Just acquired my first garage and I’ve been bimbling about putting the bikes in order and I’m really excited about it. I have a few ideas, like shelves for my shoes, a helmet tree and a dedicated bike stand + tools area, but I want to see what others do to get a bit of inspiration. Care to share please? 🙂

Bump for those back from their rides?

Judging by the amount of threads about thefts from garages may I suggest you start with some kick ass security?

Give it time. There are some seriously quality garages amongst this lot.

I’m in the same position so this thread is relevant to my needs. No electric though so could do with battery light of some kind..

Don’t do what I did and put bikes next to dartboard 😉

Cheers mate. Trying to figure out which bike racks will take 2.35 HDs and which peg board to get at the moment! Hopefully see you for the Mendips ride at the end of the month if you’re around for it.

Hell yes!

Paint it before there’s anything in it!

The finest and most organised garage you ever will see, emulate this. Especially the innertube rack.

When SVOTMs get old by Northwindlowlander, on Flickr

@Northwind – I love the fact that amongst the chaos your hammer and mallet collection is perfectly organised

No Ford owner can ever afford to not know where the 2H hammer is.

It’s like a “where’s Wally” picture – look at it long enough, and you’ll find anything….. 😯

Painting the walls white and using a concrete sealer on the floor will reduce dust. Look into something like Pacri bolts for the door. FrOntier woodburner. Simple hooks to hang bikes by wheels.

although its a bit more of a tip just now as its undergoing major reworking. Lots of high level shelving going in(which means clearing floor space by walls so unorganised chaos it is) and that workbench is going to hell in a handcart.The frames pretty rotten and the worktop came off when i was using the vice last- it got nailed back down with some big ass nails fired into it with the nailgun after that.

why the facination of putting a wood burner in a garage – i want quick heat in a garage to take the chill off when im working in there . rarely needs more than 20 minutes to heat up to temperature for working.

Why does it need to be painted?

And cheers for the posts so far!

painting seals the concrete dust onto the surface otherwise its a never ending sweeping requirement.

havnt done mine yet actually….. needs the garage emptying onto the garden to do it so unlikely to happen any time soon.

Mine will be getting painted the day we take possession of our new house. First job in the evening after unpacking and leaving the wife to ‘sort’ will be painting the garage floor.

I offer the 911 thread for inspiration
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/that-guys-porsche-911-garage

painting floor needs to be done at a warm time of year also which is why i didnt do it when i moved in – february.

i really want to tile my floor but cant justify it when in the next 3-5 years i plan to tear whats there down and make it bigger + put on a bedroom/ensuite to the upstairs of the house(above the garage) – ill be sure to spec tiled floor in the build of that revision 😉

This is almost identical to the one being built for my house, only difference is mine will have vertical cladding, a nice thick base, and a different mountain in the background. Not the poshest garage, but it’ll do for me.

I’m more interested in what the insides look like! Having a tough time organising the space I’ve got
. Also, what bike racks for big knobbly tyres please?

Bike racks?

As has already been suggested, hang ’em from the ceiling with hooks or something.

My last garage had a scaffold tube bolted to the joists at 90 degrees so I could hang all our bikes by the saddle noses. Quick, cheap & easy to use – even gives something to lock ’em too if you’re security minded.

Really must get round to putting one up in current garage…..

I am pretty short. Perhaps some hooks will sort me out for the MTBs. May need to put the commuters in racks for easy access.

IMAG1751 by pten2106, on Flickr

Wheel hooks are these:-

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_249484_langId_-1_categoryId_242557

…from Halfords. They fit my 29 x 2.4 Ralphs with plenty of room to spare. Will be lifting mine up a bit to gain some storage underneath.

(Sorry for pasting the whole hyperlink, stupid browser wont show the buttons).

Can’t quite match Northwind, but ……. Note laptop connected to Bike, carrying out scary ECU download …..

Good old TuneECU 🙂 Nice piece of software 🙂

Yes, seems to be. The French guy who wrote it is a star. Bit scared using it for the first time, but it went well. The cost of the cable is cheaper than one retune at the dealer. I’m thinking of having a go at a custom tune next ….

Love the arrangement of the laptop, kneeling carpet and dubious stain in failedengineers garage!

Glad my garage looks like most others – some attempts to organise it which has clearly gone to crap as time goes on.

+1 Tuneecu. I even sent the bloke some money and I don’t do that very often!

Hmmm, I reckon I need to figure out a way to paint the garage floor, and the walls I’ll be utilising first.

Garage journal looks good as well. Thanks for putting me onto that one guys.

Northwind, it appears you have snuck into my garage and taken a picture 😉

Tom KP

Now with a painted floor

-I think a SOLID workbench and vice are a must. Make sure the vice has plenty of working space.
-For shelving, try your local tip for shelves/drawers discarded by others.
-Definitely have some seating.
-Bike hooks on the wall.
-A table near your work stand for putting stuff on.
-A pole to hang tyres from.

Obviously mine is a complete shambles, after I donated my double garage to be converted to a family room 😕
and my new cedar workshop just isn’t quite big enough.

No pictures of recent changes but after numerous attempts at storing bags/shoes/helmets the best use of space and accessibility has been hooks on walls.
Bikes are hung and staggered on one of the numerous bike hooks available like this.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-tools-wallmount-bike-storage-hanger/rp-prod10230

Then in the spaces between or by the side of a door I’ve used various hooks.
These are brilliant for a pair of shoes.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/rothley-screw-in-tool-u-hook-red-100mm-pack-of-2/76536#

I use a small single hook for helmets and place them back to the wall and they hold gloves inside.

Bags are currently hung off single hooks but still looking for a better solution.

Here’s mark one layout with the shoes above the door.

Hemlock being reborn by tomlevell, on Flickr

Shoes in use are now tucked neatly down the side of the door next to a bike. Older helmets and shoes above the door.

Currently trying to make the messy shelves tidy but fighting a losing battle but moved a workbench underneath them .

And a tool board I should have made YEARS ago. Now moved to a new location.

Tool Board mark one by tomlevell, on Flickr

How did you make that board and what did you use to fix it to the wall? I have no power tools and will have to rely on borrowing some from a mate.

Tracey, may I ask what you used to pain the floor please?

I’ve got enough shoes to get a shoe rack for them (don’t judge please). The question is, how do I clean and dry them in the winter before they freeze?

I’ve been working on mine for a while (4 years since we moved in) gradually worked out where I want things but have a few bits to do

Built a good solid bench for vice and a ebay special bench mount workstand which is great for servicing forks and bleeding brakes. The more racking and shelving you have the more crap you will hoard so I’ve chopped my racking down to make a second bech to mount a pillar drill and bench grinder on.

next projects are more plugs and better lighting, I’d also like to plasterboard the rafters to keep some heat in and reflect more light

Floor was sealed first then used Ronseal garage floor paint from B and Q.

see i thought about plasterboarding the celing – dont you think itll get a bit minging quickly ?

im toying with the idea of 6mm ply painted – plasterboard is about 7 quid a sheet , 6 mm ply is about 9