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Today's Urban Design Observation: Hacking Cold- and Wet-Weather UX Improvements Onto a Bicycle

Tale of the tape

By Rain Noe - January 11, 2018

in Urbanism | Bikes

This bicycle shackled to a signpost on Crosby Street seems to be owned by a creative cyclist.

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It has been brutally cold lately here in NYC, and the rider has fashioned insulated hand-shields for the handlebars.

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It's not uncommon to see local delivery people hack something like this up, but they are usually made out of common plastic shopping bags.

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In contrast, this has been made from a bubble-wrap shipping envelope. I imagine the bubbles confer greater insulation.

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I took a quick peek inside their satchel to gain some clue as to the rider's identity--are they a deliveryperson, a messenger, a civilian?--but didn't want to look too long as it's nosey and there were other people on the street. Anyways all I caught a glimpse of was something packaged with Japanese script on it. If any kanji/katakana readers can tell me what it says, I'd be obliged.

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The rider has also used the tape to widen the mud flap, to catch those splatters that defeat the object's stock width.

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It also appears that the tape up front, in the center of the handlebars, does something to lessen the amount of road splatter that reaches the rider.

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Because I'm only a casual cyclist, I cannot deduce why the rider has covered so much of the bike in this white tape; to make it easier to see the splatter for cleaning? Hardcore cyclists among you, please explain or offer theories!

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Mackey Smith

6 years ago

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I think the excess tape on the handlebar is mainly to protect the brake and shifter cables and probably also the thumb throttle. I imagine this delivery bike lives outside (like a lot do in NYC) and if it's not uncommon for the cables to get a little moisture in them and freeze.

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Joe Crane

6 years ago

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The owner is trying to make his/her EV bike less appealing for any potential criminal activities it would spark if not covered up. Bet the thing on the rack is actually a battery pack.

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Jason Pokines

6 years ago

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I'm not a hardcore biker by any means, but I've dealt with a lot of the same issues on a motorcycle in the rain and snowmobiles, so here's my two cents.

I don't think any of it is for visibility unless that's retroreflective tape (it's not). People look at the rider, not the bike. The tape on the bars is likely all for paint protection. I think the struts for the rear pad have tape perhaps to protect the paint from being scuffed by the passenger's shoes. my theory about the rear pad is that it's covered for waterproofing the padding, but the top is a different material for traction-sake, to keep the passenger from sliding off.

The shielding on the center of the handlebar is to protect from the forward spray coming off the tire. The extra wrapping on the fork isn't for branding. It looks more like it's for keeping ice build-up out of the brake mechanisms.

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Aaron Jacobsen

6 years ago

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Tapes a twofer maybe, better visibility, as theres also spokie dokie reflectors on the wheels and touch of frame protection but also covers component branding over the bike hence the strange placement on the shocks (probably worth $400), and over the Head Tube badge. Looks like the bikes potentially worth up to $2000 or more as its EV from the Rear hub and the pannier battery which looks like its also locked onto the frame as well.

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Jason Livingston

6 years ago

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It's likely that the large areas of shiny white are just to make the bike much more visible in low light compared to the stock dark paint, but it also helps protect the paint from scratches and chips from locking up to street signs. All those dings in the paint accumulate pretty quickly and then the wet salty conditions of urban winter biking can lead to serious rusting. Those DIY bubble wrap bar mitts are great, but if you want a solid OTS solution, you can get great neoprene ones for 12 bucks on amazon that even include reflective patches.

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Juan Cano

6 years ago

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I think they also are trying to cover the logo of the bike to make it less appealing. Maybe. The tape around the shocks makes no sense.

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Jacob Breinholt

6 years ago

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I have seen some delivery guys tape the frame to keep the lock chain from chipping away all of the paint while they ride around. But that wouldn't explain all of what's going on here.

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