Looking for an easy way to store bikes? Vinyl coated bike hooks are the simplest way to hang bikes on your garage or shed wall so they stay organized and free up valuable floor space.
Here’s what you need to get started:
Summer is in full swing, which means it’s time to get out the bikes and go for some family bike rides. But storing bikes between rides is a thorn in my side, or it was until I found a way to hang my bikes so they are out of the way.
Previously, we tried using floor racks but I feel like our bikes would always end up in a tangled pile, leaning against each other in the garage or shed.
With our new garage/shed/house layout I was determined to find a better way to store and organize our bikes. A way that will allow us to easily take our bikes out for a ride and stash them out of the way when we are done.
All without spending a lot of money.
After doing a lot of research (and looking at a lot of products that cost $$$) I decided to go with a simple vinyl hook screwed directly into a stud. I liked that I could store the bikes vertically (hooray for vertical storage!) and that they would be easy to hang/take down. At least for the adults – kids might need a little help with this.
I bought this set of hooks. I love that they are inexpensive, can be installed in minutes, and can be used to hang other things – ladders, chairs, tools, etc!
On shed organization day, we tackled hanging the bikes first. I crossed my fingers that this system would work and was pleasantly surprised when the bikes went up quickly and easily. Finally, we had a ‘home’ for our bikes!
If you have a spare wall and would like to give this a try, here is the step-by-step instructions.
How to hang bikes on a wall:
Step 1: Find the studs
Use a stud finder to mark the location of the studs. You will want to ensure your screw is going into a stud for maximum hold. If you are hanging bikes in an unfinished garage or shed, the studs will be exposed and not hidden under drywall, which makes this 100x faster.
Step 2: Mark the holes
Next, you are going to mark where on the stud you want the hook. I like to use one stud per bike, as this will naturally separate the bikes and will ensure that the hook is nice and sturdy.
To mark how high you want the hole, tilt the bike up against the wall, wheels touching the stud. It should look like your bike is riding on the wall, but the lower wheel is also resting on the ground.
Mark a point just slightly above where the front wheel touches the wall. This is where you will place the hook, with the screw end in the stud and the hook around the front tire and spoke of the front wheel.
Step 3: Drill the hole and screw in the hooks
Take your bike down and use your drill to make a hole directly in the wood. The width of the hole should be just slightly smaller than the screw base. Then hand screw the hook into the hole. Easy peasy!
Step 4: Hang your bike
Tilt the bike up again so the bottom wheel touches both the floor and the wall, then hook the spoke and tire of the bike on the wall hook.
That’s it! The bike is now securely attached to the wall.
FAQ:
How high to hang the hooks?
This is going to vary by bike. I like to hold each bike up and mark individually to ensure each bike is held at the right height.
I also chose to have the bottom wheels touch the ground. This makes it easier for me to hang the bikes since I don’t have to lift them up in the air to hook them. However, if lifting the bikes isn’t an issue, you can hang the hooks as high as you want to get the bikes out of the way.
How much weight can the hooks hold?
These hooks have a maximum hold of 70 lbs when screwed into a stud.
Where is the best place to hang bikes?
Anywhere you have the storage space! Garage walls and sheds are often dry, out of the way places to store bikes, but you can hang bikes using a hook on any empty wall, such as in a basement or even an inside wall. As long as you have a stud to drill into, you are good to go.
Can I hang kids’ bikes with this method?
Absolutely! This would be a great way to hang kids bikes. You will want to make sure that you customize the height of the hook to the bike (if you would like it to stand on the ground) OR place the hook up high if you are trying to stack two bikes vertically on one stud. This would work for smaller bikes, like balance bikes and small kids bikes.
Will it work for scooters?
This method would work for any scooter that has spokes or holes in the wheel. You need somewhere for the hook to ‘catch’ the wheel, so it may not work if the wheels are solid (like on a Micro scooter or a Razor scooter.) For hanging scooters, I’ve found that using a wall track system, like the RubberMaid FastTrack, works well since you can use different types of hooks that will work for scooters.
Let’s see this in action:
Now every time I open our shed door and see the bikes hanging I get this feeling of pride and rush of happiness. Finding a solution to a pesky storage issue is one of the most rewarding parts of organizing. It’s bringing order to chaos and the good feelings that this sets off is contagious. I encourage you today to take a problem in your home and find a solution. Either researching, trying something new, or searching Pinterest/TikTok/Google for inspiration. You can do it!
Happy organizing!
