I want to put my road bike into storage for the winter months. I'm thinking about hanging it on hooks by the wheels upside down. A buddy of mine back in college use to do this. Is it ok to do this or will it damage the wheels/rims?

I don't want to store it away for the next 8 months or so and then have to buy new rims because they were damaged.

Thanks,
Jerold

Well your spokes are designed to only really handle downward force so there is a chance of doing some damage to your wheels over time.

This is bullpucky! Spokes work in tension, not compression.

Go ahead, hang your bikes. It was a reccommended practice by Schwinn in the 70's. Just make sure you have rubberized hooks as not to scratch your rims.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke

I hung my old Miyata 710 on a hook by the front wheel only for 20 years. No problem, wheel still true!

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/backpedal

Some mountain bikes might leak oil out of the suspension forks when hanging upside down or even vertically, but your road bike will be just fine Jerold.

Right

Yeah, the chance of damage is bullpucky! I've been hanging bikes for years, even by just one wheel, and never had any damage. And my commuting bike is near 40lbs with all the junk on it.

The bike weighs less than you, right? If the wheels can handle your weight - going over bumps, the stress of pedaling, climbing, etc...then the wheels should be okay supporting the weight of the bike alone. Like Stacey said, make sure the hooks have a rubber coating so they don't get scratched.


Dang. They made them little Mazda sports cars waaaaaaaaaay back then?

What Stacey said!

... Brad

I would advise caution hanging a bike upside down. This is how bicycle vampires are created. As long as it gets some unfiltered daylight, you should be okay.

That's why I hang mine by the front wheel only. Besides it looks cool, like it's racing up the wall or something.

Oh my.........

Good idea. By hanging it upside down, if the hooks pull out the wheels/rims should be OK after it hits the floor.

I really have no idea if it'll harm the wheels, but you should be aware of the fact that hanging a bike by single points on the rims applies the forces in a considerably different way than a bike standing on inflated tires, which distributes the forces over large areas of the wheels.

Well...lets see...my LBS hangs the new bikes by their saddle noses from the bar joists in the front show room. The shop I worked at we hung them from the rafters by the back wheels, I hang mine in my storage building by the frames (the ceiling is too low to hang them by the wheels). I also would make sure if you have one with a Sturmey Archer hub that you make sure the oil cap is up when hanging it to avoid an oil slick on the floor

Aaron

I have visual evidence that this is very bad on bikes.

No no no... For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Like this...

I have a feeling that if a set of wheels can handle 200+ pounds from the center, they can handle 20 pounds from the rim.

I don't really think rims are as fragile as many people think they are.

Just make sure to give the wheels a spin every so often. The air tends to separate and the pure oxygen can become an explosive hazard.

This is true, particularly with the Cannondale Lefty. This one rich guy who never rode his bike would come into our shop at the beginning of every season complaining that his fork was leaking oil. Every time he would try to get a warranty replacement, but every time we asked him if he was storing it upside-down, and every time he said yes. So every time we would tell him not to do that, and then charge him for an overhaul. Some people never learn.

That image looks more like the bike is damaging the pipe it's hanging from.. look at it, all bent up like that!

If you're concerned about the wheels, why not take them off? Heck, if you have a wheelset that costs close to a grand, I would be a little concerned too. Taking the wheels off is really no big deal. Then you can hang the bike by its frame. It will be lighter anyways without the wheels and tires.

Just make sure the skewers are tight.

I want that chainguard!

There is nothing wrong with hanging a bike up. But, both you and your bike would be better off if you don't. Instead, keep riding.

When I lived in the "Great White North", I'd ride my bike in the morning when the windchill was ten below zero. Not fun, but doable. And, on sunny days when the temperature was a balmy twenty degrees, riding was very enjoyable.

Here in Texas, I have a friend who only misses his daily ride two or three days a year. Obviously, in North Dakota or New Hampshire, riding 350 days a year is not likely to happen. But, even in those states, there will be sunny, dry afternoons in January and February when a ride would do both you and your bike a world of good.

Thinking about it, the only problem (other than fluid leakage from hydraulic shocks, Sturmy-Archer transmission, or maybe hydraulic brakes; good point, I did not think of this issue) might be a carbon aero rim on an unpadded, small diameter metal hook. Carbon can crack on impact point loads. This might be a problem, particularly if you did not gently lower an areo rim carbon wheel on to an unpadded, small diameter, metal hook.

I've stored bikes for years hung by only the metal rimmed rear wheels on plastic coated hooks.