# Ceiling hoist bike storage



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Just bought a new house, and I'm losing some storage/shop space compared to the rental I had. I definitely gained in the living space dept, but went from having a basement+2 car garage+shed to now a 2 car garage only. I will be adding a shed to address some of that, but the bikes and tools will have to stay in the garage (they used to be in the basement).

The garage space is not very well arranged for use as a shop, either. The chest freezer has to go in there, too, and occupies the "best" space along the back wall. The water heater and circuit breaker take up what would otherwise be a very useful corner along the back wall, too. Urgh.

So I'm looking at ceiling storage for the bikes. The garage has 10ft ceilings, which are a bit too high for going cheap with a handful of hooks, so I'm considering hoists. There are the relatively inexpensive manual ones, but I'd need 5 or 6 of them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013TRB10...t=&hvlocphy=9010268&hvtargid=pla-349452640480

There's also the electric hoist option. I've only seen this setup used once, but it was used in a shop. The shop had a pair of them and they got used A LOT. With 6 bikes assuming an avg weight of 30lbs (I'm trying to be conservative with my estimate), I should be under capacity.

https://garagegator.com/product/garage-gator-residential-power-storage-system-model-gg8220/

I'm a little disappointed that I don't have enough ceiling clearance to use a hoist for my canoe. It's going to have to go underneath the deck in the back of the house.

Wall storage options, I feel, aren't likely to be quite so practical. There's not a whole lot of space on the sides of the garage. That's where shelving and/or cabinets will wind up going, anyway. Might be able to fit a work bench, but it won't be very deep. Some of what I've seen in this thread might work, though. The back wall is the only place that there might be space for bike storage, but the aforementioned chest freezer takes up most of the usable space on that wall.

I am leaning towards the electric hoist. For one, I'm familiar with it and have used them when I worked at the shop that had them. It's also something of an ease of use issue. The rope clutter of having 6 of the manual ceiling hoists is also something I want to avoid. My goal is to be able to park both my teardrop camper and one car inside the garage if I can manage it. Right now, only the camper fits because I haven't organized the garage space yet.

Curious if anyone has any other creative solutions I'm not aware of.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I have Harken Hoisters - the original AFAIK. They're the same quality as their famous sailboat riggings, and they've lasted through a lot of use over 11 years. I'd chose them again just because Harken quality is a given and I don't want bikes falling on our cars.

We have single and multi types. The multi hoist a whole platform that holds our Yakima box and other things we put on it. 2 cars, 7 bikes, roof box and other stuff all fits in a two stall garage.

I don't know anything about electric ones but I know how bomber Harken hardware is with quality lines (rope).


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I have been thinking about a platform hoist for things like holiday decorations, but as I said before, I'd rather not have 6 singles with all the associated rope clutter. Nice thing about the electric one is that it cuts way back on that kind of clutter. 

I've definitely been addressing clutter in its various ways in the new house. I have dialed my stereo setup WAY back. Had a receiver with 7.1 surround sound and all the associated wires. It sounded nice, but was incredibly messy. I swapped all that stuff out for a simple wireless soundbar on the TV.

My next step is organizing all my outdoor gear better (which includes the bikes, but also so much more). I've had the luxury of plenty of space to store it in the past, so didn't invest much effort into well organized hooks and bins to keep it all contained and organized. I'm definitely being forced to do that now. Though I got rid of a bunch of stuff before the move, I'm finding more stuff that I need to get rid of.


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## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

What about something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Storage-Ceiling-Adjustable-Limited/dp/B071VRSVLW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1508613824&sr=8-9&keywords=garage+ceiling+storage

Storage for the kayak, decorations, and other not-so-frequently used items on top and hang hooks from the bottom of it with a metal pole between them to hang the bikes from the saddles, hopefully you still have car roof clearance.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

upstateSC-rider said:


> What about something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Stora...613824&sr=8-9&keywords=garage+ceiling+storage
> 
> Storage for the kayak, decorations, and other not-so-frequently used items on top and hang hooks from the bottom of it with a metal pole between them to hang the bikes from the saddles, hopefully you still have car roof clearance.


Not gonna hang the bikes with dropper posts from the saddles long term (2 out of 5 so far). FWIW, the Garage Gator is flexible enough with hanging bikes from it to avoid the dropper issue I think. The shop where I worked hung bikes vertically from it. They wanted to cram as many bikes onto it as possible, so they limited to road bikes and used the hooks as wheel hooks. The kit includes extra cables that can be strung between the front and rear wheels, and you can hang the bike from the cable, so you don't touch the seatpost. And it looks like with a fixed seatpost, the hooks will hold that quite well without the extra cables. It took me awhile studying the product website and various pictures to figure out how the extra cables worked, but I think that flexibility will do well for me. The included hooks aren't big enough for mtb's, and I've not seen any hooks that would work very well with Nextie fatbike rims (v-profile doublewall rims).




























I also don't want to have to pull out the ladder anytime I want to access anything. I'm not terribly tall, and my wife is pretty short herself. Hell, we need to buy a taller step stool for the kitchen just so we can get into our cabinets. I can't even reach the 2nd shelf easily. My wife needs a stool for that one. Neither of us can get to the top shelf without climbing on the counter right now. A hoist system in the garage simplifies a LOT of things for us. Plus, canoe won't fit. It's just dimensionally too big (bow and stern are too tall to fit in the ~18" space above the garage door), and with the 16ft length, one of the ends would HAVE to fit in that space.

Besides, I'm not sure that there's enough ceiling space for that fixed rack with bikes hanging below it.

Now, some kind of fixed storage system like that would be useful for the space above the garage door when it's open, but in order to clear everything, I MIGHT have 18" of space up there to work with. The one you linked can be adjusted to 24" minimum, so it's going to hang down too far. I might have to go custom (or possibly customIZE with a saw) to get something to fit up there. This one fits that height, but it's less robust than I'd like.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00007E1LB/ref=dp_sp_detail?psc=1


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## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

Make way cars,
Make way sofa,
Make way kids,
Make way wife. 

There is only room for one thing,
My bike.


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

What about a simple wood frame to lower the effective ceiling height? Might work for the cheap hooks and if done similar to upstate's suggestion could give a bit of storage space for other less-often needed doodads (since it'd likely need a ladder to access).


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

noapathy said:


> What about a simple wood frame to lower the effective ceiling height? Might work for the cheap hooks and if done similar to upstate's suggestion could give a bit of storage space for other less-often needed doodads (since it'd likely need a ladder to access).


The issue with that is that it still wouldn't be much use for my wife, for the times she wants to go for a solo ride. It would have to drop the bikes REALLY low for her to reach it without a step stool or ladder. She's 5'3 with t-rex arms to boot (puts her on an xs bike). And beyond that, she's not the strongest and prefers to avoid lifting her bike over her head.

We had a vertical hanging setup for our bikes in an apartment years ago, and the only way it worked for her was for the lower wheel to be inches from the floor. I just don't have the space in this garage to store bikes that way. They've gotta be higher just to fit.

Hence the winch options. Nobody seems to be bringing up any other winch type options (for 6 bikes, at least), so I think the Garage Gator is going to be what I wind up with.


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

I see the dilemma now. Wish I knew where to look for more options. I did find the same model on amazon for the same price if that's better for you. Also, gotta love the safety warnings. :lol:

WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD -- Toy contains a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs.
CHOKING HAZARD -- This toy is a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs.
CHOKING HAZARD -- This toy is a small ball. Not for children under 3 yrs.
CHOKING HAZARD -- Children under 8 yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once.
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.
CHOKING HAZARD -- Toy contains a small ball. Not for children under 3 yrs.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

noapathy said:


> I see the dilemma now. Wish I knew where to look for more options. I did find the same model on amazon for the same price if that's better for you. Also, gotta love the safety warnings.
> 
> WARNING:
> CHOKING HAZARD -- Toy contains a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs.
> ...


Yeah, space is tight. My camper is in the garage, too, and I don't want to put bikes above it, either. Though above it would be a decent spot for a fixed rack/shelf for uncommonly needed items.

I need to get some shelves up first, though, so I can get some boxes unpacked and out of the way. And sell some crap. Got a 2nd fridge and tv stand in there taking up space.

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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

This has to be one of the slickest set ups I've seen, but expensive.

If you go to the web site there's a two bike model as well.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

TwoTone said:


> This has to be one of the slickest set ups I've seen, but expensive.
> 
> If you go to the web site there's a two bike model as well.


Looked at it. Sure, it's slick...but did you miss that I am looking for 6 bike capacity? Not spending nearly $1,000 for that. I have much better things to spend that kind of money on. I'd rather just buy 6 manual rope winches.

Not to mention, with the kind of space 3 of the 2 bike versions of that thing would require to operate, I don't think I could even fit them. I am fine with moving 1 car out of the way, but I won't consider anything that also requires me to move the trailer. My driveway is steep and don't have much room I can move it before I have to hitch it up to the car....which is another issue...I can only hitch it up to one vehicle, so if my wife is at work, no dice.

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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Harold said:


> Looked at it. Sure, it's slick...but did you miss that I am looking for 6 bike capacity? Not spending nearly $1,000 for that. I have much better things to spend that kind of money on. I'd rather just buy 6 manual rope winches.
> 
> Not to mention, with the kind of space 3 of the 2 bike versions of that thing would require to operate, I don't think I could even fit them. I am fine with moving 1 car out of the way, but I won't consider anything that also requires me to move the trailer. My driveway is steep and don't have much room I can move it before I have to hitch it up to the car....which is another issue...I can only hitch it up to one vehicle, so if my wife is at work, no dice.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Hence my comment about being expensive. I figured that you'd run them sideways front to back so all you'd need to do is pull out one vehicle to get to any of them.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

TwoTone said:


> Hence my comment about being expensive. I figured that you'd run them sideways front to back so all you'd need to do is pull out one vehicle to get to any of them.


Not enough room. Garage door in the way. MIGHT have room for 2 arranged that way.

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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Harold said:


> Not enough room. Garage door in the way. MIGHT have room for 2 arranged that way.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Forgot about that stupid door:madman:

I've been spoiled as my previous and current home has a tall ceiling in the garage so a lot fit over the door area.


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## Tom973 (Oct 8, 2017)

I've been using $9 models from harbor freight and they work well. One set had to span a joist so I added an extra $2 pulley from the hardware store. Easy to raise and lower but I do use a bungee on the mtb seat to ensure it stays connected.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Tom973 said:


> View attachment 1164118
> I've been using $9 models from harbor freight and they work well. One set had to span a joist so I added an extra $2 pulley from the hardware store. Easy to raise and lower but I do use a bungee on the mtb seat to ensure it stays connected.


This is my cheap option, but least favored because you've gotta deal with the lines from them all. Speaking of which, where do yours go? Also least favored because there are 2 dropper posts in my fleet, and you're not supposed to hang bikes by the saddle with droppers. The Garage Gator has 2 methods to avoid hanging from the saddle that don't require extra parts. This one would.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Harold said:


> This is my cheap option, but least favored because you've gotta deal with the lines from them all. Speaking of which, where do yours go? Also least favored because there are 2 dropper posts in my fleet, and you're not supposed to hang bikes by the saddle with droppers. The Garage Gator has 2 methods to avoid hanging from the saddle that don't require extra parts. This one would.


You can follow them. One goes under the miller sign, one on the front left shelf leg next to it, one to right of the ladder and one to the left of the ladder.

it would drive me nuts having 6 lines running all over the garage. I had two of these these hoists and took them down. Couldn't imagine what 6 would be like.

That said, if you have an open ceiling like his picture, I'd frame some supports so I could mount the hoists further in the ceiling and you could raise the bike further out of the way.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

TwoTone said:


> You can follow them. One goes under the miller sign, one on the front left shelf leg next to it, one to right of the ladder and one to the left of the ladder.
> 
> it would drive me nuts having 6 lines running all over the garage. I had two of these these hoists and took them down. Couldn't imagine what 6 would be like.
> 
> That said, if you have an open ceiling like his picture, I'd frame some supports so I could mount the hoists further in the ceiling and you could raise the bike further out of the way.


Yeah, I do not have open ceilings. Everything is drywalled and painted

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## Tom973 (Oct 8, 2017)

Harold said:


> This is my cheap option, but least favored because you've gotta deal with the lines from them all. Speaking of which, where do yours go? Also least favored because there are 2 dropper posts in my fleet, and you're not supposed to hang bikes by the saddle with droppers. The Garage Gator has 2 methods to avoid hanging from the saddle that don't require extra parts. This one would.


I have a dropper on 1 bike but the seat is always extended before I hang it. I believe that is safe.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

Don't assume you have to do the same thing for all 6 bikes. Make the one for your wife easy to access, then put the rest in a better configuration for storage.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Tom973 said:


> I have a dropper on 1 bike but the seat is always extended before I hang it. I believe that is safe.


You know about assumptions, right? Here's the manual for my dropper:
https://www.bikethomson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DropperInst.pdf

Under care and cleaning it says "Do not hang bike from saddle." It makes no distinction on extension.

Rockshox (wife's dropper) says nothing about hanging from the saddle.

https://sram-cdn-pull-zone-gsdesign...4218.001.100_user_manual_reverb_eeu_rev_a.pdf



ctxcrossx said:


> Don't assume you have to do the same thing for all 6 bikes. Make the one for your wife easy to access, then put the rest in a better configuration for storage.


The problem with that option is, as I've already said in this thread, is that I have limited space to work with. Only option is pretty much a ceiling hoist. That frees up valuable space for other things that need to occupy some very valuable real estate in the garage. There are just two outlets in there. The freezer is on one, and it's on a short wall. Not much else will fit over there.

The long side walls do not offer much clearance to open any car doors. Anything there needs to be low profile. I need to fit a work bench somewhere, and next to the one remaining outlet is the best option. Bikes could theoretically fit along a side wall with a rack like this:









but that option simply takes up too much valuable space I need for other things.

After I get a shed, that will open up some space, but I fear not enough to make such difference that I will be able to keep bikes on the ground or along the wall.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

What about a work bench like this...

https://images.homedepot-static.com...nches-workbench-accessories-80421-64_1000.jpg

Then hoist up 5 bikes...then take your wife's bike and store it on the long side along your car, but have it proped up on its rear wheel so it doesnt interfere with the car door.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ctxcrossx said:


> What about a work bench like this...
> 
> https://images.homedepot-static.com...nches-workbench-accessories-80421-64_1000.jpg
> 
> Then hoist up 5 bikes...then take your wife's bike and store it on the long side along your car, but have it proped up on its rear wheel so it doesnt interfere with the car door.


What? My wife has 3 bikes. I currently have 2, planning a third, which is probably a max total for now. Your solution doesn't solve anything, honestly.

That's a fine foldable workbench (albeit a bit small), but I fail to see how it or anything else you've described helps. For that matter, when it comes to workbenches, I would much rather have one that has storage underneath as well as above, and that one doesn't really fit that. I'll probably wind up building it maybe about 18" deep and possibly 6-8' long. By having storage both below and above, I'll be in good shape. The foldable one, I think, makes more space along the wall fairly useless compared to a non-folding one the same size but with shelf or cabinet storage below.

Besides, after getting input, I decided awhile ago that there's not really anything else that will do what I want better, so I stopped my inquiry at Post #8. It's going to take me some time to get everything how I want it (because I'm also working on several interior organization projects, too), but the electric hoist is going to be a major part of it. getting ALL of the bikes off the floor is going to enable the valuable floor/wall space to be used efficiently. putting ANY of the bikes on the floor decreases the efficiency of space use by a pretty large degree.


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