Decorating
Clever Ways to Keep Bikes in Even the Smallest of Homes
No bike shed or garage outside your home? No problem. It’s easy to combine small-scale living and a love of cycling with these smart ideas
Biking is big news these days, with many of us taking to two wheels regularly for pleasure, fitness or simply to get to work and nip around town. But when you have quit the saddle, where to you store your bicycle? With theft and weather damage a risk, the answer, often, is inside, which can be a challenge when space is tight. How can you stylishly integrate a bike – or two, or three – into your house or flat? Read on for some nifty solutions, workable in even the most compact accommodation…
Hook under the stairs
Convention says make the space under your stairs into a cupboard. But convention isn’t always right, as this innovative staircase illustrates. Above stairs is the enclosed element, with the space below free for hooking up two bikes and also parking a buggy.
Banish clutter in your hallway
Convention says make the space under your stairs into a cupboard. But convention isn’t always right, as this innovative staircase illustrates. Above stairs is the enclosed element, with the space below free for hooking up two bikes and also parking a buggy.
Banish clutter in your hallway
Pin to poles
Simple bike storage made from metal poles and hooks creates room for two cycles in this apartment. The design, made with basic materials, suits the industrial feel of this home, but the no-fuss concept could be rolled out in any style of property.
Check out clever ways to maximise space in a studio
Simple bike storage made from metal poles and hooks creates room for two cycles in this apartment. The design, made with basic materials, suits the industrial feel of this home, but the no-fuss concept could be rolled out in any style of property.
Check out clever ways to maximise space in a studio
Bike Storage - Vertical Bike Rack with TekTrak - the complete solution
Rack it up
Bike racks often hold the bike in profile against the wall, but when it comes to storing smaller, kids’ bikes, there are more options. This rack holds the bike upright, with its wheels towards the wall. Since it is so much smaller than an adult bike, it does not protrude into the room much and several bikes can be stored like this in a row.
Bike racks often hold the bike in profile against the wall, but when it comes to storing smaller, kids’ bikes, there are more options. This rack holds the bike upright, with its wheels towards the wall. Since it is so much smaller than an adult bike, it does not protrude into the room much and several bikes can be stored like this in a row.
Use the hall
Storing your bike in the hall makes logical sense. After all, if you can avoid wheeling a potentially dirty and wet vehicle through your house, and park it just by the front door instead, that’s a happy scenario. Ideally, store your bike off the floor, to keep this busy space as uncluttered as possible, and consider hanging it vertically from one wheel to make use of even narrow slices of wall.
Storing your bike in the hall makes logical sense. After all, if you can avoid wheeling a potentially dirty and wet vehicle through your house, and park it just by the front door instead, that’s a happy scenario. Ideally, store your bike off the floor, to keep this busy space as uncluttered as possible, and consider hanging it vertically from one wheel to make use of even narrow slices of wall.
Hang it high
Low on floor space, but blessed with tall ceilings? Make use of that height and convert the space above your head into bike storage. You may need to keep a stepstool handy so you can reach the bike, or source a ceiling rack that incorporates a pulley system, so you can lower the bike down gently on ropes.
Low on floor space, but blessed with tall ceilings? Make use of that height and convert the space above your head into bike storage. You may need to keep a stepstool handy so you can reach the bike, or source a ceiling rack that incorporates a pulley system, so you can lower the bike down gently on ropes.
Simply stand it
A bike propped against the wall is always in danger of swivelling and toppling over. But if your bike has a good stand that will keep it firmly in place, you could consider storing it on any quiet bit of floor space, as here.
A bike propped against the wall is always in danger of swivelling and toppling over. But if your bike has a good stand that will keep it firmly in place, you could consider storing it on any quiet bit of floor space, as here.
Hide behind a door
By definition, there is a whole door-sized chunk of space behind every door, and this is just about the right size for a bike, too, when stored vertically.
By definition, there is a whole door-sized chunk of space behind every door, and this is just about the right size for a bike, too, when stored vertically.
Team with art
A great hook (this one looks more like a mini shelf than anything specially made) and a striking piece of art help this wall-hung bike look like an installation in its own right. Thanks to its handsome neighbour, it looks hung with intent and acts as something to be looked at and enjoyed when not in use.
Browse inspiring, eclectic wall displays
A great hook (this one looks more like a mini shelf than anything specially made) and a striking piece of art help this wall-hung bike look like an installation in its own right. Thanks to its handsome neighbour, it looks hung with intent and acts as something to be looked at and enjoyed when not in use.
Browse inspiring, eclectic wall displays
Make it part of the architecture
A beam or pillar is a strong feature in any room, but you can reinvent it as bike storage, too, by attaching hooks and parking your pedal power there. It’s a fun look that draws attention to the architecture of your home, while providing nifty cycle storage, too.
TELL US…
Share your clever ideas for storing a bike in a small home in the Comments below.
MORE
Explore more great storage solutions
A beam or pillar is a strong feature in any room, but you can reinvent it as bike storage, too, by attaching hooks and parking your pedal power there. It’s a fun look that draws attention to the architecture of your home, while providing nifty cycle storage, too.
TELL US…
Share your clever ideas for storing a bike in a small home in the Comments below.
MORE
Explore more great storage solutions
Hanging up a bike is the best way to store it neatly and prevent it eating into valuable floor space, but pick your wall carefully. Don’t choose one you’re likely to brush against often as you pass – bike wheels and chains can be mucky and oily – but instead find a more out-of-the-way space. Here, the bike sits below a window and above a desk, looking like a funky piece of art and making use of an otherwise redundant wall.