Another Day in Paradise

Hand-built tire rack with storage area

For 2013, I am hoping to make my blog more involved and informational so that people who follow it will come away with some good ideas that they can start doing of their own.  One of my biggest pet peeves as a rider and mechanic of my own bikes is a dirty shop.  I will never work on bikes if they are dirty or if the shop is dirty.  It has become a regular thing for me to clean the shop twice a week by vacuuming and wiping down the surfaces.  In addition to keeping the shop clean, I also like to keep everything organized so it can be easily found. This past weekend, I rearranged the shop again and put my home-made tire rack in the middle of my work benches.  Previously, it had been hidden by the family trash cans but now it's easily accessible for storing wheels and tires.  I also added two more shop lights so that it isn't as dark when working at night.  My next plan is to make a suspension holder that will stand on the side or front so that I can safely store forks and shocks.

Pit Posse Bead Breaker and Tire Changing Stand

Another thing I have gotten recently is the Pit Posse bead breaker and tire changing stand which will help with making the dreaded Techtube/Bib Mousse change.  To make things easier, I mounted mine on a 5/8" thick piece of plywood which keeps it weighted down.  A more intensive route would be to mount the tire changing stand to the cement floor and have quick-release pins so that you can easily pop it on and off.  That is all for today, but I am going to try to document more of the day-to-day shop and race preparations for the 2013 season.  Pictures are always cool so I will take more!