A recent post about bike storage stands got me thinking about the wisdon of hanging a bike from a hook for storage. I have a Raleigh Tourist (really heavy bike) and it's hard for me to believe that hanging this bike over the winter months (which I do) wouldn't result in long term damage to the wheel. I've done this the past four winters with my road bike (really light bike) and I can't see that anything was damaged, but the Tourist ...?

TSapp

I've wondered about this myself, a 25-30 pound bike hanging from a lag hook does'nt seem to be great weight distibution as well as the fact that your applying pressure from the opposite side of the rim as intended. Here at my house, my wife seems to think the support beams on the main floor are going to give way and bring the house down from all the bikes and frames hanging down in the basement.

There was an article written somewhere a while back about this. Apparently because a wheel is a stressed system it doesn't hurt it, even with a heavier bike. FWIW my heavier bikes sit on the floor or are on low frame racks...I am not about to throw my back out trying to get something the size of a DL-1 on an overhead hook!

Aaron

Supporting its own weight hanging on a hook can't be any harder on the bike than toting my big bum over rough roads.

That certainly applies to me. A bike is actually suspended from the top of the rims by the upper spokes. This includes the loaded weight. Hanging it from a hook on the ceiling is nothing, really.

My room mate and I have the rubbermaid track system for hanging ours. Neither of us have noticed any ill effects.

Think about it. I'm pretty sure your body puts more stress on the wheels than the weight of the frame hanging off them.

Terrible idea... hanging an old boat anchor on a hook sucks... for your back. That said I've got a 67 racer deluxe hanging on a wall right now.. it stays up there for months at a time and the only problem I have is when it comes time to put it up or take it down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Worry not. My DL-1 hangs by it's front wheel in my basement. It's been there a lot over the past year without even a bit of damage.

Get yourself a bike wheel from somewhere and experiment.

Hook it to something that will not actually dent the rim and pull
as hard as you can on it. Hang from the ceiling yourself on it.
If you can deform it, the spokes were not properly tensioned.

A good wheel is tensioned to 110-125Kgf.

Like everyone has said prior, the weight of your bike just is
not an issue. I've got a dozen bikes that have been stored
this way for years.

The only problem with hanging a bicycle is the stuff it hangs on. I have lots of bikes and the plastic covering on the hooks has a tendency to wear through. Once worn through, the metal of the hook will damage an alloy wheel rim. I prevent this by wrapping the hooks with strips of inner tube and PVC taping it into place.

TSapp, The only bikes I haven't had hanging upside down on hooks are my mountain bikes with a suspension fork. I'm not quite sure about bikes equipped with hydraulic brakes.

Brad

I hung a 30lb Raleigh Gran Prix by it's rear wheel on a single rubber coated hook in my garage for 20 years untouched with absolutely no resultant damage. The tires didn't even rot.

One is more likely to run into a Sasquatch lounging in their backyard before finding damage to the wheels of their hanging bikes......
Why won't this pointless concern ever die??........

Chombi

Because there will always be new cyclists. It's no biggie, it's an easy one to dispel.

I'm wondering what the poor bike did to deserve capital punishment.

+1,285 Lets see, that wheel normally sees 100 pounds or more of loading when you are riding it. So having it support 40 pounds damages it how?

I read somewhere, long ago, the forces generated up through the fork and into the headset bearings. Can't remember what it was, but the figure astounded me. A spoked wheel can take much.

So you've convinced me. It stays on the hook until next spring.

TSAPP

As I was just saying to my buddy the other day...."Sasquatch, get me another beer, and take that bike down before it gets out of true."

Then, we watched on in good humor as a carbon bike came down the road and exploded.

You can't see it, but there's a carbon bike in the middle, just there.

Ding. We have a winner.

And right now my DL-1 is hanging in my garage on hooks.

I'd imagine that it's the material of the hook that's important. Don't go scratching things up with a cheap rusty hook.

Nooo no no no no noooo.........carbon bikes do not "Explode".....they "Asplode"!

Chombi

I have my bikes hung up, but they are not by the wheel. I have them on the wall supended by two hooks (for each bike) that come out and cradles the frame. The bikes are horizontal too.