Living Car Free - Where do you keep your bikes?

spring is almost here and during the winter, I've been amassing a small fleet of single-function bikes in my basement -- I've got one w/ wald baskets front and rear for grocery shopping, one w/ a cargo trailer for making dump runs, a road bike, an all rounder, and a touring bike. Now that the nice weather is here, I'd like to get these bikes out of my basement and into.....what? I don't have a garage. I have a smallish tool shed where I could stick one bike. I rather not have to keep the bikes in my basement b/c they're kind of heavy and it wouldn't be convenient. So what kinds of options are there? I was thinking of one of those canopy things that people store a car in outside. I'd like something very inexpensive and preferably w/ a floor in it. It wouldn't have to be very big, maybe 8 x 8 or so. Any suggestions?

I keep my daily bikes (4) in my apartment, my ghost bike, spare Murray frame and trailer go in my self-storage unit across the street.

Your thread is asking two different questions. The title asks where we keep our bikes, and your post asks where we think you should keep your bikes.

Answering the question in the thread title, this is where I keep my bikes and bike stuff.

http://www.brucew.com/gallery/albums/bikes/100_2953.sized.jpg

West wall of the living room, locked to the radiator, yet convenient to the kitchen door. Most of my bike stuff is in the Ikea organizers, including my folding grocery panniers. Tools and spare parts are in the box under the end table.

I have no suggestion as to where you should keep your bikes and stuff, other than to keep it simple, safe and convenient.

TSL - Do you keep your bikes locked to your radiator when it is running? I would think that would melt the rubber coated cable...

I keep the bikes I am currently riding in the garage, currently my commuter and Xtracycle. During the winter the fixed gear (sans front wheel which currently has my studded tire mounted for my commuter) stays in the shed with the wife and kid's bikes.

TSL - Do you keep your bikes locked to your radiator when it is running? I would think that would melt the rubber coated cable...

Of course I do.

Bear in mind it's an apartment building-grade boiler, not a nuclear powerplant or anything. Due to kids and pets, there's a limit as to how high you heat the steam. Granted, any steam is pretty hot for flesh and blood, but it's well below the melting point of common plastics.

The radiator is even painted with ordinary latex wall paint. And the pan of water I keep on it for humidity never gets warm enough to make tea. Although hanging laundry on the handlebars makes a nice clothes dryer in winter.

I have a storage container out back, then there are some in the small barn, some more in the large barn and a few that just came in under the front of my wife's storage trailer:innocent: Regardless of where you store them, keep the ones you want to keep locked up!

Aaron:)

I keep mine in the garage, except for my Brompton which sits near the front door.

Do you have much outside space? A bigger shed would be the best solution, but it may get expensive to make it secure.

I'm not too worried about security, I live in a rural area and the most crime we've ever had around here was about 15 years ago when my neighbor's rototiller was taken out of his open garage. I really doubt my mid 80's mtn bikes would appeal to too many even if mounted to a tree at the end of my driveway w/ a "please take this now" sign. Seriously, I'm just wondering where most people, who have a collection of bikes for different purposes and have them set up for different functions, keep their bikes since most bikes can get a little unwieldy with baskets, trailers, bags and such mounted to them.

locked to the radiator

Why would you lock up your bikes inside your own place?

When I was a single bachelor....of course I kept all my bikes in my apartment. Now I keep them in the garage, in fact I just started converting "my" half of the garage into a shop/work area...and the car will stay outside.

My XtraGiant is on the front porch, the rest are scattered about the hallway, living, and dining rooms.
And it's not uncommon to find one napping in the bathroom or my bedroom.

Why would you lock up your bikes inside your own place?

To keep someone from stealing the radiator. ;)

TSL - I guess that makes sense, I remember the ones we had at school were really hot... I am not sure I ever tested to see what would melt on them though.....

Why would you lock up your bikes inside your own place?

Slow down illegal removal. I have lost more than a couple of bikes that were left unlocked in locked buildings. After about the 3rd one I got smart and started locking them up regardless. About 3 years ago we were on tour and stopped for the night at a not so great hotel. Bikes were in the room, I locked mine to one of the big side chairs in the room. We went out for dinner and walked. Came back and my bike was the only one still in the room. Small town and the cops recovered the other bikes and missing stuff pretty quickly.

Aaron:)

Our family has a one-car garage and one car. In warm season, we keep all bikes in the garage and the car outside. In winter, we keep our car in the garage and my winter ice bike stays there. There's just enough room. If the weather threatens to warm up -- like in late February -- I keep a summer bike in the porch. Otherwise all other bikes are stored in the basement next to the computer. No one here rides in winter other than myself and having them in the basement allows me to fix up any little thing that needs done. This winter I repacked most of the wheel bearings on the bikes and did some paint touch-up with clear polish. Also, I repaired the bottom bracket and headset on one bike... It's amazing what you can do without a workstand.

Why would you lock up your bikes inside your own place?

Because my third bike was stolen from my locked storage bin (concrete block walls, solid wood plank door, heavy-duty hasp and padlock) in the locked basement of my building. They busted the door down. It was the only storage bin touched--they're all labeled with unit number, so I figure they had to know that I would have bike stuff in it (they took all my spare parts too).

My kitchen door opens directly outside on to a fire escape with metal stairs to grade in an alley. Nice, easily-broken window in the kitchen door too. And you can see the bikes from the window in the door.

Anyway, after losing one bike, I started locking-up the remaining ones in the apartment.

The place is wired and equipped with an alarm, but I'd also have to get a land-line phone to activate it, which, along with monitoring, begins to cut severely into the bike budget. Cheaper to just lock them up.

You'll note the Fahgettaboudit U-lock on Yellow Bike in the pic. Whichever bike stays home gets that lock. Yeah, they could cut the cable holding it to the radiator, but I hope they'd have second thoughts when confronted with the Fahgettaboudit through the rear wheel and rear triangle. I'll admit that it seems strange to have the bike in the living room locked better than the bike I'm riding.

TSL - I guess that makes sense, I remember the ones we had at school were really hot... I am not sure I ever tested to see what would melt on them though.....

For the record, I love steam heat. There's plenty of it and it's included in the rent. The hissing, gurgling, clanging and banging is kinda neat too. Gives the place personality.

My 5 bikes sit in my apartment. They have aquired there own room over the years.

One side of my garage its alarmed and the rest of the garage is my tools . But we got a nasty chihuahua and a pug great noise makers :O)

Although hanging laundry on the handlebars makes a nice clothes dryer in winter.

When I saw the pic, the first thing I thought was "he should have a couple hooks above the radiator to dry his wet clothing." But seeing how well organized you are, I'm not surprised that you already have this covered.

Anyhoo, I currently have a nice locked and heated garage for my bikes. In fact, the bikes are the ONLY thing in my garage right now. I'm looking for a new apartment, and the first thing I ask is, "Do you have a good place where I can keep my bikes?"

For the OP--I know that I ride one particular bike 80 % of the time. Other bikes are for "special occasions." If this is true for you too, you only need to keep the one bike in a convenient spot. The others can be stored someplace out of the way.

I live in a 2nd floor Apt. I shoulder the bike down the stairs every time. I always carry my messenger bag which is wide enough at the shoulder to rest the nose of my saddle on my shoulder.

When I saw the pic, the first thing I thought was "he should have a couple hooks above the radiator to dry his wet clothing." But seeing how well organized you are, I'm not surprised that you already have this covered.

I have those white wire shelf/rod combo thingies over the radiators in the bedroom and bathroom. Between the three radiators and the shower rail, I can dry two loads of laundry. Only time I use the coin-op dryer in the basement is when I do three or more loads at once, which is maybe twice a year.

Mine stays in my apartment even though it fell over and took 4 chunks out of the wall yesterday. I left it out for a year in Galveston and it started rusting so I am trying to prolong it's life now.

I keep mine in the living room in my apartment. I think that keeping bikes in the house adds character. I always feel more comfortable in peoples' houses that have their hobbies scattered about.

Right now? I have two bikes sitting in my living room just inside my front door.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/09Cycling/100_3470.jpg

I'm sure the wife will let me know they don't belong there soon, especially when I get another bike back from the LBS tomorrow. Then again, she's got scrap booking junk all over the dining room table, so she's on shaky ground :innocent:

Typically, though, I keep two of my three regular riders in the garage (one on hooks, one next to my workbench, and the third I put in the corner of the family room.

EDIT: Wow, the reflective stripes on my new Schwalbe Delta Cruisers are pretty dang bright.

I've got my road bike, my cross bike, and my son's bmx bike in the closet under our stairway.

When will Ikea start making a cool faux-birch veneer bicycle rack for apartments?

When will Ikea start making a cool faux-birch veneer bicycle rack for apartments?

Maybe when it believes there are sufficient customers ready to part with enough of their cash to make it worthwhile. In the meantime they probably will do better selling cool faux-birch veneer HD TV support framework.

Maybe when it believes there are sufficient customers ready to part with enough of their cash to make it worthwhile. In the meantime they probably will do better selling cool faux-birch veneer HD TV support framework.

I bet there's a good market for Ikea apartment bike racks now, and they just haven't realized it. Most US and European households own more than one bicycle, and people who live in apartments usually have more difficulty storing them.

When will Ikea start making a cool faux-birch veneer bicycle rack for apartments?

My Delta Vincent rack (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Vincent-Two-Bike-Two-Wood-Shelves/dp/B000ACAM0Q) has cool faux-birch veneer shelves. Look at the pic again.

The shelves even have a little dish to them so my helmets don't roll off.

My Delta Vincent rack (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Vincent-Two-Bike-Two-Wood-Shelves/dp/B000ACAM0Q) has cool faux-birch veneer shelves. Look at the pic again.

The shelves even have a little dish to them so my helmets don't roll off.

Cool look, really rather Ikean.

But "helmets"? What possessed you to possess more than one helmet?

But "helmets"? What possessed you to possess more than one helmet?


Cheap helmet I bought with my first bike. Insufficiently vented, hot as hell. Kept as a reminder that just because cheap helmets pass the same safety tests as the expensive ones, that doesn't make them good helmets.

Dearly expensive helmet--incredibly ventilated, light, cool, a joy to wear. (It's the one in the avatar.) Crashed it a year ago. Kept as a reminder that it's cheaper to keep the rubber side down. On the other hand, it's cheaper to crash an expensive helmet than to spend time in Brain Injury Unit. So I guess it works out.

Slightly less expensive and slightly less ventilated than helmet two. Chose it because I was told they have a crash replacement policy. Turns out they don't--at least not any more. Wind noise with it is deafening. Don't know how Lance can stand the things. I may replace it when I have extra money I don't know what to do with.


Edit: Thinking about it, Lance wears radio earbuds with his Giros. Maybe that's why the wind noise isn't an issue for him.

Edit: Thinking about it, Lance wears radio earbuds with his Giros. Maybe that's why the wind noise isn't an issue for him.

Or maybe Armstrong decides what to endorse based on a financial deal rather than a performance evaluation.

I keep my bikes in the basement. Currently, I keep the bike I am riding for the moment upstairs. When the situation changes, i.e. long distance vs commute to work, weather, I go to the basement and carry the bike up the stairs. We do not have a garage and we live in a small house, not enough room for seven bikes in the living room. DH won't allow it.

Gas, .69 cents the price of a can of beans.

my bikes caused my wife and I to look for a bigger dwelling with a garage. In our old condo, I had two bikes in the entrance hallway, one in the side hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom, and three againt the wall in our dining room. In our new townhome, I have two bikes aloft racks (bought on sale for less than $60 each) on my side of the garage and a couple of bikes leaning up against a car that needs to be returned to my parents. Once that things gone, my garage will look like a bike shop.

I've got one w/ wald baskets front and rear for grocery shopping, one w/ a cargo trailer for making dump runs, a road bike, an all rounder, and a touring bike.

What is the difference between an "all rounder" and a touring bike?

What is the difference between an "all rounder" and a touring bike?

Well my "all rounder" is an old Sequoia that now has moustache bars, 650B wheels and is the bike I use for just toolin' around the neighborhood because it can handle dirt roads, debris, sidewalks, pot holes etc and still be a comfy reliable ride. My touring bike is a Univega gran turismo which has canti brakes, double eyelets front and rear, nice long chainstay -- all the stuff you'd expect to have on a bike that's going to carry a load and keep you comfortable on a long ride.

I store mine in my bed room since i don't want someone to hit it in the garage and scrape it up. I have a large bedroom so it looks really good when you come in its like my art work.

When I had an apartment I stored mine inside in the living room. I never, ever let my roommates touch it or move it to the balcony. They weren't too happy with me. Then I got married and made a whole room for my husband and I and our bikes. It is a very small bedroom, but works great for working on bike tires without our curious cat getting into the tire slime or anything else she shouldn't be in.

When I had an apartment I stored mine inside in the living room. I never, ever let my roommates touch it or move it to the balcony. They weren't too happy with me. Then I got married and made a whole room for my husband and I and our bikes. It is a very small bedroom, but works great for working on bike tires without our curious cat getting into the tire slime or anything else she shouldn't be in.

I can see some serious fun in that:roflmao2:

Aaron:)

I keep both in the front room of my apartment. That's also where my worn clothes are hung during the week.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s269/caterham1700/cinelli006.jpghttp://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s269/caterham1700/fuzzykidznbikes003-2.jpg

3 more in the garage on wall hooks

Nice setup, but I am trying to imagine how this would work for me as I roll my salt-encrusted bike in from a winter's ride on slushy streets. That's why even in the dead of winter, I keep my winter bike in the garage and a spare bike in the porch.

lIKE ERBFARM I have many bikes and there scattered about mid coast Maine I cover them with a tarp standing or leaning on a gravel surface//A floor probably not worth the trouble.One location is a carport/Wood shed with gravel thats about as good as I get./Kenneth:50:

my bikes essentially just sit at the foot of the bed, and all my messenger bags in a tubbie, or next to the sewing machine.

We keep our bikes inside the apartment. Currently in the dining room. Much safer inside than out, and they don't get rained on, or faded paint from the sun beating down on them.http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/ww30/esir/Ourbikes.jpg

This is a problem. What space I did have has since been over-run with additional bikes.

Anyway, about a year ago, I cleared out the living room and turned it into my office. I put three bike stands along two walls; these stands hold a total of six bikes. I have 5 bikes locked to the bike rack in my building's garage, and 3 more bikes in storage.

STILL not enough space. :innocent:

The problem is I need to keep my good bikes inside, where nobody will be tempted by them, and there's only room for 6 bikes on the racks, so I've got another handful parked near the racks.

As I said, this is a problem.

I keep my two main bikes on the bike rack in my den, one for fair weather, the other for foul, and my remaining bikes are hanging in my work shed along with the rest of the family members' bikes.

I keep my everyday bike inside a common stairway that we share with one of the (now vacant) downstairs units in my house. If people ever move in there, I might find a new place for it, depending on how trustworthy they seem. I've got two other bikes in an unlocked garage, but one of them is a crappy Mongoose that I wouldn't mind losing, and the other is a cart bike (http://www.instructables.com/id/Cart-Bike/) in a state of semi-assembly that I'm not too worried about. My gf also keeps her (somewhat nice) road bike in that same garage. I think it's only a matter of time before it walks away.