I love what I'm doing day #334

Wow, my "I love what I'm doing..." series has almost been going for a year. I wish I could say that I was more faithful with the 'daily' posts... Although, it is pretty cool to look back at all my shenanigans over the year.

Today was the first day of school for us second year medical students. I started out by meeting a classmate in the morning and then we rode our bikes to school. It was pretty reminiscent of elementary school.

The morning was filled with ice breaker activities or, "MS2 Field Day". Our team did really well and we even managed to win a few events.

Lunch was spent catching up with classmates, and laughing at what we knew the first years were going through back in Alaska.

In the afternoon I got immunizations, a PPD, and a locker assignment. ALSO, I got a magic card that lets me into the Health Sciences Library 24/7. No other UW students get access like that to campus. (What does that say about how freaking hard this program is??)

My hand was really killing me in the afternoon (I broke it mountain biking two days ago) so I cut out early. I got home just in time to snooze with my wife before she headed out for work.

I do have a pretty good life.

Go DAWGS!!!!!!

Bike Desk, a guide to do-it-yourself

I love what I'm doing day.... I'm not really sure what day this is supposed to be.

First let me start by saying, sorry I've been gone and, thanks to my wife for reminding me to blog.

Secondly, is this desk the shiz or is it not?

Badassery from Kickstand Furniture. (http://www.kickstandfurniture.com)

Although that question was rhetorical, let me be clear... This desk IS the shiz.

I really wanted one for studying last year but didn't want to buy it just to move it down to Washington. Also, it is pretty pricey.... Worth every penny for sure. But alas, I'm not only a student but a med student, the poorest kind of poor. ($200,000 for tuition alone!!)

I decided to try making my own version of the Kickstand Furniture desk. It turned out pretty well and only cost ~$140. It's not nearly as beautiful as Kickstand's but it will get me through boards next summer.

Below are the steps I used to make my desk. (Feel free to try it but I assume no liability!)



I started with a standard metal commercial grade rack. (It is important to find one with adjustable shelves.) I also choose a fairly large shelf so that it was stable.

800 pounds per shelf... THAT should be able to support my fat @$$.

I cleaned out the air mattress from our last guest visit. (Sorry Gracie, I'll put it out again when you want to come back!)

Awesome trim/paint/flooring not included.

I measured my trusty Cyclops tire block to make sure that I set the bottom rack at the right height, no need to have my desk feeling like it's constantly going up or down hill.

Be sure to measure for the low point on the tire block, the outside is higher than the middle!

I set up the rack with just one shelf on the bottom. Remember that the bottom shelf is subbing for a front tire rest that you would normally use when on an indoor trainer, set the level accordingly. (Although, it can be adjusted later if needed thanks to the handy dandy adjustable shelf-age)

It helps to set up the shelf near a window, since this will be your 'office view'.

I set a second shelf up on the rack to serve as the desk top support. I estimated the height that I would need, not forgetting that the countertop would add an additional two inches.

I took one of the other shelves that comes with the unit and traced it on the bottom of the counter top piece. (The counter that I choose was a precut/prefabbed piece. I bought a 4' length shelf because the shelving unit I bought was 4' wide.) I cut out notches on all four corners so that the top would fit on the shelf, i.e. the cuts that I made left room for the supports of the shelving unit

Counter with corners cut out.

Close-up of the corner cut outs.

I put the counter on the second shelf to make sure that it fit.

Pretty good cuts for a med student!

A look from above.

Close up of the sides.

Side view of the cuts.

Then I mocked up the bike with a trainer. I was sure to use a trainer mat to both protect my floor and keep the height ratio for the front and back wheels the same as it would be if I was riding for a normal training session with a front tire block.

Looks level...

The cockpit looks good...

Knee clearance is good too!

Now that I knew it was at a good level, it was time to secure the counter. I choose to use C-clamps. (I could have also drilled holes and bolted the top to the shelf but I wanted to have the option to adjust during the coming semester until I got it just right.) The metal plates in the picture are steel framing joint supports, they serve to spread the load of the clamp bottom across several of the wires on the rack.

Love the color of these clamps.

I clamped all four corners.

The plates used for support under the shelf.

The finished product!

So, there you have it... A quick, inexpensive, and structurally sound bike desk. If I like this and use it consistently, I'm totally ordering a Kickstand Furniture desk for my practice after residency!

A little inspiration for those long study days... I mean, long days in the SADDLE.