Those who know me will say I am a tinkerer. Not many things make it out of the Laboratory (read basement or kitchen counter) to the real world though. But thats not the point, making stuff is a lot like making sand castles, the process of making thing is the source of enjoyment, not so much the finished product. This is going to be one of the many things that will turn out to be a productive member of the inanimate world in which I live.
I was fortunate enough to visit the Tour De Georgia in 2004 and had the opportunity to watch all the pro cycling teams clean and tune up the bikes the day before the race. I was particularly impressed how they cleaned the bikes. Basically they put them up on a stand and washed the heck out of them with a hose and big brushes. Followed by a good cleaning of the chain and cassettes. Each team had a slightly different procedure but generally they all did it fairly fast and there was a lot of scrubbing. What fascinated me most was the type of bike stand they ALL used. Not your normal pinch the down tube or seat post kind, but rather ... well here is a picture, and you will get the idea. I see Park tool sells something similar. Anyway I liked the simplicity of the idea, and thought I could make my own. I'm working on it now and its built out of 3/4" copper tubing and some spare (read visit to the dump) parts. It will be less then $10 when I am done, but do what I need it to do.
I was fortunate enough to visit the Tour De Georgia in 2004 and had the opportunity to watch all the pro cycling teams clean and tune up the bikes the day before the race. I was particularly impressed how they cleaned the bikes. Basically they put them up on a stand and washed the heck out of them with a hose and big brushes. Followed by a good cleaning of the chain and cassettes. Each team had a slightly different procedure but generally they all did it fairly fast and there was a lot of scrubbing. What fascinated me most was the type of bike stand they ALL used. Not your normal pinch the down tube or seat post kind, but rather ... well here is a picture, and you will get the idea. I see Park tool sells something similar. Anyway I liked the simplicity of the idea, and thought I could make my own. I'm working on it now and its built out of 3/4" copper tubing and some spare (read visit to the dump) parts. It will be less then $10 when I am done, but do what I need it to do.
I'm at a prototype stage, and here is one picture of the general idea, and here is closeup of the front quick release mechanism. I don't have something structural to hold it but I'm thinking about a cement pad, hey thats cheap. I will probably just keep it outside anyway 'cause thats where I wash my bike, but I'll have to have something for inside this winter when working on my bike. I'll keep updates posted. Right now I would give the project a C+. Eat was easy and cheap, but a bit awkward to put the bike on.
I need a better idea to "cup" the bottom bracket. Right now the apex of the bottom bracket rests on duct tape padding around the tube. It works, but I need something a bit more sophisticated. I'm also thinking about a few hooks to hold my tools while working.
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