Suggestions for catching the wet mess falling off my bike

[Likes2ridefar]

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[fiamme red]

I let the snow melt off my bike in the lobby of my building or in my hallway outside my apartment door. If the latter, I use a mop to clean up afterwards, so that my neighbors don't complain about the dirt.

[Ti Designs]

A plastic catch bin for an oil tank would do the trick. If you hang the bike a catch bin for a hot water tank would also work and take up far less space.

Funny story: I have two pairs of the same shoes so if one pair gets wet I can use the second set the next day. One set did get wet, and when I went to put the second pair on I found that they were also wet. The lesson here is don't store your dry shoes under your wet bike. (and I'm an idiot sometimes)

[Likes2ridefar]

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[drewski]

I live in an apt in NYC and it's not an option to put my bike somewhere other than inside my apartment after a ride.

Has anyone come up with a solution to contain the foul grime that drops off the bike after a nasty winter ride?

Right now I have a tarp folded underneath it, but it's not ideal and is quite messy in it's own right.


Do you use a snow/foul weather bike?


I don't if they have them in NYC but at hardware stores there are these
catch basins for washing machines that you are supposed to use
to meet code in case a washer malfunctions.

They are plastic and white and are the size of a typical top loaded washer.
I would think 2 of these could do the trick. When they are dry and not being used you could stash em underneath a bed.

[fiamme red]

My bike would most likely be stolen if I left it sitting out in the hallway.You must live in a tough neighborhood! Then just keep watch over it for 10-15 minutes, until all the snow has melted.

My suggestion won't work if your hallway is carpeted, of course.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[tele]

what about putting the bike in the tub? i dont know if you have a significant other to get by, but this could just be an executive decision.

[AngryScientist]

way back when i lived in an apt and was mountain biking, i went to a flooring store and asked for a remnant of limolium (spelling?) - its basically the fake tile flooring you find in kitchens, bathrooms etc. its nice and thick, comes in a roll and is very heavy duty, plus, if cut neatly, actually looks like flooring should look. i kept a rectangle area of that in a corner and let the mud drip onto it. wipe up with a rag every so often.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[Likes2ridefar]

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[Likes2ridefar]

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[Ti Designs]

I shall look in to the catch bin, though I've no idea what they look like.

It's a big plastic bin with a couple inch lip. The ones for water heaters often come with water alerts so if the water heater fails they sound an alarm instead of flooding the basement. The ones for oil tanks are much harder to find but I know of a HVAC place that has them.

[drewski]

I'm possibly paranoid, but most likely not:) It's Inwood, Manhattan. It has the lowest crime rate in the city, or nearly so, anyways, but I see no need to add to the statistics.

That is near my old stomping grounds. I grew up on 183 and Ft
Washington. When I was living there we would go mountain biking
up in Van Cortland and it would make a mess. Putting the front bike wheel on hook from the ceiling and having some kind of home made catch basin
might work. You could also put in little de-humdifier to dry off the bike.

On a side note:
One of the things about those apartments is that are usually
always way too dry because of the radiant heat if its one of those
pre war buildings up in Inwood, you might need to invest in humidifier.

[Peter P.]

Here's what I do:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4414809277_143e097222.jpg

The mat on the right is much more durable than the one on the left; I bought them from different stores at different times. I bought the preferred mat from a True Value hardware store. They come in a variety of lengths, or you can try a Grainger Industrial Supply (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml) or McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/).

[Peter P.]

No message. Duplicate post.

[Chad Engle]

Boot trays from Lowes or Home Depot. Made for setting dirty shoes on when you enter. Get one for each wheel. I use one under my dog's food and water dish to protect the floor.

[54ny77]

Like others have said, use some sort of catch bin if your bike hangs. Suggestion: get a tough plastic cement mixing bin at home depot, per my search at HD site the 57th st. location has 'em. It has a nice sidewall that will hold the gunk without splashing, which you can then later dump in sink, toilet, wherever.

Here, this one's about 27x25x6.5": http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Concrete-Cement-Masonry-Concrete-Tools/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xlbZarh8/R-202086173/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Costs about $5 for the medium (which is fine, or go big and get the $11 version). Black plastic, simple. Or, grab something similar from Kmart on 34th, or Target up in the 100's on east side.

Or you could move to the 'burbs, but that's a much more expensive proposition...

[Louis]

How about a few of those thick beach towels?

[EDS]

I usually fill up a water bottle or two with warm water and squirt the bike down, then dry with an old towel or paper towels before I bring it in.

[DRB]

Room for two dripping bikes.

http://www.buyautotruckaccessories.com/categories.cfm/cf-bin/cn.cargo-liner/gid.102004002/

[vqdriver]

beat me to it.
this is a weathertech rubber floor mat for the chevy tahoe 3rd row. you can get different lengths/widths that match your bike by experimenting with other cars. best of all, they come in your choice of tan or black :)
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/popup/?type=more&image=L2ltYWdlcy9wcm9kdWN0X2ltYWdlcy9pbWFnZXMvd2Vh dGhlcnRlY2gvVzI0NDQwMDMzLmpwZw==&title=V2VhdGhlcnRlY2ggRmxvb3IgTGluZXI=&text=V0VBVEhFUlRFQ0ggRElHSVRBTEZJVCBGTE9PUiBMSU5FU iwgTU9MREVEIFBMQVNUSUMsIEJMQUNLLCBTT0xEIElORElWSUR VQUxMWSAtLSBNYWRlIG9mIEhpZ2gtRGVuc2l0eSBUcmktRXh0c nVkZWQgbWF0ZXJpYWwgdGhhdCBhbGxvd3MgZm9yIGEgcmlnaWQ gY29yZSBmb3Igc3RyZW5ndGggd2hpbGUgb2ZmZXJpbmcgc3VyZ mFjZSBmcmljdGlvbiB0byB0aGUgY2FycGV0OyBGZWF0dXJlcyB hZHZhbmNlZCBzdXJmYWNpbmcgdGhhdCBtaW5pbWl6ZXMgZmx1a WQgbW92ZW1lbnQ7IEFsbG93cyBmbHVpZHMgdG8gYmUgcmVtb3Z lZCBlYXNpbHkgb25jZSB0aGV5IGFyZSB0cmFwcGVkOyBBY2N1c mF0ZWx5IGFuZCBjb21wbGV0ZWx5IGxpbmVzIHRoZSBpbnRlcml vciBjYXJwZXQu

[Fixed]

sorry o.t. but do you ever get to Dizzy's Club Coca Cola ?
cheers