bikemike73 

Just wondering what is best way for bike storage

Hang on hook?

Or upright in a stand?

Not a work stand

Will hanging bikes on hooks do any damage long term?

Appreciate any and all help

Thank you

cyccommute 

If I ever see any damage from hanging it by the front wheel on a hook, I’ll tell you. Considering that I’ve been hanging them for close to 40 years, I doubt that I’ll see any in the future.

Unca_Sam

This is going to have lots of opinions! I'm looking forward to evaluating each and every one!

I have a stand, on casters, with a padded bar where I have 6 bikes hanging by the front wheel. The spacing is kind of tight and you run the risk of scratches, plus I have to move at most two bikes to get to the third.

I have another stand with padded cradles that I use for the two cruisers because they're the bikes I reach for to take a quick spin with the kids.

Hanging by a wheel has the advantage of bypassing frame geometry, so mixte frames, ladies frames, modern MTB frames will all fit fine. I have no experience with hydraulic systems, so I'm not sure if hanging vertically is acceptable. I also like that the tires won't get crushed as they lose air. The displays in bike shops are probably ideal, but maybe not for long term if you're just storing them.

msu2001la

Many bike shops use hooks and hang bikes upside down from one or both of the wheels. I have two bikes and hang one (aluminum frame) on the wall upright, with a hook that holds the top tube. My other bike (carbon frame) just gets leaned up against the wall below it. I also have a set of hooks in my basement and sometimes hang the aluminum bike by both wheels from those.

I've read on the internet that hanging carbon fiber bikes from the frame is a bad idea, so I've avoided doing this... but I also see people (and some shops) do this all the time so who knows? I've also read on the internet that hanging bikes with hydro brakes upside down cause issues with brake lines losing fluid (or something like that). My instinct is that hanging a bike by the front wheel only might cause issues with the headset, so if I were to one-wheel-hang a bike I'd probably do it by the rear wheel.

My guess is that the only potential damage here is from the actual hooks scratching or scuffing the finish of the wheels or frame. Rubber coatings should solve this.

GlennR

I hang my from hook in the garage. In the 10 years i've never had an issue. Maybe wrap them with tape to prevent scratching the paint.

DorkDisk

Suspension forks could leak out if upside down.

bikemike73 

Thanks

Appreciate the many opinions.

I have bikes on a coated hook and in a stand.

And ..as mentioned above...bike shops hang bikes on one hook. Sometimes for years !!!

JanMM

If a bike is hung upside down, blood from the fork can run into the headtube and cause a headtubeache.

rsbob 

There are 5 in my garage hanging like bats and they love it. Really like that they don’t take floor space. Even my wife’s 50 lb e-bike is suspended on from the ceiling using a pulley system. Woe if the rope snaps and it comes down on her car. (Insurance agent: You mean your car was hit on the hood by a falling 50 lb bicycle? Me, well it actually is 53 lbs)

veganbikes

My current set up for some of my bikes is the https://www.minoura.jp/english/storage/multiple/ds-4200.html however I am waiting for stock of the additional cradles so I can set up a second one in the basement for other bikes since I bought two stands and used cradles from the other one. It is not a bad set up but a little fiddly and not great for a bunch of drop bar bikes of the same size but not terrible. I would love to remove the book shelves near that rack and convert that wall to bike storage with some sturdy hooks and plenty of space between them with a few Willworx stands in between as needed.

Kapusta

I try not to overthink this.

sovende

Over the years, I've stored them during the Winter season several different ways depending on the number of bikes at the time and the available space. Hanging from padded hooks has been the go to method. IMHO I believe that hanging upside down from two hooks is the best arrangement as it leaves more useable space below the bike (to store more unnecessary stuff ). Currently tho, the majority of my functional bikes hang on a padded hook by the rear wheel. I used to hang the front wheel from a separate hook but have recently started to simply hang the front wheel over the pedal. That does make for less useable space below the bike but does allow for more bikes to hang in the storage shed.

Phil_gretz

The OP asked which is best. Best is indoors, elevated, climate controlled clean and resting in a padded cradle and suspended by the top tube.

Retro Grouch 

I love that they're locked together. At least some of them are.

GlennR

stored in the original unopened box

As long as it's not left out in the rain, does it really matter? With Covid, i've seen bike in the LBS for repair that have been sitting for 20+ years in the back of a garage. Most just need a tuneup and oil the chain. Some have dry rotted tires and maybe need new cables. As long as they're not rusted, all will work like new.

that's the bottom line.

Kapusta

What can I say?
I take care of my stuff.

Phil_gretz

I'm able to store only two bikes indoors, suspended in padded supports beneath the top tube. So, I choose the two that I'd like to preserve most. They come outside to be ridden only. The garage has outgassing from chemicals, lubricants, paints and the like. Also car exhaust as well as UV light. All of these are not great for bikes. Also, the garage can be where incidental bumps, scratches and (gulp) falls can occur to one's bike.

Russ Roth

Don't store on a concrete pad, its what rots the tires. My parents during the summer stored their bikes in the breezeway which had a painted concrete floor and every winter over just 5 months the tires would slightly rot and stick to the pain peeling the paint off. They've since epoxy coated it but concrete does some damage.
From there, anything goes as long as its dry.

OP, I like hooks since they take the least amount of space. Once I leave this position in a few more years I plan to buy my own place. At that point the best will be a shed dedicated to bike storage and equipment. Tall enough to hang the lightest bikes by the front or rear wheel with room for other bikes to sit beneath and a ramp for easy in and out.

tkamd73 

Depends, I think it’s whatever system gives you more room, to obtain more bikes.
Tim

unterhausen

I might end up with three levels in my garage. Hooks are really annoying to me unless the bikes don't touch the wall. And I don't have room for that.

Phil_gretz

I have three types of bike storage in my garage. The previous owner had installed a Saris sliding bar adjustable rack with inverted hooks. This holds four bikes. Our two mountain bikes are on pulleys for ease of raising and lowering (they're tougher to handle overhead), and the pulley permits my wife to easily retrieve her MTB if I'm not home to do it for her. Third, we allow two bikes to floor stand on either side garage, nearest to the door opening, one for my wife (her daily) and the other, whatever I choose to have handy to ride that day.

Elbeinlaw

--make me realize I need top spend more money on musical instruments.

Doohickie

So you're going to hop on the bike weighing.... what 200 pounds or whatever, ride the bikes over pavement, curbs, rocks, ditches, if it's a mountain bike, all that and more, and you're worried about what the weight of the bike hanging from a hook will cause to the bike?

Get some perspective.

Elbeinlaw

When I bought my first "10 speed" back in 1974 or -5, the bike shop was selling my hard on some French brand, which was way more expensive and nowhere near as simipatico as the Univega I favored. The salesman was arguing really hard that this French bike weighed 1 1/2 pounds less than the Univega. On a long bike trip, that 1 1/2 pounds was a huge drag. I was almost convinced. And then the light went off and I said: "Wait a minute. I weight 250 pounds (or whatever). That's way less than 1% of my weight!" And I bought the Univega. Never looked back. Its second owner was my older son, back in around 2000 or so.

I think we get caught up in specs when we should be taking a step back and--as you suggest--thinking about whether these things make a practical difference for our use.

Doohickie

My loaded bicycle weight has been reduced by 40 pounds since July. Yes, I've lost that much weight.