confession time, I have quite the collection of bike parts / bits / spares. I shouldn’t have, but I do – seems to have somehow multiplied over the years. Some will be going up for sale, but probably nowhere near enough. Pads, chainrings, pedals, spares galore, forks, way too many wheels, cables, etc, shocks, frame bushings, frame bits from renovations, bushing sets for different bikes and more…

For the huge collection left, I’m wondering how best to organise / store / label etc it all. this must happen to (more) than a few on here 🙂 What do you use to efficiently store and organise bike spares / parts – so they are easily got to and easily identifiable for each bike, so you’re not rummaging through a 50 litre storage unit every time to find the right part, brake pad, etc etc.

A lot of it is still relevant and useful. Well at least I think it could be / is 🙂

It fills me with shame to say that all my bits are in a big blue ikea sack.

Also, leant up in the corner, are bouncy forks, handlebars, a dropper post.

Bold of you to assume my spares are organised.

(but seriously, I use an old chest of drawers and sideboard)

Organise?

*wipes tears from eyes*

“Used” bits are scattered around my garage in various boxes and baskets. I really must get around to divesting myself of most of them.

New spares are a bit more organised.

Under the fridge, behind a bottom end of an old engine, random cardboard boxes, mixed in with some tools and one of those yellow plastic boxes with the movable tubs. It has what I possibly might need, I won’t find it. Will order one then find two after what is probably the wrong part turns up.
Forks and frames go in the loft.

Bisley metal draw unit for some spares: eg cables, disks, spokes, special tools. Some stuff in its own shoebox or similar sized box with a sharpy label: eg stems, hubs, grips. Other stuff, whatever works. Tyres/wheels on wall hooks, bars in a bit of plastic pipe, tiny bits in a parts organiser.

OK, I’ll brave it: I’m semi-organised with mine. Achieved one my goals when we moved house a few years ago and (once the house move was mostly complete) managed some organisation when unpacking all my bike shite, rather thaan recreating what I had at our old house.

It’s expanded/changed since the photo but the basics are the same:
– Plastic drawer units – great for general shite (repurposed from utility room in previous house)
– 3 drawers filled with glass jamjars with smaller ‘stuff’ in them, but all labelled. Sort of.
– Most tools in toolbox, now been replaced with a bigger Brand X one with drawers etc from a PSA.
– Big and infrequently used tools plus wheelbuilding materials in folding crates on ground, either side of the subwoofer (‘cos tunes matter).
– More spares in plastic boxes on shelves.
– Big pile of tyres above the rafters.

What I have: same as IHN.

What I want: same as scotroutes.

I’ve a cool little rollcab that came bouncing down the road from a set-to-be-demolished transport depot. All the everyday spares, consumables and bike specific tools live in that. I’ve also got an ancient cantilever toolbox that has the “bits of historical importance” in it, like the purple control tech bar ends, eleventybillion unsuitably sized chainring bolts and a 7 speed 500lx mech that Noah used on a bike to pedal around the decks of the ark.

I’m very systematic. I put them in a box. When that box is full, I get another box. When that box is full, I get another box…

As above. Box, than another box and so on and so forth.

Good thing about boxes is you can easily forget what you have in an out of sight,out of mind type of thing, so feel justified in spending more than you should need to.

Oh god I recognise some of the approaches above

Esp the fill a box, then get another box – fill that, repeat & repeat.

I know that I’ve used @jamesoz ‘s approach too.

@scotroutes – do you own a bike shop ?

@a11y / holy crap that’s excellent, may shamelessly copy that.

I had a few plastic boxes – spent the last week doing a garage tidy up and re-org.
I’ve got it down to 2 plastic boxes similar to the middle ones in A11y’s pic.
Last week’s dump run included – 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers… cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

just a shoebox 😳

Lots of metal shelves with shoes boxes or plastic crate tubs. For smaller bits and bobs, a few Stanley organiser cases with dividers – these work well and are often on sale at Screwfix at £10….

I still have far too much random stuff kicking around though!

Stacking boxes.
I really need to have a sort and throw some of the contents away, i’m pretty sure if i get rid of all the out of date and worn out parts, i’ll have a problem storing all my empty stacking boxes, and there will be a noticeable dip in the price of steel and aluminium.

No one needs worn out 9 speed 105 rear mechs.

Last week’s dump run included – 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers… cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

Anyone else thinking of doing this, please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

All the small parts go in organisers, need to have a clearout as have a lot of old stuff (brake mounts & pro2 axles). Rest goes in “Really Useful Boxes”, bit bigger than a shoe box.

https://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/organisers/cat831376

I need a warehouse bigger than CRC’s. They’re all tidied away but in many locations.
Another thing to add to my spring clean and tidy list.

@walowiz – my wife thinks I do!

All my spare parts are in either my office or my garage.

Want to find something specific? May the odds be in your favour.

Big plastic crates of seatposts, bars, saddles, etc.

Smaller plastic crates of pedals, shifters, mechs, stems.

Wall mounted storage boxes of bulk bought spares like brake pads, gear cables, and small parts like grips, headsets, hub parts, seatpost clamps, etc.

Forks and wheels hung from the rafters, tyres hung off ladder hooks.

I like to spread vital parts for a complete system so that only 2 of 3 are available to hand when needed.

Occasionally I do some attempt to categorise in boxes. But invariably one box ie drive train is over flowing. And the spoke box is somewhat sparse so then it becomes the wheels box then wheels become anything that goes on the wheels so a cassette ends up in there with a 180 rotor. But the brakes are in the brake box and the adapters are in the adapters box. The levers are in the braking box naturally but the pads are in whatever bag I last thought I needed to carry spare in. The bolts are in the bolts draw. The gear shifters aren’t wheels or drive train so they are in the ahem cockpit box with the handlebars but not the one set of handle bars that doesn’t fit in the box, they live with the forks in the bucket of long things that is invariably lying on its side because it’s massively top heavy.

There is a dusting of parts that were bought to immediately fit to a bike a minimum of a year ago dotted about various worktops.

Does anyone want a exage300 front road derailleur?

Small bits – a couple of organisers like these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sort-master-organiser-set-3-pieces/2690D – better than the posher tray types as you can remove some dividers to get longer things in.

Big bits – a couple of 64l Really Useful boxes – bars fit diagonally as long as they’re not really long.

Chucked out loads of crap last year though, was terrible for hoarding worn out cassettes and the like “just in case”. Filled a couple of boxes for the metal recycling at the tip.

Hardly anything round here except for some tools and spare brake pads. I had some bits but I donated them to a local homeless charity. If you have stuff cluttering up your space that you’ll never actually use, may I recommend a similar approach?

If you have lots of spares what you’ll work out is that you’re only a cheap frame away from a complete bike to hang them on. So that bought you then slowly upgrade the parts that were clearly unsuitable last time until you have another complete bike full of spares. Repeat ad nauseam.

please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

Yeah, I should’ve, although the nearest is quite a distance away, but I was in the tidy-up-re-organise-zone and it didn’t occur to me any of the crap might be wanted! Shame cos there was a couple of decent wheels in there too. Hopefully the recycle centre workers do recycle the stuff they pick out.

If you have lots of spares what you’ll work out is that you’re only a cheap frame away from a complete bike to hang them on.

I have half a dozen spare frames in the attic. And forks, wheels, stuff…

I’m with @thols2. Boxes. And a sort of a heap in the darkest corner of the garage. Then there’s the tyres… oh god, the tyres…

Last week’s dump run included – 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers… cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

Anyone else thinking of doing this, please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

This ^ or your local Mens Shed.

All of that would have been useful and a significant step up from some of the crap you find on low tier bikes.

There’s a Cyclists Fighting Cancer place about an hour away I deposited about four boxes of ‘spares’ – including a box of not used anymore but still great condition clothes. The guy was delighted to find a trove of 9 speed mechs in there 🙂

I’m pretty organised. New spares (mostly TX) in one clear box, two for old but usable spares (grips and pedals seem to have multiplied) and ‘the box last owned by Pandora’ in the rafters that I only open on special occasions if I’m absolutely desperate for a late night skip rat 🙂

Also I will not be taking any questions on tyres at this time 😉

I’ve a decent sized shed…it’s all in there…somewhere.
Boxes, massive toolboxes, reused containers, a filing cabinet, under the bench.

I’ve hovered over this more than a few time recently…

It’s this or a new DH frame for the lad… but this… i REALLY like and would tidy things up lovely. Although i’m not sure where the hoover would then go….. Mmmmmm

Recyke y’Bike in Newcastle got all of mine not so long ago. They were especially pleased with the haul of 26″ tubes and tyres. My old Stumpy HT frame has sat in the loft for 2 years, so reckon that might be heading their way too. Hopefully prolongs it’s life a bit more. Reckon I’m now down to pads, 1 spare derailleur and cassette, and a set of Ali Express 4 pot brakes that have never left their box! I also seem to have a random left pedal 🤷🏼‍♂️.

Boxes and a sharpie.
Tyres are a bit more of a challenge..

Had a good clearout recently and took a load of stuff down to the local bike project charity. Recommended, feels good to have less clutter and they use the kit well.

I’ve a decent sized shed…

Not much envious.. I’d be buying a frame jig and brazing kit if I had a shed that big.

I swear I just end up with more junk.

I have a couple of Bisleycabinets for the small stuff(they are ace) .The bigger stuff is in a filling cabinet,hangs from the joists or gets hidden in the attic.The only thing that bugs me, is my ever increasing tyre collection,why oh why,oh why can’t I..just.. stop 😆 🤣 😂