I hang my bike upside down from two hooks on the ceiling of my garage. Can that do anything to the wheels? Unfortunately, the studs in the ceiling are not perfectly where they should be, so the hooks are a little farther apart then i would like and the wheels are stretched just a little bit. Is this ok? How do you store your bike? I have little kids so I need to keep it away from them...

I hang mine by the front wheel from hooks.
I've done it this way for years. If it does any harm to the wheels, you could fool me.

You might want to look into one of those hoist gizmos, that let you raise the bike up to the ceiling on pulleys.

Also been hanging my bikes by the front wheel on a hook in the garage. Does no damage unless you happen to hit the side of the wheel on a hook that the plasticote came off of..../don't ask how I know

I hang all my bikes by the wheels from hooks. Don't worry about it; it's perfectly safe and puts no more strain on the bike than storing it standing on the wheels or any other way.

A good point is that the hooks must have an intact protective coating. DO NOT hang your wheels on bare metal hooks.

This of course can be repaired with electrical tape... the same stuff that you finish the wrap on your bars.

another good question is for carbon parts... hanging the bike by one hook by the front wheel, considering they are designed to manage force pushing in... what happens when you hang the bike vertically by the front wheel... my gut reaction is to hang it by the rear wheel just in case... anyone's thoughts?

No.

Your bike can handle its own weight plus your 100+ lbs stomping on the pedals just fine, but you think that hanging its own weight from a wheel will hurt it?

Just make sure your skewers are clamped properly.

only after looking at the carbon fiber massacre thread with all the carbon steer tubes broken... I am not thinking about static weight... I am thinking about that accident the wife apologizes for later when you have to replace your $500 fork... hence rear wheel hanging...

https://www.amazon.com/Racor-PBH-1R-C...6432370&sr=8-1

I use one of these. ^ ...was only $5 when I bought it though... probably should have bought a couple at that price.

The only thing I'd suggest about what you mentioned, is maybe using a bent hook or a small piece of wood to move the hook over so that the distance between the hooks you hang your wheels on is the same as your wheelbase. As it is, it's not going to break anything though, although it might put more stress on 1 spoke (could cause that 1 spoke to fail later on).

The exact thing I was thinking of. I got one at a local close out store for under $10, recently.

I see it done either way at bike shops often enough to make me not worry about it.

Works great. I hope by next summer to have a few more bikes hanging from my ceiling.

...and to get more album covers on that wall...

1) uhm, I'm reasonably sure, the rim is taking forces both inward and outward. The rim at the top of the wheel is being subject to forces from the spokes in tension, not unlike the force of the weight of the bike against the hook as it hangs from the ceiling.

Most modern bicycle wheels work in tension, not compression, (and the one notable example of one that work in both tension and compression you don't want to ride, but I digress.)

2) the static load of 17 lbs hanging there is orders of magnitude below the thousands of pounds of force a rim is subjected when a 175lb rider hits a pothole at speed. If a wheel can't handle that diminimis load, I don't want to ride it.

Solve the bare metal problem with that flatted tube you just took out of your jesey pocket.

Yes. You might strain your back while lifting the bicycle above your head.

I get your drift, I was thinking about the fork not the wheel... but yeah... I dig.

I have been hanging my bikes off hooks forever.

I solved the bare metal issue with a foam pipe insulator I bought from Lowe's for $.75.

I use a wall rather than the ceiling because I can reach the bikes easier, but I too have hung all of my bikes for at least the past thirty years and I have never had any issues. Actually this method makes hanging and removing each bike a breeze because I do just grab the handlebars and then do all of the lifting with my knee. The Santana Tandem mounts the same way but by the back wheel.

You should not be hanging your bikes on hooks....you should be riding them

Hanging a bike is better than putting it on the ground for various reasons.

If the tires would deflate over winter, the tires will not be be squished.
If a little kid is around your house, especially one like my almost 2 year old son, your bike will be safe instead of wrecked.
In general it will be safer from people passing with big things in their hands, possibly hitting it.

Silicone tape is much better for the bar wrap.

If you used the ceiling and staggered the bikes you'd gain back a few feet of garage space.

local hardware store? or just online?

tried silicone tape. Not impressed. I have a wing so it tapes right under where my hand rides 99% of the time (only enough bar tape to cover cables)... It immediately rolls into itself and obviously instantly vulcanizes... no good for me.