8 Awesome Bike Hacks You Need to Know

1 - Hold on to that leftover holiday currency A flat tyre can ruin a long-awaited ride or trail in a split second. Most of us don’t ferry a spare tyre and so an unexpected tear in the tyre casing or sidewall, often means we are back home in a terrible mood very soon after. However, unused ‘plasticky’ money from your recent trip to the USA or Australia can sometimes help recover your ride by making excellent temporary tyre patches. Our new five pound notes also work particularly well! Even energy bar wrappers should work if you’re stuck for cash at the time of puncture… 2 - Bandage electrical tape around your pump to ensure you never go short Electrical tape is a must have for keen bikers; helping save punctures, increase night visibility and also avoiding damage to your frame from your u-lock or salt and dust. Wrapping a few metres of tape around your frame will mean you always have some handy! 3 - Clipless Pedals make an impressive bottle opener Did you know that you can easily open bottles with your SPD pedals? It’s never been easier to quench your thirst after a long, exhaustive ride. 4- Clean your GoPro housing case in the dishwasher GoPro housings can often become hard to use as tough ingrained dirt from your latest ride just cannot be removed. However, we’ve noticed throwing your housing in the dishwasher with last night’s dishes removes that hard to reach dirt, without causing you to break a sweat! Remember to remove the GoPro camera first. 5 - Always carry a spare derailleur hanger Gear hangers are all too easy to bend or break – a crash, incorrect gear combination or wrongly fitted chain can all cause your derailleur hanger to snap, in order to save your frame or more expensive parts of your bike. There are hundreds of different hangers, many of which are specific to your frame and so sourcing a replacement can be tricky. Luckily, BETD stock the largest hanger collection in the world and will happily identify the model needed for your frame, making it even easier to always carry a replacement. 6 - Old Inner Tubes make awesome resistance bands for stretching Save yourself some cash by using your old inner tubes for your pre-and-post cycle stretches. The tubes assist many shoulder and leg stretches also make a great conditioning tool for your exercise regime. Simply fill the tyre tubes with sand, knot and wrap them around your legs/ waist during robe climbs to add weight. 7 - Store Sun cream in a contact lens cases Storing your sun cream and chamois cream in a contact lens case will save you carrying unnecessary weight on your trails. The small compact case holds a perfect daily amount. 8 - Use Furniture Polish If you are anything like us, you will spend a little too much money making sure your bike looks its best. You can however save yourself a few pennies by applying supermarket own-brand furniture polish to your frame after washing. This super cheap alternative to showroom polish will make your frame shine, whilst reducing the amount of dirt that sticks to your frame on your next ride.