Earth Day 2008 - Recycle Your Old Innertubes
April 22nd, 2008 by JoelGuelphIn the spirit of Earth Day today, a recycling post seems warranted. What to do with your old innertubes?
The guys over at BikeHacks have a post titled “1,000 Uses for the Inner Tube”, which links to an Instructables page with 20 uses. Personally I use a tube as a chainstay protector on my freeride bike, but unlike the Instructables method of slicing open the tube along the seam and attaching it, I cut the stem out of the tube and then wrap it like grip tape for more burly protection. A couple of zip-ties completes the job.
I also cut little strips of tube to be used as an elastic. They work great to contain spare tubes that have been unboxed. I have also used wider strips as external boot seals for my headset cup. Just cut a tube about ½” thick and slide it over the cups (you will need to have your fork off the bike for the bottom cup). Sometimes a road tube will give a tighter seal, but sometimes they are too small to stretch that much. It is especially effective on the bottom cup that is exposed to mud and gunk coming up from the front wheel.
I have used tubes to gently tie back trees in my yard. I use the tube as a rope extension so that the rope doesn’t dig into the tree over time.
What do you use your old tubes for?
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I used to path my tubes and reuse them. I’d save about 20 of them and then patch them all at once to be more efficient. For the last few years, I haven’t gotten around to patching them. I have a large boxes of them. I keep saying I’m going to patch them or give them to a local shop that patches them and gives them to kids and homeless.
I use them as bungie cords to hold stuff on my rack. I got tired of having bungies stolen, so I use the old tubes. Haven’t had one stolen yet.
I also bought a used bike that had the bars wrapped with an old tube. Not my recommended use for them, but it was OK, as long as I used gloves.
I patch them and carry them in my hydro pack to give them to people that forget to have one with them. I have thought of stashing them at desigated places on our home trail system.
I also cut them and used them to hold my mag light. to the Handle bars on those rides where we get caught in the darkness.
I have been experimenting with making mini hemroid donuts for the bumpin trail that we have to ride. So far not working.
Garbage can lid holder-oners. Loop one around one handle and over the top and around the other handle. Keeps the racoons & coyotes out and you can loosen one end and throw it over your shoulder for the hike up the hill on Wednesday nights. Tough boogers they are.
Tiki, you’d need an ATV tube for that trail
Great Big Rubber Band Shooters.
Use your Blue Collar skills to build the coolest rubber band shooter on the block.
I’m going to build one for the handle bars. You can ride around the woods and have little dog fights. That section with the presta valve really hurts.
Besides the above-mentioned items, I am working on a “travel” clothesline. Take 3 tubes, cut the valve-area out so that you now have three long bungee-type cords. Tie one end together, and include a loop of about 4 or 5 inches. Twine or paracord works good here. Then stretch the tubes as you braid them together. When you get to the finished end, tie again with another loop. Ta-da! Clothesline you can hang almost anywhere (because it will stretch) AND you don’t need clothespins - you just tuck a piece of clothing in the braids. Because you stretched it while braiding, the braids will be tight enough to have a secure grip on the clothing, but stretchy enough that you don’t have to fight with it.
I know, sounds loopy. Maybe I’ll send you guys one when I finish it up.
OH yeah - skinny road tubes work a bit better, but all will work fine.
2 years ago my neighbor and I are watching the SuperBowl first quarter when his hot water heaters start cooling off (BTW it was very, very cold outside). We soon realized the steam pipe out of the boiler had a hole in it and the valve on the boiler’s fresh water supply had kept fresh, cold water coming into the system, putting the boiler out of commission due to flooding in the basement. We spent the next 4.5 hrs cleaning up that mess and I used a MTB tube cut lengthwise, along with some plumbing putty, adjustable clamps, and some tin flashing, to patch that hole. It worked great and that fix lasted the rest of the winter! (The boiler has since been removed and destroyed)
cut up tubes are goood for mounting lights blinkies and other things you don’t want to slip