Ten Innovative Solutions for Storing Your Bike
Thursday, October 13, 2016
This post is an updated version of an article that ran in the March 2014 issue of Cycle California! Magazine.
You have a beautiful pristine bike and very little space to store it in. The apartment you’re renting or the tiny house or condo you overpaid for doesn’t have much space and you don’t want your bike competing with your other athletic gear in a closet or stored in a weather-exposed shed or on the patio outside.
The following bike storage solutions are in no particular order. In terms of style, they range from functionally utilitarian to uber cool designs that allow you to display your two-wheeled beauty like a piece of art.
Each system offers a different solution to a space problem. Some are wall- or ceiling-mounted or secure to the floor in some way. Depending on whether you rent or own your space and what type of floor/ceiling or wall space you have, there is an interior system of storing your bike for you.
Gravity Systems
Or, bike as objet d' art. The Delta Cycle Michaelangelo RRS 2-bike storage rack sets up on the floor, leans against the wall and holds two bikes. The reinforced steel tube rack assembles easily (no drilling or special tools needed) and the hooks that hold the bikes to the rack are fully adjustable to accommodate two different sized bikes.
Another gravity-style system is Topeak’s Dual-Touch bike stand, a pole that extends floor to the ceiling and uses tension to stay in place. The Dual Touch comes with two mounts and can accommodate two additional bikes, holding up to 157 pounds of bike.
Quarterre Studio, a design outfit in the United Kingdom, offers the Branchline, a sustainably-sourced bamboo stand that frames the bike and leans against the wall. The arms are adjustable to accommodate different sized bikes.
Standing on the Floor
Quarterre Studio also has an artful bike stand: The Shadow. Demonstrating that form is function, this floor stand can accommodate most wheel sizes. Essentially a single sheet of folded steel, the piece is hand-finished with leather trim. The friction base supports the wheel to keep the bike perfectly balanced. The beauty of this stand is that you can locate it anywhere you have floor space.
Wall Mounted Racks
If you have limited floor space, gravity racks or floor holders might not be for you. Another option is to use your walls as a canvas to display your bike. Wall-mounted systems artfully display your bike like a portrait. Of these, one that caught our eye is The Bike Shelf. Produced by Knife and Saw, a San Francisco Bay Area-based company, these shelves are built like fine furniture and are made of hickory, white ash or walnut. They can be ordered in two sizes. Because they are designed to be shelves, you can also store essentials such as a helmet or gloves on the shelf above your bike. Or, your fav Stephen King novels!
Another wall-mounted approach to storing your bike, The Hood, is produced by Quarterre Studio. This folded steel rack is hand-finished with a leather sleeve to protect the bike's finish. Like the Bike Shelf, The Hood secures the bike by its top tube. It is designed with an angular cutout to house a lock.
Amazing Disappearing Bike!
Ceiling-mounted racks make your bikes disappear above your head! The Saris Cycles' Cycle Glide attaches to the ceiling and can hold up to four bikes. This one, which is better suited for a garage rather than a domicile, hangs the bikes upside down. It's designed for multiple bikes with space for the handlebars.
Another above your head storage solution uses a pulley system to hoist your bike to the ceiling. The Racor Home Storage Products' Bike Lift uses a rope-and-pulley system that mounts to the ceiling. Raise and lower a bike weighing up to 50 pounds up to 12 feet by latching the seat and handlebars to the hooks and pulling on the rope. The rope locks in place, holding the bike in place and you don’t have to be super strong to loft the bike toward the ceiling.
Take a DIY Approach
Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Buy heavy-duty hooks and a length of chain from your local hardware store to hang your bike from the ceiling.
If you have wood-working skills, try using one-and-a-half inch wooden dowels and embed them in a wall to mount your bike. The beauty of this solution is that you can buy the dowels in any length and cut them to size. Simply position the dowels on the wall just high enough so the bike’s tires stay on the floor.
These solutions help create space where there is a little to be had and offer answers for when you don't want to store your bike on a patio or balcony, where it might be stolen.
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