What do you use to organise and store all your spare bike parts / bits ?

It fills me with shame to say that all my bits are in a big blue ikea sack.

Also, leant up in the corner, are bouncy forks, handlebars, a dropper post.

Bold of you to assume my spares are organised.

(but seriously, I use an old chest of drawers and sideboard)

Organise?

*wipes tears from eyes*

"Used" bits are scattered around my garage in various boxes and baskets. I really must get around to divesting myself of most of them.

New spares are a bit more organised.

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Under the fridge, behind a bottom end of an old engine, random cardboard boxes, mixed in with some tools and one of those yellow plastic boxes with the movable tubs. It has what I possibly might need, I won’t find it. Will order one then find two after what is probably the wrong part turns up.
Forks and frames go in the loft.

Bisley metal draw unit for some spares: eg cables, disks, spokes, special tools. Some stuff in its own shoebox or similar sized box with a sharpy label: eg stems, hubs, grips. Other stuff, whatever works. Tyres/wheels on wall hooks, bars in a bit of plastic pipe, tiny bits in a parts organiser.

OK, I'll brave it: I'm semi-organised with mine. Achieved one my goals when we moved house a few years ago and (once the house move was mostly complete) managed some organisation when unpacking all my bike shite, rather thaan recreating what I had at our old house.

It's expanded/changed since the photo but the basics are the same:
- Plastic drawer units - great for general shite (repurposed from utility room in previous house)
- 3 drawers filled with glass jamjars with smaller 'stuff' in them, but all labelled. Sort of.
- Most tools in toolbox, now been replaced with a bigger Brand X one with drawers etc from a PSA.
- Big and infrequently used tools plus wheelbuilding materials in folding crates on ground, either side of the subwoofer ('cos tunes matter).
- More spares in plastic boxes on shelves.
- Big pile of tyres above the rafters.

What I have: same as IHN.

What I want: same as scotroutes.

I've a cool little rollcab that came bouncing down the road from a set-to-be-demolished transport depot. All the everyday spares, consumables and bike specific tools live in that. I've also got an ancient cantilever toolbox that has the "bits of historical importance" in it, like the purple control tech bar ends, eleventybillion unsuitably sized chainring bolts and a 7 speed 500lx mech that Noah used on a bike to pedal around the decks of the ark.

I'm very systematic. I put them in a box. When that box is full, I get another box. When that box is full, I get another box...

As above. Box, than another box and so on and so forth.

Good thing about boxes is you can easily forget what you have in an out of sight,out of mind type of thing, so feel justified in spending more than you should need to.

Oh god I recognise some of the approaches above

Esp the fill a box, then get another box - fill that, repeat & repeat.

I know that I’ve used @jamesoz ‘s approach too.

@scotroutes - do you own a bike shop ?
@a11y / holy crap that’s excellent, may shamelessly copy that.

I had a few plastic boxes - spent the last week doing a garage tidy up and re-org.
I've got it down to 2 plastic boxes similar to the middle ones in A11y's pic.
Last week's dump run included - 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers... cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

just a shoebox 😳

Lots of metal shelves with shoes boxes or plastic crate tubs. For smaller bits and bobs, a few Stanley organiser cases with dividers - these work well and are often on sale at Screwfix at £10....

I still have far too much random stuff kicking around though!

Stacking boxes.
I really need to have a sort and throw some of the contents away, i'm pretty sure if i get rid of all the out of date and worn out parts, i'll have a problem storing all my empty stacking boxes, and there will be a noticeable dip in the price of steel and aluminium.

No one needs worn out 9 speed 105 rear mechs.

Last week’s dump run included – 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers… cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

Anyone else thinking of doing this, please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

All the small parts go in organisers, need to have a clearout as have a lot of old stuff (brake mounts & pro2 axles). Rest goes in "Really Useful Boxes", bit bigger than a shoe box.

https://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/organisers/cat831376

I need a warehouse bigger than CRC's. They're all tidied away but in many locations.
Another thing to add to my spring clean and tidy list.

@walowiz - my wife thinks I do!

All my spare parts are in either my office or my garage.

Want to find something specific? May the odds be in your favour.

Big plastic crates of seatposts, bars, saddles, etc.

Smaller plastic crates of pedals, shifters, mechs, stems.

Wall mounted storage boxes of bulk bought spares like brake pads, gear cables, and small parts like grips, headsets, hub parts, seatpost clamps, etc.

Forks and wheels hung from the rafters, tyres hung off ladder hooks.

I like to spread vital parts for a complete system so that only 2 of 3 are available to hand when needed.

Occasionally I do some attempt to categorise in boxes. But invariably one box ie drive train is over flowing. And the spoke box is somewhat sparse so then it becomes the wheels box then wheels become anything that goes on the wheels so a cassette ends up in there with a 180 rotor. But the brakes are in the brake box and the adapters are in the adapters box. The levers are in the braking box naturally but the pads are in whatever bag I last thought I needed to carry spare in. The bolts are in the bolts draw. The gear shifters aren't wheels or drive train so they are in the ahem cockpit box with the handlebars but not the one set of handle bars that doesn't fit in the box, they live with the forks in the bucket of long things that is invariably lying on its side because it's massively top heavy.

There is a dusting of parts that were bought to immediately fit to a bike a minimum of a year ago dotted about various worktops.

Does anyone want a exage300 front road derailleur?

Small bits - a couple of organisers like these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sort-master-organiser-set-3-pieces/2690D - better than the posher tray types as you can remove some dividers to get longer things in.

Big bits - a couple of 64l Really Useful boxes - bars fit diagonally as long as they're not really long.

Chucked out loads of crap last year though, was terrible for hoarding worn out cassettes and the like "just in case". Filled a couple of boxes for the metal recycling at the tip.

Hardly anything round here except for some tools and spare brake pads. I had some bits but I donated them to a local homeless charity. If you have stuff cluttering up your space that you'll never actually use, may I recommend a similar approach?

If you have lots of spares what you'll work out is that you're only a cheap frame away from a complete bike to hang them on. So that bought you then slowly upgrade the parts that were clearly unsuitable last time until you have another complete bike full of spares. Repeat ad nauseam.

please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

Yeah, I should've, although the nearest is quite a distance away, but I was in the tidy-up-re-organise-zone and it didn't occur to me any of the crap might be wanted! Shame cos there was a couple of decent wheels in there too. Hopefully the recycle centre workers do recycle the stuff they pick out.

If you have lots of spares what you’ll work out is that you’re only a cheap frame away from a complete bike to hang them on.

I have half a dozen spare frames in the attic. And forks, wheels, stuff...

I'm with @thols2. Boxes. And a sort of a heap in the darkest corner of the garage. Then there's the tyres... oh god, the tyres...

Last week’s dump run included – 3 Shimano square taper BBs; 3 square taper cranksets, 2 GPX cranksets, 5 saddles, bar ends,
9 shifters (Gripshift, Sram 8 spd, 3 Shimano 9 spd), countless 9 speed chainrings, cassettes and chains, 10/11 speed chains, 4x 11 speed cassettes, v-brake levers, Campag sti levers… cables, computers , just so much STUFF! I quite enjoyed tipping it all in the skip!

Anyone else thinking of doing this, please look up your local cycle recycling charity and donate instead.

This ^ or your local Mens Shed.

All of that would have been useful and a significant step up from some of the crap you find on low tier bikes.

There's a Cyclists Fighting Cancer place about an hour away I deposited about four boxes of 'spares' - including a box of not used anymore but still great condition clothes. The guy was delighted to find a trove of 9 speed mechs in there 🙂

I'm pretty organised. New spares (mostly TX) in one clear box, two for old but usable spares (grips and pedals seem to have multiplied) and 'the box last owned by Pandora' in the rafters that I only open on special occasions if I'm absolutely desperate for a late night skip rat 🙂

Also I will not be taking any questions on tyres at this time 😉

I’ve a decent sized shed…it’s all in there…somewhere.
Boxes, massive toolboxes, reused containers, a filing cabinet, under the bench.

https://ibb.co/VQV99Q9
https://ibb.co/BsmQx5f
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https://ibb.co/QFjksNy

I've hovered over this more than a few time recently...

It's this or a new DH frame for the lad... but this... i REALLY like and would tidy things up lovely. Although i'm not sure where the hoover would then go..... Mmmmmm

Recyke y'Bike in Newcastle got all of mine not so long ago. They were especially pleased with the haul of 26" tubes and tyres. My old Stumpy HT frame has sat in the loft for 2 years, so reckon that might be heading their way too. Hopefully prolongs it's life a bit more. Reckon I'm now down to pads, 1 spare derailleur and cassette, and a set of Ali Express 4 pot brakes that have never left their box! I also seem to have a random left pedal 🤷🏼‍♂️.

Boxes and a sharpie.
Tyres are a bit more of a challenge..

Had a good clearout recently and took a load of stuff down to the local bike project charity. Recommended, feels good to have less clutter and they use the kit well.

I’ve a decent sized shed…

Not much envious.. I'd be buying a frame jig and brazing kit if I had a shed that big.

I swear I just end up with more junk.

I have a couple of Bisleycabinets for the small stuff(they are ace) .The bigger stuff is in a filling cabinet,hangs from the joists or gets hidden in the attic.The only thing that bugs me, is my ever increasing tyre collection,why oh why,oh why can't I..just.. stop 😆 🤣 😂

Could have wept at the post about all that going in the tip. All the obsolete stuff we no longer value is a goldmine for bike charities. 25.4mm bars, square taper etc are still the bread and butter of cheap bikes and can help someone keep on the go.

Doing quite well with my spares at the moment, if you ignore the three eagle cassettes and chains in a box in the garage rafters!
Plastic take away tubs are great for small parts as you can see roughly what’s in them. The big Lurpak tub is a great size for packets of brake pads.

I've been told my living 'standard' puts Steptoe's Yard to shame, but I argue that I know where everything is and it is where it is needed - but it looks like a completely disorganised mess to the untrained eye! It does need sorted though...properly sorted.

I've a 10lt Really Useful Box of drivetrain and smaller parts, mainly just flung in the packaging or a recycled sandwich bag, and a second box with larger items like old saddles in.
Spare tyres are now folded and shoved in the bike stand/rack.

New parts - I only tend to have a spare cassette and chain and brake pads. Everything else is just swapped out or kept 'in case' as a part worn.

Could have wept at the post about all that going in the tip

I'll take a photo next time.

The Zip up IKEA bags are good for tyres. I have two full of MTB tyres and one of road tyres...

I know where everything is and it is where it is needed

This has been challenging for me this year as I’ve been living in another place while our house is rebuilt. Consequently I now have stuff spread across two sheds. The other one is even bigger but shared with my father in law (so I feel compelled to keep my stuff semi-tidy). I’m finding it harder to find stuff in my shed when I go back there as a result.

I like used 1 litre honey/yoghurt containers for spares like pads, bearings etc. Hope ziplock bags are great for bits and bobs.

New parts – I only tend to have a spare cassette and chain and brake pads.

Err, yeah. I can basically do a complete drive train refresh on all the bikes in my garage - chain, cassette, chainrings, jockey wheels. It helps that I've (almost) standardised on 11 speed Shimano, but even then there are various brake pad types (that reminds me - I need to buy some spares for the new bike).

Partly, I tend to buy when I see stuff cheap rather than have to buy at any price when I suddenly need to. It's daft really as I've enough bikes to keep riding for a while anyway. I'm afraid it's just the way my brain works, another sign of my anxiety.

Could have wept at the post about all that going in the tip.

The bike recycle charities don't really exist here. So there's very little alternative.
I mean, i regularly donate stuff to kids in the various clubs round here. But a lot of them are more up to date than i am. (i don't even have a 12 speed bike yet.)

@reeksy

I’ve a decent sized shed…

Sure is, slightly envious.

Bisley cabinets are a good shout.

But maybe I’m looking at this all wrong, as clearly I’m in good company and it is the norm to use box after box & just shove stuff in, or leave it all loosely lying around so it’s impossible to find the bit you are looking for, huge pile of tyres, wheels, etc

This thread shows it’s actually weird to be organised and tidy with bike stuff.

Will see how I go.

This thread shows it’s actually weird to be organised and tidy with bike stuff.

Weirdly organised and proud about it 🙂

Not much envious.. I’d be buying a frame jig and brazing kit if I had a shed that big.

To kill all the spiders and snakes.

No chance I'd be rooting round for something with ten redbacks and a brown snake ready dead mee.

The python can stay.

Screwfix have these 3 organisers for a bargain £17.99 for the three at the moment, bought two lots, one for little bike spares and another for DIY stuff

https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sort-master-organiser-set-3-pieces/2690D?kpid=2690D&gclid=CjwKCAjwge2iBhBBEiwAfXDBRwiE9ro1uslMgL59ElSfCAabY4SzKuS1IxNOPSTrXlatLKa260FeHRoCOpUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Can't say I've loads of spares. Five bikes all different. 3 vintage. I do carry a shed load of Dura Ace Ultra Glide Sprockets for the best bike. Usual stuff like spare chain rings for the MTB's, brake pads, cables. No spare components, other than a fair few wheels.

I expect to see a few Clearout ads in the Classifieds after this thread 😁

Working in a school I have access to scruffy racks of plastic trays. They work well. One stack has mechs, rear, Campag, another has mech, rear Shimano, another mech, rear SRAM, another mechs, rear other. Mech, Front Campag. Baskets hold brakes, disc MTb, brakes, disc , road, brakes rim caliper, brakes rim dual pivot, brake rim canti.
Get the picture.
I have 48 trays. I need more. My inadequete garage, 16x10 holds the loose wheels in the roof. Well most of them. 17 pairs. Plus odds. The road ones. MTB in the shed.
Is there a bike parts anonymous ( junk version)

To kill all the spiders and snakes.

No chance I’d be rooting round for something with ten redbacks and a brown snake ready dead mee.

The python can stay.

"Rooting round" means something different in Oz 🙂

... Have definitely seen a few snakes in the shed. But they're in the roof, by the front door, etc, but they don't interfere and they keep the mice numbers down and they're more problematic. They chewed through my soldering iron wiring, wrecked a stereo that was in storage etc

I've a 20lt box of various bits and bobs - seat-posts, handlebars, stuff that's come from new bike contact point swaps that sort of thing, and a couple of click-lockable boxes for useful nuts and screws, and the like, oh, and some spare tyres in the shed, but mostly my spares are kept here:

I can't see the point of filling up my spare space with stuff when they will happily do it for me, and send it to me when I ask for it.

bucket.

Various boxes and shelves in the garage.

Last time I had a sort out I made a list on my phone of all the spares and parts I have and I keep that list up to date as things are acquired or used.

I've seen bike shops with less stock than @scotroutes, and as for @a11y - I am not worthy!!  I'm a big fan of Really Useful Boxes because their sides are vertical - no good for stacking in a shop, but better for actually storing stuff!

Nearly pulled the pin on some secondhand bisley  drawer units, but each drawer is only 5cm high. What’s the use of that ?

I do know these weren’t designed for bike parts, but still.

I'm pleased with my shed as I've managed to keep enough floorspace to move around relatively easily in there! It helps I've got in the habit of putting things away (if not immediately then a quick tidy up operation the next day). Spare bike parts/bits, in filing cabinets, on shelves, in bottom drawer of tool cabinent, in various biscuit-gift-tins on shelves - which sounds like I've got a lot but most of it is worn out and/or broken. Apart from the handlebars they're in good nick. Spent an afternoon a few weeks ago sorting through the contents of one of the tins. So that's where all the presta dust caps went!

Nearly pulled the pin on some secondhand bisley  drawer units, but each drawer is only 5cm high. What’s the use of that ?

Are you serious? They are the best ones!

I have two, all the tools go in them perfectly. And they come out as perfect trays

Are you serious? They are the best ones!
I have two, all the tools go in them perfectly. And they come out as perfect trays

Ah, I’m planning on using them to store all the bike parts, bike tools, spares etc

I have an SGS tool chest cabinet thing for all the other tools, that’s also close to overflowing.

Nearly pulled the pin on some secondhand bisley drawer units, but each drawer is only 5cm high. What’s the use of that ?

They do a range of different sizes. I like the shallow ones as you have more drawers per unit. Great for tools and smaller items, as well as flat items like disks. Get one of those and one of the 6 draw units with deeper drawers for the bigger items. Then put your current tool chest on top of them.

Yes think I'm going to keep a look out for one of those shallow drawer cabinets too they look ideal for organising/grouping smaller items/components/fixings etc. The bigger cabinets are OK but get unwieldy when you have to rummage through it all.

Nearly pulled the pin on some secondhand bisley drawer units, but each drawer is only 5cm high. What’s the use of that ?

I got one of those, a little document cabinet, free from when an office closed down. I took it cos it looks nice, but I keep small items in it, like brake pads in one drawer, tyre levers & puncture kits in another, bushing presses, tubeless tape, that kinda thing. Still have about 6 empty drawers, but there's still a re-org going on 🙂