# Garage: Options for hanging/storing bikes?



## R332 (Jul 26, 2004)

I am moving to a house with a standard two car garage and I need find a way to fit in two cars, six bikes and all the normal garage junk  In my current garage I am using these front wheel hangers ( http://www.pedalpushersonline.com/?CID=645 ) which work well but the bikes takes up a lot of space towards the cars. IMO, this isn't an ideal way to store the bikes and there must be a better method!

Has anyone found a better solution that is very space-efficient? How about hanging the bikes flat against the garage walls? Are there hooks available to do this?

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!


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## AdroitBreaker (Jan 27, 2004)

Are you looking for something like this?

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=4128&subcategory_ID=6600#

I used one for a couple of years before I got a house with a huge basement. It was pretty solid and space efficient. Could be expensive for 6 bikes though. You could try ladder hooks from Home Depot.


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## Spero (Apr 6, 2005)

If you have decently tall ceilings and small cars, you could run a pulley system through the roof...


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## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

Leave the cars outside.


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## grnxb (Jan 8, 2006)

I don't know how small your garage is(or how big your cars are), but I use the standard bicycle hooks from Home Depot. They cost a whopping $.89 each, and work just fine. The bike hangs upside down and doesn't take up much room at all.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

When its non riding season, I used the two wheel hooks. Then I rotated the bike horizontal (fitting the bars between the joists). I then installed a third hook to grab the seat tube.Of course the hook is rotated to an "non grab postion" and the bike is swung up, and then I rotate the hook back to grab the seat tube...Are you visualing this?
Tony


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## Catherine (Jan 28, 2006)

We used to hang our FS bikes from the ceiling (as we did in the old days when all we had was road bikes), but my husband has read that you shouldn't hang FS bikes from one wheel. I'm guessing that you shouldn't hang them from the wheels at all, which make the idea of hanging them from the frame/seatpost sound better. Maybe you could buy some inexpensive racks just to mount them to the wall! Luckily our basement is big enough that we can park our 4 bikes anywhere there's a space. We have a carport for the cars, although it's not big enough for all 3. We DO have our priorities 'though. We glassed in the old carport for a hot tub.
Before you start making cracks about "lotsaballs soup," our tub is clean! If it doesn't look sparklingly clear, we change the water. Ain't nothin' better than a soak in the tub after a chilly ride. 

Catherine


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## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

what i was gonna say....but i think R332 is in Canda, no? I live in Southern California and have a 3 car garage and dont even park the cars inside. Given the climate, it is not a problem here for my wife to load up the kids in the car outside.


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## Bluechip (Feb 17, 2006)

*My rack*










This is what I am currently using in my garage. It holds my 4 most used bikes with quick access while the other bikes are hanging from regular hooks. This setup alows for sloping top tube bikes because it is supported at the wheels and not the frame. I've always planned on making it a little better looking but it works just fine I have never gotten around to it.


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## scale (Jul 14, 2005)

anyone tried this rack setup? Heck its only 29 bucks....

http://www.homeorganizershops.com/SS45020.html

I dont know how good / stable it is but i need somthing like this for my bikes. Ive collected too many this past year.

Has anyone used one of these? It doesnt appear to mount a the top or bottom. It is just free standing from what i can tell....but for that price i wouldnt expect much.


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## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

*I drive an Altima ...*



R332 said:


> I am moving to a house with a standard two car garage and I need find a way to fit in two cars, six bikes and all the normal garage junk  In my current garage I am using these front wheel hangers ( http://www.pedalpushersonline.com/?CID=645 ) which work well but the bikes takes up a lot of space towards the cars. IMO, this isn't an ideal way to store the bikes and there must be a better method!
> 
> Has anyone found a better solution that is very space-efficient? How about hanging the bikes flat against the garage walls? Are there hooks available to do this?
> 
> Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!


I drive an Altima and my two bikes hange upside down right above my car on big "superhooks" that I got at Home Depot. My spare tires and wheels also hang from the ceiling,


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## Catherine (Jan 28, 2006)

My husband told me that he was thinking about using some roundstock wood padded with neoprene to hang our bikes in the basement. He is amazing at creating things out of nothing but scraps. He built a rack for storing paddling gear and three boats, in about two hours, just from ideas he came up with. I have no idea how he plans to affix them to the studs, but I know he can!

In that picture of the 4 bikes hanging in the basement...all have no suspension, and funky downturned handlebars; what kinda torture are you into? 

Catherine


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## mondaycurse (Nov 24, 2005)

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14464-250_SETLI5-4-Specials-127-Sette-Products/Sette-Lift-it-Bike-Storage-System.htm
I've got that and it works good.


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## scale (Jul 14, 2005)

I am currently working on some brackets make out of $1 shelf brackets, 3/4 pvc and some pipe insulation on my living room floor while watching nascar. That combination right there may prove i may be on to something. 

i am using the pvc to extend the regular brackets with 3/4 PVC and some hose clamps. The brakets will mount to 2x4s that are then mounted to the wall in the garage. This will allow for one bike to be mounted to the wall above my other bike (which will probably just be on the floor.

The brackets will be mounted and spaced so that the bike rests on the headset (in front of the head tube) and underneath the front of the seat.

It should work pretty well but i wont know until i get them on the wall. At the moment i am lacking mounting hardware to put them on the wall . I will probably pick that up later in the week and get them up on the wall. Ill take pics once i am done.


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## scale (Jul 14, 2005)

nice....maybe i should have just got one of these  Might have saved me some time....


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## Jeep_Nut (May 11, 2005)

Home Depot hooks to the back wheel, hook mounted into the rafter. I figure if the bike can handle me and gravity then sub-30 pounds pulling on a wheel will not hurt it. Got 4 bikes hanging this way, with a variety of forks/shocks.


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## TrekFan (Apr 21, 2005)

Bikinfoolferlife said:


> Leave the cars outside.


lol. what he said. i'm pretty sure i'm the only person in my neighborhood that actually uses my garage to store my car rather than a room full of junk...


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## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

i think we are the only people on our street that park outside. we dont have junk in there so we have plenty of room for bikes which is nice.


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## R332 (Jul 26, 2004)

Does anyone have any good ideas to add to this thread? I am finally getting everything moved into my garage and I now need to store six bikes, two cars, tool and other assorted crap in a standard double garage :madman: 

Photos of garage set-ups would be great :thumbsup: 

Thanks


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## jl (Feb 23, 2004)

R332 said:


> Photos of garage set-ups would be great :thumbsup:


http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1228468#poststop


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

mondaycurse said:


> http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14464-250_SETLI5-4-Specials-127-Sette-Products/Sette-Lift-it-Bike-Storage-System.htm
> I've got that and it works good.


I wondered how this hoist sytem would work, say on a garage with 24" spaced joists, could you hoist the bike upside down up Between the joists and have very little sticking down into the garage?


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## R332 (Jul 26, 2004)

jl said:


> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1228468#poststop


Very nice set-up, however my garage is to too narrow to hang bikes like that, I will need to mount them parallel to the side walls or up high to get them away from the cars. Has anyone found an innovative way of doing this?


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## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

R332 said:


> Very nice set-up, however my garage is to too narrow to hang bikes like that, I will need to mount them parallel to the side walls or up high to get them away from the cars. Has anyone found an innovative way of doing this?


if i am reading this correctly, mine are parallel. it works great and the hooks are only a couple bucks each. you can put them up pretty high if you want of course.

this is not the exact hook, but you get the idea....most hardware places sell em as well (eg, Home Depot). they fold up when not in use and are just attached to the wall by two large screws.









and of course if you have non horizontal top tubes you may need something like this yakima top tube adapter.


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## crashomatic (Jan 16, 2006)

*hanging option.*

my garage has exposed trusses so i just lower the seat and hang them from the rails.
if you have a tall car and or a short spouse this may not work.
six bikes hanging from 2 or 3 rafters isn't much, if your house is built to codes that account for snow loading or high winds. hang them over the hood of the car.


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## jl (Feb 23, 2004)

FoShizzle said:


> if i am reading this correctly, mine are parallel. it works great and the hooks are only a couple bucks each. you can put them up pretty high if you want of course.


That Ventana looks pretty sweet ...


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## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

jl....are you messing with me? i think you are and want you to know that is a VERY, VERY mean-spirited attack on "The Fo". I miss that bike so badly  I really wish I did not have to sell it.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

Well you've seen the basic options. Here's a few more that were either touched on or not mentioned:

(1) Garage wall...hooks go in the ceiling and the bikes hang from the rear wheel. I did this in another house. You can still put your garden tools and other stuff along the wall because the bikes swing out of the way easily. To maximize the use of the space, you can run a 2x4 cleat parallel to the wall about 12" from the wall, then have infinite adjustability of the fore-aft spacing of the bikes. This makes good use of the wall space, leaves the floor free for stuff that you want to trip over, and, as noted, still allows you to store other stuff along the wall.

(2) Overhead (or more precisely, over-hood). You can hang the bikes by the both wheels from the ceiling, over the hood of the car (bikes perpendicular to the car). When the car is in the garage the space over the hood is wasted space, so why not use it? With a regular 8' or 9' ceiling, no fancy hoists are required, just some 2x4 cleats and 99 cent coated hooks. You can space the bikes 12-15" on center if you reverse every other one. You should be able to get 4 bikes over a car (more if you have a Jag).

Of everything I've ever seen and used, (1) above is my favorite. I can't do it where I live now because the garage has very free wall space (lots of built in cabinets and closets, woe is me). I don't use the over-hood space b/c we use the garage for other stuff (workshop, skating rink, entry hall, etc.) when the cars are out. I have an empty garage bay now but only the first 5 feet of it next to the garage door are earmarked for bike storage, and I have to contend with the overhead door. It's a ton of room if you only have 4 bikes, but I have 4 bikes of my own plus a wife and 4 kids, and their bikes are breeding like bunnies right now. At last count I was storing (and tripping over) 3 road bikes, 4 full-sized mountain bikes, 2 20" kids bikes, 2 16" kids bikes, a trail-a-cycle, and two scooters. We just gave away the tricycles....that helped. And I follow these discussions with interest.


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## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

Dad Man Walking said:


> ...
> 
> (2) Overhead (or more precisely, over-hood). You can hang the bikes by the both wheels from the ceiling, over the hood of the car (bikes perpendicular to the car). When the car is in the garage the space over the hood is wasted space, so why not use it? With a regular 8' or 9' ceiling, no fancy hoists are required, just some 2x4 cleats and 99 cent coated hooks. You can space the bikes 12-15" on center if you reverse every other one. You should be able to get 4 bikes over a car (more if you have a Jag).
> 
> ...


Those using 2.3" tires or better will prefer the larger (more expensive) "super hooks".

Personally, I hang my bikes parallel to the car so I get them off the hooks (for maintenance) while the car is still parked underneath. I drive a small sedan. Those driving mini-vans probably do not have this option.


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## JohnnyTooBad (Mar 24, 2004)

It depends on how wide and long your garage is, and how big your cars are. I have a 20x20 garage, and have enough room to put 3 bikes hanging from the front wheels, against the back wall, to the left side of the left garage bay. I still have enough room to park a Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. I keep a couple of bikes in the basement. Instead of using those specific hooks, I just got some large plasticoated screw-in hooks, and drilled through the drywall and into studs, then screwed them in. If you offset the height of the bikes so that you separate the handlebars, you can fit them very tightly. You could also do something like that for some of your bikes, hang one or two or more from the ceiling, and put some along the sidewall like the picture above.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

*Conduit and hooks?*

What if you made a rack out of a piece of electrical conduit (suspended any creative way you can figure out) and some large S-hooks? Just like a closet rod and clothes hangers.

I stumbled across this idea last night when I was staring at my set-up after reading these posts. In my case, I'll be able to suspend the conduit between the tracks of an overhead garage door. It won't interefere with the operation of the door, and I would not even have to remove the bikes to open the door. You could also make a free-standing frame to hold the conduit out of lumber...it would be pretty easy to do that; might have a little sway but would be plenty strong enough to hold up a boatload of bikes.

I googled around for some ready-made S-hooks (so that don't have to buy a bunch of cold-rolled stock and a dictionary of foul language.) What I found was in the photo below...sized for 1" conduit, but that seems like it would be too flexible...I was thinking that 1-1/2 or 2" would be better. I also don't know how much they are going to want for those hooks.

Anyone doing something like this?


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## NorKal (Jan 13, 2005)

This rack looks promising and it's only $40!


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

Pick one up and give us a review. (I attached a pic of the rack.)

That will be what somebody wants, for sure. Pack the bikes tight into a corner, then roll it out to grab what you want.

I see a couple of problems with it for my needs. First, the bikes look like they are stacked pretty tight...I foresee parts getting caught up in other parts when you go to slide a bike off of the rack. Second, you have to take off two bikes to get to the third bike on the inside. Kids being kids, this just means more bikes left on the floor when they are done (in my garage, anyway).

Maybe what we need is a slightly different version of that. Hang the bikes by the front wheel off of a central column, with the bikes mounted radially (like spokes). Mount that on a lazy susan base and you could spin the stand to select the bike you want. Just like shopping for sunglasses!


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## NorKal (Jan 13, 2005)

Dad Man Walking said:


> Pick one up and give us a review.


I already have a two bike rack from Performance so I was hoping someone else would 



Dad Man Walking said:


> Maybe what we need is a slightly different version of that. Hang the bikes by the front wheel off of a central column, with the bikes mounted radially (like spokes). Mount that on a lazy susan base and you could spin the stand to select the bike you want. Just like shopping for sunglasses!


I'll do you one better. How about a seperate room off your garage and the bikes are mounted on a huge conveyer belt system so all you need to do is push a button to cycle through your bikes like a giant tie-rack!


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## dcairns (Mar 26, 2006)

In my garage, I only had space over the hood of my old car (it rarely moves). So I used some sliding closet door track to make a hanger. This way I could slide the bike over the car for storage, and slide it out over the ground for easy removal.


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## eggraid101 (Mar 13, 2006)

*Wow!*

I amazed at the ideas people have, these are great...I especailly like the sliding bike on the closet track. That's so cool!


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## kaboose (Oct 27, 2005)

i used to keep my bikes in the garage, but with the many bikes stolen from garages, mine now are in the spare bedroom.

it seems like you're expecting too much from your garage - something's gotta give! 

K


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## oscarc (Mar 23, 2006)

*Here's my set up*

I attached the hangers to a stud up high and the other two bikes can lean up against the wall or just a kick stand if you have one. Key is to be able to fit another bike below another. I can still even fit my fishing rods behind the bikes. In the picture below, there is a hardtail beneath the red Blur.


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## alm80 (Jun 16, 2006)

That post above me is the stuff dreams are made of, what a nice garage


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## NorKal (Jan 13, 2005)

dcairns said:


> In my garage, I only had space over the hood of my old car (it rarely moves). So I used some sliding closet door track to make a hanger. This way I could slide the bike over the car for storage, and slide it out over the ground for easy removal.


dood, that's sweet! :thumbsup:


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## abegdc (Sep 11, 2006)

Great thread. I just want to hang bikes parallel to the wall, but I don't quite have the wall space that I need giving them each their own piece of wall. Anyone tried this, which seems to allow two-at-once against the wall?

http://www.sportssolutions.net/inc/sdetail/410

Thanks,

Andy


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## TrashBike (Sep 17, 2005)

scale said:


> anyone tried this rack setup? Heck its only 29 bucks....
> 
> http://www.homeorganizershops.com/SS45020.html
> 
> ...


scale,
I haven't used that one but I built one with a very similar design. Check out my user gallery for a couple pics if you want.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

*Conduit/S-hook storage rack*

I whipped out a conduit/s-hook rack after getting inspired by this thread. It works pretty well. I made the hooks out of some 1/4" round hot-rolled steel that I got at Home Depot, and the pole is a piece of 2" EMT conduit. Wooden brakets hang the pole from the overhead door tracks.

I can make the hooks any size I need (longer ones will make it easier for the kids to hang their bikes). And you can vary the spacing, like clothes hangers on a closet rod, to make it easy to get to the bikes you use frequently. Bikes that don't see much use can be hung closely together to save space. I am going to continue using the 4-bike upright stand for my own gear but this is a much better solution that what I had before, which was basically my own bikes on the Ultimate upright rack and the rest of the gear either scattered on the floor or hung up on the ceiling too high for anyone but me to reach it.

There seems to be some weird "bike gravity" in my garage floor that sucks all manners of gear onto the floor and traps it there. While I I doubt that this rack will redefine the physical laws of the universe (and kids), there's always hope. And swear words.


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## kylejohn4543 (Jun 24, 2006)

FoShizzle said:


> if i am reading this correctly, mine are parallel. it works great and the hooks are only a couple bucks each. you can put them up pretty high if you want of course.
> 
> this is not the exact hook, but you get the idea....most hardware places sell em as well (eg, Home Depot). they fold up when not in use and are just attached to the wall by two large screws.
> 
> ...


In your attached image, what's that bike in the top right corner? It almost looks like a tandem tagalong, but I'm probably wrong.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

one thing i was always wondering is, can that damage the rim at all when u hang it from a hook? just something ive always wondered


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

You are not going to hurt anything if the hook is coated. The weight of the bike is negligible compared to the strength of the wheel (and rim). If you use uncoated hooks (like the ones in my pics above) you could scratch the finish, but that's only cosmetic. I am going to coat the hooks that I made; I just had not finished making all the hooks when I took those photos.


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## djcrb9 (Jan 13, 2004)

Bikinfoolferlife said:


> Leave the cars outside.


that's what i did. Priorities, man!


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

well hey they have this stuff by3M. its spray (paint) rubber. it comes in an aerosol can and you just spray it on. i coated my levers when i used to race motox with it for a little better grip the stuff is nice. maybe you should look into that. here is a link http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?categorycode=3280&mfrcode=MMM&mfrpartnumber=03584


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