If you have been looking at storing bikes in your garage or shed you will probably have looked at floor racks (like big toast racks) or a vertical bike wall mount of some kind. If you really want to show off the bike, you might have considered a horizontal bike mount for your lounge wall.
Whatever you do, keeping the floor clear is the key to really saving space in a small apartment or in a shed or garage.
There are dozens of products out there to choose from. Many are made in the far east and sold through retailers in the UK, or via Amazon and Ebay. Like many things, some are well made and some are not so great. You often get what you pay for so it’s worth doing your research and looking at reviews.
We have tried to answer some common questions and brought together a list of our own products that might help. They are all designed and manufactured in the UK and, are so well made and strong, they come with a lifetime warranty.
Can I mount a heavy bike on the wall without lifting it?
Yes you can, with the right bike wall hanger. The bike needs to be able to stand on its back wheel and the bike hook needs to hold the bike vertically and stop it falling backwards, but the bike is not ‘hanging’. To mount the heavy bike you simply wheel the bike up on the back wheel and hook the front wheel.
A wall bike hanger for one heavy bike that fits with just a single hole
Lifting a heavy mountain bike or ebike into the air, to hang it on a hook, can be very difficult and you risk hurting your back. The key to avoiding having to lift the bike is to get it on it’s rear wheel. Most people think that that is difficult, but it’s actually very easy; just hold the brakes and take two steps backwards and the bike will magically rise onto its rear wheel without any effort at all.
This wall bike hanger is cleverly designed to keep the hook far enough away from the wall that the tyre and rim can easily fit behind it. This allows heavy bikes to be wheeled up to the wall and you just hook the front wheel without lifting the bike at all. That stops you hurting your back every time you get the bike out or put it away.
The only thing to watch out for is if the bike has a wrap-around rear mudguard. If it does, this may hit the floor when the bike is up vertical. In this case you might have to modify the mudguard or consider mounting it just off the floor.
Lighter bikes can easily be mounted high on the wall so that the floor underneath can be swept. When mounted like this the bike actually hangs by the front wheel.
A wall bike hanger, for one light bike, mounted high on the wall
The design looks simple but has been generated using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. The hook, bike wheel and wall all act together to create a unique cantilever with balanced loads that can hang a bike up to 25Kg, much more if it’s not hanging, without over stressing the wheel, the wall or the fixings.
The screws, and the wall plugs that are supplied with some bike hooks, are often of poor quality and simple not up to the job. If you read the reviews for many bike hooks and racks, users often talk about having to replace the screws and plugs with better ones. This is important because, if they are installed in a garage, the last thing you want is the whole lot dropping on your car. It they are fitted in your lounge it could be much worse.
The GearHooks B1 is designed to fit with just one 8mm diameter hole. The bike hook then fits with a single 60mm long steel bolt and a High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plug’ plus a CNC machined clamp. The clamp is machined from a solid piece of Acetal (an engineering polymer) that is stronger than Aluminium.
The hook itself is manufactured from 8mm thick solid steel with a thick PVC sleeve to protect the bike wheel,especially the rim. It can be up and ready to use in a couple of minutes yet, when fitted correctly, you can swing on the hook and it will not budge.
Can you store a bike and a helmet on a single bike hanger?
Yes. Some bike hangers are designed with an extra in-built hook for all your other biking gear like a helmet and even a coat or a rucksack. That gets all your biking gear stored in one place to make it quick and easy to find and put away.
Bike hanger for one bike, helmet, backpack and clothing
The GearHooks B1+ was designed to do just that. The basic hook design is identical to the B1 and it fits with the same steel bolt, High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plug’ and a CNC machined clamp.
The clever bit of the design is that the 8mm thick solid steel bar, used to create the bike hook, is folded back on itself and then folded outwards again at 90o to create a 100mm long ‘prong’ that is strong enough to take a full rucksack, helmet and coat.
Like the B1 bike hook, the B1+ has been generated using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software so that the hook, bike wheel and wall all act together to create a cantilever that can support a bike up to 25Kg. It mounts in the same way, with just one hole, extra strong fixings and a high tech clamp.
It can be mounted so heavy bikes don’t need to be lifted or it can go higher on the wall to keep the floor clear.
How to store 2 bikes on one double bike hook
A double bike hook for 2 bikes will allow you to store two bikes on the wall. If properly designed, it will take both long heavy bikes and smaller, lighter bikes. Bikes can be swung up to 20 degrees left or right to open up the gap between them and stop handlebars hitting each other.
If you want to save a bit of cash, and a bit of room, the B2 bike hook is a similar design to the B1 but will accommodate 2 bikes. It is ideal for 2 light bikes, like road bikes, high on the wall. With heavier bikes, or a mountain bike and a road bike, for instance, the heavy bike(s) has to have its rear wheel on the floor.
The GearHooks B2, like the B1, is really quick to fit with just one 8mm diameter hole, 60mm long steel bolt and a High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plug’. The hook itself is made from solid steel with a PVC covering to protect the wheel rim. The clamp is machined from a solid piece of Acetal, an engineering polymer, that is stronger than Aluminium.
What’s the best way to store 3 bikes on the wall?
The best way to store 3 or more bikes on the wall is to use a wall bike rack - a mounted rail and hook system. This will have a rail which screws to the wall, onto which you can then fit separate bike hooks.
The big benefit of this approach is that you can move the bike hooks without any more drilling. If you get more bikes later, you can add extra hooks quickly and easily. You can even fit biking accessories, like track pumps or tools, in between the bikes.
It might be a bit cheaper to do it with 3 separate hooks. However, most wall bike hooks mount with 3 or 4 small screws. When you have to drill a lot of small, maybe 4 or 5mm holes, into a brick, block or stone wall, the drill bit will naturally follow the softest part of the wall and ‘wander’. It can be very difficult, and frustrating, to get all 3 or 4 holes to line up. And that’s just to mount one hook.
To mount 3 or 4 hooks you will need to drill up to 12 tiny holes. That is likely to be a tricky and time consuming job. If you ever need to move a hook a little bit, because your new bike has wider handlebars for instance, you’re going to have to drill some more holes. Your wall could end up like a piece of Swiss cheese.
That’s no big deal with the GearHooks wall bike rack because you only have to drill 3 x 8mm diameter holes to mount the rail. You then get 3 x 60mm long steel bolt and 3 x High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plugs’.
The hooks, which fit to the rail, are made from solid steel with a PVC covering to protect the wheel rim. These are fixed to the rail with sliding spring nuts, bolts and a clamps machined from a solid piece of Acetal, an engineering polymer, which is stronger than Aluminium. The hooks can be positioned anywhere on the rail and locked in place with just an Allen key. Extra hooks can be added at any time, just as easily.
How to store bikes, helmets, backpacks and coats on a garage bike rack
You’ll probably know what it’s like having to run around searching for your helmet or your backpack just before a last minute ride. If you get the right kind of garage bike rack you can mount bikes and all the gear like a helmet, rucksack and clothing all on the same rack.
Garage bike rack for 3 bikes and 3 sets of helmets, backpacks, coats and other biking gear
Well, this rack solves that problem.The rail screws to the wall, with just 3 holes and then has 3 specially designed hooks that hold a bike as well as all your gear.
The 8mm thick solid steel bike hook, is folded back on itself and then folded outwards again at 90o which creates a 100mm long ‘prong’ that is strong enough to take a full rucksack, helmet and coat. The bike hook itself is covered in a PVC coating to protect the bike wheel and rim.
To mount the rail you only have to drill 3 x 8mm diameter holes. You then use the 3 x 60mm long steel bolt and 3 x High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plugs’ supplied, to securely bolt it to the wall.
The hooks, which fit to the rail, are made from 8mm thick solid steel. These are fixed to the rail with sliding nuts, bolts and CNC machined clamps. The hooks can be positioned anywhere on the rail and locked in place with just an Allen key. Extra hooks can be added, at any time, without any more drilling.
There is plenty of room on the hooks for all your gear so it’s always easy to find and quick to put away.
Can I store 4 bikes on a wall mounted bike rack?
It is possible to store 4 bikes on a wall mounted bike rack so long as the rail is long enough and the bikes don’t have really wide handlebars. Road bikes have narrow handlebars, about 450mm wide, so you will easily get 4 of these next to each other on a 1 meter long rail. Mountain bikes, which can have handlebars up to 850mm wide, present more of a problem.
The obvious answer is a longer rail, but it needs to not be so long that it becomes difficult to fit in tight spaces. If the bikes are fitted so the handlebars butt up to each other you will only get 2 bikes per metre of wall space.
Wall mounted bike rack for 4 bikes
This bike rack is designed for 4 road bikes or 2 mountain bikes + 2 road bikes. To fit everything on to the rail, which is a really compact 1 meter long, the outer bikes can be swung sideways by up to 20 degrees.
Sometimes you will see bikes hung head-to-tail to squeeze them onto a rail. Whilst that is manageable with road bikes, we don’t recommend it with heavy bikes. Heavy bikes that are hung upside down are really unwieldy and you stand a real chance of hurting yourself whilst trying to get the back wheel on a hook.
What’s the best Garage bike storage for 5 or more bikes
Storing 5 bikes in a garage, or a shed, can take up a lot of floor space. Getting them off the floor and onto the walls will leave space for other, bigger things like a car, lawnmower or garden furniture.
However, storing 5 bikes on the wall can be a challenge, especially if they are all mountain bikes with wide handlebars. 5 road bikes (with handlebars about 450mm wide) will stack next to each other much closer than 5 mountain bikes (with handlebars about 850mm wide).
Garage bike storage for 5 or more bikes
Our bike racks comprise a 1 meter long rail with 5 bike hooks. These will take 5 road bikes or even 3 mountain bikes + 2 road bikes. In both cases you would angle the outmost bikes slightly to create more space. The hooks allow the bikes to swing to the left or right by up to 20 degrees without the rear wheels skittering across the wall or floor.
If you have 5 mountain bikes to store a single rail is not really suitable. There are 3 choices:
- mount an extra rail next to the other to space things out a bit - the best way if you have lots of wall space
- go for a double decker arrangement where some bikes are above others and they hang in between each other - great if you are tight on space
- go for an inverted V arrangement so handlebars automatically overlap - looks amazing and works really well
The last two options are explained in more detail later in this article.
How can I store the most bikes in a very small space?
The best way to store a lot of bikes vertically, in a small space, is by overlapping the bikes and, therefore, their handlebars.
To do this, the first row of bikes should be mounted with their rear wheels on the floor. The next layer of bikes is then mounted about 300mm higher up on the wall so that they hang in between the lower row.
Wall mounted vertical bike storage for 6 bikes
You could create the same arrangement using 6 separate bike hooks but, if they all need 4 holes to fit them, then that means drilling 24 tiny holes. The chances of drilling that many holes in a brick or block wall without the drill bit wandering are slim to say the least. It’s a recipe for a long and frustrating few hours.
The above arrangement is basically two bike racks for 3 bikes, one mounted above the other. Each rail fixes with just 3 super-strong fixings so it’s quick and easy to install.
If you choose this layout, and change your mind later, you can always mount the two rails next to each other or in an inverted V shape. Both of these make the bikes even easier to get out and put away.
How can you display and store 5 or more bikes on a vertical bike rack?
If you have some really nice bikes you might want to store them on something that looks nice too. A rack that holds bikes in an inverted V shape will not only look amazing, it will automatically overlap the handlebars so they take up less space.
Display and storage vertical bike rack for up to 6 bikes
The GearHooks ‘Flying V’ does just that. It comprises two vertical bike racks. Each one will take 3 bikes and can be mounted at opposing 45 degree angles on the wall. The hooks can be mounted at any angle on the rail so that the bikes hang vertically regardless of the angle of the rail.
The two bike hooks at the outer tips of the V, can be mounted so that the bikes have their back wheels on the ground and don’t have to be lifted. These positions are ideal for heavy mountain bikes or ebikes. The remaining bikes have to be lifted onto the hanging hooks and are ideal for road bikes or other lighter bikes.
How can you mount a bike horizontally on the wall?
A bike can be mounted on the wall horizontally using a bike wall bracket that supports the bike by the top tube, rather than the front wheel. This has the benefit of holding the bike close to the wall, so it doesn’t stick out as far into the room. It also makes your bike look great and turns it into a piece of wall art.
The limitation of this type of bracket is that the bike has to have a fairly traditional triangular frame with a flat top tube. It won’t work with many mountain bike frames, step-through bikes, Dutch bikes or ‘ladies bikes’ with a dropped top tube.
You also need to consider the weight of the bike, not just because it might rip the bike bracket out of the wall, but because you have to lift the bike and reach outwards to hang it on the bracket.
This bracket is a really simple design that folds completely flat against the wall when it’s not being used.
When it is being used, two arms fold out from the wall at any angle and each one can be offset to hold the bike horizontal and perpendicular to the floor.
It comprises two elegant, 8mm thick, welded and polished steel arms that are also galvanised to stop rust. A pair of arms mounts into two clamps that are machined from a solid piece of Acetal, an engineering polymer, which is stronger than Aluminium. These are bolted to the wall with two 60mm long steel bolts and High Performance Universal Nylon wall ‘plugs’. These are tightened with an Allen key to securely fix them to the wall but allow the arms to swing out from the wall at any angle to suit the frame, and swing back flat against the wall once the bike has been lifted off.
Well, there you have 10 ways you can mount a bike on the wall. I hope that one of them works for you. If you need any more help choosing the best solution just drop an email to luis@gearhooks.com and we will be in touch.
