General Cycling Discussion - Device to dump hundreds of nails into the street, operated by bowden cable.

If anyone has a good idea for a device which would do this, please let me know.

Actually, this is 1/2 serious. :)

Anyone have an interesting uses for bowden cables other than for braking and shifting? I have a pile of slightly used cables and was trying to come up with something....

I'm puzzled why this would be good. The flat gods would harrass you and hound you for the rest of your life.

Once I used a bicycle brake cable to repair my Taurus. The parking brake cable on the Taurus had snapped, and the dealer said that he had to tear out the entire dashboard to fix it.

So I looked at the problem, and noticed that the receptor for the cable looked suspiciously like it would hold the end of a bicycle brake cable and what do you know, the cable end fit perfectly. So I snapped it in, ran the cable through the hole where the T-handle for the parking brake had been, and looped the other end of the cable up and bound it so it wouldn't get loose and that was the parking brake handle for the rest of the years that I owned the car. I doubt that the next owner changed it unless he was up for removing the dashboard.

I have also used a cable to activate a puppet's tongue. It was a serpent puppet, and the tongue goes in and out in a threatening way. The cable snakes up through his body to his head.

a nail release seems like it would have bad kharma written all over it.

just once for fun. i tried making some driving lights that turned with the wheels on a car i had. i used brake cables from the steering knuckles to the lights, but i couldn't keep it adjusted for more than a day.

I've seen pics of a couple of fixies where the redundant rear brake lever is used to operate a bell mounted on the seat tube. Seems like a simple option on an ex-derailleur bike since you can use the cable routing for the FD.

Actually, this is 1/2 serious.
As someone who tries to help keep our local streets and bike infrastructure free from debris, even if you're only half serious, I don't like where you're going with this idea. If it was to help pickup hundreds of nails off the street, I'd offer to help.

If anyone has a good idea for a device which would do this, please let me know.

Actually, this is 1/2 serious. :)

Anyone have an interesting uses for bowden cables other than for braking and shifting? I have a pile of slightly used cables and was trying to come up with something....

Please don't do this. Even if you flat all (four) tires of your target, how much collateral damage would you cause? If your area is anything like here, the nails would remain for months and would probably damage hundreds of tires and possibly cause accidents.

Again. Don't do this.

Great. I have a patent on nails that can judge whether a tire deserves to be flat or not. Been wondering what to do with it.

Ceramic marbles + safety glass = scattered windshields

Selective targeting and no residual damage.....

Ceramic marbles + safety glass = scattered windshields

Selective targeting and no residual damage.....

And if you get caught? Sounds like self inflicted damage at that point.

If they bounce off the road before hitting the windshield, they are no longer your problem. At least in Texas.

More efficient than mere nails would be the use of a caltrop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrop).

A local farmer used a version of these made from twisted wire to keep us off of his property when we made a BMX trail through his hedge row. Almost 100% effective even in small quantities.

A high-tech version used by the US Office of Strategic Services:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Caltrop.jpg

Not understanding what the OP is talking about in the first place and what the connection is between nails and cables.

:twitchy: OP, are you intentionally trying to drag BF to a new low??

As someone who tries to help keep our local streets and bike infrastructure free from debris, even if you're only half serious, I don't like where you're going with this idea. If it was to help pickup hundreds of nails off the street, I'd offer to help.

I'm not going there - don't worry ;). I'm actually one of the ones who stops to remove broken beer bottles on the MVT (on the Wilson bridge deck in front of the Hampton Inn) between Alexandria and DC actually. My wife and I were honked at yesterday and I was (sarcastically) coming up with an idea to deal with jerks behind a cyclist. Honestly - I would never do this kind of thing. I always just ignore it and keep riding -- no yelling, hand gestures, etc. I don't think it does any good and the few seconds you have when a car is passing is not long enough to explain anything anyway.

Frustration - tired - overly-dramatic. I think I've read too much Calvin and Hobbes over the years ;).


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OKAY - NO MORE TALK OF REVENGE ON THE ROADS -- COOL? JUST IDEAS FOR BOWDEN CABLE USE.

I like the bell idea on the seat tube, but can't envision how to do it. I do have the under the bottom bracket guide and plenty of downtube shifters in a box...

OP, are you intentionally trying to drag BF to a new low??

No -- relax. You know how you draw pictures in 4th grade of giant, mechincal ants attacking your school so you wouldn't have to take the MMATs? That's how serious this is.

Plus, ants are just a difficult medium to work with -- too much cranial kinesis. I could never get any solid backers, lol.

:)

:twitchy: OP, are you intentionally trying to drag BF to a new low??

Is that possible?

Is that possible?

Good point but one excursion into Trollheim should answer that question in reference to the "everyday BF" scale...

BTW OP, I do realize you were being silly/funny but in my area we actually have people doing that on mountain descents and it is causing VERY REAL crashes and injuries. So the mere mention even in jest is not much appreciated or funny even if it was intended as good natured fun... ;)

http://gadgetbuzz.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/f456f84217nected.jpg.jpg

http://gadgetbuzz.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/f456f84217nected.jpg.jpg

I'll bite... What the heck is that and what is the intended relevance?

I'll bite... What the heck is that and what is the intended relevance?

Bondage. Use my extra cables for some kind of strange bedroom ritual.

Or it's some weird internet thing meant to be an insult and cute at the same time.

If anyone has a good idea for a device which would do this, please let me know.

Actually, this is 1/2 serious. :)

then you're half an idiot.

I'll bite... What the heck is that and what is the intended relevance?

http://gadgetbuzz.info/?s=f456f84217nected&x=5&y=8

Originally Posted by HokuLoa

I'll bite... What the heck is that and what is the intended relevance?
http://gadgetbuzz.info/?s=f456f84217nected&x=5&y=8

I was right!

then you're half an idiot.

Is that 1/2 of an insult then? Come on now, this is the faceless, electronic bike forum. Complete insults are really the way to go ;).

Tough crowd -- good thing I didn't go with my other idea for the bowden cable operated brick launcher.

http://oldbike.wordpress.com/1949-nsu-gents-bicycle/

There's a cable actuated bell for you. It's pretty interesting actually.

You'd have had me with you on most other cable op'd devices (H2O balloon launcher, silly string emitters....) but nails are like landmines, in-discriminant and potentially VERY dangerous....

Remember tire wiping? Actually, I'm too young to :p, but perhaps you could rig up something to raise and lower a curved piece of wire onto the tire surface to do that job.

- Scott

Please don't do this. Even if you flat all (four) tires of your target, how much collateral damage would you cause? If your area is anything like here, the nails would remain for months and would probably damage hundreds of tires and possibly cause accidents.

Again. Don't do this.
+1
Only a stupid kid would dump nails on the road to flatten vehicle tires. There really is no point in it.

+1
Only a stupid kid would dump nails on the road to flatten vehicle tires. There really is no point in it.

You're correct. Please read the thread, this was already addressed....several times.

You're correct. Please read the thread, this was already addressed....several times.
I hope we have convinced you to give up that silly idea...

Does that mean you don't wanna buy my patent? Crap I need the money.