Ok, "insanity" is a little extreme in the title, but yesterday was the final straw - so I had to do something.
My "house of cards" style of shop organization where I continually sabotage myself by piling $hit on top of $hit is ... well, $hit. Whenever I try to accomplish the most basic of tasks I am running the risk of setting off a domino effect. A very expensive domino effect.
Since MX forks are expensive and don't like to be dinged or chipped, I created the following storage solution to head this problem off. The project took less than ~ 15 minutes and cost less than $10. Here's the BOM:
(1) Quantity 1 Home Depot Homer bucket - $5
(2) Quantity 1 rubber-sealed lid from the Home Depot paint section - $2. The rubber seal = KEY because it prevents the lid from spinning when the forks are bumped/twisted (I tried without the rubber seal, no bueno).
(3) 2-1/2" (64mm) hole saw - $10 for a kit, but I assume you already have this because you're a VitalMX'er and a bad@$$
(4) Quantity 1 shop towel/handful of shop rags for the bottom of the bucket to protect adjusters and keep things put/discourage rotation - $3
This Fork Storage Bucket solution is awesome for the following reasons:
(1) Effective!
(2) Versatile - can put wherever other $hit isn't --- and it's easily moved, even when full of forks. Corners of garages LOVE to host these buckets of forks.
(3) Cheap - less than $10
Hopefully this helps others in a similar boat!
Forking heck mate!
Im too poor to have fork problems like this LOL
If you have only 1 fork in the bucket will it fall over?
I did something like this before but used a 44 gallon plastic trash can
(1) Why so many forks?
I like to experiment. A lot. Plus, over the years, I've acquired a LOT of stuff + I am in the process of rebuilding these forks + I always retain OEM forks if I swap out for A-kit.
(2) If you have only 1 fork in the bucket will it fall over?
No, it doesn't. I just angle the fork slightly toward the center (and it stays given the towel in the bucket) so it's stable. Alternatively, I just run the fork as vertical as possible and orient the fork toward the corner of the wall - or some other area it might lean against, if needed.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Oh, man!!!! Rider 5280 is speaking my language! Bravissimo, sir!!!
Cool idea! I would think if you poured some concrete in the bucket and cut some thick rubber as protection, there would be less of a chance for it to fall over.
More stability...?
Snap the lid on, flip the bucket over and cut the holes in the bottom instead of the lid.
As a painter, that's how I walk a bucket. Upside down. Good idea.
More of this on Vital, bravo!
Great idea, and inexpensive!
Real dumb question... But is it good to leave forks stored inverted like this? Was told by a road race tech not to
If the fork is in good condition, it shouldn't cause any problems.
Some oil can migrate up on top of the free-piston in most modern forks, but it will drain back down as soon as you flip the fork over to install it.
The same can happen if you lay the bike (or just the fork) down flat for a few minutes and pick it back up.
Otherwise, the cartridges are sealed and so is the outer fork tube assembly.
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