Organizing My Bike Stuff... By Repurposing Odd Items
I’ve had a DIY Peloton for about six months, and I’ve already changed its setup in my house at least three times. This is how I do most things, really. You have to live with something for awhile before you know what will work best for you! I’ve reorganized my kitchen cabinets twice since moving here. I just recently did a little decluttering and reorganizing of my closets. It’s how I relax. Anyway, when I initially moved my bike from my guest room to this little alcove in my living room, I just moved my whole setup as it was to a new place. It wasn’t working out, so I started looking into different ways of organizing all the stuff that you need alongside the stationary bike.
Before, when I just moved the exact setup from my guest room to the living room.
After (Don’t you love taking photos months apart at very different times of day? Not a single color true to life! It’s fine!)
I was using this cart to hold all the bike stuff, but I wanted something a little nicer and more intentional if it was going to be smack in the middle of my living space. I bought this shelf on Etsy, and even had them customize it a bit from the original listing, and it’s great. It holds my shoes, my towels, Clorox wipes, and even a few faux plants for a bit of polish. That got a lot of stuff off that cart, and had the added benefit of making it all easier to grab. Then I was left with a few bits and bobs (which until yesterdayI kept in one of those fabric boxes on the floor) and my mat.
I already mentioned how hard I was finding it to figure out a way to store my yoga mat while also maintaining my dedication to aesthetics. The answer, it turns out, was umbrella holders! I shopped around a lot, and couldn’t find one that I liked as much as the CB2 one mentioned in that post. I didn’t want to spend $100, but then the stand went on sale (not hugely on sale, but enough!) and I ordered it through my local CB2 store so I could get it shipped for free. When I was in the store ordering it, I chatted with the sales rep (because I am MIDWESTERN) and told her about my plans to use it not for umbrellas but for yoga mats and she thought that was genius. So I left feeling very impressed with myself and glad that I had splurged on the umbrella stand I really wanted.
You’ll notice there’s another little thing in there with the yoga mat. It’s a sock holder! I started using Injinji toe socks when I was riding (to help with foot pain, detailed here) and I like to keep them near the bike. I also looked all over for something that would hold my weird little socks, but also fit in my new, streamlined, aesthetically pleasing setup. This tall acrylic holder is perfect. It holds all my socks in a nice little stack and fits in the umbrella stand perfectly. The secret? It’s a toilet brush holder.
I spent quite a bit of time scouring Target, Michael’s, and Home Goods for a sock holder. Initially I was thinking of using a utensil holder, but most of them were too wide and/or ceramic, and I wanted something that wouldn’t break easily. I also looked at bathroom organizers, but they were either too small or too big. Then I saw this toilet brush at Home Goods and thought, “Now that’s what I need!” And you know what? I was right. It’s perfect.
The secretary? From my parents. The bookcase you can see a tiny bit of on the right? From my parents. And of course, the weird little box.
The last thing I needed to find a place for was my weights. I was using a weight stand, but there was no good place for it where it was out of the way but still accessible. Then I remembered this funny little box I got from my parents. A little backstory: When I moved here I had to leave behind almost all of my furniture. I had virtually nothing to fill this house. But lucky for me, my parents are 1) Collectors of antique oak furniture and 2) Were downsizing and trying to figure out which parts of their collection they would have to part with. By giving furniture to me, they could free themselves of a lot of bulky pieces without actually getting rid of them, and I got far nicer furniture than I could afford, to fill my otherwise empty house. For some reason I wouldn’t let them get rid of this odd little box, which has two fold down doors. It has spots for labels on the front, and we also had a lot of antique card catalog drawers when I was a kid (my mom is a librarian and did you know a card catalog holds cassette tapes perfectly? We had a whole card catalog of cassette tapes), so maybe these are some kind of library thing? No idea. (If you know, please tell me!) Anway, now it sits under this secretary in my living room and holds weights.
Now I have a great little setup for my bike that doesn’t turn my living room into a utilitarian gym, but I still have all my stuff within easy reach. I guess what I’m saying is, my secret to organization is to never let yourself be held back by how something is meant to be used. An umbrella stand, a toilet brush holder, and a mysterious antique can become whatever you want them to be.
