I'm asking for opinions here. I've been dating a lovely lady bicyclist for several months now. The relationship has been progressing nicely, and we've begun negotiations on mutually acceptable conditions for cohabitation. We have the expectation that we will, sometime in the near future, buy and move into our "retirement house". Since we're going to combine our equity from our respective previous houses, we're looking for a nicer home on the waterfront, perhaps $450,000 to $500,000, of a size to accommodate visiting family, etc.

We've hit a bit of a pothole in the negotiations, having to do with the future location of bicycle storage within the house. Specifically, I want to have one room in the house dedicated to working out, with weight bench, etc. In that room, I want to hang all our bikes from the ceiling or mounted on the walls.

She says that this is impossible. According to her, bikes belong in the garage or in a storage building. To me, this is like making my children (if I had any) sleep outside in a tent.

It is worth noting, although perhaps not relevant, that in my current home I have all my bikes hanging in what was formerly the dining room. I got rid of the table and chairs, installed ceiling hooks and my seven bikes line two of the walls. It's a beautiful thing.

So my question is for those of you who are 30 years old or older, who live in a house (not apartment or condo).

Do bikes belong in the house or should they be relegated to the garage or storage building?

"Our" bikes are either in the garage or the basement.

But a piece of advice from someone that has been married, divorced, dated A LOT of woman, and now is engaged. Just agree with her terms. You want a long standing relationship, just go with it. Pick your battles and fight the ones worth fighting; bikes as much as we love them are just material things and can be replaced. A loved one isn't all that easy to find.

That is my advice.

P.S.

Sounds like you are still in the honeymoon stage. I suggest wait at least a year before taking the moving-in step.

Pick your battles. What are you wiling to tolerate? And which ones are going to fill you with resentment? Garages are acceptable storage areas. My bikes are in a separate room in the house.

Are you getting married? If not then bicycle storage is the least of your worries.

Cohabitating and combining assets without marriage is a recipe for disaster and "Several months" is not long enough. If you are "hitting a pothole" over where to store bikes then there is a fundamental problem with this relationship in the first place.

She is right, of course. Bicycles are not children. This should have taken about 0.003 milliseconds for you acquiesce.


-Tim-

$500,000?!?

Build a f***in' shop on to the garage, you lucky devil

Time to practice the recipe for a long and happy relationship: "Yes, dear."

It's reasonable to make sure the outbuilding in which the bikes will be kept is weatherproof (to keep the salt out) and secure (to keep the bikes in and unsavory types out). IMHO this would rule out any prefab garden sheds. If you've got seven bikes (plus hers), you could also ask to have the storage location air conditioned so you don't have a heat stroke while working on the bikes.

All this assumes, of course, the lady is more important to you than bikes in the dining room.

What garage or storage building? When I was living with my ex in my small house with no garage and no storage building we had 5 bikes on the first floor and two in the basement that were ridden infrequently.

Okay, a little clarification is necessary. I appreciate the relationship advice, and although I welcome your thoughts on a timeline, we're not rushing into buying a house. It's a hypothetical question. I will, of course, acquiesce to her wishes regarding bike storage.

The question is whether any of you folks find that bicycles do or do not belong in the house. I guess I should have generated a poll. She said she couldn't believe we were having a discussion about having bikes in the house. She insisted that I ask the members here if you agree with me or her.

As for the price point of the house, well, I indicated that I have no children. You might be surprised how much money I haven't spent on children.

Depends on who you ask. If i was still living in my condo where I didn't have a garage for convenience I would keep in the house. But in general, I would not.

I think a room in the house dedicated to bike storage would be nice. Not happening in my house now. Most likely not in my lifetime. I'm glad I at least have a garage for them.

I prefer mine in the house. The 1 exception is if the bike gets particularly dirty, like I keep my winter bike either in the garage or at least close to the door as to avoid tracking dirty into the house.

Also as a guy it's decorations for me. I don't buy a million pillows, or extensive art, etc. But I like having things to look at on the walls like my bikes.

I dated a girl once who came over to my apartment and my road bike was in my bedroom (against the wall). She balked at it. So I later sent her a picture of my in bed in pajamas with one arm over the bike and a tongue-sticking-out smiley face. We kept going out. I personally do not wish to invest in dating someone who's going to throw a fit over something like that because it's seemed like over time they will eventually try to drive take over everywhere in the house and you'll have nothing left. I'm fine with her leaving stuff at my house, taking over a shelf, girly scents and perfumes, etc, if she wants to do all that but then gets upset at my stuff being in my house that's going to be more and more of a problem long term. I personally could not imagine combining money with someone who took a real attitude against something fairly abritrary like bikes being in the house. I've talked to people who had their bikes stolen out of their garage, with 7 bikes they altogether might be worth more than your car.

Our bikes all live in the garage. They don't complain.
In our previous two houses they also lived in garages. And didn't complain.
Our garages have all been reasonably secure.

If I had my choice, which I don't because I am married, I would have all my bikes in the house. As it is I have two inside for the trainer and rollers but the rest have to be out in the cold/heat. I'm sure they know I sympathize. I spend as much time in the garage as I am able.

You have to have one bike in the bedroom so you can look at it when you go to sleep and wake up, and you have to have one in the living room next to the television.

Deal breaker.

And by that I mean if you will not move on this point, and she will not move, that does not bode well.

Hater! Mount the bike on the wall over the fireplace and just set the TV wherever. Nobody puts baby in a corner!

I like my bikes... but the garage is just an easier place to store them. Then I don't have to wheel them over the persian rugs in the hallway either. I do have one in my office though, which is where I also keep the trainer, the TV for the trainer, my wife's treadmill etc. That bike doesn't really get to go outside though.

So, she directed you to ask a rather biased group? Hmm.

My $.02: in our old house, I stored most of the bikes in the house b/c the garage was too small. Now that I have a very large garage, that is where the bikes live. (Along with 12' of workbench and pegboard, a million tools, repair stand, couch, and dorm 'fridge fully stocked with beer.) The only exception is during times of the year when temps fluctuate a lot, and I worry about condensation inside steel tubes...So then, the steel bikes reside in our basement family room. And my wife doesn't bat an eye at that.

Mine are either in the garage (most of the time) or the basement (during the winter as this is where the trainer is - I don't want to have to carry it down there each time). Just put all your bike repair/maintenance stuff in the garage with them.

Bikes are a part of my life or lifestyle. So its normal to see a bike in the house. I think to compromise at least one bike should be allowed in the house. After a while it just looks acceptable. To that point i dont worry about how it looks when company comes. They just accept it as something i do or am.
To the revised question on bikes in the house? Inside or out depends on humidity but, for sure has to be enclosed and secure.

I don't think it really matters where they are, as long as they are near the place that you do maintenance and prep them for rides. If I had a heated garage, that is definitely where they would go, along with all my bike tools. Set up a nice work area. That's where it's at IMO.

But this is all beside the point. They belong wherever the hell she says they do. The main point here is that she is not telling you to get rid of any.... THAT is a dealbreaker.

As long as it’s an attached and somewhat heated garage, I’m perfectly happy to store my bikes there. I don’t like to store the bikes (most frequently) ridden in a separate building. It adds a step to any activity. Bikes have to be fetched before they can be ridden or worked on, and put away after rides. Since moving to a house with an attached garage, getting all those small jobs done have gotten a lot easier.
Not having to head OUT to work on a bike means I do a lot more short-session tInkering.

We've typically kept our bikes (12-15) in an attached garage during the summer, we had a 3-car garage and lots of room (Lisa's road bike was in her office). Over winter, two road bikes went to a spare bedroom for Zwifting, most other bikes in the basement, except the winter bikes stayed in the garage.

We are 2 months into our downsized house and are working out the details of bike storage. We've been getting rid of a couple unused bikes, storing 2 road bikes in the finished basement, one classic road bike in my office, and the rest live in the detached garage. I plan to keep 6 bikes in the house over the winter, two in my office, two on the trainers in the finished basement, and two in a storage closet in the basement. That'll leave two fatbikes, two commuters, and the beast (tandem) in the garage for the winter.

The plan for summer 2019 is to replace the crumbling 2-car detached garage with a 1-1/2 story 2-car garage with a stairway to the second story for bike storage/shop space. Just called to get a bid on this project.... excited!! I expect 2-3 bikes will continue to live in the house after we build the new garage.

Funny backstory, Lisa was the first one to get a $3K+ bike and that was the first bike that got 100% indoor storage.

We've been together for 30+ years ... so we have the relationship thing working OK.

IN the HOUSE!!! In the finished basement during the off season (away from any fans or electrical motors to prevent tire rot from ozone), and in a spare bedroom for easy access during the riding season. When guests come they go into the basement or the front door vestibule (truely easy access)

BTW, I do not have a garage, and the shed has spiders. (I hate spiders!).

Maintenance is done in the basement which is where the stand is located. Tire changes are often done on a canvas mat while watching TV (living room). It is not an issue as long as it is all taken away as soon as I am finished.

We are planning on putting the old '73 Peugeot UO-8.on the wall in the basement as kinetic art..

I think she wanted me to be convicted by a jury of my peers.

She also directed me to stipulate the projected cost of the house, which would indicate that it's going to be kind of a "nice" house, as if "nice" houses don't have a room (in the living space) with bicycles in it. Or maybe she meant that "nice" people don't keep bicycles in the living areas of their homes. And she added that she wasn't sure which I enjoy more, bike riding or that other thing I like to do with her. Like it has to be one thing or the other. Wait a minute... I think I might have just had an epiphany. I'm detecting a little subtext here.