October 21, 2009
Bike Storage
As I approach bike number three, I’m starting to think…where am I going to keep all these bikes?
To add insult to injury, I recently moved to a much smaller place and no longer have the luxury of a guest room on basement. What to do?!
I came across this nifty product the other day, cylcoc. It is brilliant in terms of simplicity and size, and can store accessories in it too! Unfortunately, you need enough wall space to hang up your bike(s). But, as I’m sure you would all would agree, bikes are beautiful and make great art!
Image and review at Greenerist
Image and review at Apartment Therapy
How do you all store your bikes?
weird-I was just about to do a post on exactly the same thing. Bike Skirt soulmates for sure!
Copenhagen cyclery in Chicago had some bikes displayed using these things and they seemed sturdy and they were simply beautiful.
I store mine in the dining room. Luckily, it is pretty enough to match the decor. However, with 2 project bikes and a possible Xtracycle I am freaking out about where to keep my fleet as well. I may have to lock the Xtracycle on the back porch with a tarp. My friends with the Bakfiets do just that with their cargo bike AND both their Dutch Bikes.
I have seen exactly that plastic shop in one of my favourite bike shops. However, I do store my bike where it is easiest to use every day — in the bike room of our house. It’s very small, but we’re not many cyclists using it, so at least in the winter it works ok for me. I don’t have more bikes due to lack of space, but the one I have does the job
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I have a 14 room victorian (I’m not bragging because I couldn’t make enough in a lifetime to pay for all the work it needs !) so bike storage really isn’t an issue. I hate the hooks and pulleys that I’ve seen. This is simple and elegant, so glad you posted it.
Love the pictures from your trip!
I have an oak rack (http://www.jiffyscript.com/~magic/new_bike_rack/) that holds 4 (5, now that there is the uber-tall ceiling. I modeled it on one i saw in a Performance catalog. The big advantage is that i don’t need to make holes in the walls.
In the winter, the upper levels hold my wife’s road and hybrid bikes, while my Capo and mountain bike/winter commuter get the lower levels. In the summer we reverse, with my mountain bike against the wall, and i just lift the Capo at the end of each day.
The crossbar for an Xtracycle would have to be very long, though.
I use a freestanding bike stand from nashbar. I didn’t want to drill holes in our rental. It is made of metal and very sturdy.
A request if you don’t mind…since you use wordpress could you install a “subscribe to comments” plugin? So I could follow a thread? Thanks.
I use a bikestand from a japanese company called Minoura to store two bikes. I didn’t have to (didn’t want to) make any holes in the wall. You can look at it in action on my small Lisbon apartment on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsUWklwwxnk
My best man, Eric, stored his bike behind his couch. It worked but this is a real solution. It makes a garage almost unnecessary although I’ll probably keep one as long as possible for the shop space when maintenance is needed, etc.
Anna,
I ran into the same problem…multiple bikes, running out of floor space. I looked at a LOT of systems, and ultimately did this DIY method. Supplies were easy to pick up at the Home Depot, and installation did not take very long. Although they stick out further, I can hand three bikes in about the same horizontal space as one of the wall mounts above.
http://pacificpedaling.com/2008/11/21/hanging-up-the-bikes-but-not-for-good/
Good luck!
Paul
4 bikes in the tiny shed out back, two bikes under a tarp next to the shed, two bikes locked to the deck post, one bike in the kitchen and two more in the dining room. I’d hang my favorite over the fireplace if my wife would let me!
I just saw this video of an interview with the designer. One of the potential problems I thought about with this is that it might not accomodate a top tube that slopes down (i am getting a mixtie afterall), but his explanation of the design made me realize that it can work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OavtT0lCtUU
This isn’t elegant, but the Cycle Tree is a great way to store up to six bikes in about four square feet of space.
The best part is that it’s only $49.99.
I figured it must be junk for that price, but it’s worked out well for me.