Saturday, June 20, 2009

Handlebar mount water bottle cage

My son's bike has no water bottle braze-on on the frame. I thought the best place to mount it would be on the handlebar for easy reach. You can buy a handlebar mounted water cage bottle for cheap, but I decided to built my own. I have an extra water cage bottle and a ground clamp lying around, so the built begins.

Things you need:
Water bottle cage
Grounding pipe clamp (available at your local hardware store)
Paint (optional)
Philips head screwdriver
Piece of aluminum/or steel strip, about 4.5 inches long and 1 inch wide
Drill with drill bit
Screws or rivets (and a rivet fastener)
Lock washer (optional)

1. Picture below (click to enlarge) demonstrates how to attach the water bottle cage to the piece of aluminum strip.

















Sunday, June 14, 2009

Installing a ceiling mount Bike Lift.

I dicided to install a ceiling mount bike lift for storing our bikes and free up some precious garage space. I found a good priced bike lift from Costco online, it's made by Racor ($14.99 +shipping and tax). It has fairly good review online, so I gave it a try. The product works really well, construction is fairly good. Rope quality is somewhat okay, not the best but easily replaceable. Fasteners that came with the unit is also of good quality, although some reviewers have reported some quality issues.

Tools needed:
Philips head screwdriver
Drill with drill bit
Tape Measure
Stud locator for ceiling with drywall
For installing multiple bike lift: 2 x 8 and 2 x 6 wood, length depending on number of lifts (see below)

Bike lift box and install instructions. See pics below (Click pic to enlarge)

Amazon Search Links:
Ceiling Mount Bike Lift: Click here.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Hardwiring V1 and V1 Concealed Display to a BMW 3 convertible.

  • Things you need:
    V1
    V1 Hardwire Kit
    V1 Concealed Display
    BMW 3cic (E46)
    Fuse Tap (Full size, not the mini)
    2 Amp Fuse (Blade type)
    Philips Screwdriver
    Electrical Tape or Heat Shrink Wrap
    Crimper
    Wire Cutter 0r Utility Knife

1. Plan where your V1 will be mounted (left or right side of the rear view mirror), I mounted mine on the right side. Below is the wire routing diagram.