Tips on storing multiple bicycles, scooters, etc?

16 years ago

My husband and I have 4 kids and we have 6 bikes, a bike trailer to hold 2 kids and four scooters that we store in half of our 2-car garage. Our whole family is pretty active and we take these out several times a week. I need to figure out a better way to store our bikes and scooters in our garage. They have taken over and keep falling over - it's a huge mess.

We have shelving and hanging tools on the walls of our garage so we do not have room for the wall-mounted bike storage systems I've seen in catalogs.

Also, I am not interested in hanging the bikes from the ceiling because I want our kids (ages 4 through 11) to be able to EASILY get their bike out so they can go riding at a moment's notice (and I don't want to have to get them up and down for them!)

Right now, the bikes keep falling over (kick stands don't seem to hold them up very well.) I bought a couple of small 18" tall free-standing bike racks that are supposed to hold 2 bikes each but these still didn't seem to work and the bikes fall over anyway.

I'm thinking I want to buying a bike rack sort of like the one on the following page

http://www.bikerackshops.com/TUBSR10.html

Does anyone have a better idea other than that? I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

Comments (7)

drjinx
16 years ago
I think you might do well with something like this:
Ceiling mounted bike rack with pulleys to raise/lower bikes

With a little training, even your little kid (4) should be able to get the bikes up and down easily -- you'll have to teach and supervise the first few times, but after that this does not require great strength to use.

I have one of these for my tandem (2 person, 40 lb. bike), but I haven't gotten it installed yet ... needing to get it into the studs and reluctance to hire someone to help me...

Jean Marie
(the bicycle lady)
talley_sue_nyc
16 years ago
The other possibility is, if you can use a saw and hammer, etc., is to make a set of slots out of 2x4s and plywood. Sort of like very narrow cubbies, but maybe w/ an open top.

Scooters can fold up, though of course it would be best if you didn't have to.

one bike rack (flat on the ground)
http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/weekend/bikerack.shtml

a bunch of plans, click on the "bike rack" link; you could maybe add some plywood panels about 6 inches apart to slip the scooters between.

THIS ONE looks promising. Maybe you could slip a scooter into the same exact slots.

Here's a pic of a commercial scooter rack; maybe it would give you ideas about what sort of "slots" you'd need to add on a bike rack?

http://www.ufpi.com/literature/bikerack-62.pdf

Here is a link that might be useful: commercial scooter stand, you could bolt several to a piece of plywood
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rjvt
15 years ago
You could at least hang your and your husband's bikes, leaving only the smaller bikes on the ground level.
gogarden65
14 years ago
I'm late to post an answer to your question, but maybe this will help others who come across your question when searching. For storing scooters in garages, the neatest product I've seen is the RazrRak Scooter Stand. You can use it to store the scooters on either the floor or garage wall.

Here is a link that might be useful: RazrRak Scooter Stand
sameboat
14 years ago
How about a bike shed?
maryliz
14 years ago
When I saw the title of the thread, I was gonna suggest hanging the bikes upside down by their wheels, with pulleys to take them up and down, but drjinx beat me to it. Now that I know kids are involved ... I suggest you keep the bikes down on the floor, so the kids can get them out and put them away without much help. Is there a way to work a small shed into a corner of the backyard?
OklaMoni
14 years ago
It's just my husband and I, but we have 9 bikes between us. We built a stand, which I hated. I have my bikes hanging from one wheel from the ceiling. One bike the front wheel, one bike the back and so on.

When we moved here we had a gardening/bike shed built. All bikes are easy to get to, and ride.

Moni