Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

I have never thought of myself as a horder; it’s just I never throw anything away. This causes a few problems, since we haven’t got a lot of space at home to store many things, so these days my stash of useful of oddities is limited by the size of the shed. As a result, and like any good shed, it’s a work of organisational art ferreting away little bits and bobs here, there and everywhere.

Obviously DIY knick knacks rule the roost. I’ve got rawl plugs in every conceivable size, shape and colour, nuts without bolts, and more flat pack furniture alan keys than you can shake a stick at. I keep all these, knowing more than hoping, that one day they’ll come in useful. My latest re-use of which I’m particularly happy is the cutlery basket from our old dishwasher, which I now use as a beer holder, to ferry up to 8 beers from the shed to the fridge (warm), or fridge to patio (cold). Anyone who can remember their last time in a nightclub will know what I’m talking about.

Over the last couple of years it’s my cycling collection that’s grown the most though, and even though I’m a beginner by most people in the clubs standards, I’ve already amassed an enviable collection.

At the last count I had 7 spare cycle pumps. Spare that is. I already have one on each bike (4 bikes). 4 spare saddles. A surprising 5 sets of spare peddles (2 clipless (SPD), 1 cage, 1 flattie BMX and 1 normal). 11 Inner tubes, OK these aren’t strictly spare, I will throw a tube away once I’ve patched it more than 10 times, and with 4 bikes plus kids it’s probably only 2 or 3 in each size. (See there I go justifying it). Before Christmas though I was able to help an old friend out who was getting his first clipless shoes as a present. Out came the spare pair of shoes, cleats, pedals, a pump. “what’s that, you don’t find you saddle comfortable?, take your pick..!”, so I was right all along to keep them.

Far from being a hindrance, my growing collection means I’m able to use my DIY spares to help store it all! One of my bikes hangs from the ceiling on hooks made out of some thick wire from a wardrobe, wrapped in foam from the sleeves that my wheels came in, (after strengthening the roof with some battens left over from a previous job). But the ‘piece de resistance’ in re-use, is a pair of habitat beech veneer CD holders about 2' by 4', together, in a grid formation designed to hold say 6 or 7 CD’s. I salvaged them after my wife decided they ‘didn’t go’ anymore after we decorated. These little beauties are perfect for storing all of my kit. Each grid is just big enough to stuff a few useful items in. I have my overshoes in one (2 pairs), gloves in another (4 pairs –winter, normal, fingerless * 2), lights, tubes, tools, lubes etc fill the others. It actually does a better of job that it ever did with CD’s.

I’m sure many of you reading this have been able to relate to this, perhaps you can share a few tips. If you’ve never tried it, come on in, you don’t know what you’re missing. Next time you see that old broom handle leaning against the dustbin for collection, put it away in safe place, you never know when it might come in handy...

P.S. that reminds me of the time I had to move a metal shed from one end of the garden to the other, I'd had these two broom handles I’d been saving for years, so I lifted the shed up and put them underneath and rolled it down the garden... happy days...