Charliekeet

Hi- I know there’s a number of solutions for using bike hooks that are screwed into floor beams or walls. I’m looking for opinions on the idea of using pre-existing holes (formerly for plumbing) as shown in these pictures near the concrete wall of the basement.

These joists are 2x9&1/4, and are holes are 3 joists apart (each joist is 16” from the next one, but the two joists with the holes are 48” from each other).

Ideas on what type of hooks or strap I could employ to hang one bike from those holes? Concerns re: safety using those? Thoughts on whether it’d be worth it?

HD3andMe

Run a length of tubing through the hole, hang bikes by their saddles.

Charliekeet

Ah, interesting- I was thinking only of horizontal hanging, not vertical. Thing is that the boards on between do NOT have those holes, so I can’t run something straight through from one to the other. But you think no concerns re: capacity for weight given where/how big they are?

sdmc530

I have always wanted to try one of these....https://www.amazon.com/flat-bike-lif.../dp/B00MJ26IS0

unterhausen

I think I would hang a pipe from those two holes (pipe below the joists). And then have hooks on the pipe to grab the front wheels.

Is this a rental where extra holes would be a problem?

woodcraft

If you ran a strap through the hole, and you and your buddies stood on it and bounced, it would be fine,

so hanging a bike will also work.

Charliekeet

Correct- would like to avoid more drilling

Charliekeet

thanks

caloso

You could just run some simple nylon webbing through the hole, leaving a few inches below the bottom of the joist, and use that to hang the bike by the nose of the saddle.

VegasTriker

Anything that crosses the joists that close to the flooring above will make hanging parts of the bike on it very difficult. You could try using an inexpensive pulley hoist like this one sold by Harbor Freight Tool (SKU 99758 $16) to hoist the bike and hold it safely in place. Mount a section of pipe between the two joists and hang the pulley hoist from the pipe. The only thing left is to figure out what to use between the hoist and the bike and where to attach it on the bike. The advantage of this hoist over a standard bike lift is that both sides go up at the same time. My standard bike hoist is a PIA since one side always goes up before the other.

HD3andMe

Two lengths of pipe, insert one into each hole, couple them together in the middle.

Litespud

couple of metal straps, 1” diam. pipe spanning the joists. You could hang and many bike as will fit. No problem

Troul 

put a few u-locks thru the holes & ratchet strap the bicycles in place.

Charliekeet

Interesting!

sovende

I know that you stated that you wanted to avoid putting more holes in the wood (because it’s a rental?) but I can’t imagine that there’d be an issue with drilling a 3/16” or 1/4” pilot hole (or two) into those joists to allow you to screw in a couple of coated hooks to allow you to hang your bike.

Troul 

Maybe the OP doesnt want to invest in the tools to make additional holes?

sovende

In soft pine, he wouldn’t even need to drill pilot holes! Everybody’s over thinking this project!

P.L.Jensen

Just use the P-Trap over on the left...

Joearch

you can find a large hook made for this. Extra bit of weight will not harm the joist in any way.

jaxgtr

That's pretty cool

Charliekeet

LOL, now that’s an idea!

Seriously, I was thinking the large hook over & through the holes method (like the kind of things that hang over a door, not the screw-in kind) and maybe the rope or strap with hooks on it idea...
hadn’t considered the pipe type solutions- like unterhausen said, hang a pipe from the holes and hang bikes on the pipe. That might be good.

It wouldn’t be a big problem to screw/drill normal holes for attaching typical bike hooks (like the Elfa rack/hook setup) either into one joist or the concrete wall (though I’d rather not buy an impact driver)... but it seemed to me like, these holes are already there, unused- why add more?
I’ll measure some more & shop around to narrow it down.

P.L.Jensen

What about screwing a 2x4 to the underside of the joists as a starting point...???... Lots of options after that...

dedhed

Better yet 2 couplings in the middle with an additional nipple between them. That will allow the outside pipes to span a complete joist space.
Piece of dowel or similar to determine max length you can insert, measure space between, add a little for couplings, go to home store and get 2 threaded one end and the short threaded both ends.

I do something similar in the garage. House came with a length of 2" pipe in the garage rafters. I bent 3/8" rebar into S hooks, covered the ends in rubber hose and hang bikes, snow shovels, pretty much anything I can hang on a hook.

Pratt

Lots of good suggestions. Perhaps a little field trip to a store where they have bikes hung that way(take pictures) would give you a frame of reference to evaluate them all.

Camilo

So, maybe I'm missing something and didn't read carefully enough.... But you're worried about putting a similar hole in the undrilled middle joist so you could span a pipe through it and the two existing holes, but you'd consider putting holes in a concrete wall?

What's wrong with just screwing utility hooks into the underside of the joists and hanging the bike(s) by the wheels, which is the first thing that comes to mind when one sees joists and needs to store a bike?

And if they really need to be horizontal (I guess that means flat against the joists?), hang from the wheels, and swivel the bike up against the joists and just hold the saddle up there with a loop of bungee or a scrap of rope or web strap, whatever you happen to have.

You're too intent on using those holes, I think.