Sorting out the garage and bike stuff – dear lord!

Decided I’d have a good garage sort out today.

Not even half way through, but my word I’ve hoarded a lot of stuff!

3 bin bags of worn tyres. So many handlebars. Grips….the grips!

And considering I went tubeless 10+ years ago I have a literal mountain of new (and used) inner tubes.

Also BB tools….one for every standard it seems!

Also BB tools….one for every standard it seems!

I doubt it, they’ll have come up with a new one since you started the clear out

Never!

That’s precisely when I’ll be needing all the spare rim brakes I removed from kid’s BSOs…and the broken rims, 26″ frame, etc etc etc.

I have a box crammed full of very nice 25.4 mm handlebars that are about 650 to 700 mm wide, plus stems to match.

Also BB tools….one for every standard it seems!

I feel you there, just had to buy a T47 one to add to the collection, upon sorting them out i even found i had two ISIS bb tools yet cant remember the last time they were used but i cant throw them out because as soon as i do someone will either ask to borrow one or ask me to fix a bike that has one!

but my word I’ve hoarded a lot of stuff!

I did this a while ago. I had a ton of 26″ tyres and tubes, plus bars and grips, saddles, old derailleurs etc. All gratefully received by the local bike recycling charity. In fact, the guy was most chuffed with the tubes and tyres as they were running out of what they had. :)

Never throw away old tools. You never know which relative/colleague/neighbour will come knocking  knowing that you’re the bike guy, expecting you to resurrect the worst bike you’ve ever set your eyes on.

Remember your local bike charities. Stuff that seems useless to you can be godsend to them, getting old bikes back on the road. Stuff like those 25.4 bars and stems spring to mind.

I used to hoard bits but usually forgot about them and only found them after buying the same part again. I’ve gone down the route of only keeping limited consumables for bikes I actually use.

It is tyres for me, I have so many stashed in corners of the garage. No idea why I keep old, worn out and probably slashed tyres. Other than giving some pretty nasty spiders a home, I am yet to find a use for them!

A lot of it will be welcomed by your local bike charity – if you’re near Cheltenham, Stratford or Manchester  these guys are great – Our Charity Bike Shops | Cyclists Fighting Cancer (cyclistsfc.org.uk)

Never throw away old tools

I’m not throwing tools away (heaven forbid!) :-)

Unfortunately living in rural Devon, there’s no bike charities close by. What they’d do with worn out 27.5 tyres I’m not sure! I purged most of the 26″ tyres a few years ago.

I’ve just started sorting again and found a box of 12 saddles. Add on the saddles already on bikes, and that’s a lot of saddles.

I really need to have a sort out but I’m dreading it! I have a load of stuff I intended to sell and haven’t got around to it. Lots needs throwing or giving away. Maybe a Job for the weekend.

ajantom – Ride On is still going strong on the Quay in Exeter

I did exactly the same as the OP yesterday on my ‘day off’.  Added issue is my son is into car modifications, so there are boxes and draws full of car bits, except he’s terrible at organising anything – I was fortunate most of his tools were in his car boot yesterday.  Went into one of his boxes, and something had leaked, so that meant most of the contents could be binned – yay !    He’s shocking at putting stuff back properly.

Nine bikes in the garage and my five all have a spare wheelset. I’m not too bad on spares, two boxes of parts, plus a couple of shelves with tubes, bleed kits etc.  We’ve got shelves full of car detailing products and paint.  Biggest space consumer is the camping gear. Big tent, large tarp, camping beds, camping chairs, loo, cooker etc. It’s all stacked up and ready to ‘go’, but it takes up loads of space.

Must bin some of the old hoovers – I usually hang on to the old ones in-case the current one breaks.

ajantom – Ride On is still going strong on the Quay in Exeter

Cheers, I know (or knew) someone who worked for them.

Honestly, most of the stuff I’m chucking is junk – worn out MTB tyres, spd shoes with detached soles, bent rims, worn chains, old/worn cassettes, saddles with bent rails.

Anything actually useful will get passed on ;-)

Must bin some of the old hoovers – I usually hang on to the old ones in-case the current one breaks.

Not just me then! There’s 2 in the garage, both with the sucking power of an asthmatic hamster

Never throw away old tools. You never know which relative/colleague/neighbour will come knocking  knowing that you’re the bike guy, expecting you to resurrect the worst bike you’ve ever set your eyes on.

you have just highlighted the exact reason why it is very important to throw away old tools ;)

Funnily enough an upcoming “bike jumble” at a local cycling cafe has just popped up on FB, would be a perfect opportunity to try to get rid of a load of stuff I’m never going to use, but it’s this weekend and that is no-where near enough notice for me to go through it all!!

I decided some time ago that I will never clear out all my accumulated cycling junk from my garage, that task will fall to my children when I inevitably expire.

A lot of it will be welcomed by your local bike charity

I’m in the middle of a clear out and contacted the local bike charity – they’ve hardly got any space to put stuff so will only take really good condition tyres etc. So more hassle to sort through it all a second time and decide what they might want

I had a massive clearout to get rid of the “stuff that I cannot throw out but I will never use”, took away 5 boxes of stuff to the cycle recycle place then went back and helped them put a bunch of it onto bikes.

But I’ve still got a hoard big enough for a bike dragon to sleep on. I built an entire bike out of spares and sold it, that was a pretty shameful moment. And yesterday me and a mate were building up his new bike and I kept finding parts and going “where did this come from”. “This is brand new, why is it even here?”. While i was looking out wheels for that I found an entire wheelset I’d forgotten about.

Finished (for now!)

Two car loads to the dump – though that included a couple of old kitchen units that had been in the garage.

3 x rubble sacks of old and worn out tyres, a full sack of old inner tubes, worn out and broken cycling shoes going back to the 90s(!), mountains of cardboard, and a lot of random wood offcuts. Just a lot of random shit!

Also had a proper move around and sort out of my work bench and bike storage – I came up with a better solution, so all bikes are hung up in a much better way and I have lots more floor space. Sorted out my workbench so it’s properly attached to the base and the wall (no more wobbly bench and vice action!)

I’m a happy boy :-)

Positively empty compared to mine

I’d be upping the locks on that garage door.

I’d be upping the locks on that garage door.

You can’t see them, but there’s big deadbolts on each side into the frame.

Why do people keep all this crap that they’ll never need?  But then why do people keep buying stuff in the sales that they’ll probably never use?  I dread to think how much of the stuff bought from CRC/Wiggle in the last year will end up going to the local bike charity in 5-10 year’s time.

I wish I could clear my garage out! It is full of grown up kids junk. Every time they move they assume my garage is the place to leave stuff. We’ve actually got one couple living here until they can move into their new house . I have bought bike stuff twice because I couldn’t find the originals!

Good work. Hang the wheels on some cheap wire hooks from amazon ( twist the middle 90deg)  or it’s a pain in the arris sliding them on and off the bar.

Why do people keep all this crap that they’ll never need?

But then why do people keep buying stuff in the sales that they’ll probably never use?

I dread to think how much of the stuff bought from CRC/Wiggle in the last year will end up going to the local bike charity in 5-10 year’s time.

Tbf, everything I threw out was well used. I’d just hoarded it, you know, just in case ;-)

The final touch – redone the flooring, I’ve got pretty much full coverage of rubber tiles now.

PSA…packs of 6 are currently 1/2 price at Halfords (£8 instead of £16)

WorkShop Tip #17

If you are running out of a flat surface to put important things on, due to clutter, place a piece of plywood on the top of the clutter to create a new clear flat surface.

While i was looking out wheels for that I found an entire wheelset I’d forgotten about.

That is genuinely impressive.

I occasionally get the same with Rapha clothing. Pull out a small wardrobe worth of kit and go “ooh, I’d forgotten I had that jersey!”

I was honestly surprised to find 9 pairs of shorts, I thought I only had 7.

Thought it was standard for STWer’s to find an old jetski, paddleboard, surf board, scuba gear, RC car/helicopter/plane/boat, about a grands worth of subwoofer. Not to mention enough brand new spares to build up at least one bike with Lyric forks.

Why do people keep all this crap that they’ll never need?

I suspect that for some who have stashes of old kit it’s quite possibly because they were brought up not throwing away things that “might be useful” in an era when there wasn’t the current level of choice and speed of delivery or who just hate the idea of chucking things in landfill.

At some point I think you realise that the only thing you’ve done is create a miniaturised bike landfill in your shed and it isn’t going to miraculously not be rubbish just because it’s on a shelf instead of in a skip (been there done that).  At that point a major clearout results along with feelings of guilt that wouldn’t have happened if you’d just chucked an occasional old tyre away.

I know someone that has enough parts to build a few bikes. Even has a storage unit for ones they aren’t using. He’s constantly buying bikes, stripping what he needs, refurbs said bike and sells it on.

Not huge:

https://amzn.eu/d/6MKgiJx

but a couple, stacked, is a great way to keep some grips, bells, computer mounts, seat clamps, etc. And let you donate the surplus.

Just having a bit of a clear out so I can get to my Guzzi. Anyone want one of these? I think there’s a spare delrin bush in there too.

Well, it seems someone does want it! Time for a trip to the post box.

More of a general suggestion about tackling the small stuff (go-pro mounts, grips, assorted faff).

Youll get four individual boxes

Check out this GLIS from IKEA.

Here’s a little more information:

https://ingka.page.link/TgTTWexSihZvH4Rd8

per shelf…

Check out this HELMER from IKEA.

Here’s a little more information:

https://ingka.page.link/LEpUYx4QQjw8TApdA