# Garage bike storage... I need ideas



## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Howdy, 

I just bought a house with a two car garage, but the rub is that there isn't must storage in the rest of the house for anything. In addition, we will be down a private driveway where we can't park outside, so we HAVE to park in the garage or three blocks away and walk. The walking is no big deal, I guess. 

I have a sinking feeling EVERYTHING is going to be stored in the garage. Old family heirlooms, Holiday stuff, etc. No attic, not many closets, no crawl spaces for long term storage. It's all going in the garage. We've already done a pretty thorough job of purging stuff we can't live without, so we won't gain much by thinning out further junk. I can do some thinning, but not enough to make a huge difference. 

Which means, storage for our 8 or so bikes (I honestly lost count) is all going to have to be hung up in the garage, most likely from the celling over the cars. 

I'm also going to need to build a work bench, but that is another project. 

What are you all doing for bike hanging and gear storage solutions? Pics are most welcome.


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

I'd re-think"can't live without". For a long time, that list was small, but over the last few years, that list has grown substantially ... a long with a great deal of time, money and happiness. 

I hang my bikes on large plastic covered hooks screwed into the ceiling of the garage and have half of my garage lined with relatively cheap large metal shelves. Both can be found at Lowes/Home Depot. If you need extra storage you can find interesting storage shelves that hang from the ceiling.


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## Tech420 (May 19, 2011)

Just a heads up on something you probably already know; don't hang the bikes upside down if they have hydraulic brakes. You may be able to hang hooks to stack the bikes up towards the ceiling at the front of the garage.


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## Nail Every Trail (Sep 28, 2012)

No room for a shed? Got all of my crap out of the garage and into a new shed a few years back. I love having the extra space to store bikes, mower, tools, random sports equipment etc.


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## XJaredX (Apr 17, 2006)

I have a small shed which doubled as a workspace for my bikes, with shelving and such, aside from also storing an old fridge, various boxes, and my Thule Atlantis cargo box (on top of the fridge). But then my son got a massive Powerwheels. And then suddenly all walking space was taken up. And I couldn't just have my bikes standing there anymore.

I ended up getting the tracks with hooks to hang the bikes from their wheels on the wall. This is what I'd recommend.

For me, I have my Ogre, Bandit 29, wife's old Trek mixte bike all hanging, and then the Big Dummy parked next to the Powerwheels, and everything manages to fit. I could even hang another bike on the wall. It looks silly, though, I imagine it would be easier in a garage.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

We used the simple j hooks that screw in to the support beams. You will need to drill a small starter hole to get these in I am pretty sure. Anyway, those, and and we would hang the bikes from the saddle, nose down, not by the wheels upside down.


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## friz (Dec 2, 2012)

TenSpeed said:


> We used the simple j hooks that screw in to the support beams. You will need to drill a small starter hole to get these in I am pretty sure. Anyway, those, and and we would hang the bikes from the saddle, nose down, not by the wheels upside down.


I always hang from the front wheel only. Is this upside down enough to cause problems?


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

Any space above the garage ceiling? If it's just rafters up there, you can get plywood and store quite a bit of stuff up there. If it's drywall, you can cut a hole in it and install a ladder to create a storage space. Also, it's amazing how much storage space you can get by installing some floor to ceiling shelving on a wall and packing everything neatly into boxes.

For bike storage, I recommend a bike hoist or wall mounted bike rack for any of the nice bikes. Gets them up away from car doors and maximizes available floor space.


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## A1an (Jun 3, 2007)

Check out garagejournal.com for creative ideas. There are a few really good threads with people doing a lot with little space.


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## owtdorz (Apr 26, 2012)

I too have a 2 car garage. I park My lifted 4dr Wrangler and my Grand cherokee along with 1 tandem, 1 road bike, 1 comfort bike and 2 29ers and 2 motorcycles and my Jeep hardtop. Plus misc yard and holiday stuff.
It's a tight fit and can only move one car at a time since you cannot get into the other while both are inside.
All bikes with the exception of the tandem are hanging on the walls.
Lay it out in your garage with both cars parked inside. It will fit.


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## nativeson (Apr 4, 2005)

TenSpeed said:


> We used the simple j hooks that screw in to the support beams. You will need to drill a small starter hole to get these in I am pretty sure. Anyway, those, and and we would hang the bikes from the saddle, nose down, not by the wheels upside down.


instead of going straight into the support beams use a 2x4 first and bolt/screw it into the ceiling. less holes in your house, and it's easier to modify the j hook set up to your preference.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Maybe...*



Nail Every Trail said:


> No room for a shed? Got all of my crap out of the garage and into a new shed a few years back. I love having the extra space to store bikes, mower, tools, random sports equipment etc.


Problem is, it's a steep hillside house on a down slope in the Oakland Hills (CA). Garage is the top floor, living spaces are under the garage. If we do a shed, we'll have to terrace the hillside and build a retaining wall.

It's a thought, but probably more do-able in a couple years when our finances stabilize from this move and needed immediate upgrades to the house (central heat is the biggest one... yeah, no central heat ). I would love to have my own workshop (bikeshop) area. I guess the other issue is that everything would have to be carried through the house, which won't go over well with the wife.



A1an said:


> Check out garagejournal.com for creative ideas. There are a few really good threads with people doing a lot with little space.


Thanks for the link. I'll go check that out.

The garage is basically a sort of modern flat roof construction with open support beams, but nothing to bolt anything to except the 2x6s holding up the shingle roof. You stand inside the garage and look up, you're seeing the finished underside of the roof.

There is no framework down lower I can put plywood down on and make an extra storage deck/loft kind of area. I'm a little afraid to build one because I don't know how much weight the roof beams can support, or what holds them up. I think they are held up only by the perimeter walls. Picture a triangle, but without the bottom horizontal segment. Plus, it just isn't that high up. I'm still in escrow, so access to the house is kind of limited until we close.

I have a bunch of totes of bike parts, 7 or 8 bikes, I need space for a work bench, and space for a long roof box. I would love to throw as much of that stuff up off the floor. I also have a bunch of music production equipment that I don't want to part with.

When we sold the old house, we managed to get rid of 2/3 of our stuff. Most of the rest is pretty solidly not going to go away, but maybe there is a bit more room for thinning it out we can do. Not tons, tho. Our old house had tons of storage, and an attic that went the entire area of the house footprint. The new one, not so much.

I'm leaning towards the bike hoist idea. I can probably make something on the cheap for all the bikes and the roof box, maybe for the extra roof rack parts we don't use very often.

On the plus side, we're going to be 300 feet from Redwood Park, East Ridge/West Ridge loop! Trails out my front door!! :thumbsup:


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## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

Tech420 said:


> Just a heads up on something you probably already know; don't hang the bikes upside down if they have hydraulic brakes. You may be able to hang hooks to stack the bikes up towards the ceiling at the front of the garage.


I store my bikes upside down all the time. Never had a problem with Hydros, Avid, Hope or Shimano but mine are all properly bled.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

sandmangts said:


> I store my bikes upside down all the time. Never had a problem with Hydros, Avid, Hope or Shimano but mine are all properly bled.


Yeah, I'm not terribly worried about it myself. I'll be more worried about my Lefty forks being inverted, and the bleed on the damper, and possible leakage. Come to think of it, I know the damper on my 1st Gen Reba (converted to coil) will leak if turned upside down.


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## Tech420 (May 19, 2011)

sandmangts said:


> I store my bikes upside down all the time. Never had a problem with Hydros, Avid, Hope or Shimano but mine are all properly bled.


I've had issues with my Avid's from leaving it upside down too long while doing some maintenance.


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## Grinderz (Aug 31, 2012)

As mentioned before, go the bike hoist.

Mine set me back $20

Bike Hoist | | Great Gifts at Deals Direct


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## owtdorz (Apr 26, 2012)

You can also build a hoist to fit ALL your bikes on it too as well as buld a hoist for holiday stuff too.


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## dartman2 (Feb 26, 2012)

OP, an option that works for us:

Inexpensive Home Depot hooks, placed at right angles to each other. Able to get either bike off without moving car or other bike (rotate other bike quarter turn to allow easier access). Plus, you don't need to hang a tennis ball to know when to stop your car!


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## cman8 (Jul 27, 2011)

I also hang two of my bikes and I can mount two on the wall with the rubbermaid wall track system. To make more storage space I bult a storage platform out of 2x4s and some plywood, cost me about 40-50 bucks and works well, You can make it as big or small as needed.

















1 Bike is hanging now the other three are down and being worked on or ridden at the time









Bike workspace, at the moment just unloaded a bike thats why its messy.


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

Pimpbot, how tall are the ceilings?

I mounted a rail 7" below my ceiling. It's a simple 8 foot 2x4" mounted to 3 pieces of wood (7" tall) that I screwed into the ceiling.

I hang all my bikes by their saddles off the rail. Staggering forward/backwards direction, I can get 7 bikes up there no problem. If you had a longer rail, you'd be able to get even more.

It's the same as those pulley systems, just a lot cheaper and easier to use. It obviously doesn't work well if your ceilings are too high, but for me it's great.


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## dirttime (Aug 7, 2004)

Here's the way I've done it for years. Couple of heavy duty (250 lb) rated hooks (not the vinyl coated ones that are rated around 50 lbs) and a 2x4. I have up to 5 bikes on it typically.
When my kids were small, I just let it hang lower so they could get the bikes on and off. It's in the middle of the garage, between the 2 cars, and all the way at the back wall. I keep a snowblower and recycle bins etc. underneath. There's a lawn tractor in front of one of the cars, and shelf units on both sides. I've got kayaks strapped up on each side too, above the car hoods. I've tried a few different configurations, but his has been the best. I like to keep the floor space on each side and between the cars open.


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## Bacons (Nov 10, 2011)

I use the Rubbermaid wall storage system (you can find at Lowes). It holds all of our bikes except for the tandem and fattie.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*This is great! Thanks for all the input, everybody!*

I like the Rubbermaid system. I might do that or find some steel bakers racks for the parts and gear. I like the idea of hanging a sort of rail from the ceiling and hanging the bike off it by the saddles. I probably will need another rail for just spare wheels. I have way too many of them that need to be thinned out (craigslisted). Unfortunately, most of them are not really worth much. Probably a good argument to just donate them to a bike co-op or something.

Here's a pick my wife snapped pics of the garage in question. We're still in escrow.... (fingers crossed, the seller agreed to fix the drainage problem that was holding the deal up... so... fingers crossed!!)





Ceiling is 7' on the far end of the garage, tapering up to around 11' in the middle... guessing. The garage also houses the water heater and clothes washer and dryer. I'll need a big laundry table in there as well as my work bench and room for the bike gear.

So we really do need to be able to park both cars in this garage (both A4s, so they aren't very big) due to parking restrictions on the common driveway.

It's gonna be tight, but I think it can be done well. My other worry is that my wife is very picky about how things look. I hope she agrees to 'mess up' the modern lines of the house, at least in the garage. We always wanted an Eichler house, but this has some of that mid century modern feel to it with the open beams and all. See how that pans out.

Thanks again for the input so far. Any more input is welcome. :thumbsup:


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## richardson (Oct 10, 2009)

Definately check out garagejournal.com for ideas. There is a lot of room up above the garage door that could be utilized for storage of rarely used items. On the garage site there are a lot of storage ideas that may be more appealing to your wife as well. Think cabinets with sliding doors to hide the clutter and keep the streamline look of the garage. Good luck with the escrow.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

The style of house where we really want to live (but can't afford... yet):










I loves me some Eichler.

Before landing the current house deal, we actually bid on one of the Oakland Eichlers that needed a TON of work, but didn't get it. The Gods probably did a us a favor. 

It was pretty trashed. They installed pink quartz granite tile throughout, right over the radiant heated floors... oh, and the radiant floor water heater furnace was removed. :nono: No respect for the original design at all.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*I like that set up*



Bacons said:


> I use the Rubbermaid wall storage system (you can find at Lowes). It holds all of our bikes except for the tandem and fattie.


Oh and Mid-Ohio brings back some fond memories...


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*So are you on a*

shared driveway? Your garage looks pretty deep. maybe a bench under the window and storage on either side? I like the open beams. Im seriously thinking that rubbermaid system could prove valuable in my tiny garage and 4 bikes.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Yeah...*



jrm said:


> shared driveway? Your garage looks pretty deep. maybe a bench under the window and storage on either side? I like the open beams. Im seriously thinking that rubbermaid system could prove valuable in my tiny garage and 4 bikes.


I'm seriously thinking a monster work bench the length of the remaining space from the Washer/Dryer all the way to the wall on the right. Also, hanging all of the bikes, roof rack stuff, roof box, and gear from the ceiling or on shelves against the right wall. I'm not sure how much room is left over after the cars are in there.

I'm just hoping there is enough room from the end of the car to the wall for space for my Park bike work stand and room to work comfortably without banging into the front of the car. I have the kind of stand with the big steel base, not the cooler folding style. Hang a good shop light over the bench.

We have a nice big work bench at work where there is a shelf underneath for the power tools in cases, and a big power strip. I could do something like that.

Anyway, I spent some time browsing craigslist today. There are a few out there that look decent. Now, I just need to borrow or rent a pickup truck to move stuff like this it to the house.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*Sounds about right*



pimpbot said:


> I'm seriously thinking a monster work bench the length of the remaining space from the Washer/Dryer all the way to the wall on the right. Also, hanging all of the bikes, roof rack stuff, roof box, and gear from the ceiling or on shelves against the right wall. I'm not sure how much room is left over after the cars are in there.
> 
> I'm just hoping there is enough room from the end of the car to the wall for space for my Park bike work stand and room to work comfortably without banging into the front of the car. I have the kind of stand with the big steel base, not the cooler folding style. Hang a good shop light over the bench.
> 
> ...


looks like youd have more room if the cars were positions closest to the door as well. Its going to be nice to have all that stuff in one place. Maybe you could hang some speakers as well for tuneage.


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)




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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

mullen119 said:


>


Lined up like pretty chorus girls! :thumbsup:


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

pimpbot said:


> Lined up like pretty chorus girls! :thumbsup:


It took me a while to figure it out, but its the only way I could fit my truck in the garage next to to them. Only room for one more bike before I need to rethink it again though.


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## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

mullen119 said:


>


Look really neat, but I bet your front brakes get bubbles at the calipers...


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

patineto said:


> Look really neat, but I be your front brakes get bubbles at the calipers...


That only happens if your brakes are not bled properly. I have stored my bikes upside down for years and never had a single issue.(its actually good for your fork) The shop I worked at stores there bikes that way as well. Its a non issue unless you have a hidden problem.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*I was gonna say....*



mullen119 said:


> That only happens if your brakes are not bled properly. I have stored my bikes upside down for years and never had a single issue.(its actually good for your fork) The shop I worked at stores there bikes that way as well. Its a non issue unless you have a hidden problem.


... there shouldn't be any air in the reservoir, or anywhere else in the system, so that should be a non-issue, unless you didn't bleed, fill, or close it up again correctly.


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

pimpbot said:


> ... there shouldn't be any air in the reservoir, or anywhere else in the system, so that should be a non-issue, unless you didn't bleed, fill, or close it up again correctly.


exactly :thumbsup:


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## jeepergirl17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Eichler lover here too! Selling mine right now in Santa Clara but am now living at the base of the trails near Fort Ord out in the mountains!!

Did you check out the Castro Valley or San Jose near SJCC tracts? Somewhat cheaper in price.

And thanks for garage thread. I am also in the process of organizing all our bikes, but we now have a huge 3 car garage so we have a bit more space than you guys.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Uh....*



jeepergirl17 said:


> Eichler lover here too! Selling mine right now in Santa Clara but am now living at the base of the trails near Fort Ord out in the mountains!!
> 
> Did you check out the Castro Valley or San Jose near SJCC tracts? Somewhat cheaper in price.
> 
> And thanks for garage thread. I am also in the process of organizing all our bikes, but we now have a huge 3 car garage so we have a bit more space than you guys.


Fort Ord is near mountains?

We want to stick in Oakland. We thought about moving to Walnut Creek (Eichlers there, too!) but we like this town, and all of our friends are here... plus, Walnut Creek gets hotter than stink in the summer.


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## jeepergirl17 (Feb 14, 2012)

mountains, kind of. Toro Park/Fort Ord/Carmel Valley area. 

Yea, Oakland is cool. I understand why you are there! Nice part of the Bay Area and close to everything.


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

here is a picture of my Garage

fist try. Didn't work couldn't get my tahoe in the garage in front of the cabinets










current version. Move the cabinets over to the left. The left side is the Bike side and the right side is the car side.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Way2ManyBikes said:


> here is a picture of my Garage
> 
> fist try. Didn't work couldn't get my tahoe in the garage in front of the cabinets
> 
> ...


Nice! I picked up some tool cabinets on an end of year blowout sale at Home Depot. I'm going to get a low rent trailer from Harbor Freight as well. I don't want to buy a pickup truck, but I'm going to need one for the next few months, and a trailer is the next best thing for hauling appliances and lumber up the hill.


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## fire_strom (Sep 4, 2009)

Here are where half of our bikes live. Still working on the other half.


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## fire_strom (Sep 4, 2009)

The others are floating still. Just moved into town and gave up a shed bigger than some of the houses I've lived in. Still working on making it all fit and having room for wife parking and room to work. 
-G


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## gtiboy87 (Jul 10, 2012)

https://


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Nice!*



gtiboy87 said:


> *pic with Sublie*


Whatcha got there? New set of winter wheels? I loves me some AWD. :thumbsup:

So, update! Seller offered to knock some dough off the house to fix the drainage issue.... but not enough. So, we countered a few $k less and they took it! We're in!!

WOO HOOOOO!!

So, we need to get the contractor out there to fix a couple things, install some hardwood or fakewood floors, fix a minor issue with the deck, and we can start moving in.... probably end of January.

Home Depot had some end of year blowout pricing on a set of tool cabinets, so I got that. I'm waiting for Harbor Freight to get back in stock a 4' trailer for hauling stuff... namely an electric dryer and a workbench from craigslist, as well as some other stuff that won't fit in the car.

So we found out we have a nice tax refund coming, so we might blow that on a solar panel installation/lease. :thumbsup: The house is all electric everything with no gas service and poor insulation, so we're expecting a fairly fat electric bill in winter. At least with the solar system, we can offset some of that bill. We would do some insulation as well.

Man, I really wish I had immediate access to the house to start planning some stuff. :madman:

Heh... my wife is busy photoshopping our own furniture and decor in the pics of the house. She's such a graphic design dork.


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## Neuner (Feb 14, 2005)

Just picked up two bike hoists for $7.99/ea a couple of weeks ago. Much improved over the J-hook since it allows the missus an easy way to get hers down.

Bicycle Lift


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Oooooh!*



Neuner said:


> Just picked up two bike hoists for $7.99/ea a couple of weeks ago. Much improved over the J-hook since it allows the missus an easy way to get hers down.
> 
> Bicycle Lift


That's on point!

I was gonna just buy parts and rope.... Make one myself. All of those ones I've seen have been like $25 each, and I figured I could make it myself for better and cheaper. It's looks better and cheaper than I could do myself.

I was going to buy my trailer today at harbor freight. I'll pick up a few of those kits while I'm there.

Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:


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## Neuner (Feb 14, 2005)

pimpbot said:


> That's on point!
> 
> I was gonna just buy parts and rope.... Make one myself. All of those ones I've seen have been like $25 each, and I figured I could make it myself for better and cheaper. It's looks better and cheaper than I could do myself.
> 
> ...


Are you getting one of the trailers for your bikes? If you are, let me know which one and how it turns out.

They are definitely stout enough. After I installed it I was afraid my wife wouldn't be strong enough and the string/rope would slip from her hands so I tested it first. I let go of the rope while I was pulling it up to let it drop only it didn't. It caught and bounced a little. It would have ripped the screws out of the joists before the pulleys broke. The rope catch works really well and holds the bike up in place. The tie on the side is only to hold the rope out of your way. Kindof works like window blinds. Not sure how you would build one with this mechanism yourself.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Neuner said:


> Are you getting one of the trailers for your bikes? If you are, let me know which one and how it turns out.
> 
> They are definitely stout enough. After I installed it I was afraid my wife wouldn't be strong enough and the string/rope would slip from her hands so I tested it first. I let go of the rope while I was pulling it up to let it drop only it didn't. It caught and bounced a little. It would have ripped the screws out of the joists before the pulleys broke. The rope catch works really well and holds the bike up in place. The tie on the side is only to hold the rope out of your way. Kindof works like window blinds. Not sure how you would build one with this mechanism yourself.


No, pretty much so I can haul some stuff without renting or buying a pickup truck. I can already haul 4 bikes on my A4 wagon, and honestly I've only once had to haul three bikes.... Once.

I was going yo buy a used clothes dryer, haul my tool boxes, teevee, bigger, workbench, furniture, maybe some potted japanese maple trees, etc. I'll probably use it for a few months and Craigslist it.

The reviews I've seen on it basically say that it works fine as an occasional use kinda thing, but the hubs need frequent grease repacking to keep from burning up, if you're gonna put thousands of miles on it.


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

pimpbot said:


> That's on point!
> 
> I was gonna just buy parts and rope.... Make one myself. All of those ones I've seen have been like $25 each, and I figured I could make it myself for better and cheaper. It's looks better and cheaper than I could do myself.
> 
> ...


I bought one of these years ago and used it for the kid trailer and it worked perfectly for 5 years. Well worth the money.


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## MI-29er (Jun 5, 2009)

Anyone use these style horizontal storage racks?

LeHigh Crawford Flip Up Storage Rack #FSR13


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## HondaMotocross (Sep 4, 2006)

I have one of those horizontal hangers in my garage, it works great. I got it for only $7 or so at Lowes.


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## MI-29er (Jun 5, 2009)

Does it flex at all with the weight of the bike? Two of my bikes weight 31 lbs. Just curious on how this would hold up.


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## GpzGuy (Aug 11, 2008)

I'm in a similar situation. We just bought a house with a supposed 3 car garage...its only 20 feet deep by 27 feet wide....and 9 foot ceilings with bedrooms over the garage...There is one 16 foot wide door and one 8 foot door which is barely adequate to park 3 compact cars with nothing else, let alone our Armada and Xterra....We have three cars, a motorcycle, 7 bicycles, three kayaks, a car top cargo box, my workbench, 42 inch wide rollaway tool chest, parts washer, golf clubs, hunting, fishing and camping gear, and a lifetime's worth of accumulation of various tools and other garage type stuff, lawn mower, chainsaw, weedeater, and recycle bins....all to try and shoehorn in there somehow. I'm currently trying to build shelves and plan it out. I've finally resolved that my VW isn't going to have a home in the garage, which is okay since it is my daily driver for commuting when its too cold to ride the motorcycle.

Oh yeah and I just remembered that a portion of the garage space is taken by a utility sink, an extra fridge, and the furnace and water heater, and two really unfortunately placed columns... its going to be a challenge...


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*I'm with ya...*



GpzGuy said:


> I'm in a similar situation. We just bought a house with a supposed 3 car garage...its only 20 feet deep by 27 feet wide....and 9 foot ceilings with bedrooms over the garage...There is one 16 foot wide door and one 8 foot door which is barely adequate to park 3 compact cars with nothing else, let alone our Armada and Xterra....We have three cars, a motorcycle, 7 bicycles, three kayaks, a car top cargo box, my workbench, 42 inch wide rollaway tool chest, parts washer, golf clubs, hunting, fishing and camping gear, and a lifetime's worth of accumulation of various tools and other garage type stuff, lawn mower, chainsaw, weedeater, and recycle bins....all to try and shoehorn in there somehow. I'm currently trying to build shelves and plan it out. I've finally resolved that my VW isn't going to have a home in the garage, which is okay since it is my daily driver for commuting when its too cold to ride the motorcycle.
> 
> Oh yeah and I just remembered that a portion of the garage space is taken by a utility sink, an extra fridge, and the furnace and water heater, and two really unfortunately placed columns... its going to be a challenge...


I'm dying to get access to the place to take more measurements and pics, so I get an idea of what I'm in for.... so I can start planning.

So far, I'm thinking of making a network of Superstrut rails on the ceiling to bolt some allthread rod to, to support whatever and where ever. The issue I'm running into (in my mind) is that I hate to run lag screws into the ceiling, because I think it's just a thin board with shingles on the other side. I can bolt to the support beams on the sides, but the rail might sag in the middle under load.

Most hardware stores carry parts for this stuff. I use it all the time for building outdoor sirens and supporting electrical cabinets. It's an erector set for grown-ups!










A bud just turned me on to these trolleys that fit in the Superstrut.

McMaster-Carr

He says he's got his bikes hung up on these in his garage, and rolls them back and forth like picking out a dress from the closet. He pushes the bikes closer together to fit more in a smaller space. :thumbsup: I'm thinking I can make shelves that roll back out of the way, maybe over the garage door.


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## HondaMotocross (Sep 4, 2006)

MI-29er said:


> Does it flex at all with the weight of the bike? Two of my bikes weight 31 lbs. Just curious on how this would hold up.


If you yank on the 2 arms, they will flex a little, as they are just metal rods; but it would take alot more than 35 pounds to bend/break the hanger. You should be fine using them.

I trust my MTB on it, and that should say a lot because i am one of those super cautious, OCD, worry wart guys.


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## wkumtrider (Dec 27, 2007)

MI-29er said:


> Anyone use these style horizontal storage racks?
> 
> LeHigh Crawford Flip Up Storage Rack #FSR13


I have two of these and one is designed to hold two bikes. They don't flex on me, even the one holding two mt. bikes.


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## 2melow (Jan 5, 2004)

pimpbot said:


> Howdy,
> 
> I'm also going to need to build a work bench, but that is another project.
> 
> What are you all doing for bike hanging and gear storage solutions? Pics are most welcome.


Here is what I did. This is my second total garage build out, I learned a lot from our *tight* 2 car garage in the first house.

Get as much as you can off the floor. I epoxied the floor, spray textured the walls thick splatter/orange peel ($30 texture gun found on Craigslist) and put 2 thick coats of stain blocker Kilz on the walls and ceiling. I can spray the garage out with water which is nice, you can eat off the floor when it is clean. Epoxy is the way to go for sure if you want to take it to that next level - it really finishes it off. I built a shelf 2 feet from the ceiling 1/2 way around one side. My wife and 2 young kids have problems getting bikes from the hooks, so I have them in Feedback Sports RAKK stands bolted to a piece of plywood. I could probably get 8-10 bikes hanging if I staggered them a bit. I drive an old car, so it lives outside 90% of the time but I can readjust if needed and pull the car in before bad weather.


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## vicx2ww (Jan 18, 2013)

i cant see the attached image


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## GpzGuy (Aug 11, 2008)

2melow said:


> Here is what I did. This is my second total garage build out, I learned a lot from our *tight* 2 car garage in the first house.
> 
> Get as much as you can off the floor. I epoxied the floor, spray textured the walls thick splatter/orange peel ($30 texture gun found on Craigslist) and put 2 thick coats of stain blocker Kilz on the walls and ceiling. I can spray the garage out with water which is nice, you can eat off the floor when it is clean. Epoxy is the way to go for sure if you want to take it to that next level - it really finishes it off. I built a shelf 2 feet from the ceiling 1/2 way around one side. My wife and 2 young kids have problems getting bikes from the hooks, so I have them in Feedback Sports RAKK stands bolted to a piece of plywood. I could probably get 8-10 bikes hanging if I staggered them a bit. I drive an old car, so it lives outside 90% of the time but I can readjust if needed and pull the car in before bad weather.


I'm actually starting to regret my decision to epoxy my garage floor. The paint seems to be holding up, but I needed 3 gallons to do the floor. Kits sold as 2 gallon and 1 gallon kits...says the color was grey, but the color didn't match! Also, according to the guys over at garage journal, ceramic tile is the only way to go. I don't think I'm going to texture my walls, just paint them. Kilz might work very well as a base coat and penetrate the sheetrock, thanks!


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## GpzGuy (Aug 11, 2008)

Using uni-strut is a very good idea. I just got done making inexpensive cantilevered shelves with 3/4 inch plywood ripped into three 16-inch wide, 8 foot long shelves, with a 1x2 inch furring strip wood glued and screwed along the front edge of the shelf to give more rigidity along the edge and provide a lip to keep stuff from rolling or falling off. I hung these shelves on angle shelf brackets mounted to every wall stud each 16 inches. They are extremely strong, durable, can be hung at any height including above most garage doors, and very easy and inexpensive to make.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Getting close! Papers signed last night, down payment wired this morning, and we should have keys on Tuesday.

Sorry for the picwhoring... but....

Left wall....



Right Wall:



Back wall....



The ceilings aren't as high as I remember. Looks like 9' at the short ends, 12' in the middle. I hope that is enough room to hang stuff and still have room to park cars.


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## jeepergirl17 (Feb 14, 2012)

congrats!


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

I am so loving the look of this garage. Makes me want to do a wood ceiling in my garage. 

Kudo's to you


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Way2ManyBikes said:


> I am so loving the look of this garage. Makes me want to do a wood ceiling in my garage.
> 
> Kudo's to you


Thanks!

The whole top floor is like that. That's one of the things that sold us on the house. :thumbsup:

Downside is, there is almost no insulation up there. Asphalt shingles on tar paper on probably 3/4" plywood. Maybe a layer of bituthene in there. That's about it. It's gonna be toasty this summer in the house, and no AC. :madmax:

We're seriously considering a solar system.

One, there are deals out there where you pay like $3500 for installation, and you lease the panels back for 20 years or so for cheap (and transferable to new owners)... a lot less money than is shaved off the electric bill, so it is a net win. This house does not have gas service, so everything... stove, oven, heat, hot water, clothes dryer... is all on electricity, so we're going to get a monster electric bill. I need to offset that. It doesn't help that there is no central heat, either. That's another upgrade we're considering, if we can get gas service. We have neighbors who have gas, so it can be done... probably not for a reasonable amount of money, tho. Trenches are crazy expen$ive.

Two, putting solar panels on the roof will put the roof in shade, so it won't get so hot in summer. We're told that the roof will also need to be replaced in the next 5-10 years, so that will probably have to happen at the same time.


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

maybe start a thread on The Garage Journal I would love to follow the build up


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## MI-29er (Jun 5, 2009)

Well after searching for a wall mount I decided to make my own out of some old roadie drop bars. The only thing I have to do is have them powder coated. Parts list: 2" x 6" x 3/16 ss plate. SS 3/4 socket weld coupling, 12" x 3/4" SS pipe and old school steel droppper bars with the facatory stems. I had to bore out the 3/4" pipe for the stems to slide in some what easily. Then I used the swedge on the stem to lock it into place. Works great and cost was next to nothing to make. Powder coat will be blue, then the bars will be wrapped in some padding.


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

looks awesome. I think i would consider tape instead of powder



MI-29er said:


> Well after searching for a wall mount I decided to make my own out of some old roadie drop bars. The only thing I have to do is have them powder coated. Parts list: 2" x 6" x 3/16 ss plate. SS 3/4 socket weld coupling, 12" x 3/4" SS pipe and old school steel droppper bars with the facatory stems. I had to bore out the 3/4" pipe for the stems to slide in some what easily. Then I used the swedge on the stem to lock it into place. Works great and cost was next to nothing to make. Powder coat will be blue, then the bars will be wrapped in some padding.


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## MI-29er (Jun 5, 2009)

The reason for the powder coat is this. The drop bars where crome and they had alot of rust pitting. So I sand blasted them. Over time they will rust again. So thats why I'm doing the powder coating.


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

makes perfect sense


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## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

My favorite wall hook is Elfa. It is the only one I found that is easy to use with 2.4" tires. I put all our bikes (9 of them) on the wall. 

And save space in the garage by using ceiling storage racks.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Axe, did you mount a board horizontally between two or more studs or just drill into the studs to mount the wall hooks. Like the hooks b/c i can take um with me when i move.


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## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

jrm said:


> Axe, did you mount a board horizontally between two or more studs or just drill into the studs to mount the wall hooks. Like the hooks b/c i can take um with me when i move.


Just screwed them into studs. Did not want to buy into the whole system with horizontal rails (but I can do that later).

I also alternate height, so that handlebars to not interfere. And I sometimes keep wife's bike on a RAKK floor holder, so that she can take it out easily. Plus a roof hook for BMX bike.

I need a bigger garage.  Wife is looking for a new house recently - that was my only requirement...


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Way2ManyBikes said:


> maybe start a thread on The Garage Journal I would love to follow the build up


Heh... I'm not likely to make this a showroom kinda thing. I'm just getting ideas and probably going to do a low budget potentially ugly garage space build.

BTW, got the keys to the place on Tuesday, mostly finished my trailer, and hauled my tool boxes up yesterday.

Bikes go up today.

I can't wait to get moved in.


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## bikerNik (Oct 23, 2012)

You can check out a few options of what I have used in small apartments and in a garage - a do it yourself option: How To - Building a Bike Storage Rack | Bikes, Biking Resources, Biking Fun

and a commercial low cost option:More Options for Storing Your Bicycles - This Time Using a Commercial Option | Bikes, Biking Resources, Biking Fun


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

bikerNik said:


> You can check out a few options of what I have used in small apartments and in a garage - a do it yourself option: How To - Building a Bike Storage Rack | Bikes, Biking Resources, Biking Fun
> 
> and a commercial low cost option:More Options for Storing Your Bicycles - This Time Using a Commercial Option | Bikes, Biking Resources, Biking Fun


Cool! Thanks! I'm all about low rent DIY solutions to stuff.

I actually bought one of the Performance Bike floor to ceiling pole racks for the temporary apartment. I needed to be able to bring one bike home from work (where I was keeping them in between houses), and the wife didn't like me just rolling a bike into the living room for the weekend.

I picture I'll keep the bikes I use most (the Singular Swift singlespeed and the RacerX29er geared FS 29er) on the rack for easiest access... grab and roll out the door, and string the other bikes up out of the way with the bike hoists.

Still... I think the space is going to be tight. I'm not even sure I can get the bikes up high enough and have room to park a car underneath them.

Well, this weekend I removed the carpet from the downstairs before the flooring guys come in and lay the wood floors down. That's a lot of carpet.



And the trailer came out great. I trucked home my tool boxes from work, and now I'm on the hunt for a decent used electric dryer. I ended up getting the 40x48" Harbor Freight trailer with the 12" wheels. It was pretty time consuming to assemble the thing, cut a 3/4" plywood for the deck, make stake sides (glued and screwed), but it was worth it. It's easy to tow, move around, but naturally, it's hard to reverse, being so short and narrow... I actually can't see it in the mirrors until it'f flipped pretty far around. Also, the hardware that comes with it is pretty cheesy, specifically the hardware around the wiring harness. Wire nuts? Really? ... and no dedicated ground wire. It relies on the bolts cutting through the powder coating on the frame enough to make electrical contact for the common ground on the lights. If I was less pressed for time, I would have run my own separate ground wire to everything, but that's me. In a stroke of massive luck, it turns out my Audi Avant wagon (13 years old, 170k miles, reliable, and still a blast to drive) was already wired with a controller for the trailer lights. And, it all works!



I really should build up the rear stake gate piece, tho. The tool boxes shifted around in the trailer enough to make me nervous. One of the ratchet straps came loose, and I had to pull over to reposition it, and snug them all down again. I really don't want to roll down the freeway wondering if something is going to fly off of it and cause an accident. :eekster: If I had the rear gate on there, it wouldn't be a big problem if a strap came loose... other than losing he strap on the road somewhere.

Another major suck about this new house is that all of our contractors are jacking up their prices on us. It now seems as if I have a lot less budget than before to blow on the garage.  That said, the wife and I are super stoked about the new house! :thumbsup:


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## Grinderz (Aug 31, 2012)

Your trailer needs a flag or your car needs a reverse camera.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Amazing what you can find on craigslist...*

... for a couple of c-notes and some low-speed driving.



I was partway through unstrapping it when I thought I should take some pix. The red isn't going to match anything, unfortunately.



... and the first day of work, the flooring guys got three of the bedrooms laid down. This was cheapo carpet on Saturday, and bare plywood subfloor on Sunday.


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## Happycoop (Feb 10, 2013)

IMHO the self supporting double height bike racks are hard to beat (I easily fit 2 bikes on top and 2 on bottom, plus an additional bike in the back). For $35 on sale a Nashbar I can't imagine something being easier to use.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/garage-options-hanging-storing-bikes-173919.html#post2313415

Post 34 is my fave..some ideas in that thread too...all along the same lines...


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## chidoc (Feb 11, 2013)

so is vertical OK?


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

chidoc said:


> so is vertical OK?


I dunno. I don't know how much vertical I really have to work with. The storage unit shows up this weekend, and we're going to have to unload all of our stuff into the garage and park on the street. Moving day (out of the temp apartment into the house) is in two weeks.

At this point, it's looking like plan of bikes sideways on a track over the cars is looking like the best bet. I'll probably put the extra rims and tires up there too. I'm just concerned that the garage isn't that wide. Wide enough for two cars, but not much room for stuff on the sides if we want to open the doors. Plus, there's a tight turn to get in our out of the garage. Backing the cars in has been the best bet so far.

We had some painters in to put mud on the walls to smooth them out. They were using the kitchen sink as a wash-out for their stuff, so that had to stop. I realized I was going to put in a utility sink in the garage and never got to it, so I knocked that out this weekend. Man, what a PITA plumbing is. I broke my knuckles open several times. I'm going to wait a few days to be sure nothing is leaking, but I still need to secure the sink to the floor and wall, and patch the wall. Also, since that outlet is now near a sink, I have to make it a GFI.



and yes, whoever put in my water heater should be shot. It is sitting on cinder blocks with no drain pan. Ugh. Gotta fix that too.

I'm stoked about the view, too. Sunset over the SF Bay through the trees from 1375 feet above sea level. :thumbsup:


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

mullen119 said:


>


I was thinking about doing a similar setup. What racks are these and any issues with the MTBs pushing off on the wall with the end of the handlebars?


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

GiddyHitch said:


> I was thinking about doing a similar setup. What racks are these and any issues with the MTBs pushing off on the wall with the end of the handlebars?


I had one of these: The Art of Storage Leaning 2 Bike Rack : Target Mobile

I cut the tubing into 4 1ft long pieces, drilled whole in each end of the pieces and screwed them into the studs withe the holders in the middle. Used it for over a year now and it works awesome. The 5th bike is using a regular hook you can buy from home depot that I bent to make longer. It works good too but is a little flimsy compared to the others. No problems with it though.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

mullen119 said:


> I had one of these: The Art of Storage Leaning 2 Bike Rack : Target Mobile
> 
> I cut the tubing into 4 1ft long pieces, drilled whole in each end of the pieces and screwed them into the studs withe the holders in the middle. Used it for over a year now and it works awesome. The 5th bike is using a regular hook you can buy from home depot that I bent to make longer. It works good too but is a little flimsy compared to the others. No problems with it though.


Good find.

Yeah, garage project is a disaster. We just have too many other important house projects going on. Garage seems to be a low priority. I did put some half-height strut on the walls and some shelves over the sink/washer/dryer areas, and a charging station for my lights, camera and GPSs.


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## Salespunk (Sep 15, 2005)

GiddyHitch said:


> I was thinking about doing a similar setup. What racks are these and any issues with the MTBs pushing off on the wall with the end of the handlebars?


I wouldn't recommend it with hydraulic brakes. You will end up with air at the front caliper.


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## mass-hole (Oct 6, 2011)

Everbilt 50 lb. Flip-Up Storage Hanger-01195 at The Home Depot

This is cheap and solid, They flip up out of the way when not needed. I currently use them for my bike and if you mount it low enough, they can make a decent work stand.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

Not very compact, but solved the problem of the MTBs falling over. I also made it with scrap wood so $0! The bike hanging is on one of those $10 bike lifts...pain to install, but works well and gets it out of the way.


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## jennybourke77 (May 18, 2013)

mass-hole said:


> Everbilt 50 lb. Flip-Up Storage Hanger-01195 at The Home Depot
> 
> This is cheap and solid, They flip up out of the way when not needed. I currently use them for my bike and if you mount it low enough, they can make a decent work stand.


I agree. We used this one: Racor Folding Bike Rack for 1 Bike at some point when only I had a bike (now there are 3 in the house and the little one has his trike) and it worked really well. The shelf was handy too. This one is for one bike though, not sure if you can get them for more than two.


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## krawlinyj (Jul 26, 2013)

Do you have any type of plans that you used for the shelf system you built? It is exactly what I need but I am not much of a handy man so I need some plans. 


2melow said:


> Here is what I did. This is my second total garage build out, I learned a lot from our *tight* 2 car garage in the first house.
> 
> Get as much as you can off the floor. I epoxied the floor, spray textured the walls thick splatter/orange peel ($30 texture gun found on Craigslist) and put 2 thick coats of stain blocker Kilz on the walls and ceiling. I can spray the garage out with water which is nice, you can eat off the floor when it is clean. Epoxy is the way to go for sure if you want to take it to that next level - it really finishes it off. I built a shelf 2 feet from the ceiling 1/2 way around one side. My wife and 2 young kids have problems getting bikes from the hooks, so I have them in Feedback Sports RAKK stands bolted to a piece of plywood. I could probably get 8-10 bikes hanging if I staggered them a bit. I drive an old car, so it lives outside 90% of the time but I can readjust if needed and pull the car in before bad weather.


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## moldau94 (Aug 16, 2009)

Here's what I did. $10 cost


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## Birdman (Dec 31, 2003)

This works for me. Nose of the car(s) just under the handlebars/saddles.








JMJ


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Birdman said:


> This works for me. Nose of the car(s) just under the handlebars/saddles.
> 
> View attachment 819395
> 
> JMJ


Yeah, I saw vertical racks like that at Gestalt Haus in Fairfax, CA.... a cyclist friendly pub. The owner puts on cycling events. I always liked that idea.

I may have to see if I have the wall real estate for that. I just think my ceiling isn't high enough to hang them from the top over the cars, or even high enough to walk under when the cars are out. It doesn't help that we are now up to 9 bikes in the house. :shocked:

Heh... we're still digging out the boxes, but work craziness and kid craziness is taking priority. We got some of the house interior projects done, and it's starting to look like we live in a house, not a construction zone. The latest project:











The blue front is actually just protective plastic film. It's actually piano gloss white with no handles.

I replaced an ugly steel railing with this cabinet wall. I basically took Ikea kitchen cabinets, and I'm covering them with finish grade plywood to make a place to hide our shoes, cell phones, laptops, keys, etc. I actually have the wood cladding cut and biscuit joined, but I need to take it to a cabinet shop to get edge banding and final finishing.

We also got the walls smoothed out (removed the texture) in the rest of the upstairs living room/kitchen/dining room, as well as two more bedrooms and the downstairs hallway. One more room and the bathrooms are gonna get done some other time, when we fix the retaining wall moisture issue. I love the smooth walls!

Thanks again for the great ideas, folks! I really appreciate it.


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

Did anyone come up with anything new in the past 2 years? I'd actually like something that holds the bike a lot like my Thule T2 hitch mount rather than hanging the bikes from the top tube. Something like a platform that I can stand the bike on top.


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## Jim Hike (Jul 31, 2010)

One more design. Rack holds wheel straight and peg keeps wheel tight to wall. Cons: Rack is built custom to only one tire width, some bikes may need a "boost" to avoid handlebar interference, hard to reach peg at middle bikes.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Wow... how the times change...

Now, getting divorced. Moved into a 900 sq ft 2br town house with 5 bikes (and one for the girlfriend... she's not the reason for the divorce). Now, where to store bikes and bike gear. I found I can fit 3 bikes in the closet under my stairs, and still have room for camping gear, tools and rain coats. 

I'm in for a new set of challenges.


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

pimpbot said:


> I'm in for a new set of challenges.


Your new girlfriend will give you that. I'm going cyclosexual when I'm done with my current "challenge".


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

here a pic of the bike side of my garage.

On the ceiling I have a Saris Sliding rack that allows you to fit 6 bikes in the space of three.










Marty-MJ
www.garagescene.net


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## Way2ManyBikes (Aug 24, 2011)

it's called Cycle Glide

Marty-MJ
www.garagescene.net


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