Thursday, August 26, 2010

Bike storage simplified

There are many ways to store bikes when they are not in use. The most appealing is to wheel your bicycle into your home's attached garage that has enough room for a bike rack and all your gear and close the door behind you. Of course, many of us, especially those of us who are city-dwellers, don't have that kind of space, and there are many inventions to try to alleviate the amount of room that bikes can eat up in a normal-sized apartment.


For renters with two bikes and little space, a good option is the Michelangelo stand by Delta Cycle. It is very low impact, as there is no need  to install it into a wall. Rather, the stand uses gravity and simple metal arms to hold up to two bikes off the floor and vertically against a wall. It can be ordered through Amazon or REI and it is straightforward to set up. Friends of mine who have it are very happy with its performance, as it is much easier to get at each bike now without having to move the other, and the amount of floor space given over the bikes is halved. They have positioned their rack against the wall behind their couch. Their only criticism was that it is hard to easily hang womens-style bikes on the hooks provided, so they usually just lean the bottom bike against the rack. The effect is the same.

Have you found other products to meet your bicycle storage needs? Please share in the comments!


Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

1 comment:

  1. I don't have my bike any more, but I used to store mine in our garage with 2 extra-large hooks attached to the ceiling that would fit into the spokes. It was a great way to keep the bike out of the way, but still be accessible. Unfortunately, this really isn't an option if you rent or don't have a garage.

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