Bicycle Storage Racks

Get your bike out of the way!

Have a bike that is always underfoot` In recent years there have been a number of great ways to store bikes up and out of the way. There is a range of styles to choose from including pulley systems to great looking vertical racks.

Bike Storage Hooks

These are the granddaddy of bicycle storage. When I was a kid we had these hooks all over the ceiling of our garage. Over the winter they were great. My dad would get on a ladder and hang all of the bikes and they were out of the way, until next summer that is. Problems arose when summer came and the garage would wind up cluttered with bikes. My siblings and I were never able to climb a ladder and hang them up like dad did.

Vertical Storage Racks

These are one of the coolest things to come along in years. They consist of a bar that runs from floor to ceiling and two racks that slide on the bar and lock in place. You put the bike on its rack and push it up into place. The bike is quickly and easily out of the way.

Another nice aspect of these racks is that they provide a very good-looking way to keep bikes in the garage. These racks keep the bikes in much the same manner as they are displayed on showroom floors. Modern bikes are often very attractive pieces of mechanical engineering that, when stored correctly, enhance the space in which they are kept.

Pulley Based Ceiling Racks

While these might not have the visual cache of the vertical racks they do offer unparalleled convenience. A pulley storage rack uses ceiling-mounted pulleys to allow your bike to be raised and lowered like a set of Venetian blinds. Children above the age of ten or eleven would also find this system very easy to use.

Wall Mounted Storage

There are numerous ways to store your bikes on a wall, from using purpose made J hooks to even using hose storage racks. One of the best ways I have seen is a unit that holds two bicycles by the front wheel. This means that you can use the handlebars and the rear wheel as a lever to elevate the bicycle. Most of these units have a shelf between the two bikes to store things like shoes and helmets.

Parking Racks

If what you are interested in is a short-term way to keep bikes up off the driveway you may consider a parking rack. They are a great safety measure to take because bikes stored in an upright position can be seen more easily from the driver's seat of an automobile.

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