Friday, August 18, 2006

BUILDING A BIKE WORKSHOP!

Yeah, you read that right! Captain Balance has finally realized I'm serious about this bike thing...only took 1 1/2 years but who's counting?

I was complaining the other day about having no room for my 2 bikes, my son's 2 bikes and all the gear, lubes, work stand, tools, etc. Right now it is all in my downstairs family room along with my sewing stuff, a couch, woodstove and my treadmill. It is also the main entrance to our home. I just have NO room. We have a big, really big barn but I don't want my stuff in there because whatever is in there seems to become "communal" property to all the in-laws and there friends, a philosophy I don't get because they take stuff without asking, maytimes damage it, then never put it back. This has happened with snowmobiles, vehicle tires, on and on. I'm big on RESPECTing other people's belonging, asking premission and returning it in better shape than you got it. And my bikes, tools, gear is MINE. Selfish, maybe.
My son and Captian Balance have free access to all of it (the bike shop), Bike Boy 2 has limited access to it, because I trust them to care for it all and put it back.
I took a personality test once and this was a main characteristic of my type of personality. DONT take my stapler at work without asking me!!! I have my NAME on my stapler, I will KNOW if someone has used it(joking)! I am the way I am, I don't apologize for THIS part of my personality. I apoligize in advance for the rest of my personality :)

So all this week in the evenings Captain Balance has been milling the lumber. It will be about 21 x 15, heated with propane or oil-drip stove, full electric, lots of windows, a ramp rather than stairs. Bikes stored on one end, work table and stand at the other end, lots of shelves, pegboards for tools. My Space. Captain Balance is calling it my DogHouse, so he can send me there when he's mad at me (What I'd do NOW????). "Michelle, go to your shop!!" my reply "OK!! WooHoo!!" and do the happy dance.

I am borrowing Bike Guy's Sidekick's road bike. It has carbon fiber fork and seat stays, drop bars and aerobars. I don't know how my shoulder will do with the drop and aero bars. I had riser bars put on my road bike, shoulder couldn't handle the weight distribution from the drop bars. Sidekick wants me to buy it, he's outgrown it. It is SOO NOT SET UP FOR ME. I feel way too stretched out on it to where I can't reach the brakes very well. I was going to switch stems from my bike but the cables on sidekick's bike aren't long enough to use my stem. I could go with even or a "little" lower than the seat. Sidekick's bars are 3-4 inches below the seat right now and I still need to raise the seat as it is too low for me right now. I might as well be folded 90 degrees. That is not comfortable to me.

Anywhoo, I am looking forward to getting some rest this weekend. The weather is still POURING RAIN. I purchased some neoprene shoe covers yesterday from the bike guy and I went to Walmart and purchased some waterproof neoprene gloves today. I think I may try to find a waterproof helmet liner with a flap that extends down the back of the head to help keep my long hair dry when I ride in the rain. So far I have only found them in stores in Canada. I will have to see about exchange rates and shipping. I really want to keep my hair dry if possible. it takes forever to dry and it is not appropiate to be soggy in my workplace.

Bike Guy's shop got broken-into. Smashed out the door and frame, grabbed 3 bikes and miscellaneous stuff. Grab and dash. That really makes me mad. It been a rough go for the Bike Guy, bikes damaged in shipping, dropped into water, break-in's. I hope it gets better.

4 comments:

The Donut Guy said...

I'm jealous.

I wish *my* wife would build me a shed.

No wait, that would be a bad idea, she would probably make me live in it.

steve said...

Without looking at the bike... Something like Tektro cyclocross brake levers might do the trick. I have a set on my road bike, the levers go on the handlebars on each side of the stem, and mean I don't have to go down in the drops to use the brakes. They're also significantly more powerful than the regular brakes, and have a barrel adjuster to easily tighten/loosen the cable. Riv look a bit overpriced there, I'm sure mine only cost about CDN$25 at my LBS.

I don't know if a helmet cover (such as this one from MEC) is necessarily your best bet. If you insist on keeping your long hair, I suspect a hooded rain jacket would be your best bet, then you don't need to worry about your hair falling out from under the cover. Probikekit just had some on clearance, but it looks like they've sold out. It might be worth keeping an eye on there as they have stuff like this pop up fairly regularly - I think the jackets were going for around CDN$35.

Tim said...

Building your own bike shop? Sweet.

Relatives who borrow your stuff without asking? Pain in the ass.

It pays to have a reputation as an over-the-top obsessed cyclist. Even my wife and kids leave my bike stuff alone. My in-laws wouldn't even consider messing with it.

Michelle said...

I suspect my husband has secret motives for building me my own little shop, he won't have to worry as much about all the time he spends in HIS shop doing his projects because I will be tinkerin in MY shop! It's all good!

The hemet cover from MEC looks like EXACTLY what I need for my hair - Thanks Steve! The hood on my raincoat blocks too much of my peripherial vision. I don't like that.

Most of my in-laws are great, the "whats-yours-is-mine" sect causes some issues occasionally. I will have to lock up my shop though.