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Bike Storage Question

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jchicago

Finally riding a big boys bike
What do you recommend for long-term prewar bike storage?
Hang the bikes by the front rim from a hook? Or turn the handlebars and store them side-by-side on the ground?
Space is tightening in my basement (I have a dehumidifier), I also don't want to accidentally damage the forks.
 
What do you recommend for long-term prewar bike storage?
Hang the bikes by the front rim from a hook? Or turn the handlebars and store them side-by-side on the ground?
Space is tightening in my basement (I have a dehumidifier), I also don't want to accidentally damage the forks.
If you dont plan on riding them regularly or even semi-regularly, I would certainly keep the tires off the ground hung up. Other than that, as long as your basement is not exposed to the elements, you should be fine. If we're talking REALLY long term, maybe remove the tires and store them in the living area of the house.
 
I don’t see how hanging from an 8 foot ceiling is going to gain you any more storage space. You need a 12 foot plus ceiling to do that.
 
I have started putting hooks into joists. I made some ~12" diameter loops from nylon webbing using the water knot. https://www.animatedknots.com/water-knot
With the first loop thru the junction of the downtube with the stays, and the other wherever seems best, I only need to concentrate on hanging to one hook at a time. I can hang complete bikes from the joist hooks via the loops and park another row underneath.
 
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Nice. Do your bikes hang level to the floor then? Pics?
 
Hanging with a rubberized hook by the front rim, with the bicycle tires resting against the wall for balance is usually fine. In Britain and parts of Europe, bicycles were transported in rail cars this way. Even serious riders would transport this way. (you can actually see some club members hanging bikes for rail car transport here:
)

Obviously, the hook surface should be rubberized and the hook should be substantial enough not buckle or bend. A decent steel rim and fork will not be harmed if you hang them up carefully.

The bikes I would not hang up are those with ultralight, rare rims, or very old wood rims already prone to cracking, or rims with exceptionally fragile painted surfaces you want to preserve. These are exceptional cases though not the common, chromed steel rims that are on most old bikes.
 
Nice. Do your bikes hang level to the floor then? Pics?
Yes, from two hooks, and two straps, the bikes hang more or less parallel to the floor. The strap at the seatpost takes most of the load. The other strap will engage the handlebar or the top tube, whatever works best. There's no tying and untying of knots. Grab a loop, stick it through the frame and hang the resulting two ends over the hooks. Unfasten the outer ends to release the bike. It helps that I'm tall enough to easily reach the ceiling, and strong enough to lift my bikes with one hand. I wouldn't suggest trying this method if one needed a step stool to access the hooks.

I use a similar method, with loops for storing bundles of tires. I salvaged a bunch of soft strapping, nylon and polyester, like this stuff. https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...er-Cord-Strapping-in-Dispenser-Box-3-8-x-1125 . It's soft and supple, not the stiff plastic strapping that gets heat sealed around packages.

Sorry no pictures of this setup are available.

If one didn't want to scar up their ceiling as much, one could fasten hooks into 2x4s, then screw the 2x4 to the ceiling joists. 3 or 4, 3" long deck screws will hold a lot of weight and leave minimal holes in the ceiling. Be sure to hit the joists with screws, or one could end up with a real mess. Because of the limited thread engagement, if doing this with a 2x4, I might prefer to use machine screw threaded hooks, https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-hook-bolts-steel-6-lx3-14-hx34-in-w-1rce2/i/G0906017/, rather than lag bolt type.

I've also contrived situations where I didn't want to pierce the ceiling at all, and hung heavy loads from a beam that was wedged up against the ceiling by screw jack poles. The load is carried by the posts. Pressing up against the ceiling gives a lot of lateral stability, so the rig doesn't topple sideways. For lighter loads, one can use studs that are a fraction of an inch longer than the distance from floor to ceiling minus the beam thickness, and hammer them into place, pressing the beam against the ceiling.
 
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