As the cold, wet weather approaches, finding the best way to safely store your bicycle becomes a priority. If you have a garage, storing your bicycle or bicycles there is the obvious solution. How to properly store your bicycles now becomes the question, as well as how to protect them from dust, excessive temperatures, and other seasonal elements. preparing your garage for bike storage may be one of the easiest of garage makeovers, but it still takes some preparation and thought to be successful.
The garage is an ideal space to store your bikes year-round.
Tip #1: Prepping for Storage
After serving you well throughout the spring, summer and into the fall, your bicycles deserve some love and attention before they are put into storage for the winter months. Begin by removing any electronics from the bicycles and store them indoors away from the cold, damp air. You’ll also want to take any water bottles off.
Next, give your bicycles a thorough wash-down. Not only are dirt, mud and road salt unsightly, but they also will eat into the frame of the bicycle, causing rust. Use warm water and detergent, and experiment with a variety of brushes to see what works the best for your individual bicycles.
Doing basic maintenance before storage will ensure your bike is ready for the road in the spring.
Finally, before putting your bicycles into storage, make sure that the tires are fully-inflated and that the chains and cables are lubricated to prevent any corrosion during the months of idleness.
Tip #2: Prepping Your Garage
The next step is deciding where to store your bicycles. Since you’ve already settled on the garage, this step now becomes preparing the garage to properly and safely store your bicycles. Clean out an area for your bicycles to be stored where they will be easily accessible, yet out of the way. You’ll want to make sure that the bicycles will not be blocking doors or making it difficult to get in and out of your vehicles.
Another factor to consider when prepping your garage to store your bikes for the winter is the temperature of the garage. In general, bicycles can tolerate cold temperatures or warm temperature without difficulty. Problems can develop, though, if the temperature is frequently shifting from cold to warm. Not only can condensation develop within the frame, leading to a potential rust problem, but also to cracks in the frame, particularly if the condensation freezes.
Tip #3: Use That Wall Space!
Creating a good wall-mounted storage system can be relatively simply or may require a bit of garage remodeling, depending on the number of bikes being stored. Basic wall hooks are J-shaped and simply screw into the wall. Then the bike hangs from one wheel. Some wall hooks come with a small tray to support the wheel, with some having two trays or even a long continuous groove to house the wheel.
Another hook option mounts two hooks to the wall on which the bike is hung horizontally, the hooks supporting the frame. This is a great option that allows you to use some of your wall space for other things, such as wall-mounted cabinets.
Tip #4: Ceiling Storage Options
Other great storage options that gets the bikes up, off the floor and out of the way are ceiling hooks and pulley systems. Ceiling hooks work like wall hooks, screwing into a joist in the ceiling and holding your bicycle off the floor by one wheel. Or you could mount two hooks if you want, one for each wheel.
Pulley systems are a great way to secure multiple bicycles off the floor, yet leave them easily accessible without the use of a ladder or step stool. When you need to access a bicycle, simply use the corresponding cord to lower the bike to the floor.
Tip #5: Getting Ready for Spring
After a long (or short) winter, you’ll want to do some maintenance on the bikes before you get them back on the road. If you didn’t get them tuned-up pre-storage, take the bikes to a repair shop for a full tune-up. Check the tires and pump them up to the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Finally, lubricate the chain again before taking it out on the road.
Properly storing your bicycles will keep them running smoothly for the whole family for years to come!
Using your garage to store your bicycles for the winter is a great idea. It takes little to prepare the space for proper storage and you can rest assured that your bikes will be safe and ready to ride when Spring rolls around.
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Gabriella Messina is an author who has written online content on a variety of subjects, including home renovation, interior design and décor, and home and garage remodeling.
