The time I have available to ride is diminishing constantly it seems, and I’m really trying to get more efficient. Does anyone have a storage solutions for cycling kit that they really like? I’m picturing a shelving/bin system, or a valet/caddy system that would allow me to have all my shoes, socks, kit, helmet, glasses, gloves, pump, co2, gels, nutrition, etc. in one place. This would allow me to spend far less time getting ready to ride, and it would also help me quickly put everything away when I get back. When I only have two hours to be away, I hate spending 30 minutes getting ready to get out the door, or putting kit away when I get home. So, anyone got something like this they developed over the years they really love?
Not so much a storage solution but my trick is to have everything ready and laid out the night before. In even point my shoes in the right direction. For random trainer workouts I keep a single complete set of training kit in a bin next to my trainer. For me 90% of quick start is just ALWAYS storing everything in exactly the same place.
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2nd this. Night before prep, and keeping everything in the same place always. Time spent finding stuff is wasted time!
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Helmet and sunglasses hang right next to my bike, co2/tube/tire lever/multi-tool always live in my saddle bags on each of my bikes. The night before I setup all my bottles & food (pre/during/post-ride) and I choose all my clothing the night before. This is makes it real quick to get ready in the morning, and you could even batch most of the night before stuff and setup a weeks worth of most of those things.
Anything that goes into my gear pockets lives inside my helmets. Gels, etc live in the fridge. Everything in pockets before going out the door. Nice and simple.
Wait… what? Gels in the fridge? Never heard of that – surely by the time you use them, they’re ambient temp anyway, right?
They totally are. I’m actually not sure why I do it 
Only thing is if everything I make the night before goes into the one place there’s a better chance of collecting everything the next morning.
I finally became an adult and put a set of drawers in my workout room; drawer for jerseys, drawer for bibs, drawer for socks, etc. Now everything has its own little place that it gets put away into. Rather than the single drawer that seemed to be the alternate entrance to Narnia based on the rate that things went missing when they were put in there.
That and a spare laundry hamper right beside it means that items of kit don’t have to go far at all to be put away or be ready to be washed.
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It’s not for organizing socks and jerseys, but I re-use gatorade endurance bins for gels & chews. I like it better thank keeping a half torn box around.
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My fuel shelf, from left to right: gels, bars, chocolate protein powder, energy drink mix, unflavoured whey protein, unflavoured electrolyte mix, homemade flapjacks / energy bars.
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Cat5Gear makes a pretty cool bag that I use to store all that stuff (except the pump). Put the bag on a shelf behind my trainer. Also makes it very easy to take the gear on road trips…and keep it self contained throughout the trip (important with three kids worth of stuff packed in too).
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My shelves.
- Top row helmets
- 2nd row is general storage
- 3rd row is gloves, various bags (phone pouch/handlebar bag/etc), bottles
- 4th row hats/caps, jackets/vests, gels/food/drink mix
- 5th row training bibs, socks, lights
- Bottom row shoes
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Yes this is huge. I try to do this as much as possible, but I share my pain cave with two children as a game room, and having things laid out for after work doesn’t always go according to plan ;). BUT, for those early Saturday morning rides, laying things out the night before is heaven as I kit up still half asleep.
Now we’re talkin, I’m really liking this. I think I’m going to look at Ikea’s wardrobes. Then I can hang all my kit, have cubbies for gear/nutrition/etc.
This is great, I’ll be incorporating something similar. Thanks!
If they’re available where you are, OXO Good Grips food containers are perfect for (literally) keeping your powder dry.
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I’m lucky enough to have a room in the basement I get to myself. I walk in there in street cloths and come out fully kitted up with my bike and ready to roll. The reverse happens at the end of every ride.
The only thing not in the room is hydration as my bottles and mix live next door in the laundry room where the water faucet, and refrigerator, are. Except for my water bottles, nothing I need to ride (including my bike) is anywhere but that room unless it is being washed or I am using it.
As for storage tips, for clothes, I have a dresser but most everyday stuff ends up living in 2 plastic clothes baskets, one for clean, one for dirty. That works great if you have the room. I keep my gels and bars a in a little 3 drawer plastic storage thing on a shelf, one drawer for food, one for spare tubes, one for misc ride related small stuff (i have other drawers for maintenance parts and tools). I have a dedicated charging station with a 5 port charging block and cables which can handle all my electronics at once.
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I’m going to bump this in the hope of seeing more ideas. I am at my wits end trying to organize everything. Bikes in the dining room, stuff on and under the credenza/buffet thing, kit hanging from the showerhead, food in the kitchen, clean kit pouring out my dresser drawers, jackets in hall closet, warmers and gloves and shoe covers… well… everywhere. I’m drowning!
I have a couple storage bins with dividers on my closet shelf with helmets and shoes in them. I put the rest of my seasonal gear (warmers, toe and shoe covers, gloves, socks, head covers, etc) in the remaining spots. Jerseys, bibs, and jackets are on hangers. Gear that’s not in season is in vacuum sealed bags under the bed. Food, powders, etc., are in a box on top of the laundry room shelving.
How often do and will you cycle in the current season?
I will ride three times per week until December. Twice indoors, once outside. That’s three sets of kit, paired up and folded on the right hand side of my drawer. I only have one drawer.
Kit:
1 thermal bib and jersey, 2 bibs, 3 socks, 2 jerseys, 1 base layer, 1 long gloves, 1 rain gilet
As pbase says, unseasonal stuff is packed away for spring.
Stuff I have too much of is recycled.
Once used, it’s in the sports wash bin. All are cleaned at the weekend, dried and put back in the drawer the same day.
Kit locations:
- Drawer
- Wash bin