Hands up – who owns a bike? I’m one of many cyclists in Cambridge, and I pootle around the city when the weather’s decent. Mine’s not a particularly fancy bike but I adore the big wicker basket on the front which I can fill with bunches of flowers and baguette sticks as I cycle around waving at people. Ok, it’s not quite like that but you get the idea. With Tour de France approaching in just a couple of weeks, it’s got me thinking about the rest of us. Whether you’re a leisurely, fair weather cyclist like me, or a hardcore racing cyclist, or an off-roading mountain biker, or a commuting cyclist, or you just own a bike but never actually use it (you know who you are), we all have one common problem – where to store your bike?
Basically, you have three options – on the wall, up high or outside. Check out these ingenious storage solutions for your wheels.
On the wall
There are various options when it comes to bike racks allowing you to store your bike on the wall. The trick is to find an area that is currently dead space and where you’re not likely to bump into it. Keeping it in a narrow hallway where you need to squeeze past it every day will get old really fast.
CLUG is, according to the website, “like a hug for your bike”. I’m not sure about that analogy. It looks more like a death grip pinch to me but either way, it certainly does the job.
It’s the world’s smallest bike rack and basically works as a tiny plastic clip for one of your wheels while the other wheel rests on the ground. It’s really quite clever and the best bit is that it’s so discreet you’ll hardly notice it when the bike’s not there.
See website for distributors. Available in the UK from Brick Lane Bikes for £15.99. A pretty good price compared to most other bike racks and far less conspicuous.
This works really well behind doors, in an empty corner or under the stairs.
Cycloc is a UK based company led by Andrew Lang. Their smart, cleverly design and stylish designs are ideal for storing and displaying bikes in tight spaces. Their three bike storage products – SOLO, ENDO and HERO – have won all kinds of awards for design and innovation.
SOLO, £59.95 (left) can be used to store bikes both vertically and horizontally and features a handy storage nook within it for accessories. The ENDO, £39.95 (top right) allows the bike to be mounted vertically featuring two separate wheel pads to protect the wall from dirt and damage. Bikes can be hung off the ground to keep the floor space free. The HERO, £39.95 (bottom right) is the most recent addition and stores bikes horizontally featuring two wheel rests and a pedal support. All three come in a choice of seven colours from minimalist black or white to a zingy yellow or vibrant blue.
Over a table or sofa are both great examples of dead wall space where a bike won’t be in the way but you’d have to have a pretty good looking (and clean) bike to have it on display in this way. In the case of the ENDO image above, the empty alcove is an ideal spot for bike storage as you would never walk into this space anyway.
For major style points, look to the bike shelf. A perfect option for those of you with larger entrance halls, the bike shelf looks the part as well as providing a handy shelf for keys, bike tools or decorative accessories. The original bike shelf was created by San Francisco based graphic designer Chris Brigham of Knife & Saw and true design fans can purchase the award winning product through the website for $299.00 plus $115.00 for shipping to the UK. There are plenty of imitations out there but there’s nothing like the real thing.
For those looking for more budget options, here are a few alternatives:
- Top left: Cyclehoop’s Bikeshelf (£79.80) is constructed out of a 5mm thick steel sheet so it’s super sturdy. Also features a hook and allows your bike to be locked to it for additional security.
- Bottom left: Not technically a bike shelf but I thought it too cool not to include. The Trophy Bull bike holder comes in a soft plastic (£79.00) or short fur (£119.00) finish to ensure your bike doesn’t get damaged. The Trophy Deer bike holder is also available.
- Centre: Griffin and Sinclair’s Shelfie, £235.00 is a customisable wooden shelf with optional attachments including coat hooks, iPad stand, herb pot, and most importantly, bike hooks. Available from Notonthehighstreet.com.
- Right: The Oak Shelf is a handmade wooden shelf with a simple groove allowing you to rest a bike on it. Available from Etsy for £219.00 with optional engraving.
Way up high
If you’re tight on floor space but are blessed with tall ceilings, storing your bike up high could be your perfect solution. Vaulted ceilings, over the stairs, above furniture, or in a garage, the space above your head is just begging to be utilised.
The Saris Parking Cycle Glide ceiling storage rack isn’t the most beautiful storage piece but the clever design and patented gliding system provides a very clever space saving solution to high level bike storage. The adjustable features allow various different sized bikes to be stored individually, accommodating up to 4 bikes at a time. The gliding mechanism provides easy access to each bike while letting them stack up tight against each other. Perfect for the garage.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, every Saris bike rack is hand built at their own facility.
Available from Chain Reaction Cycles for £186.99.
The aptly named Up-and-Away hoist system from Gear Up is a pulley system that lets you lift the bike up to store overhead and even comes with additional straps to store other items like ladders, skis or even canoes. This system would work well in both a garage or in the home if your ceilings are high enough. Currently on sale at £35.99 fro Cyclestore.
Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that are the best ones. One or two strategically placed bike hooks could be all you need. These B’TWIN multipurpose bike hooks can be mounted to the wall or ceiling and are designed to hook onto the wheel of your bike. Buy them for £3.99 each from Decathlon.
If your bike is light (or you’re super strong) then two hooks on the ceiling could easily hang your bike upside down. Alternatively just one hook will hang your bike vertically next to a pillar, from a structural beam, or under the stairs as shown in the feature image above.
Let’s take this outside
No space inside? Don’t want the bike on display in your home? Can’t cope with the potential dirt and scuffs? Store your bike outside. Unfortunately, bicycle theft is a real issue and particularly rife in Cambridge. No matter how good your lock is, if it’s on display, it’s vulnerable to being stolen. Not to mention the fact that serious cyclists probably won’t want to expose their beloved (and probably expensive) bikes to the elements!
If you’ve got a good bike, you’ll probably want to invest in a suitably secure storage facility to house it in.
Asgard have a range of maximum security, police approved bike storage sheds to house not only your bikes but all your accessories and gear too. You can even bolt it to the ground so you can sleep easy knowing that no ones is getting into this bad boy. Prices start at £367.00 for a single bike locker so it’s a bit of an investment but if the po po say it’s good enough then who am I to argue?
Made using recyclable low density polyethylene, Bike Vault is super tough and weather resistant. It features a double security system with door hasps drilled to accept padlocks and an internal ground anchor for a chain or D-lock.
Bike Vault was created by Neil Robins and Simon Harrison, a couple of guys from Southend on Sea who noticed a gap in the market for secure bike storage.
Available from their online shop for £594.00.
In addition to these options, most of the wall and ceiling storage options will work for sheds, garages and other out buildings.
Wait, there’s a fourth option
So we’ve looked at storing your bike on the wall, up above and outdoors but what if the solution lies with the bike itself? If you’re tight on space and don’t have an outdoor area to store your bike, this could be the answer.
A folding bike is a great solution if you need a compact storage solution, both at home and on the go. There are many folding bikes available but the beautiful Brompton bike is a real classic and its distinctive design has reached iconic status. Ideal for city dwellers, the bike simply folds up to be carried on public transport or stored neatly at home, in the car or at the office. See website for dealers.
The ThinBike from Schindelhauer is an award winning bike that conveniently allows the handlebars and pedals to fold in for easy storage. The slimline design is perfect for tight spaces like narrow hallways and bijou apartments. See website for dealers.
I have to say that I knew of a few of these ideas when I started writing this but when I started doing some research, I was amazed at how many clever ways have been developed to store bikes. If you’re a cyclist, let me know how you store yours. Perhaps you have yet another ingenious storage solution to share that doesn’t feature here!
In the meantime, happy cycling!
J x
{P.S. All prices were correct at the time of writing. Apologies if anything is no longer accurate!}
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