How to Store Bikes in Your Garage: The Ultimate Guide

Whether you live in the city, the suburbs or enjoy country life, cycling is a fantastic way to stay fit, bond with friends and family and experience your surrounding area. When it comes to home bike storage, the garage is by far the most popular choice and for good reason. It’s a great choice with extra space that opens out into the world, providing easy access in and out of the house.

Installing bike racks will help keep your bicycle out of the way, avoiding damage to both it and you. You’ll also need room for your gear, including helmet, bicycle pump, spare chain, water bottle and tool kit.

Let’s have a look at some garage bike storage ideas to give you some inspiration for your home. This article will go into the pros and cons of each type of bike rack, providing you with the information to choose the best storage method for you.

Key considerations for storing bicycles indoors

The size of your garage

Garages come in different shapes and sizes, so you need to find the bike storage choice that best suits you. Even after a good spring clean, you can only work with what storage space you have, so understanding how big your garage area is will help you weigh up your bicycle storage options. Keep in mind everything else you need to achieve with your garage, including storing your cars, tools and other gear. With a little thought and careful planning, you’ll be able to find bike storage for your garage space.

The size and number of your bikes

One of the biggest factors in deciding what storage style is best for you is the number of bikes you have. Certain options are perfect for one or two bikes but aren’t practical for any more than that. Likewise, some solutions would be great for large families, but be excessive for someone who lives by themselves (unless they happen to own a lot of road bikes).

Different types of bikes, from kids to mountain bikes, range in shape and size. If you already own a bike, take some measurements, including wheel size, the width of your seat, basket, handlebars and the height of your bike. This will help you decide the best storage method for you, ensuring that you buy a rack that fits your bicycle, while helping make the installation process easier.

Make sure you consider the future as well. If you’re a keen cyclist planning a family, chances are you’ll have a few smaller bikes to store down the track. While you can’t plan for everything, having a basic idea of what you’ll need in the future allows you to design your bike storage accordingly. Your future self will thank you for it!

6 Best solutions for storing bikes in your home garage

1. Vertical Bike Storage

These are best suited to garages with a little more space and for anyone looking to store more than two bikes. You’ll need both enough space on the wall for the bikes to hang lengthwise, plus enough area for the bikes to stick off the wall.

Pros: This method takes up less wall space than wall hooks do. It’s also a great way to be more efficient when storing many bikes. It will save floor space and will fit most models and wheels, from kids’ bikes to adult bikes.

Cons: Bikes will stick out, making it possible for someone to bump into them. Without enough room, a vertical bike storage rack may become intrusive. Also, kids may have trouble hanging and unchanging their bikes.

2. Floor racks

Floor racks have the classic appearance when it comes to a bike storage rack and is a garage version of what you see in schools and public areas. They are sometimes used as part of a larger bike storage system. For example, you might have some bikes stored on the wall and have your most commonly used bikes on the floor stands.

Pros: This is probably the option with the easiest access for everyone, including smaller children. Less hassle to install than other products such as a ceiling rack. Great for a larger number of bikes.

Cons: As the name suggests, this type of bike stand will take up floor space. This will be a problem for any garage that is on the tighter side once the car is parked inside.  You’ll need to research what you’re buying as some floor racks won’t fit tires under 20 inches and aren’t disc brake compatible.

3. Wall hooks

Installing a bike hook or hooks onto your garage wall is one of the most common methods of garage bike storage. One of the main reasons is that while it takes up a lot of wall space, it won’t take up much room otherwise. Usually, if you have somewhere on the wall free, a wall hook can work for you. Most people won’t have enough room for more than two bikes though, so if you have a fleet of bicycles at your home, you may want to consider another option.

Pros: Hanging up your bike and removing it are much easier from well-placed wall hooks than they are from a ceiling rack, especially if you have back issues or your arms aren’t that long.

Cons: Some DIY ability is needed for installation. Make sure you have room on your wall as the frame of your bike will take up a lot of wall space. A bicycle with wider handlebars might not fit well, so we’d recommend checking measurements before purchasing.

4. Ceiling Mounted Bike Rack

This design is installed on your ceiling, providing you with complete floor and wall space. There is a little engineering needed, as you’ll need a high enough roof to make this worthwhile. If you have a fairly low ceiling and not much floor space, consider it a sign that a ceiling-mounted bike rack isn’t for you.

Pros: Doesn’t take up any floor space or wall space, making them ideal for tighter garage floor plans. For adults, your bicycle will be easy to access, lift and lower.

Cons: This type of bike rack does require you to have a high enough ceiling to make it practical. If you can’t park your car or have to consistently avoid banging your head on your bike, it won’t have any advantage over storing your bikes on the floor. These types of bike racks are difficult, if not impossible, for kids to access.

5. Horizontal Wall Rack

Similar to the wall hook, this comes in either a freestanding or attached version. The bike is stored horizontally, meaning you’ll need wall space to make this work. The plus side is your bikes won’t take up any floor area, making this a great storage option for tight spaces.

Pros: Easier to get your bike off and on compared to a ceiling rack, which is great for anyone with back problems. Also great for displaying your bikes. They also don’t take up any floor space.

Cons: These do take up a lot of wall space, so you’ll need to consider your current setup to figure out if this is feasible. Due to the space, this method takes up, it’s not ideal if you have more than two bikes. Bikes with especially wide handlebars can be more difficult to store this way.

6. Indoor Bike Rack

Best suited for when you don’t want to damage the walls or those who don’t want to attach any hardware to the walls. They function by using pressure to attach the column to the ceiling and floor. Your garage door will need to be low enough for the rack your use to fit.

Pros: Are portable and can be moved from room to room. You don’t need to install anything on the wall, making this an ideal solution for renters or those not confident with DIY.

Cons: Can only be used in rooms within the rack’s height range. If you’ve got more than a couple of bikes, you’ll need additional storage options.