IF YOU HAVE TO STEP over your snowboard to get to the bathroom, move your bike to open your closet, or sit on your kayak-cum-sofa to watch TV, then you, friend, are a gearhead. And your home is very small in comparison to all that stuff you use in the great outdoors. Lucky for you, there are products to make your life easier. They’re called racks, and they’re not just for the garage anymore. In fact, some are pretty easy on the eyes. They’ll look just fine in your living room (not that you’re the discriminating type, being a gearhead and all). And these wall- and ceiling-mounted racks are a great way to show off your gear, too, since you know that’s what you really want.
BIKES
REI
222 Yale Ave., 206-223-1944, www.rei.com
Sports Solutions Lean Machine, $90: Wall-mounted oak bike rack holds up to two bikes. It’s that whole bike-as- art thing, perfect for showing off your classic Schwinn Varsity or custom Trek road bike that’s too nice to actually get dirty. (Full line available at Sports Rack, see below, and www.sportssolutions.net.)
PERFORMANCE BIKE SHOP
15230 N.E. 24th St., Ste. C, Redmond, 425-643-8122, www.performancebike.com
Bike Hoist Deluxe, $49.99: The company’s own brand. Not oak, but neat-o. With its German-made pulleys and rope-locking mechanism, you can hoist bikes up to the ceiling. Think of the possibilities: You could make a Calder-like bicycle mobile in your living room.
KAYAKS
REI
Harmony Yak Rak Kayak Storage, $50: Holds up to three kayaks and two paddles. You’ll have to buy a new couch, but hey, look on the bright side—three wall-mounted kayaks equals a new dirty-laundry system. One each for whites, colors, and permanent press.
SKIS & SNOWBOARDS
SPORTS RACK
7918 Aurora Ave. N., 206-528-8090, or www.millennianet.com/macracks
Mac Racks, $40-$60: These wooden handmade wall-mounted storage racks are so darn attractive that the manufacturer invites you to “mount them in the living room, mount them in the kitchen, mount them anywhere,” which makes the mind reel. Could skis become the newest trend in home decor? What if you’ve got more skis than rooms? Time for a bigger house?
SURFBOARDS
SPORTS RACK
Mac Racks, $40-$60: Could surfboard plus horizontal rack equal kitchen table? You could pull out the long board for Thanksgiving. Aunt Trudie wouldn’t mind reaching around the fin for the cranberry sauce, would she?
GOLF / FISHING / HOCKEY . . .
SPORTS RACK
Racor/Prostor Home Storage Products makes racks for golf gear ($30-$50), street hockey skates and sticks ($40), fishing rods ($25-$45), tennis stuff ($20-$45), and more. You name it, there’s a way to hang it. Need to get your chain saw out of the way? There’s even a $7 rack just for you. (Full product line: 1-800-783-7725 or www.racorinc.com.)
