"That Shelf"

Every cyclist has one - a drawer or a shelf or, for some, a whole cupboard wherein lurk: 1) those parts and pieces that come with new bike bits which aren't immediately useful but must be saved! and 2) old parts and pieces off existing bikes that have been upgraded but which are still in good nick and might just be of use to someone again one day. These are solid pieces of metal, rubber, and plastic. They are substantial things that it just seems wrong to simply throw in the bin.

But they are taking up valuable storage space in my small flat and so it's time to have a clear-out.

Here's what I found on "That Shelf" in the cupboard:

Tubeless tyre patch kit. As I don't have a mountain bike, let alone tubeless tyes, I have no idea where this came from. It must've been a freebie from somewhere.

2 pairs red Look Delta cleats - 1 used, 1 new - plus one spare new cleat

1 pair Look PP 396 "Edition Laurent Jalabert" pedals, well worn

1 pair Look Keo Carbons with a big scrape on the left one where, during a training session at Eastway in 2006, I first grounded a pedal on Clarie's Corner. My rear wheel lifted and skipped but I stayed upright and the adrenaline boost powered what was probably my fastest ever lap there. Now that Eastway's gone, these have to be kept for sentimental reasons.

Look Keo cleats - 2 grey (1 new, 1 used), 3 red (2 new, 1 used). Those are individual cleats - not pairs. Since I only ever set my left foot down when stopping, that cleat wears out much sooner than the right and I used to replace them as needed, which was never both at the same time.

These next three items are off of my old LeMond Reno, Greg - my first bike that I bought secondhand from a friend of a friend back in 2005:

• 3T bars, with front reflector still attached - too wide for me
• A pair of flat pedals with plastic toe clips and nylon straps
• 11cm 3T The stem

Of these next three things: I don't remember buying them and can't think why on earth I would have:

• 2 brand-new Specialized Mondo Pro tyres
• 9cm Kore alloy stem, still with price sticker attached (£19.95)
• 1 black plastic Specialized bottle cage

Polar watch handlebar mount and a good selection of zip ties

3 wheel magnets

2 tubes Vittoria tub glue

1 puncture repair kit

4 punctured inner tubes, 2 good inner tubes

2 blue Michelin Pro2Race tyres, used but not at all worn

1 pair Veloce brake calipers, new, from which I've cannibalised the brake shoes

11 pairs of insoles - 7 for running and 4 for cycling shoes - all redundant now that I have custom footbeds or orthoses in all my sports shoes

I use custom ovalised rings, so have the following round ones spare:

• Veloce 34T
• 50T chainring from an FSA SLK compact chainset
• 1 pair Record CT chainrings - 34/48

Plus a complete Stella Rapido compact chainset and bottom bracket. I love this crankset but had to take it off of my Legend when I installed the ergomo power meter bottom bracket. They just wouldn't fit. Maybe I'll put them back on now that I don't use the power meter any more.

A nylon spider bag containing: small saddlepack, 1 metal tyre lever, 1 plastic tyre lever, 2 grey Keo cleats, CO2 inflator with 3 cartridges, Blackburn mini pump and frame mount, Cateye rear light (no mount). I don't know where the thing is that I'd need to mount the saddlebag. Maybe it's in "That Box" of stuff at the back of that other cupboard...