Bicycle Storage Solutions & Their Benefits: Sheds, Stands, Racks & Hooks

It comes as no surprise that riding a bike offers numerous health benefits. Plus, it’s fun, good for the environment, and helps you save money on gas. And as opposed to driving a car to work, I’ve never heard anyone complaining about getting stuck in traffic with their bike. Seing the many benefits cycling offers, more and more Australians opt for this type of transportation.

As much as you love to, you simply cannot ride your bike forever. At the end of the day, you’ll need to find a place to put it to rest for the night. So basically, you’re confronted with several storage options: a bicycle shed, stand or rack. To help you decide, let’s look at the unique advantages each option offers.

Bicycle Shed

If you’re looking for a secure and reliable way to store your bycicle outside, then you’ll benefit from investing in a bicycle shed. A shed makes your bike easily accessible while also protecting it from weather and theft. This is a very convenient solution if you don’t want your bike to take up space in the garage, or if you don’t have one. These sheds are small and can be installed into any corner in your garden without much difficulty. Plus, you can easily assemble a bicycle shed by yourself, following the step by step instructions.

Depending on how many bikes and pieces of equipment you want to store, you can choose from a variety of bike shed sizes. They are also available in a variety of colours and materials. So, if you want to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your yard, a bicycle shed can help you do it. Colorbond sheds are especially popular as they are exceptionally durable, waterproof and UV-resistant, which means their colours won’t easily fade over time.

All in all, purchasing a bicycle shed has many benefits that go beyond just storing your bike. Since it’s basically a small room, a shed is an investment that can serve you for years to come. Even if you stop riding a bike and sell it, you can still repurpose the space for anything you need. For instance, you can turn it into a small DIY workshop, or store some items that no longer fit into your home.

Floor Stand

However, if you’re living in an apartment or don’t have the outdoor space to install a shed, you may need to bring your bike inside. In that case, a floor stand can be a convenient solution for storing it. A floor stand consists of a long metal bar with two vertical slats where you can rest the bike’s front wheel in. On its own, it doesn’t take up much space and can be easily installed anywhere. However, it’s best to install the floor stand away from any high traffic areas in the home, as once you fix your bike in it, it can become a significant obstacle. There’s a variety of floor stands to choose from, ranging from simple ones that can hold a single bike to stands that can hold several bikes.

Wall Rack

If you lack floor space inside your home or have little children running around and are worried that they may get hurt, mounting your bike on the wall is the simplest and smartest solution. You just need to fix a special rack to the wall. There are a variety of bicycle wall racks to choose from, including a simple hook, a hook and tray, or horizontal wall mounts. They also come in all kinds of designs and are made of materials ranging from steel to high-grade aluminium. Simple wall racks are, of course, much cheaper than stylish racks that can double as wall décor.

While wall racks can typically hold up a standard bike once you’ve drilled them in as tightly as possible, they can have a problem supporting heavier mountain bikes. In this case, a floor stand or a bike shed is a much better solution. Also, remember that drilling in wall racks will cause permanent damage to your walls. So, if you take them down in the future, you may need to repair your walls or hide the holes with a painting or other trick. What’s more, unlike floor stands, a wall rack isn’t able to hold multiple bikes at the same time. For any additional bike, you’ll need to install an extra rack.

Ceiling Hooks

Finally, if you have the advantage to live in a home with very high ceilings, you might find ceiling hooks incredibly useful. Also referred to as bicycle pulleys or bicycle lifts, ceiling hooks are an excellent option if you want to keep your bike out of eye level – and out of reach. Plus, they tend to look great in modern loft-style apartments and industrial-style interiors. The only problem might be that they can be complicated to install, but once it’s done, the easy pulley system allows you to get your bike up in the air in no time.