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Tuesday, February 20

My Hangups

There were certain aspects of moving into a smaller home that I knew would fall into place quickly.  It doesn't take to long to figure out that the bed goes here, TV there, etc.  Other things, I was hoping would just reveal themselves in due time.

I had 75% of my bike storage issues sorted out in just a couple weeks with the Topeak Dual-Touch bike stand and Solo Bike Holder.  Only my tarck bike was homeless.  I'd gotten so used to just keeping it in the corner of the large living room of our old place, AKA the "satellite office."  Essentially, I just put all my work-related shit in the back corner where it could be sort of ignored.

So my tarck bike was shuffled in the new house from one corner of the living room to the next and finally found itself in the smallest room of the house, The Pie's home office.  With her desk, our home computer, two office chairs, a small filing cabinet, box fan and a suitcase still full of number plates, trophies and medals, it was not ideal.

It was a pain in all our collective asses.  That and we're still a many steps away from making her office a save haven for foster puppers and kittehs.  Cute as they are, they're a smaller furry army that could put Sherman's March to the Sea to absolute shame.

I stared at the walls in our bedroom and thunk.  I'm not a fan of larger master bedrooms.  I see them as wasted space.  I do three or four things in a bedroom, most of them in the bed.  I don't need a lot of floor space to get dressed or primp in front of the full length mirror.

One day, the thinking finally produced a real result.

I'd been sitting on this for months now:

The Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder.  What makes it different from other wall hook type bike holders is that it can swing 70° left or right to optimize space.

The only problem being that I was having a hard time figuring out how to optimize all this optimization.

After staring at the bedroom walls (and submitting my plan to The Pie for final approval), I came up with this:

Yeth, it's slapped up right against our bedroom closet door.  I was able to put small table underneath and some hanging hooks for my other messenger-related sundries.  I also hung up the Endurance Magazine cover, as I've now taken over this tiny space as my new satellite office.

So how's it working out?

A simple push and the bike swings entirely outta the way.

And then I can get into the closet unhindered or annoyed.

I'm pretty stoked that the solution was that simple.  By hanging the bike super close to the door, The Pie won't get stabbed in the eye with a handlebar if she's stumbling around in the dark trying to take a stealthy pee in the middle of the night.  The bike is low enough that I won't be marking up the ceiling with the tire, but high enough that I can fit some kinda furniture under it (a trip to Ikea is more than likely in my future).

I'm so glad that I didn't rush this job.  I had considered hanging my tarck bike in a bunch of places all over the house, but none of them would have worked out this well.  If you're pinched for bike space in your house, I highly recommend looking into this thing.  When I'd initially watched this video, I have to admit that I didn't get it.

I do now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

No dry place outside the house? I mean, a work bike?

dicky said...

I don't like leaving any of my bikes outside of the house. I'd like them to remain my bikes and not become someone else's.

When I come home on a rainy day, I'll leave it on the porch until it stops dripping.

Anonymous said...

You'll be surprised how good bearings and seals are these days. But I'll hear you...

dicky said...

Well, the bearings in the headset are fine. Sealed Cane Creek. The front wheel is toast, and the bottom bracket is a cheap sealed unit.

The back wheel is straight up track, Suntour Superbe Pro. Hardly a seal in it.

That said, it's not so much about moisture. It's that I want my bikes inside where I sleep and where the barking dogs reside. Makes me feel all warm inside.