions you. Will want to remover the shoe lace after. To prevent rusting. You will see in my pics of the front wheel hub that they are prettt dirty. With I'd say 30-45 revolutions they are already looking alot better. My bike has been sitting in a downstairs closet all winter. So i actually would and will do a good cleaning. Then the shoelace will prevent more from forming.
To perform this hack all you need is a new shoelace, a pair of scissors, and of course your bike. More importantly the hubs on your bike.
What you do is, cut a shoelace long enough to wrap around your wheel hub with an inch or inch and a half of hanging room. You dont want to tie it tight, or even snug. You want a loose loose fitting. But also not too loose that it can become tangled in your rim's spokes.
Make one loop around the wheel hub and and get your length where you want it. Then make a stopping style knot to hold it on the hub. Then cut any exces ends off. That simple. It requires a little bit a fang-dangleing your fingers to the center of the hub. . What this does is clean and pretty much polish your hubs as you ride. Spin the wheel and you will see how the shoelace isnt spinning with the wheel. If it is your gonna need a bigger length. Or your hub may have damage or dirt catching the shoelace. If that the case may need to clean your hub. And in damaged cases. Depending on how bad a shoelace wont be what you need. Remember too. If riding in muddy ar wet conditions you. Will want to remover the shoe lace after. To prevent rusting. You will see in my pics of the front wheel hub that they are prettt dirty. With I'd say 30-45 revolutions they are already looking alot better. My bike has been sitting in a downstairs closet all winter. So i actually would and will do a good cleaning. Then the shoelace will prevent more from forming.
Quick Wheel Mods (Tire and Tubes)
Most bikes are 36 but there are some with 48 rim spokes. If at all possible may want to buy a new rim with no more than 36 spokes. If you are truly passionate about your bikes weight loss program. Look for Kevlar beaded tires you dont want the steel beaded and make sure they are foldable. The third and final one. You can use an 18" tube for a 20"wheel. It'll still fill your tire and weigh less and most likey be a little bit cheaper. There are definitely more hacks out there but i thought these were the easiest ones anyone can do. And since my bike is currently in another state. Aolot easier to explain. I do have another bike i wasn't quite ready to void the warranty on. Just yet. And being out of town working. Please stay tuned for pictures here in a few days. Today being Wednesday the 5th i should have them in by the 8th or 9th of April 2016. We can void our warranties together. . Thank you and safe riding. ? UPDATED. I INSTEAD of erasing all i wrote will just add here that i promised by saturday id have pics and show exactly what i meant so this is them
The Weight Loss Plan (Full Metal Diet)
Disclaimer. These will void warranty on your bike. As im out of town working ill have pics for yall in a few short days.
1st weight loss trick: drill small holes in frame and /or handlebars. Real simple drill holes but not too many and weaken the structural integrity of your bmx. We arent talking bout pounds but ounces of metal weight can be removed this way. One great place is three through and through holes in the handle bars underneath the grips. If getting your grips off are hard. Just use a little bit of dish soap and water and kinda spread it underneath grip. They'll slide right off. But if you have a plastic grip end. Anchored on by a screw dont forget to remove that first. Also be sure grips are good and dry and like usual ill just use some double sided tape to make sure they dont go anywhere after reinstall. Make sure to grind away any sharp metal edges before putting grips back on.
1st weight loss trick: drill small holes in frame and /or handlebars. Real simple drill holes but not too many and weaken the structural integrity of your bmx. We arent talking bout pounds but ounces of metal weight can be removed this way. One great place is three through and through holes in the handle bars underneath the grips. If getting your grips off are hard. Just use a little bit of dish soap and water and kinda spread it underneath grip. They'll slide right off. But if you have a plastic grip end. Anchored on by a screw dont forget to remove that first. Also be sure grips are good and dry and like usual ill just use some double sided tape to make sure they dont go anywhere after reinstall. Make sure to grind away any sharp metal edges before putting grips back on.
Step 2 of the Weight Loss Program (axle Thread Cutting)
. If you have pegs you may not want to do this part. You can but exercise caution. If your axle threads stick out passed your nut that locks rim onto the frame. Simply cut it to be flush with said nut. Power tool required or hack saw with metal cutting blade. Now i didnt take a whole lot of but i was able to eliminate a spacer. So what bit of metal plus spacer. Multiplied by four does add up a little bit.
Step 3 of Full Metal Diet. (seat Post)
Thats how much seat post i didnt need. My seat post got beat up cause i stripped a clamp on there so had to get a little more western than you should have to. Just mark tge most amount of seat you think youll ever need. Then cut it down and replace it
Conclusion
Always remember safety first, whether its handling tools or quad frontflipping.. Also remember if your not sure. How much you can safely remove. Try taking small amounts off first. If u ruin your bike. I wont buy you a new one but you can have your parents blame me lol thank you.