What do you keep?

[Uncle Grumpy]

I was just perusing the Shed Thread and it got me thinking about what I/other's keep when it comes to cycling. In the rest of my life I'm very orderly and alphabetical. My records are all alphabetical and my books are by type and alphabetized.

My music collection is alphabetised by artist, and then in chronological order of release for each artist. If an artist released two albums on the one day, then the bar code tells me what goes first. When you have 2000 CDs and 1000 vinyl albums, it pays to have them organised.

If I don't use something other than tool's, books or records for more than 6 months I'm generally good at donating it or giving to a friend or houseless person. My beer memorabilia is all by type and size etc. Other than the shared spaces with the ADHD girlfriend where her piles engulf and swallow my organization, I'm really good about neat and orderly.

I never throw out tools unless they're broken and can't be repurposed. Redundant tools - I'll need that one day, likely within a week of getting rid of it. I give away books sometimes, but not music. Hence the reason I have thousands of the things.

But damn if I can do it with bicycle stuff. My parts are a jumble and I'm trying to pair everything down to just the bikes I ride and the parts to keep them going. And I'm still keeping mid tier freewheel wheel sets I'll never use, frames that don't fit/don't like how they ride or old Campy stuff when I will always use a slant parallelogram derailleur and don't collect old bikes anymore

I have stopped buying old bikes - I have a few frames put away to build up so the itch can be scratched when it strikes.

Or I keep old rear derailleur cables because I can use them again on front derailleurs, bolts galore that I've forgotten what they went to, canti brake straddle cable holder's when I've switched to the Shimano one's because of convenience. Or how many Shimano Lx canti's do I need? It's not like they break... It's a bit disconcerting...

Yep, I keep old derailleur cables for that purpose, I thought I was the only one! I have 25 litre plastic tubs stacked up, all labelled. Stuff is bagged and tagged like a crime scene because I know one day I'll scratch my head to wonder what it's off or what it's for.

Anyone else have this problem?

Problem?

And most importantly, does your significant other approve or disapprove?

She did ask some years ago if I would ever stop buying bike stuff and I said "Only to take up top fuel drag racing". Given I did drag racing some decades ago, she knows it's not out of the question so she just shuts up. I don't drink to excess, don't smoke, don't gamble and the miserable leech housemates I call a family are fed and clothed.

Don't know what she thinks and frankly, don't care.