Inventions

I am constantly trying to invent things that make bicycle touring easier. Here are some of the inventions that I use every day.


This is our cook stove. It is a coca-cola can that burns denatured alcohol. We use 3 tent stakes as the pot stand. That is roof flashing as our wind guard. A cut-up pie plate is what we put the stove on so it does catch things on fire. That big bottle is the mothership of fuel that I've put graduations on. That little bottle is the 2 oz. shuttle. Having the shuttle helps me use just the right amount of fuel (since you can't put the stove out). We use about 1.75 oz of fuel to make a pasta or rice meal that uses 30 oz of water.

In the above pic, you can notice my drink holder added to my bike's handlebars. This allows me to take a coffee or fountain drink on the road with me after a stop. I found the drink holder on the side of the road and rigged it with wire and zip ties.


Above is a small piece of rope tied to my water-bottle holder. I use it when I'm parked and I want my bike to be stable for whatever reason (wind, putting things in the panniers, on a hill, etc). When it is used, I attach it to a nub on my front rack (as shown in the pic). This keeps the wheel from being able to turn, which would ultimately send my bike sprawling on the ground. I don't ride with it like this! I store the rope when riding. (NB, So the rope doesn't slip of the nub of the bike rack, I filed a small notch in the nub so that it catches the rope).

This next invention, above, assists in parking too. It is a parking brake. I made it out of a hair tie. All it does is engage my front brake. But you'd be surprised how many parking dilemmas this solves. It just makes your bike way less squirrelly and has a number of uses. I usually engage it when I'm loading my panniers and gear on the bike. It makes it so it's stable and doesn't crash down in the process, which can be very frustrating. As a bonus, this little device is also an theft deterrent which I engage if I need to make a quick run into the supermarket or library and don't have a lock. Scenario: Thief comes up to bike, bike won't roll, thiefs aren't smart (in general), thief figures it's not worth it, leaves bike alone.

The two inventions above, when used together, make for a super stable bike that won't fall down (not the easiest thing to accomplish when you your bike is overloaded with gear).

This invention keeps our leaking tent from dripping on us. They are two Sham-Wows of infomercial fame on the top of our tent under the rainfly. They can pretty much hold a gallon of water each so the drip problem has become a non-issue. The Sham-Wows double as our shower towels.

This is our invented way to sit while taking a break. You utilize your seat as a backrest and viola, you have an instant, stable Lazy Boy recliner. Just what you need after hours on your bike.

Kiki is rocking the town bike seat on this tour and lovin' it. I have to admit that jealousy has occurred on more than one occasion for me as my butt aches after a long day in the not-so-comfortabe conventional saddle. She is also showing off her homemade bicycling skirt.