Hang a Bike on the Wall
Hanging your bike on the wall is an easy way to de-clutter your garage or living space. It's also a great way to organize multiple bikes and keep them from getting damaged.
Contents
Steps
Hanging Your Bike
- Consider how much you want to spend for mounting hardware.
- No cost: Improvise a hanger from nails and/or a rope you have laying around. This method is not recommended, however, as it probably won't last long.
- About a dollar: Get a utility hook and cover it with a piece of rubber to protect your bike. If you buy plastic-coated, screw-in hooks, you must get at least two if you want to hang your bike from the ceiling.
- A few dollars: Buy a simple bicycle hanger from your local hardware or bike shop.
- Consider how high you want to hang your bike.
- On or near the floor: This is easiest way to hang and take down your bike, but it won't free up as much floor space as other choices. If lifting your bike is a strain, this is the best height for you.
- Somewhere between the floor and the ceiling: Hanging the bike higher on the wall will let you sweep under the bike without having to move it, but you will still have to walk around it. It won't be as hard to hang or retrieve as it will from the ceiling, but will be more difficult than hanging it near the floor.
- From the ceiling or eaves: This option will free up the most space but also requires great effort when hanging and retrieving the bike. If your ceiling is tall enough, you may be able to walk under your bike once it's hanging from the ceiling. But you must be tall enough to reach the bike frame or you won't be able to pull it down.
- Decide how bike will hang in relation to the wall.
- Consider how you use the space and where you will probably stand to hang and retrieve your bike.
- Frame parallel to the wall: This option lets your bike stay close to the wall, taking up usable wall space. This may be a good choice if you are only hanging one or two bikes. If you hang your bike parallel to the wall at ground level, the wheels should face downwards because there there is no reason (and it would be a pain) to turn the bike over every time.
- Frame perpendicular to the wall: This takes up less wall space but more space in the room. It also requires more clearance from the wall. If you want to hang your bike in a corner next to a water heater or refrigerator, this may be the best choice. This is also an efficient way to hang multiple bikes.
- Note: If you hang your bike perpendicularly to the wall, the wheels should face the wall and the frame should be vertical. This orientation will allow you to roll the bike up the wall and hook the front wheel by turning the handlebar, if you place the mounting hook correctly.
- From the ceiling: If you hang your bike from the ceiling, the wheels should face upwards because otherwise it would be very difficult for you to hold the wheel rims to get the frame off of its hook(s).
- Determine what material the wall is made from.
- If the wall is plaster or drywall: This means you will need to use a stud finder in determining where to hang your bike.
- If the wall is wooden: This means you can drill your bike hook directly into the wall.
- If the wall is stone: You may need a special drill attachment to make a hole in the stone for your hook.
Buy and install your chosen hardware
- Visit a bike shop, hardware or home improvement store to purchase the necessary materials.
- Install your hardware.
- Find a stud or a joist if you plan to hang your bike from the ceiling. To do this, you can either get a stud finder or, if your ceiling walls are finished, look for a line of nail heads through the paneling or drywall.
- Measure to decide where your mounting hardware will attach to the wall. If you have a helper, have this person hold the bike where you want it to hang so that you can mark where the mounting screws will go.
- Pre-drill holes for the mounting screws. Make sure the holes go into the middle of the stud or joist. Use larger screws screws (~2 inch, #10) for a ceiling mounted hook than for a wall mounted hook.
- Attach the mounting hardware and try it out. Hang and retrieve the bike several times to make sure it works as you intended.
- Note: This step is particularly important for children to try, because you must make sure they are able to hang and retrieve their bikes.
Alternate Method
- Instead of purchasing a standard hook or bike rack, consider a bicycle shelf for your storage needs.
- You can buy shelves from your local bike shop or online. They range from $20 to hundred of dollars.
- Determine which type of shelf you need based on several factors.
- If you want to easily store items like bike tools, panniers and cleaning cloths along with your bike, buy a shelf with extra hooks or cubes.
- If you want to display your bike inside your home like a piece of wall art, get a decorative shelf that is beautiful as well as sturdy.
Making a Handlebar Wall Rack
- Know that you can use an old pair of drop handlebars to make a DIY bike holder. The curvature of an old pair of handlebars makes it perfect for holding onto your bike, and it looks great too. You can usually pick up old drop bars at your local bike coop, off a beat-up bike in a garage sale or resell store, or at a scrap yard.
- To prevent the rack from scratching your bike, wrap it in handlebar tape, or another soft material. Duct tape can work in a pinch, and some people have used an old bike tube as well.
- Attach your bars to a "quill stem" and turn them upside-down. A bike stem is simply the part that attaches your bars to the bike frame. Quill stems come on older bikes, and are often found with your handlebars. They are made to fit directly into the frame, and resemble a curved, "L" shaped pipe with a clamp on the end to attach to the handlebars.
- The handlebars will hold the bike, and the stem will attach the bars to the wall.
- Get a threaded steel pipe and wall flange that fits around your quill stem. The pipe should match the diameter of your stem so that you can simply slide the stem into the pipe. Threading is the set of grooves at the end, similar to a screw. The flange attaches to your wall. It is a metal disk with holes in it for screws and a large hole in the middle that you can slide your pipe into.
- Most stems are fine with a 3/4" diameter steal pipe. It should only be 4-5" long, however.
- Screw the steel pipe into the wall flange. One side should have the bike stem firmly packed into the pipe. Take the other end and screw it into the flange to securely attach them.
- You may need to readjust the stem so that the handlebars still face up.
- Attach the wall flange to the wall. Locate a stud and use and electric drill to attach the wall flange, which should already have your handlebars and stem attached.
Tips
- If the bike is hung on an outside wall or eaves, or if you have a very expensive bike, include a security loop and lock your bike to it.
- Don't screw your bicycle hook into drywall without finding a stud, or it will not hold the weight of your bike.
- Make sure that whatever you use to hang your bike is strong enough to hold its weight.
- If you hang your bike by both wheels from a standard ceiling you may find that you run into it a lot. People have a tendency to look down for obstacles in a tight space, so the bike will be out of your line of sight.
Warnings
- Never hang pointed or sharp parts at anyone's eye level.
- Always look for electrical devices, like receptacles and light switches, before drilling or nailing into studs. Check both sides of the wall, since drilling or nailing through a live electrical wire can cause serious injury or damage.
- If you live in an apartment building, make sure you know whether you're allowed to hang something permanently from the wall. If not, you may want to buy a bicycle stand instead.
Things You'll Need
- Bicycle mounting hardware
- A hand drill
- Screwdriver
- Measuring tape
- Marking pen/pencil
- A helper if possible
