15 Bike Hacks You Need to Know in 2020

Riding a bike can be a fun hobby and a great profession if you want to make a living out of it. Although, it can be dangerous to ride a bike, keeping yourself safe on it should be of utmost priority, whether you ride a dirt bike, sports bike or even a bicycle. Keeping care of your bike should also be of high importance, as the health of your bike is as important as your own safety. If your bike is in great shape and condition and you look after it properly it should last you for a long time to come. The market is full of tools and bike accessories to make your bike perform at its optimum level. There is nothing in this world than riding a bike on an open back road to get rid of the troubles of life and spending some time to yourself. Whether you are an experienced rider or just starting, there are many ways you can make your bike-riding experience as fun as possible. Today we are going to look at some tricks and hacks that you should know in the year 2020 if you have made it your new year’s resolution that you want to start riding or even if you are an experienced rider who just wants to make riding even more safe and fun for you.

Proper Side Support

Having proper bike support is important if you want to avoid your bike from falling over. It has happened to many bike riders that their stand slipped away and their bike ended up falling over on its side and damaging the bodywork. A simple hack like crushing a few soda cans and placing them beneath your bike stand will avoid this from happening. This is something that is very cheap and it avoids your bike from falling over and you don’t have to spend 100s of dollars just to buy a premium bike stand.

Latex Glove Liners

Riding a bike when it’s cold outside sucks. If you don’t have the proper insulation your body starts to freeze and ruins your bike-riding experience. Having properly insulated clothes should be the way to go if you plan to ride outside in the cold. Usually, your hands are the first parts of your body that experience the most amount of cold. It is a good idea to wear latex gloves below your riding gloves to properly insulate them and avoid them from freezing. 

Place Duct Tape On helmet Visor

This is probably the oldest hack in the book and helps you avoid sun rays that directly shine in your eyes. This is usually helpful if you commute on a bike in the morning when the sun is shining at its brightest. Place an inch wide duct tape on the top part of your visor to block out rays from directly coming into your eyes. It may impair some of your vision, but avoiding the sun from directly shining in your eyes helps you ride easily. You can remove the tape when the sun is high.

Put Newspapers inside Your Riding Boots

Many riders do not have the luxury to let their boots air out to remove any form of moisture from them. It doesn’t necessarily need to rain for your boots to get wet. Put a few scrunched up newspapers inside your boots as newspaper ink is a great absorbent of moisture. If your boots have a lot of moisture inside them you can repeat this process to remove it.

Trash Bag Shirt Liner

If you are a biker on a budget and cannot afford to get an expensive raincoat or you just don’t like wearing a raincoat when you ride, this is a really good hack for you. Cut up a large plastic garbage bag according to your upper body size and wear it beneath your jacket. This avoids your body from getting wet on rainy days and is a cheap solution at the same time.

Magnetic Directions Holder

If you cannot afford to buy a navigation system for your bike this hack is great for riders on a budget. Write down directions on a piece of paper and place them on your fuel tank and hold them in place with pieces of magnet. Place the paper on the fuel tank and secure it by placing 4 pieces of magnets at each corner of the piece of paper.

Ties for Tie-Down Points

This is a great hack if you want to carry stuff with you on a motorbike and you don’t have a compartment. Consider getting nylon loops as they are available in different lengths and sizes and are extremely durable. They can also withstand huge amounts of weight. Place these loops around the shocks of your bike or tie them down to the sub-frame.

Wire Helmet Lock

This is the most important hack if you park your bike somewhere and want to leave your helmet beside it. Helmets easily get stolen nowadays.  Get a piece of galvanized cable from your local hardware store along with crush sleeves. It is also a good idea to get a lock and place it around the loop with one end of the lock on the one side of the wire and one end on the other. This hack will help you in avoiding getting your helmet stolen and spending more cash on buying a new helmet every day.

Avoid Water on Your Visor with A Potato

Potatoes contain a lot of starch and water doesn’t like starch, cut a potato in half and rub it on your visor while it still has its starch. Rubbing this starch will avoid your visor from getting foggy or watery on rainy days. This is a natural method and avoids the use of chemicals that are present in anti-fog or water-repellent coatings.

Keep Fuel in Water Bottles

Keep a few liters of fuel in empty water bottles with you while you are riding to avoid your gas from emptying in areas where there are no petrol stations. This hack is a lifesaver.

Keep Zip-ties

It is a good idea to keep zip ties along with you. They can help out in keeping stuff on your bike together as they are very strong and durable. What if your indicator light housing breaks off and you do not have anything to put it back together with? Zip ties come in handy during such situations.

Keep a Spare Key

Keep a spare key with you as this hack will help you if you leave your key or lose it when you make a stop somewhere. 

Keep a Pocket Tool

This is one of the most common hacks as keeping a pocket tool that has many different types of screwdrivers inside it can be a lifesaver. Your bike has many screws that may come loose due to vibrations from the road.

Keep A Bike Cover

Consider bringing a bike cover along with you to avoid your bike getting soaked on rainy days. It is great if you park somewhere during a stop and it starts raining. 

Install a Charging Port

You should consider installing a charging port, for your phone or other devices, on your bike. This is a great hack if your phone dies when you are on the road riding and you want to make an important phone or you have any other type of emergency. There are many types of charging ports available on the market that you can install on your bike. Usually, they connect to the ignition of your bike and turn on when you switch on the ignition

The Final Words

This goes beyond saying, but the most important thing you can do while riding a bike is to keep it safe and secure. You should always follow the rules of the road whether you are on 2 wheels or 4. You should also be aware of your surroundings and avoid any type of accident from happening. Today we have made you aware of some of the tricks and hacks that you can use to make your bike riding journey fun and safe at the same time.