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Even if you ride tubeless, you might keep inner tubes around for emergencies or older
bikes.
If you have a bike shop, then you definitely have a pile of tubes on hand.
Today, we’ll be putting these tubes to use.
Here are 10 inner tube hacks that you can use on bikes, around the house, and on the
trail.
Let’s get started.
You’ve probably seen someone using an inner tube to protect their chainstay, but it can
look kind of—like an inner tube.
Instead, cut the tube along the seam and open it up.
Wrap it around your chainstay while stretching it on each pass.
Secure it with electrical tape and you’ll have a streamlined and functional chainstay
protector.
Garbage bags have a tendency to fall in as you fill them with trash, so most people tie
them like this.
Instead, use an inner tube.
You can use a tube by itself, or cut one thinner to use it like a big rubber band.
Since tubes come in different sizes, there’s always one that will fit your garbage can,
and the bag will be unaffected until you tie it up and throw out.
The rubber from an old inner tube can be used for gripping things without scratching them.
Since you can cut a piece in whatever size or shape you want, it’s easy to create the
perfect buffer between a tool and a pretty bike part.
I keep various pieces of inner tube around just for this purpose.
These plastic caps protect the ends of your cranks, and—you guessed it, there’s a
way to hack them out of inner tubes.
Take off your pedal and place a piece of tube over your crank.
Now slide a section of tube over it.
Cut out a hole and reinstall your pedal.
It actually doesn’t even look that bad, and rubber is great for deflecting debris
on the trails.
You can make a rim strip out of an inner tube.
Just cut it along a seam long ways, and cut it again at the width of your rim.
If you’re precise enough you can even use it as a tubeless rim strip.
The best part is that you’ll have a valve too!
The differences between a legit tubeless stem and one cut from an inner tube are pretty
minor when you consider the disparity in cost.
I’ve run stems cut from inner tubes with no trouble at all.
You can make a wall mounted bike stand from a piece of inner tube, and I’m going to
show you how.
Just measure out a piece of tube around your bar and brake lever.
Make a loop and put a hole through the end.
This part isn’t as easy as you would think.
Now we’ll mount it to the wall.
I’m using a drywall anchor since there’s no beam here.
A washer will help keep the tube in place.
Since the tube squeezes your brake lever, it keeps your rear wheel from rolling, holding
the whole bike in place.
I got this from one of my subscribers.
If you don’t like riding with a saddle pouch or backpack, you can keep a spare tube on
your hub.
Just wrap it around and secure it with tape or a zip tie.
Since the weight is on your hub at the center, it won’t have much of an effect on your
bike’s performance, and the tube will always be with you when you need it.
Let’s say you’re riding street with nothing but the clothes on your back, and your tire
goes flat.
Just go to a gas station that has air, find the hole in your tube, and stick a piece of
chewing gum over it.
As long as it’s not a massive tear, the gum will seal it against the tire.
The best part is that you can make this repair without any tools as you don’t need to fully
remove the wheel.
This trick has been around for ages, and it can still get you out of a sticky situation.
If your shop dog keeps running loose, you can keep them at bay with an inner tube harness.
Just cut the stem out of a tube and fasten the ends with zip ties.
Put your pups front legs inside of it and pull it up around their back.
This is the same design as Drama’s normal harness, and if he runs to the end of his
tether it’ll provide some cushion.
Just look at how much he loves it.
Remember when dropper posts had boots on them?
Go old school with a custom made dropper boot.
Just remove your saddle and stretch a segment of tube over the seat clamp.
Now secure it at the bottom of your dropper post.
Reinstall the saddle, and check this out.
It works well and really does protect the post.
Best of all, it’s really funny.
I also got this trick from one of my subscribers.
So there you go, 10 hacks to put those old inner tubes to good use.
If you found any of these useful or just entertaining, like and subscribe for more videos like this.
If you have any bike hacks of your own, write them in the comments so I can put them in
the next video.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.
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