Categories: La Vie VelominatusTradition

La Vie Velominatus: The VVorkshop

If the road is the cathedral where we go to worship at the altar of Merckx then the workshop must surely be the rectory. The workshop of the Velominatus is semi-sacred space where one goes primarily to sharpen one’s tool of worship. In so doing, the workshop also provides a space in which to meditate on the machine, make repairs from rides gone by, and prepare for rides to come. The workshop may not be the space where we engage in our most revelatory work, however, the work we do there both before and after each ride is no less important than the work we do in between.

Though we have no Rules governing the workshop, I suggest the following is what constitutes good workshops:

One’s workshop must be well provisioned. Like any suitable place intended for rejuvenation, the workshop should be well stocked with items such as spare tubes, a few tires (even if they’ve been retired but could still be used in a pinch), extra cable and housing, cleaning supplies, lubricants, and greases.
The workshop should be kept organized. Each tool has its place and once used should be returned to that place after it has been used and cleaned. There’s no greater satisfaction than knowing exactly where your chain whip is, for example, and being able to find it in that spot in clean, ready-to-use condition.
The workshop should be able to be well lit. You try getting that perfect bar tape wrap in a dimly lit dungeon.
The workshop must be well equipped. You are only as good at maintenance as your tools. And for Merckx-sake, invest in a shop stand.

Old parts are worth keeping. Mind you, you should know their history and discard them if they’re unsafe. But you never know if you’ll want to use that old saddle, stem, or frame again. Having a box or two of miscellany around goes a long way toward piecing together that next Rule #12 acquisition. And when you find yourself in the role of Cycling Sensei, those old parts could take on a whole new life and meaning for your Pedalwan.

Beyond these basic guidelines there are other considerations one can make in order to give their workshop an even more shrine-like aura. Your workshop or workspace might include some or all of the following:

Cycling accouterments from by-gone era. Anything from that classic LeMan poster to old PDM jersey hanging on the wall that ties your space to our sport’s traditions and history is just plain cool in your workshop.
Audio-visual gear. Put a radio, iPod, or T.V. (for watching classic cycling videos only) in your workshop.
The hallowed bike. Maybe you’ve still got the retired steel Raleigh on which you reached your first podium, perhaps you own a Team 7/11 Huffy, or still have that randonneur whip from college with 20,000k of stories from one year on it to tell. In any case, if you’ve got a steed with panache, give it a worthy space in your shop.
Old couches and recliners are well worth it if you have the space. If you can create a clubhouse atmosphere in your workshop so that when your mates are over they can chill on that old flower-patterned couch or Naugahyde Lazy-Boy you’re doing a community service. Add to that a fridge for some cold malted beverage and you could start charging a cover.

Similar to our varied bikes and certainly to the vastly different places we all profess our devotion, our workshops are no doubt reflections of our own uniqueness as cyclists. That said, just as the Rules bind us, the spaces we retreat to in order to sharpen our tools should also provide us with a modicum of comfort in the familiar. In other words, I may not know my way around your kitchen straight away but if it’s a well appointed kitchen it shouldn’t take me long to learn my way around and start making good food. Take a minute to share what you appreciate about your workshop (or workspace if it serves secondarily as a living room or kitchen). Additionally, maybe you can share a workshop tale. For the workshop should not be overlooked as an integral room of the church in which we pray.

Marko

Marko lives and rides in the upper midwest of the States, Minnesota specifically. "Cycling territory" and "the midwest" don't usually end up in the same sentence unless the conversation turns to the roots of LeMond, Hampsten, Heiden and Ochowitz. While the pavé and bergs of Flanders are his preferred places to ride, you can usually find him harvesting gravel along forest and farm roads. He owes a lot to Cycling and his greatest contribution to cycling may forever be coining the term Rainbow Turd.

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View Comments

frank says:

Nov 28 2011 at 9:13 am

@Cyclops

Last season a mate gave me about 80 VHS tapes with all the grand tours and classics starting around '98 up until '04 so I got plenty of motivation while sequestered to the back room through the winter.

Sounds like a much better use than the old config. One question, what's a "tape" in general, and "VHS" in particular?

@Oli
+1
frank says:

Nov 28 2011 at 9:23 am

@Bintang

And for Merckx-sake, invest in a shop stand.

Any recommendations for a good shop stand?

Park makes some good ones, as do Tacx. There are two main approaches to stands - clamp-style and fork-mount style. Then there's folding ones for easy transport, and models that bolt to the floor. The clamp is quick and easy, but we don't like squeezing our tubes too tightly, so be careful. Fork mounts are flexible and feature in A Sunday In Hell, which means I really feel that's the way to go.

I use a clamp-style stand because it was given me by my Cycling Sensei and I've never prioritized the cost of replacing a perfectly functioning stand over other bike gear. Just make sure its solid so it doesn't fall over and you'll be in good shape.
RedRanger says:

Nov 28 2011 at 9:57 am

Since I don't own a stand, I tend to use my trainer when I need to work on the bike.
Cyclops says:

Nov 28 2011 at 10:17 am

@frank
VHS is to DVD as LPs are to CDs. They just don't look as "warm".
frank says:

Nov 28 2011 at 10:36 am

@Cyclops

@frank
Reel-to-Reel film is to DVD as LPs are to CDs. They just don't look as "warm".

Fixed your post.
Souleur says:

Nov 28 2011 at 10:53 am

my workshop is half a double garage detached from the ole cabin. Handy distance from the VMH, handy for me to go wrench in when she cycles herself. so i do.

Mine is a shop for not only the bikes, which was its primary purpose...bike work area, work shop, storage, but also for the Landcruisers which I love. My FJ60 and FJ80. I also wrench on my lawn mowers, and tractor an old Allis-Chalmers, so it serves a great purpose. On the wall is my posters, my ribbons, my numbers, a 'dirt rag' steel worker poster here, a bunch of Velodrome retro posters there, and a standup coke machine working/buzzing quietly in the corner. CD player and radio cockeyed in another. My shop sounds like ChrisO's generally, but I admit, my sin is it is dirty, it is utilitarian, it is in use almost daily. On the work bench are various lubes are scattered, at least 3 bins of grease that I know of, in a corner are a bag of rags, hanging from rafters are tyres, wheels, the lites are dim, the drawers are usually left hanging open for access to the tools and a few are left on the table because I always find a use for my Park 3 way 4/5/6mm wrench. Hanging on the board are various used cables, housing and all encircled one another, and a old whiskey jug in the opposing corner. The trash bin is full of wrappers, boxes from bar tape, and empty bottle of Rock-n-Roll Gold, and tubes hang off the corner of the stand, which i am prepping for repairs soon. I even have a mouse, who is nestled in behind the spare parts chest, who i haven't been able to run off. Its a rather disorganized mess, except in my mind, where I know where every single bolt, nut and driver is at, every spare tube, patched or not. I was always taught a working shop is never clean, as there is something more important to be done, such as is maintenance. Your never done.

I admit my sin when i own it and my shop doesn't look at all like the above. Chapeau for those who do, I admire that and will attain it one day!
eightzero says:

Nov 28 2011 at 10:56 am

This is a great piece. A really nice contribution. As others have lamented, the architecture of my current humble abode prohibits a shop. However, that does not keep me from lusting after others, and pondering how to remedy the situation. I have basically 2 choices:

1. Rent a u-storage place, and accessorize it properly; or
2. Replace my beat to fuck garden shed with a pre-fab outbuilding outfitted for the job.

#1 certainly has less up front costs, and has the advantage of being able to share with other local Velominati. I could see a small cogality (!) forming something of a meeting place so as to labour undisturbned by non-VMH honey-dos. OTOH, this option also carries with it the inability to do quick tasks without commuting;

#2 costs more, but is more in tune with the needs of the job. It's just...difficult to arrange the logistics. Properly sized, it can have all the features Marco describes.

All it takes is dead presidents in quantity.
Souleur says:

Nov 28 2011 at 11:07 am

@ cyclops: i must have misread your post, you don't cycle indoors...right? Please tell me I am wrong. You don't basque in the warmth of the house, spinning like a rat in a cage with your VMH rubbing your shoulders the whole entire way, tipping your water bottle up for you between intervals, running to the kitchen preparing your musette on the long spins...please, please don't tell me. I thought there were rules on this???
Marko says:

Nov 28 2011 at 11:20 am

@Souleur
You paint a vivid picture of your space and something tells me it was all from memory. Sounds like a nice little haven. It also sounds like you and I may share some similarities of lifestyle; rural, outbuildings, tractors, welders, self-reliance. In my opinion the modern day renaissance man does not dwell in the manufactured culture of dimmed enlightenment and of the Jones' keeping up with the rat race. The modern day renaissance man lives within himself in the pursuit of self-reliance and mastery, and through challenging the status quo.
Dr C says:

Nov 28 2011 at 11:41 am

for fuck's sake - no excuse for this - reflection of my mind probably - need to give up a sport, or maybe the house