I have a toolbox full of some stuff, a Stanley organiser with other bits in, various other boxes with different bits in. Pockets of shoes/pads/clothes all over the place. For my last trip I out everything I needed in a big plastic box but ultimately all this had done is create another place to look for stuff.

I’m forever losing where I put the jiffy bag full of brake pads or where a particular tool or light charger is.

I was thinking about getting a rolling toolbox type affair that I could centralise more stuff in, so getting organised for rides would be much more of a case of putting it in the van and having everything I need immediately.

How do you organise your bike stuff? Anyone got any tried and tested bright ideas?

empty tubs of celebrations

I recently tried to organise some riding kit and accessories into a central place near the door (so shoes, lids, gloves, lights, backpacks, bumbags, trail tools etc) in the under-stair’s cupboard. I get dressed upstairs, so cycle clothing can stay in drawers/wardrobe and all the specialist bit (that get stored dirty) stay in the cupboard.

I bought two wire baskets from FIL Storage (about £50 all in) which I’ve mounted to the wall leaving space for shoes below. Helps me sort Road + MTB kit and helps me keep track of essential bits that I want for each ride.

MT8 Wire Storage Basket (single)

IKEA bag with full set of allen keys, shock pump, spare pads, cables, tube etc plus most of the gloves and glasses I own, that gets shoved in the boot when I go riding. I grab whichever helmet(s) I’m taking from a hook in the garage and put them in there.

Parts organiser is a godsend for allen bolts, little tubes of threadlock, brake olives and other fiddly stuff.

General tool chest that has a couple of drawers for T-handle allen keys and all those bike-specific things like hanger alignment tool, headset press, brake bleeding things, etc.

Couple of big plastic boxes for bigger parts and bottles like suspension oil – just big enough to get handlebars in diagonally else I don’t have anywhere else to put them.

Most clothes in a bedroom drawer, shoes with the rest by the front door.

Tool Roll and a couple of cheap gym bags from Sports Direct.

Mock my tool roll (Humblebag brag)

Tools organised into a Peli 1500

I have a Kitbrix bag (Sigma were selling them at £42 the other day) which has all of the stuff which you might need in a ride, but dont always use.
Then a generic bag with everything for the days riding in. Plus small bag with worx pressure washer in. Good to be organised, no chance of messing up a days riding then.

i rescued a couple of old filing cabinets from a skip which i keep in the garage for kit with shorts, jerseys, bibs/socks etc in separate drawers.

i like to go out there to get ready then ive got something to slip back into when i get back rather than streak across the garden or peel off wet muddy gear in the house…

i have a ton of gear but only ever ride in my current one or two fave items! before i had a garage i just kept that stuff in the van, in a gorilla tub.

@ Sir HC where did you get the foam from? I fancy a crack at one of these..

@merak https://www.efoam.co.uk/

@merak Shadowfoam have got a new peelable foam that I’d highly recommend. Leaves really clean lines.

Tools live in the garage. In a tool cabinet.

Helmets live on hooks with the coats.

Gloves, lights, spares and anything else needed on a ride is in a drawer in the kitchen.

Whilst Pelicases like Sir HC’s look great on your Instagram feed, they’re an utter PITA in real life. The contents of that box would probably fit in the smallest toolbox from B&Q (preferably a soft bag one that can be jammed into spaces and not slide around in the back of the van). And what if you take a different bike with different tools needed. Do you kit out a different peli case and buy two sets of tools? An even bigger peli case? What about a holiday, that pelicase becomes a £30 each way bit of excess baggage rather than just stuffing the pockets of your bike bag. Do you also have pelicases for the trackpump, wheel truing and workstands, otherwise stacking them is a nightmare.

My previous job may have involved too many peli cases………..

Yes, but check out Toolboxwars on Instagram. Some people have too much time on their hands!

That box is all I need to build both bikes/change bearings, save for fluids. Will cater for most other bikes, there is a hammer for fitting press fit BB’s and headsets.
I find having everything organised far quicker than having to sift through a tool bag. I removed duplicates and tools I’ve never used, amazing how much crap you can cart around.

Other option is a tool roll, which I had before, although never found one that I liked.

All my bike stuff sits in this type of Stanley toolbox.

2 pullout trays for tools, and small bits. The, spares and bigger items in the bottom. Just means i can throw it in the car when i go away and i’ll have pretty much everything i need.

Mine was a tool roll with all the commonly used tools. This was in a shallow really useful box, under the bed type thing. This had a load of spares and things like sprays and wotnot. Toll roll fitted inside the box. Box would go in the car for big days out. The box also provided a nice platform for the tool roll.

For wee jaunts, nightrides etc, backpack had a more minimal amount of tools and spares.

The less commonly used tools were in a normal cantilever toolbox but was rarely used. You can get an awful lot in the tool roll.

Cheers @Sir HC and @greenskin

I would like a box for some of this and to consolidate another two boxes…

Clearly you need a well equipped workshop…
& then another set of tools in a tool box for the back of the car / van for longer trips away…
& then also a tool roll with the bare minimum for lightweight trips away (flying etc)…
And of course small lightweight tools for carrying with you on a ride. Preferably as many sets as you have saddlebags / camblebacks / framebags to avoid re-packing.

That should sort you out.

Clearly you need a well equipped workshop…
& then another set of tools in a tool box for the back of the car / van for longer trips away…
& then also a tool roll with the bare minimum for lightweight trips away (flying etc)…
And of course small lightweight tools for carrying with you on a ride. Preferably as many sets as you have saddlebags / camblebacks / framebags to avoid re-packing.

That should sort you out.

Ha… thats pretty much what i’ve ended up with.

I have one set of tools, the tools I don’t use very often/dont need for my bikes sit on the shelf and work out of the pelicase, then I can add bits as I use them.

Some of the toolbox wars stuff is way over the top and you do question whether they need all the kit in the boxes.

When we fly with the bikes I just pack the tools I use to dismantle the bikes with the bikes, that way I know I have pretty much all I need. I’ll also have the saddle back / camel back toolkit for road/trailside repairs with the bikes.

I went the freebie route,using a few old buckets out of a skip .

I originally had my tools in two toolboxes but that was a PITA as I could never find anything and often stabbed myself with screwdrivers etc.
I decided I wanted roller cabs but couldn’t afford them at the time (about £300) so I built this:Jeremy Schmit workbench minus the concrete worktop. That set me back £1200 buy the time I’d bought a couple of tools to speed things up. It looks great.
I wish I’d bought Halfords Advanced Tool chest.

Gloves and clothes are all over the place. Helmets need a home.

Aldi tote bag for us, loads of pockets. Sits on the shelf in the garage and lifted into the van or the camper when required. Has all the essentials in to strip or build the bikes.

https://images.app.goo.gl/DHx5RU8dcYK6W6FSA

Difficult one this.

Tool walls and Pelicases are great, and super organised, but take up more room and tool walls in particular can become quite grubby if they see alot of use.

Also, if you make car type trips, you either need a second set of tools, or decamp everything from a tool wall.

I couldn’t afford multiple sets of tools to set up a tool wall and a travel tool box as well. Tools walls take quite a bit of wall away from shelving too, so impact other storage. I ended up setting up a tool box that is partly compartmentalised that I can stuff in the car for weekends and weeks away, but it happy to sit on/under the worktop.

This:
Tool organiser

https://www.stanleytools.co.uk/products/detail/Products/STORAGE/Organisers+_+bins/STANLEY%C2%AE++3+in+1+Tool+Organizer

It has moveable interlocking baffles so you can configure the internal space to suit.

It allows the storage of nearly all my bike tools as well as essential supplies including some tyre sealant, chain lube and brake bleeding kit. Obviously big tools like a wheel jig, slide hammer and bearing drift kit can’t fit (infact, I think I could get my drift kit in).

It has organisation enough that although everything isn’t laid out individually, finding things isn’t an exercise in blind grouping and finger stabbing. Theres quite alot that can be fitted in a small space this way.

oh, and crucially, it has plenty of real estate for stickers. Otherwise, spares sit in crates on shelves and my daily ride gear sits in a trug.