‘Magic Clips’ are comfortable trouser-bands that they keep clothing safely tucked-in and away from the chain, chain-set and wheel. ‘Magic Clips’ also have another function – as a full-feature puncture repair kit.
The stiffened ends that normally keep trousers out of harm’s way can also be used as tyre levers. Hence, if you wear two ‘Magic Clips’ then you already have the number needed for taking tyres off wheels.
The ends are shaped to tuck under the rim and the Aramid/fibre reinforcement gives the leverage needed to lift the tyre bead over the rim. The bendy middle parts of the ‘Magic Clips’ can be used for better grip throughout the procedure.
When repairing a tube you need to clean the tube before applying a patch. ‘Repair Clips’ have a roughened surface on the inside, designed to grip a wide range of clothing during normal use. This surface is also able to gently abrade inner tubes, making them good for airtight roadside repairs.
‘Magic Clips’ feature a small stash of stick-on patches hidden under the bezel used for the logo. These stick onto the cleaned tyre and have no ‘gluing time’. The tube can be inflated once these patches have been applied, with the tyre-irons optionally re-used to mount the tyre.
Some weight is saved by not having to carry separate tyre-levers and patches. Convenience is another bonus as no bags, pockets or pouches are needed to carry the puncture repair kit. Clearly a pump has to be carried if the ‘Magic Clips’ are to be useful, however, this is expected with all puncture repair kits. Carrying a spare tube or two is advised, particularly when riding a long way from home, however, if wearing ‘Magic Clips’ then you don’t have to.
As well as more comfortable and affordable, ‘Magic Clips’ hope to be a bit trendier than existing designs, making ‘hi-viz’ look good and promoting other safety - the lost cause of making clothes safe for cycling.
Versions could be customised for safe cycling initiatives, charity events and other promotions.
Retail versions of ‘Magic Clips’ could be a range of bold colours that use reflective particles in the plastic that glitter by day and give excellent night-time visibility. The manufacturing can be in composite plastic with technology already used in the cycle trade to make flexible trouser-bands that are also stiff tyre-levers.