Post ride ritual and bike storage

Mr Blister

The bike radar article this week on the pre ride faff got me thinking about if there is anything I could do to make my cycling life easier.

What things do people do after a ride to get sorted for their next one? And the big question - Where do you store your bike? I keep mine in the garage which means a total fafff trying to get it in and out past the car!

Any thoughts?

alan_sherman

Park the car on the street.

crazy88

I keep both mine in the house. It was a pain at first, but you get used to it.

As for a ritual, I get off, take my helmet off and go inside. Everytime!

northernneil

you use a garage for a car and not many bikes, golf clubs, camping gear, tools, roof boxes, rabbit hutches, washing machines, second fridges, piles of random wood etc etc ???

the only person who still uses a garage for a car is my dad

markyboy2005

A couple of wee tips that work for me:

I have two plastic boxes under my desk in the spare room....

1. First Has the things I take on every ride, spare tubes, multi tool, helmet, shoes, gloves etc....I keep all of it in there so that if I am starting from a location away from the house, I just load the box in the car and I know all my gear is there.
2. The other box has all my other bike stuff, spare parts, cleaning stuff etc - when I have some maintenance to do, all my gear is there.

Track pump sits next to both boxes.

Apart from that, I try to make sure I prepare water bottles/energy drinks night before and put them in the fridge (Important here to have cold drinks...), I also lay out my cycling clothes night before or throw them in a bag and into the car.

PPPPPPP.....you know, the 7 P's.

After a ride I always make sure the boxes have the right gear, the clothes go straight in the machine and I'm ready to roll again.

Bike is stored in spare room.....next to front door.

Mr Blister

Using the garage for a car does make me feel old! There would be loads of room for the bikes if I could convince my wife to park elsewhere!

crazy88

I must admit, if I had a garage I think I'd love parking my car in it.

brin

If you find it a total faff getting the bike in and out past the car, how would a potential thief find it?

derbygrimpeur

MAybe the theif would just take the car and forget about the bike?

Ollieda

markyboy2005 wrote:

PPPPPPP.....you know, the 7 P's.

Hold up: Proper Preperation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance.........My one only has 6, whats your 7th?

I also advocate the boxes idea. I have a box for all cycling related clothing and my shoes. Then got a bag full of bike gear and a small box in the bag with stuff thats higher use - chain lube, spare tube etc. Also keep recovery gear in saddle bag on the bike always ready to go.

Yossie

Ollieda wrote:

markyboy2005 wrote:

PPPPPPP.....you know, the 7 P's.

Hold up: Proper Preperation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance.........My one only has 6, whats your 7th?

quote]

Planning is the missing "P".

Day before: get bike off wall in garage, check tyres and give it the once over to make sure the kids haven't been hitting it with hammers again. Lean against garage wall/woodstack. Get kit out of the Big Box of Lycra and dump on bedroom floor in random pile. Put emergency get home pack, tub puncture foam stuff that may not even work properly, 'nanas and bidons next to helmet on window sill.

Morning of ride: get up, put in lenses, clean teeth, get dressed. Triple espresso, glass of bubbly mineral water, brekkie, fill bidons while espresso is espressoing. Go out and crush hills and lesser mortals. Steep is good. Brakes are for cowards. If it's raining, Rules 5 and 9.

Get home: lean bike against wall, have cheese on toast with onion and tabasco, triple espresso and glass of mineral water. If an afternon ride then glass of dry white wine or a large pastis with some small slices of salami may also be had after the triple espresso and glass of bubbly mineral water. Have shower & shave, deal with screaming kids and nagging wife. Another glass of white wine after the shopwer and shave. Second pastis is also acceptable.

Later that day put bike on broken turbo trainer workstand, degrease and wash down, dry, once over for anything that may need loose/need adjusting/etc, oil chain as necessary (gore sealed cables, so no cable oiling needed), put bike back up on wall. Decide if there isd anything that I don't really actually need but would like to spend the kid's food money on. Level of expenditure depends on how they have been behaving since I returned from the ride.

Simples, like. And I didn't even need to read an internet article on how to do it………...

As above: garage & car? WTF? Tell her to shift her pile of tin outside.

Mr Blister

Yossie - I really like your style.

I already have the bike stuff in separate boxes but i think they need sorting into useful and spare stuff. I think my main problem is that I am one of lives "I'll do it later" sort of people and so consequently I always find my bike in a state of post ride disarray. I can always find time for that post ride drink though.

OffTheBackAdam

On Sunday, get back in, flop on settee, turn on Eurosport. I might get the bike out of the car & shove it into the bike shed.

Sirius631

IN. Bike goes against radiator in the living room.
Stretches.
Upstairs. Shower and change into compression gear with jog bottoms and sweatshirt on top.
Down again. Cycle kit goes in wash basket. Prepare Rego Recovery drink.
Strip bottles off bike and rinse.
Wipe bike down with baby wipes and check over tyres.

nwallace

Open Garage
Put lid and trouser clip in box for "common" bike stuff (got a box of stuff for each bike)
go back out to bike
Wheel into garage
exit garage
close door and lock

Only wash them if there's lots of crap on them.

jim453

Compression gear?

dennisn

Mr Blister wrote:

Using the garage for a car does make me feel old! There would be loads of room for the bikes if I could convince my wife to park elsewhere!

Good luck with convincing the wife, but I don't see it happening(personal experience).
There is no way, in a woman's mind, that ANY bicycle is more important than her car.
My advise? Buy a house with a basement. Most women, if you ask nicely, will let you have the basement for your man cave. Once this man cave is setup with your bikes, wheels, repair stands, rollers, tools, weights and other exercise equipment, along with a bit of sweat stench, they will never bother you there.

Sirius631

jim453 wrote:

Compression gear?

High grade lycra longs and long sleeved top, fairly tight on the skin, promotes recovery and reduces muscle soreness. See 2XU and Skins as brands.

jim453

Can I wear them in my oxygen tent?

Mr Blister

Don't wear them in the Oxygen tent!

Bubbles, your Micheal Jackson esque monkey, will go bonkers if you wear them in there. He has a Lycra phobia, or so I'm told. :roll:

AndyF16

jim453 wrote:

Can I wear them in my oxygen tent?

Noooooo! You reach around to scratch your nether regions, buildup of static from your mainly polyester compression gear, resulting spark and BOOM - it's all over :shock:

Mine is generally check distance/AVS, top up cold fluid if not drunk enough on the ride, wash down and reapply lube to bike if necessary, kettle on for a pint of tea and a cereal bar or piece of cake while writing up brief record of route/data, bike back in garage locked up, then shower and change into suitable clothes for next activity

rjh299

Mr Blister wrote:

Don't wear them in the Oxygen tent!

Bubbles, your Micheal Jackson esque monkey, will go bonkers if you wear them in there. He has a Lycra phobia, or so I'm told. :roll:

Hilarious!

BarryBonds

jim453 wrote:

Compression gear?

yup weve all been riding on the road hes giving it nitrous oxide 200ft down. Its hardcore against the tide and on that shingle sea bed. Full respect

Yossie

AndyF16 wrote:

jim453 wrote:

Can I wear them in my oxygen tent?

Noooooo! You reach around to scratch your nether regions, buildup of static from your mainly polyester compression gear, resulting spark and BOOM - it's all over :shock:

Mine is generally check distance/AVS, top up cold fluid if not drunk enough on the ride, wash down and reapply lube to bike if necessary, kettle on for a pint of tea and a cereal bar or piece of cake while writing up brief record of route/data, bike back in garage locked up, then shower and change into suitable clothes for next activity

Do you have a diary or an Excel spreadsheet type thing? Maybe Quickbooks or a cycling derivative thereof?