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Home-made alternative to bungees Home-made alternative to bungees
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TRAVEL Hints and Tips Post your TIPS to travellers - all the interesting little tidbits you learned on the road about packing, where to get stuff, and how to cope with problems. Please make sure the subject describes the tip clearly!
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
and schoolkids in Algeria



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  #1  
Old 31 Oct 2010
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Home-made alternative to bungees
Hey HUBB, I made this strap because I hate bungees so much and I'm bikeless until later this week so boredom got the better of me.

I used to have Andy Strapz and they were really good but I don't want to pay for DHL shipping to Bolivia then deal with customs so I made these. The dual locks are heaps stronger than velcro too, I use them for all sorts of stuff.



As mentioned, I'm bikeless and had to test them on the chair.... they seem to be really strong though.

What you need:
Used / blown inner tube
3M Dual locks
Puncture kit

Instructions (very simple):

1) Cut a strip from the inner tube then wash it, I washed it with soapy water then some bathroom spray as the soapy water wasn't good enough

2) Roughen the ends & apply rubber cement and let it dry for 5 minutes (just like putting on a patch when repairing a puncture)

3) Peel the backing off the dual locks and apply them to the ends of the inner tube. I do this in two places for added strength.

4) Put some weight on them and let them dry overnight
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  #2  
Old 1 Nov 2010
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dual locks what are they?
saw something smiler in nam they just tied them up though
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  #3  
Old 1 Nov 2010
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Sorry Pocket - in my experience inner tube elastics don't last long before sunlight (or something) rots them and they snap. And they're not stretchy enough. Maybe others find differently.

But I like your idea of alternatives to standard stuff.

Bungees are hard to beat actually; better than these de luxe "alternative" thingies you can buy at inflated prices.
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  #4  
Old 2 Nov 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caminando View Post
Sorry Pocket - in my experience inner tube elastics don't last long before sunlight (or something) rots them and they snap. And they're not stretchy enough. Maybe others find differently.

But I like your idea of alternatives to standard stuff.

Until a year or so ago I was still using bungees that I bought in the 70's. At the moment there's one holding the door shut on my daughter's rabbit hutch that's been there in rain / sunshine etc for at least 10yrs and is still ok. For something I can buy for about 30p each at the local pound shop that's pretty good value.

You're right about inner tube elastic bands not lasting (not as long as bungees anyway). I've been using one on the bike to hold the power lead into my old Garmin GPS for a few years and each one lasts about 8 -10 months before it snaps. This is in stretch once and leave mode, not constant stretching as it would be in bungee mode so I'd expect the life to be considerably shorter if it was used like this.
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  #5  
Old 2 Nov 2010
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According to the 2ridetheworld.com folks:

Quote:
Q. What do you use to strap your kit to your bikes?

A. We now use webbing straps cut to length. We started our trip like many others by using 'bungee cords' (elasticated cord with hooks on the end), but soon found that we were having to replace them every few months, due to wear and tear. Webbing straps with buckles are much more hard wearing and allow us to tie down kit much more firmly, vital if you're off-road or riding corrugations at speed, this is when you don't want anything to move or shift its weight.

I haven't had a bungee wear out but I find they're frequently not quite the right length. Either they're too short and you have to pull them too tight or they're so long they don't pull tight enough.

I use a standard motorcycle net (essentially made of thinner bungee) just to hold everything in place, but I use carabiner at each corner to guarantee that if any of its attachment points go it will remain attached (speaking from experience, not theory). The carabiners stay on the net when i take it off so it's minimal effort to reattach. I also put them through a handle or loop or whatever i can on one item under the net, so that if the item slips out it'll stay attached to the bike (again, experience). Also, I have one webbing strap with quick release buckles that i run around the sacks i'm holding to the seat (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, MSR Dromedary) front to back down the center line. which passes around one of the lines of the net to guarantee things stay in place under it.

The crabiners just take a couple seconds each to slide through whatever they're attaching to and securing, and the peace of mind is worth a few extra seconds to me.
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  #6  
Old 15 Dec 2010
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When travelling I like to use a cam lock strap, similar to a webbing strap and has a spring loaded buckle...... you can tighten so tight the strap becomes like a guitar string and will make a note when plucked yet can be undone in seconds even with gloves. They are more costly than a bungee but far more usefull as can be used as tow straps to help salvage a stuck bike.
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