Loaded For Bear

"BikeWorks" very nicely provides red shop aprons for us to wear while we volunteer as bike mechanics.  Visitors can wear an apron as well although theirs are coloured black to help distinguish who is a volunteer and who isn't.

After many shifts of wearing the red apron, I decided that having one big pocket on the apron wasn't going to work for me.  I found it too difficult to fish around for whatever tool I needed.  I needed something more organized to hold the handful of tools that I use on a regular basis.

From having taken in my bike to United Cycle for repairs, I knew their mechanics wore overalls with many pockets on the chest flap and I thought this was an excellent way to retrieve tools.  So there is no confusion when I empty my pockets, I use my own tools.

A convenient way to access tools

On the far left (right in the photo) is a pen which can also be used to check the smoothness of bearing races by running the ballpoint along the race.  Next is a mini flashlight which comes in very handily when needing to read a tire size or catch a glimpse of the inner workings of a shifter.  Next is what is called a "Quik Stik" - one of the best tools for tire removal and on the far right is my chain - checker.  The longer end of the chain - checker can be used to let the air out of a tire.

Down below most of the tools is a cute little pocket which nicely holds a picker made from a shortened and sharpened spoke.  Convenient for poking out the gunk from any number of crevices.

My left pocket holds a Zed shaped allen key and my right holds a bike tool and a pocket knife which has many uses.  Not only for cutting zip ties but I like to use the flat screwdriver blade to clean off jockey wheels.

I guess I should have looked for red overalls so that cyclists visiting "BikeWorks" would be able to tell that I'm a volunteer and not a mechanic visiting from United Cycle.