zeo_max

So I'll soon be moving to my first place as a young professional, so all of a sudden this has become a concern. I'm probably gonna be renting an apartment in a high rise building. I'm a Mountain Biker, and I'm concerned if carrying the MTB up and down the building is gonna be a problem.

Two main points of concern:

1) After a ride I could come back with the bike's tires covered in mud. Do you think this would infuriate the landlord, for possible messes it could make ?

2) Would I have to take the stairs every time to get the bike down and up ?

So does anybody here have any experience with this situation ? If so, how do you make things work for you ?

Cyclaholic

...depends what floor you're on.

zeo_max

I don't know yet but let's assume a bad case scenario, like say, 8th floor or above.

One big concern I have is, do these places usually have a hose on the ground floor for common use so I can at least wash the bike before bringing it up ?

Also, what about using the elevator to move the bike up and down, is that bad etiquete ?

Cyclist0383

Does 'young professional' mean that you'll be living in some sort of building full of yuppies? If so, expect someone to whine and moan about your bike; after all it's the yuppy way to be massively ego-centric.

zeo_max

It probably means that yes . Not that I want to, I would rather have a house with a yard, but for now I can only afford to rent. I'm from far away too, Puerto Rico, and moving to the states seeking an engineering job now that I graduated.

Cyclist0383

^^^
Try talking to the super of the building BEFORE you start dragging the bike in and out. They might have a service elevator you can use if the bike is dirty, and of course if you have permission before hand the others in the building won't really have a leg to stand on as far as complaints go.

anticlimbactic

I've also seen bike racks in secured garages. Every situation is going to be different. Approach each situation with that in mind.

FWIW, dragging a muddy or wet bike through carpeted halls is bound to provoke the ire of any decent property manager.

Crast

Does your to-be high-rise not have bike storage, and/or do you not want to use it because your bike is expensive? Many buildings have basement-level or ground-level bike storage. That means your bike only has to roll over concrete to get to the storage room, and once there you can lock it up, not worrying about the mud.

I live in a condo with my own private entrance, and I just haul my bikes up to my apartment, nobody to bother me. I have light beige carpet, even on my stairs up to my apartment though, which makes it quite a challenge, I have to get it upstairs without it touching the floor at all. I don't think I could do that for 8 flights of stairs though, as in your scenario.

Closer to the city my mom's fiance lives in a high-rise, and it's a fairly ritzy one. No way is a bike going to roll into the front entrance there, even if it was the cleanest serotta you've ever seen, and a dirty MTB is certainly not going to happen. They do have underground parking garage with a bike room, so I could use that. They would probably also let me use the service elevator to take the bike up to the apartment. This would require me having a remote to open the garage, having to ride down there, then take the service elevator back up. Since I visit rarely, if I bring my bike it just stays in the backseat of my car, parked on the street. Not optimal, but vastly preferable to needing someone's remote to get my bike in and out.

zeo_max

I'm very attached to my bikes, so I do like to sleep close to them.

Does your apartment complex have a hose outside so you can clean your bike ? I'd see this as a big problem if I didn't have access to one.

Oh and, backseat of your car ? I would have to remove both wheels to make that fit in there !

Crast

Mine does, just around the corner from my door. I tend to not bother with it, as I tend to mostly ride MTB on dry trails, adding water to the equation means I haul a dripping bike inside over the carpet. I put a yoga mat down on the carpet and just put the dirty bike on it, there it sits till the next weekend.

I have an outdoor 8x8 concrete patio at ground level, so I take my workstand outside and do work / bike cleaning when weather permits. But again, this is a condo development out in the 'burbs, not quite the same as a high-rise in the city. If I were living in the city in a high-rise, I'd probably work out all these things like whether you can get access to a hose and the freight elevator.

I can do it for a 57cm road frame or my 18" mtb frame removing only the front wheel. Just takes some practice, but I can get it in and out in under 30 seconds. I know some people with smaller 52cm frames who can put the bike in without removing any wheels, which is really cool. I have to insert it from the right rear door, and move the front passenger seat up a bit. Once the bike's in, you can put the front passenger seat back if you want (I usually leave it forward unless I have to haul passengers)

zeo_max

Helpful answer. Thanks !

no motor?

Do they have indoor parking in the building? I live on the ground floor of a condo with underground parking and usually keep my bike in my parking spot. I've walked it in and out through the ground level doors as well as used the elevator without problems, but I only do so after making sure I wont track dirt there when I do. I must have been doing it right, they asked me to serve on the condo owners board.

zeo_max

I'm still looking for the condo, but yes, I would definitely look for something with indoor parking as a must.

couchman

check the lease. Some places, some landlords can be hard asses about it. You could always get a good size bike bag.

A friend bought a high end condo in a new building and they were pricks about bike. All bikes had to go to personal storage cages. Of course, when his bike was stolen in the first week after moving in, they said they were not responsible. Nice.

moleman76

I was going to mention the storage cage idea; might take some good locks to keep the bike inside it.

If your gears are low enough, can't you just pedal up the stairs?

Or, stop past a gas station (presuming there is one between your dwelling and the muddy place you're riding), spend 50 cents to buy use of their hose and air dry the bike on the rest of the ride home.

Or, pack a piece of 6-mil plastic big enough for the bike to park on / drip mud on / in the elevator; fold it up and stick it in your seat bag.

If they allow pets in the building, they should allow your two-wheeled pet, too.

zeo_max

No, my name is not Danny Macaskill.

hotbike

I live in an apartment on the 4th floor of a building. I bring the bike up in the elevator with me. But I don't ride on trails, so the mud is not an issue.

I've also tried keeping the bike in the back of my mini-van.

The biggest problem is my recumbent. The 'bent does not fit in the elevator, so I keep it at my Mother's house.

chriswnw

You have to talk to a superintendent in this building to get clearance to move your bike in and out of a building? Why would anybody want to live in one of these overpriced rabbit warrens where everybody is stepping on each other's toes? You could get a flat in a duplex or triplex and walk out to sunshine and trees and not have to share a common area with several hundred idiots and *****holes.

TiberiusBTkirk

bike storage in the garage level of my building costs $250 a month
and there's a waiting list. I bring my folder in through the front entrance,
haven't had complaints yet but if it does happen I'll just bag it.
the folder takes up less room when folded than a stroller in the passenger elevator.
maybe you should scope out your building and see if other riders bring their bikes in,
how efficient are the elevators, long wait times? crowded?

Crast

The OP never mentioned which city he's moving to. This may be possible in some cities, but in New York for example it's implausible unless you're making mega-bucks. Or you'd be living pretty far outside the city.

CCrew

How many forums do you need to post this in?

zeo_max

Only in BikeForums

zeo_max

Get outta here ! No way ! Do you realize you could get a carbon fiber bike in just one year of saving that money ? That's insane, go live somewhere else !

zeo_max

It's between Atlanta, Texas (Dallas), or Colorado.

chriswnw

Oh, so it's not a done deal. In lower density cities like that, there's really no reason to live in a high-rise. I lived in one for a year. Trust me, they suck.