How to hang a bike?
 

ok, i have a tandem style 2 car garage. so after my dad and I installed the DIY shelves we custom made, my dad was thinking about where to store my bike. he suggested that i get two hooks from Home Depot and hook it on there from the ceiling. but i thought perhaps hooking it by the front wheel will be good?

right now my bike weights a ton... actually 23lbs. so is it ok to hang by one wheel? my dad is afraid it might fall off cuz it won't support the weight.. what do you guys think?

rui

do you really need help to figure out how to hang a bike in your garage?? it's already 2 of you doing the thinking! come on!!

The bike weighs 23 pounds so that's how much weight the front wheel will have to support hanging in the garage. How much weight does it support while you are riding on it?

I don't think it will fall off, but it will have to support the 23 pounds from one, relatively small spot on the rim, stressing that same spot for maybe months at a time. I for one think the question is valid, and would be interested to see some answers.

--J

Not unless you don’t ride it for months, because every time you ride it the wheel turns automatically thereby ensuring you don’t hang it in the same spot every time. Maybe just to be sure you could put little numbered stickers on the rim that correspond with the date. And then the months that have an ‘R’ in them you could hang it up by the rear wheel. :rolleyes:

Yep. I am in the process of putting my kayak and summer bike in winter storage, so that may be why I automatically thought it would hang there 'til April or so. rui probably doesn't want to keep it there so long in sunny CA. My bad.

But I might as well finish what I started: if you DO have to keep the bike on the hook for 5 months, for example, is rim/wheel a safe point to hang it from?

--J

It would be fine, but I would hang it by the rear wheel because there would be less chance of the wheel slipping out or the dropout. Years ago before you could buy those plastic covered hooks from Home Dumpo; I used to make a loop with an old leather belt and nail it to a beam. Then hook the nose of the saddle in it.

Hydrogen balloons tied to various points on the bike will do the trick every time!

Just be careful the bike does not hit your head as it floats around the garage.

My mountain bikes are hanging upside down (2 Home Depot hooks per bike) in the garage. I drove 2x4s into the ceiling studs and use these yellow-plastic-coated HD hooks. The bikes are Gary Fisher full suspension so they are definitely more than 23 lbs. No problems.

Now, the road bike ... technically that is furniture (when not being ridden), so it belongs inside the house. :)
Best.

Preferably in the bedroom so it's the first thing you see on waking. (Unless you can mount it over the fire place.)

I hang mine by the Stem and Seat/post.
Its not a dumb question. It shows you value your stuff. oaxacarider is just being an elitist who believes he is smarter than others.
I know someone who has hung their bike from padded hooks on the frame and for whatever reason there was damage to the finish. I have also heard ( though I wouldn't believe it til I see it) that hanging it from the hooks for long periods can "warp" the rim a bit.

On this topic sort of. Just out of curiousity, has anyone had issues (significant rust, seizing etc) with storing their bike in a wooden shed over winter. I am not going to do this mind you, just wondering

Having viewed your abomination of a bike, personally I would lay it in the middle of the floor when it can get run over repeatedly. By the spring it should be finished. The first few times that you run it over you'll have to go slow so that you don't damage the garage floor but after that it should be smooth sailing until spring.

Do what I did. Use the hooks that you have and get two tie downs, the kind that have the tension clasps. I hooked one end of the tie down to the hook in the ceiling and the other to the frame behind the rear seat and the other to the stem. I can then pull on the tie downs and raise the front and rear of the bike at different times. This way there is no stress on the wheels because it is hung by the frame. Will send photo if needed :D

My dad has two schwinn bicycles that have been hanging upsidedown from hooks for around 15 years (without use, so sad). I pulled one of these bikes down (to see if the size fit, it didn't). Everything was in excellent condition, minus the dust and cracked sidewalls on the tire. Hanging hadn't caused any issues.

I have all my bikes are hanging from hooks placed in the rafters. I alternate directions so I can get more in a smaller space. I put them towards the back of the garage so when I park the car/truck there, the bikes hang over the hood but will not hit the cab.

I ,too, have questioned the hangers that hang the bike by one rim. Here in Arkieland, I'll be able ride year-round (and we never hang our kayaks up for the winter), but I was concerned about getting my wheels out of true. Good question and thanks for the informative answers. As a new biking guy, I have to limit my smartax replies to the whitewater boards.

A long section of rope with a noose at the end.....

We bought a bike for my wife, trek 2200 and then she started having problems with vertigo. 2 yrs and brain surgery later she is getting better so we get down the bike that has been hanging on the wall by the front wheel (bontrager) for quite a while. verdict is...no issues with her wheel. We hang all of our bike by the front wheel off of the wall, and I haven't had an issue with any of them (5 bikes).

Between my wife and 3 y.o. daughter, we've recently added two new bikes and a Burley to the stable. Needless to say, our garage is getting cramped. I've looked at several different storage systems. The one that I think I like best uses a rope and pulley to suspend the bicycle. There are two rubber covered hooks--one hooks under the handle bars, the other on the back end of the saddle--that allow you to raise the bike up toward the ceiling using the rope and pulley.

This would work better for us than wall hooks because my wife isn't very tall, and would have trouble using hook systems. She could simply lower the bike all the way to the ground.

Now I've just got to figure out how to get the Burley off the ground all winter.

thank you all for your suggestions and replies. i'm gonna go to HD tonight to get some hooks. yeah the bike is not gonna be hanging there for a very long time.. so it should be ok.

come to think of it.. if the rim gets warped.. it's a good excuse to get lighter wheelset then the alexrim i have on now.

thanks again guys!
rui

ruirui,
I know that OSH has "bike hooks" a hook that is coated with red plastic to protect the rims from getting scratched, and the radius of the hook is perfect for bike hanging. Also, if you going to hang the bike off two wheels, make sure the hooks are spaced according to the space between you 2 QR (center of wheel).. have fun.. :D

thanks sorebutt.. i'll hit up OSH if i don't find it in HD. two days ago when i was in HD i found some bike hooks that's prewelded so u can hang the bike from the topbar. so i'll probably look into that one as well.

Here is a one wheel bike hanger from performance:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=6600

Only problem is the hanger puts two pressure points on the wheel and it attaches to the wall, so I suppose the back wheel rests against the wall and takes some further pressure off the front wheel.

Any particular reason you are adverse to using two hooks? Seems saver if you don't want to use a pulley system.

rwq, i was debating between either hanging it by the wheel (more upright, thus saves more space) vs. hanging it from the top tube, which still saves space in some ways. the two bike hanger you posted.. i've seen those. my neighbor uses them. so i'm also looking into that one as well. more than likely i'm gonna go with the hanging upright way.

why not hang the bike from its 2 rims?? two hooks in the ceiling beam and you are done.. $4.50.. :)

How long could a bike hang from it’s wheel (indoors) without damage related to the hanging?

I’m going to guess 200 years. Because I am a conservative.