How can I store bicycles in a garage?
There are really just 3 ways to store bicycles in a garage (other than having them all leant up against each other):
On the floor - slide them into a floor standing rack (like a giant toast rack)
In the roof - hoist them into the ceiling space
On the walls - hang them on the walls by the front wheel or top tube
If you have all your bicycles leaning up against each other they will inevitably get scratched and damaged and you won't be able to get to the ones in the middle or at the back.
Given that some bicycles cost thousands of pounds it's worth finding a better way to store bicycles in your garage.
How to store bikes on the garage floor
Storing bicycles in the garage on a floor standing bicycle rack is a good start but there are a couple of problems. Firstly you will use up a lot of valuable floor space. As you stack the bicycles side by side you will find the handlebars force you to store them 500mm to 800mm apart. Three or four bicycles can easily take up 3 metres by 2 metres of space on the floor. You might also find that, because you slide the front wheel into a slot, some tyres are too fat to fit in the slot and others are too narrow so the bicycle falls over to one side.
How to store bikes in the ceiling space in a garage
Hoisting bicycles into the ceiling space in your garage isn’t a bad idea as long as they are light bicycles. With mountain bikes weighing around 20Kg and some e-bikes weighing upwards of 30Kg that can become more of a problem. Depending on the structure of your garage roof, and the fixings you use, you might find that the bicycles are not secure and could all come crashing down onto your car or onto you!
How to hang bikes on the garage wall
Hanging bicycles on the wall in the garage can be one of the best ways to store bicycles and save space in the garage. When bicycles are stored vertically, hanging by the front wheel, they take up much less floor space.
You can store bicycles in the garage horizontally (hanging by the top tube) or vertically (hanging by the front wheel).
Horizontal bike wall storage
This keeps the bicycles closer to the wall but uses a lot of wall space. The GearHooks BRZ does this but, since it holds the bicycle by the top tube, it’s really only suitable for road or gravel bikes. The hooks fold flat against the wall when the bicycle is lifted off. You can mount two of them one above the other to make more use of the wall space.
Vertical bike wall storage
It’s probably better for most people to store bicycles in the garage hanging vertically by the front wheel. This gets the most bicycles in the smallest space. Some people worry that hanging bicycles by the front wheel in a garage is not good for the bicycle, but it’s actually fine. Most bicycle shops store bicycles hanging by the front wheel. The rim will be protected by a rubber coating on the hook, suspension forks benefit from being stored vertically (it keeps the seals lubricated) and if hydraulic brakes go a bit spongy it’s because they need bleeding (but a couple of pulls on the brake levers will sort it out anyway).
How can I hang one bicycle on the garage wall?
The cheapest and simplest option to hang one bicycle on the wall in the garage is with a single bicycle hook or garage wall mount. There are lots and lots of these on the market and they all do a similar job. The only thing to consider is that some bicycle wall mounts and hooks need fixing with 3 or 4 screws. It can be a bit of a challenge to get the holes lined up.
Our GearHooks B1 bicycle hook is the only one that mounts with a single heavy duty fixing, which makes it much easier to fit.
The hex bolt will screw directly into wooden battens in a shed or behind plasterboard in a garage wall. It also comes with a heavy duty Nylon insert for solid walls. All you need to do is drill one 5mm hole in wood or one 8mm hole in brick, block or concrete walls.
What’s the cheapest way to hang 2 bicycles on a wall?
Lots of people have two bicycles like a road bike and a mountain bike. Couples who cycle will also have at least 2 bicycles so a cheap way to hang two bicycles on the garage wall is going to be popular.
The simplest way is to just buy two bicycle hooks but if each one needs 4 holes to fix it to the wall that’s going to a lot of drilling and lots of chances to get it wrong.
The GearHooks B2 is a double bicycle hook that fits with just one hole. It uses a heavy duty hex bolt and a nylon wall fixing to make sure it’s properly attached to the wall.
It will easily take a couple of road bicycles and even heavier bicycles like ebikes and mountain bikes (but we recommend fixing the hook so heavy bicycles have their back wheel on the ground - just to avoid having to lift them (see below)).
Can I hang a bicycle and my gear on wall hooks?
Storing a bicycle on the garage wall is one thing but what about your helmet, camelback and maybe your coat?
The GearHooks B1+ is a bicycle hook with an extra prong that will allow you to hang your helmet and other things like a rucksack and a coat on the garage wall next to your bicycle.
How to hang a heavy bicycle, like an electric bicycle, on the wall
The difficulty in hanging an ebike on the wall in your garage is its weight. They are tough to lift and hard to get vertical (onto the back wheel) unless you know how. Our bicycle hooks will allow an e-bike, or any heavy bicycle, to be stored in the garage vertically on the wall without needing to lift it. They will hold the bicycle vertically with the back wheel still on the ground.
The trick is to get the bicycle up on its back wheel and hook the front wheel by following these steps:
- stand next to the bicycle and hold the brakes
- keep the brakes on and take two steps backwards (the bicycle will rise onto the back wheel with no effort)
- release the brakes and roll the bicycle forward on it’s back wheel
- when the bicycle hits the wall, catch the front wheel on the wall mounted hook
There is a short video here to show an ebike being stored on a wall using this method.
How to hang 3, 4 or more bicycles on the garage wall
A wall mounted bicycle rack will allow you to hang several bicycles on one rail or track. The rail will allow several bicycle hooks to be fitted anywhere on the rail so you can easily add or move hooks without drilling any more holes.
3 bicycles mounted high on the garage wall
If you mount the rack high on the wall the bicycles will hang clear of the floor for easy cleaning. If you have heavy bicycles, you can mount it so the back wheels remain on the floor.
One of the things to consider is how many bicycles you can practically fit on a rack.
5 bicycles mounted so heavy bikes have their back wheels on the floor
Generally, the handlebars dictate how close together the bicycles can be mounted. Road bicycles have handlebars about 450-500mm wide. Mountain bicycles are 700-800mm wide or more. It’s easier to store more road bicycles close together than mountain bicycles.
How to hang the most bicycles on the garage wall
If you mount several bicycles too close together their handlebars will overlap and they become difficult and frustrating to put away and get out again.
The key is to get the handlebars properly spaced. For road bikes you will need about 450 - 600mm between them. More space will be needed for mountain bikes. If you have more than a couple of bicycles and they are all in a row, you will use all the available wall space really quickly.
An alternative is to get the handlebars away from each other.There are a few ways to make this easier;
- stagger the bicycles up and down on the wall so that the handlebars overlap
- mount them in a V shape so the handle bars overlap
- mount them head to tail (but this will make getting them on and off the rack difficult)
Many wall mounted bicycle racks show bicycles stacked really close together (usually with some bicycles upside down) which looks as though it saves loads of space but is often impractical for heavier bicycles. Trying to wrestle a heavy bicycle off a wall mounted bike hook, whilst getting the handlebars and pedals of the bicycles next to it tangled up, can be very frustrating. It’s better to think of an alternative.
To summarise the best way to store bikes in a garage:
We think the best way to store bikes is on the wall, hanging by the front wheel. If you have more than a couple of bikes then a wall mounted bike rack will store the most bikes in the smallest space. This allows you to shuffle the bikes around without drilling more holes and it works really well if you have heavy bikes.
So that hopefully explains the best ways to store bicycles in a garage. If you have any questions please get in touch and we will try to help.
