Commuter Gear Storage (at home).
#1
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Commuter Gear Storage (at home).
I'm looking for some ideas for nice/attractive way to store my commuter gear in my bedroom. By gear I mean my helmet, shoes, two pannier bags (used for commuting to work) and a convertible backpack pannier that I use on weekends or when riding downtown.
I keep my bike in our detached garage that is not 100% sealed from outside elements or lizards or "Palmetto Bugs" (giant roaches) that we have in Savannah. So to prevent any early morning surprises from insects/wildlife in my half-awake state before i start pedaling I decided to bring the gear inside each night.
I'm imaging something that would have a hook for my helmet and backpack, small shelf for my shoes and two bars the same diameter as my rear rack to just hook the panniers on to when i come in.
I'd prefer it to be more vertical than horizontal so that it could fit behind an open door or a smaller part of the bedroom wall. My wife supports my commuting and acknowledges that it would be best to store this gear inside.
So I'd like to do right by her and come up with something that my wife could look at without her eye twitching.
Any ideas, links, drawings, photos etc would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Gordon
I keep my bike in our detached garage that is not 100% sealed from outside elements or lizards or "Palmetto Bugs" (giant roaches) that we have in Savannah. So to prevent any early morning surprises from insects/wildlife in my half-awake state before i start pedaling I decided to bring the gear inside each night.
I'm imaging something that would have a hook for my helmet and backpack, small shelf for my shoes and two bars the same diameter as my rear rack to just hook the panniers on to when i come in.
I'd prefer it to be more vertical than horizontal so that it could fit behind an open door or a smaller part of the bedroom wall. My wife supports my commuting and acknowledges that it would be best to store this gear inside.
So I'd like to do right by her and come up with something that my wife could look at without her eye twitching.
Any ideas, links, drawings, photos etc would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Gordon
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Vertical storage on hooks would be a nice, visually attractive way to do it. Haven't found exactly what I have in mind, but here's something: https://www.bikenyc.org/blog/stylish...apartments-nyc
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A small cabinet or armoire might fill the bill, if you can find one with a fairly tall shelf for the panniers. Shoes in the bottom shelf; gloves, helmet, sweatband on the top; and clothes might go in a middle shelf if you've got an extra.
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There was a full time commuter here that had a really nice looking set up for storing his riding gear. I forget his name, but he lived in Minnesota and used to work for the library - there are some posts of him pulling the book trailer with his bike if the search function would work.
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There was a full time commuter here that had a really nice looking set up for storing his riding gear. I forget his name, but he lived in Minnesota and used to work for the library - there are some posts of him pulling the book trailer with his bike if the search function would work.
Here we go. Posts 4 and 10 in this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plu...l#post16329892
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Me too. Haven't heard from him in a while, so I hope he's doing alright.
#8
I've been thinking about converting the perfectly good rear rack I replaced with my QuickTrack Topeak into a holder for my bags when I bring them in the house. Any ideas for how to support it?
#10
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I think you're thinking of @tsl. Rochester, NY, not Minnesota. Lemme dig.
Here we go. Posts 4 and 10 in this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plu...l#post16329892
Here we go. Posts 4 and 10 in this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plu...l#post16329892
Life changes and such, so I don't visit or post like I used to. But I still get the notifications of mentions and quotes.
As for the job, Parking Administrative Services was soul-destroying. I got out of there after 18 months. Now I'm in Buildings & Zoning, providing clerical support to two groups--Low-income homeowner rehab grants, and abandoned structure demolition. It's much more satisfying to help people who want to rehab their homes and also to clear out urban blight. (Although the clerical work probably isn't nearly as satisfying as actually operating the machinery to knock 'em down.)
On topic: I still have the same apartment and storage solutions shown in the thread linked above. The vertical storage racks from Saris and my IKEA storage bench and cubbyholes work perfectly for me. Except when adding more bikes.
Just a couple of weeks ago I found one of those "round tuits" and ginned up these racks for more storage.
Two techniques of using old bars.
The simpler of the two just uses a couple of 3/4" pipe straps. It works fine for a bare frame.
Of course bars and pedals stick out. So when storing a full bike, the storage has to stick out from the wall as well. Using the same 3/4" pipe straps, I mounted a 3/4" x 6" pipe nipple to the wall and dropped a 120mm stem for a 1" steerer over it. Add the handlebar and an old set of 8-speed levers: Presto!
I just have to find another round tuit so I can wrap the bars.
Note that in cycling, tubing sizes (including bars and steerer tubes) are measured using OD (Outside-Diameter). In the hardware store, everything is ID (Inside-Diameter). This explains why 3/4" pipe straps and pipe nipples work for 1" bars and substitute for 1" steerers.
Hope this helps!
And thanks for the mention to bring me back for a day.
#12
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Going back to read the OP, Gordon, how about screwing a towel bar or two to the back of the door (or the wall behind the door) simulating racks, and just hang the panniers by their regular hooks?
It would have to be the old-school small diameter towel bars.
Helmet and backpack can go on regular coat hooks, and the shoes in one those ladies shoe storage thingies that hang on a door--modified for one or two pair as opposed to a dozen.
Spend some quality time poking around the closet and storage department at a home center. You'll see the things I mean.
It would have to be the old-school small diameter towel bars.
Helmet and backpack can go on regular coat hooks, and the shoes in one those ladies shoe storage thingies that hang on a door--modified for one or two pair as opposed to a dozen.
Spend some quality time poking around the closet and storage department at a home center. You'll see the things I mean.
Last edited by tsl; 03-02-18 at 05:53 PM. Reason: typoze
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While at Parking Administrative Services I was able to revive the Bike Locker program in the city's parking garages. I use a bike locker now just steps inside the garage directly across the street from City Hall. Only the handicapped parking spaces have a shorter walk than me--by about 30 feet. Fully-enclosed, Medeco pick-resistant locks, $50 a year rental, what's not to like?
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Great to see you again Bruce [MENTION=55787]tsl[/MENTION]! Glad the new (new) job doesn't suck, and I have a couple old handlebars that are just begging to be turned into sweet racks.
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Glad to see your avatar and know all is well!
I credit your posts on winter commuting for giving me the info and encouragement to get some studded snow tires and go for it. I've got three full winters of snow commuting under my belt, and I think of you every fall and spring when I swap winter and summer tires.
Thanks, Bruce!
I credit your posts on winter commuting for giving me the info and encouragement to get some studded snow tires and go for it. I've got three full winters of snow commuting under my belt, and I think of you every fall and spring when I swap winter and summer tires.
Thanks, Bruce!
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Sadly, no. Indoor bike parking was a library perk.
While at Parking Administrative Services I was able to revive the Bike Locker program in the city's parking garages. I use a bike locker now just steps inside the garage directly across the street from City Hall. Only the handicapped parking spaces have a shorter walk than me--by about 30 feet. Fully-enclosed, Medeco pick-resistant locks, $50 a year rental, what's not to like?
While at Parking Administrative Services I was able to revive the Bike Locker program in the city's parking garages. I use a bike locker now just steps inside the garage directly across the street from City Hall. Only the handicapped parking spaces have a shorter walk than me--by about 30 feet. Fully-enclosed, Medeco pick-resistant locks, $50 a year rental, what's not to like?
#19
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I had thought about this as well. Finding an older rack and cutting it in half long ways then mounting it to a wall or another board or plywood.
#20
I have a lot of extra audio and drum stands around the house, so I would probably mount my old rack on one of those. Not a big project, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
#21
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Going back to read the OP, Gordon, how about screwing a towel bar or two to the back of the door (or the wall behind the door) simulating racks, and just hang the panniers by their regular hooks?
It would have to be the old-school small diameter towel bars.
Helmet and backpack can go on regular coat hooks, and the shoes in one those ladies shoe storage thingies that hang on a door--modified for one or two pair as opposed to a dozen.
Spend some quality time poking around the closet and storage department at a home center. You'll see the things I mean.
It would have to be the old-school small diameter towel bars.
Helmet and backpack can go on regular coat hooks, and the shoes in one those ladies shoe storage thingies that hang on a door--modified for one or two pair as opposed to a dozen.
Spend some quality time poking around the closet and storage department at a home center. You'll see the things I mean.
#22
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Commuter Gear Rack Updated..
The back of the rack are reclaimed from a hardwood that pallet I found. The pallet strips are glued with construction adhesive and tacked with an air nailer to a piece of scrap plywood. This gave it a ship-lap kind of look to it. The top shelf is from a board/plank I found in our attic.
I took an old Bell Sports cargo rack (from my first commuter setup) cut it in half long ways using a grinder with a cutting wheel. I then used electrical cable mounts to attach it to the rear panel of the rack. The top shelf is hinged because i'm 6'ft 2in and this prevents me from having to lean over to make sure the mounts on the back of my panniers find their home. I have the one basket (because I'm not capable of building cabinets) in the center to hold mostly seasonal stuff.. like leg warmers gloves etc. Despite my best efforts with the rustic Ship-lap look I was going for...in the end the all natural wood version got vetoed by the wife because it did not match our aesthetic.
Last edited by Caddywumpus; 04-30-19 at 07:03 AM.
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#23
There was a full time commuter here that had a really nice looking set up for storing his riding gear. I forget his name, but he lived in Minnesota and used to work for the library - there are some posts of him pulling the book trailer with his bike if the search function would work.
I used advanced search; keyword = storage, username = tsl:
These are the Saris Locking Bike Trac, available only through LBSs with a direct account with Saris. The plain, non-locking version, which I have at work, is available at any LBS through standard distribution (QBP, BTI, etc) at about $40 retail.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 04-29-19 at 05:15 PM. Reason: added links, and comment, "Only a sample"
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