Indoor Bike Storage

Simple living, extreme early retirement, becoming and being wealthy, wisdom, praxis, personal growth,...
Post Reply
brookline
Posts: 184
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:53 am

Indoor Bike Storage

Post by brookline »

I need to store the following bicycles off the floor in my small city condo with high ceilings: adult man's road bike, adult woman's road bike, young girl's hybrid bike, woman's folding bike, large Burley bike trailer. The girls/women's bikes all lack crossbars which is limiting storage options.
What do people recommend? Large hooks mounted to the wall? A pulley system like this: https://www.containerstore.com/s/gar...E&gclsrc=aw.ds ?

FYI: There is no garage, no tool shed, and I don't have access to a workshop to fabricate a rack.

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Indoor Bike Storage

Post by Sclass »

Well you have high ceilings so that’s a plus.

I did this in grad school with a low ceiling. I made a rail along the wall with uni strut (stolen from the physics lab stockroom). It had a little trolley on it with a pulley on some para cord that I could hoist the bike up as high as it would go against the wall. Which was pretty much dangling over my couch. Wish I had a picture. Visualize an elevator on the wall that could lift a bike up to the ceiling. I just screwed hooks to the little trolley that are available at the local hardware store.

With a high ceiling you can make a pulley system that hoists up the bikes. Best to hook the bike at two points so it doesn’t rotate around like a modern art mobile all day.

You can make something like this with minimal fabrication. All the pulleys and hooks can be gathered up at a hardware store. Use found objects to make the hooks. Things like old rebar, big nails, bed springs, etc..

Image

Image

This kind of hardware. No need to spend big money on a manufactured system. I think these are actually expensive systems but with some smarts and macramé you can rig your own.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Hardware-Ch ... ey%7D%3Aqu

ETA - I would be very tempted to try to make this without pulleys. You may be able to get pretty far with a bundle of para cord, some knots, loops and rings made from the necks of discarded drink PET bottles. Modern bikes are pretty light.

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Indoor Bike Storage

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Fwiw there is a product called a top tube adapter that allows you to add a temporary top tube to a bike frame that doesn't have one for the purpose of hanging a bike on a rack. It's another product to buy and you have to install / remove it whenever you want to store or ride the bike.

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: Indoor Bike Storage

Post by jacob »

Upside down hanging from the wheels (rims) on hooks in the joists.

shaz
Posts: 420
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:05 pm
Location: Colorado, US

Re: Indoor Bike Storage

Post by shaz »

I am partial to hanging vertically (front wheel up, back wheel down) from a hook on the wall (front wheel on the hook, bike perpendicular to the wall). If studs are not in convenient locations, I first mount a 2x4 on the wall parallel to the floor, then attach the hook to the 2x4. I clear enough floor space so that the rear wheel can be only an inch or two off the floor for ease of use.

Safety note: If you have hydraulic brakes, don't hang your bike upside down. Your brakes can go squishy and you may need to bleed them to restore good braking.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Indoor Bike Storage

Post by Ego »

I agree with shaz about hanging vertically. I have four bikes hung like that right now. The harder it is to get them up and down, the less likely I am to use them. I found a few of these velo hinges at the swap meet. https://www.rei.com/product/870951/feed ... orage-rack They allow me to swing the bikes flat against the wall or out into the room, depending on how I need the space.

Post Reply