With gas prices continually rising, you may have switched your mode of transport to cycling, at least some of the time. Whether you ride to work or school, to stay fit or for fun, you will need somewhere to store your bike when you’re not riding it.
The main conventional garage bike storage ideas are floor stands, wall hooks or racks and ceiling hoists.
But how about this innovative idea to store your bikes on the side of your garage? Might be a tad over the top though!
Photo credit: Manifesto Architecture
So which conventional option is best for you? Below are the pros and cons of each.
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Floor stands
Floor bike stand
These are the kind seen at schools and other public places.
Pros:
- They are easy to use, especially for children, as you just wheel your bike into the stand.
- Your bikes are ‘ready to ride’ straight out of the garage.
- They hold multiple bikes.
- They are portable so easily moved around the garage with your changing needs or to take with you if you move home.
- They can be used in the trunk of your car too if taking your bikes out.
Cons:
- They take up valuable garage floor space.
- You need to negotiate your way around the bikes and stand on the garage floor as you move around your vehicle.
Cost: from approx. $28.
Gravity bike stand
These are freestanding bike storage racks.
Pros:
- Vertical storage takes up minimal floor space.
- They are efficient, holding 2 bikes in a small area.
- They are not mounted to a wall, but rather lean on one so are easily repositioned or taken with you if you move (although they can be anchored to the wall or floor if you are concerned about stability).
- They are easy to assemble.
Cons:
- The top bike has to be lifted quite high making it unsuitable for children to use.
Cost: from approx. $50
Bike pole
These are tension mounted floor to ceiling poles with integrated bike hangers.
Pros:
- Being tension mounted, these bike poles are easy to set up and take down. No installation is necessary.
- They can hold 2 bikes using minimal garage floor space.
- They gain stability by being tightened to the ceiling and floor.
- They are easy to move around anywhere in your garage as and when necessary.
- The bike hangers are height and angle adjustable, making them ultimately customizable.
Cons:
- The top bike has to be lifted quite high making it unsuitable for children to use.
Cost: from approx. $60
Wall bike hooks, hangars and racks
These are screwed into wall studs.
Pros:
- They free up garage floor space and are ideal if you don’t have a high garage ceiling.
- They are often the cheapest option.
- They are often quite small so look neater and don’t take up much room if you are short on space.
- Some incorporate useful features such as extra hooks, shelves or baskets which can be used to store your cycling accessories like helmets.
- Some fold away so they are not a nuisance when not in use.
- They can be found as part of overall garage organization systems such as Fast Track Rubbermaid which can organize everything in your garage in one go.
Photo credit: Rubbermaid Products
Cons:
- They need to be firmly secured to your garage wall which makes them more difficult to install. You will need to be able to find wall studs and have basic DIY experience or you will need to employ a tradesman.
- If you decide to move them to another location at a later date, you will be left with holes to fill. This may not matter depending on the aesthetics of your garage unless you are renting or moving home.
- With horizontal racks, you need adequate wall space to accommodate all of your bikes.
- With vertical racks, the bikes will intrude into the garage space unless they are hung in an unobtrusive corner.
- As they protrude from the wall, they can be annoying unless they fold away. They may get bashed into or catch on things.
- Depending on how high they are mounted, you will need to lift the bikes up to varying heights. This will not be suitable for children.
- If you hang your bikes so they float about your car’s hood, you may have to move the car to get the bikes down.
Cost: from approx. $7
Garage ceiling bike storage
Ceiling mounted bike lifts and hoists work like window blinds – you pull the rope to lift the bike and release the rope to lower it.
Pros:
- These use no garage floor space and do not interfere with walking around your vehicle by keeping the walls clear too. They make use of all that unused space overhead.
- There is no need to lift the bikes onto wall hooks or bike poles and stands. No ladders are required.
- They use easy to operate pulley systems to raise and lower your bike and take about 2-3 minutes in each direction.
- They are surprisingly affordable for such a convenient system.
- They are ideal if you are short of floor or wall storage space.
- They are a safe storage option as they cannot be bumped into.
- You can raise your bike to a suitable height to perform maintenance tasks more easily.
- They add an extra level of security from thieves – a bike on a floor stand will be easier to steal than a bike floating in mid air.
Cons:
- They attach to the garage ceiling, so the ceiling joists need to be strong enough to support the load.
- You need to have experience of DIY work to install them unless you employ a tradesman.
- Due to their inherent safety risks, you should only buy good quality products with locking mechanisms that cannot lose control when you are lifting or lowering your bike.
- You need a tall garage ceiling to be able to use such a system. The height should be sufficient for the height of your car, your bike and any clearance required for the hoist.
- Most options only hold one bike.
- They have their own safety problems if not installed correctly or if the maximum load is exceeded.
Cost: from approx. $11