Buying advice on wall mounts: How to keep your bike in your home over winter
Timo Dillenberger
· 23.12.2024
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The average expenditure per bike has risen continuously and sharply in recent years. Pedelecs, cargo bikes and high-quality gravel bikes not only cost upwards of €3,000, they have also become something of a socially recognised status symbol for many. Both are reasons not to leave your bike on the street day after day and night after night, exposed to the weather, the sun's UV rays, dirt and the eyes of potential thieves, but to give it a safe, easily accessible and secure place.
Whether in the shared bike cellar with others, in the garage at home, in the metropolitan cellar compartment, the modern office or in your own home - the bike is always safer, cleaner, gentler and visually more attractive with an appropriate mount than on two tyres and the side stand. In this case, safe can mean: protected from tipping over and being knocked over, but also safe from unauthorised access, as almost every mount also offers the option of being something like an anchor point for a lock.
Hanging or standing storage?
Basically, there are two main ways to "tidy up" your bike: standing and hanging. For a bike that is used very regularly or even on a daily basis, this is relatively the same; the owner's preferences and available space play more of a role here.
If a bike is not used for several weeks or even an entire winter, it is better to store the tyres in a suspended position. Even the best tyres lose air pressure over time, the tyres become bulbous at the contact areas and are no longer round. This is known as a flat tyre, but it has nothing to do with classic tyre damage.
Particularly with heavier pedelecs, the weight can press the tyre into this out-of-round shape over time. The older the tyre, the greater the risk that the carcass can no longer be fully restored to its original shape when it is re-inflated. The result is a throbbing rolling sensation that can even render the tyre unusable. If tyres are left flat for a very long time, the textile fibres and the rubber on top can even break at the kinks. If you store your bike in a suspended position, you can even reverse such premature ageing effects. Hanging your bike without having to carry its weight allows you to reduce the air pressure to a minimum before long periods of inactivity and thus protect the tyre material.
To a much less noticeable extent, even the frame can be protected by clever storage. The tilted position when the bike is jacked up on its rear triangle or bottom bracket always creates slight tension in the material. This can be eliminated by standing the bike upright or, even better, hanging it. And, of course, by parking the bike safely, you save the frame, handlebars and exposed parts from hard contact when tipping over. Especially where space is chronically limited, such as in urban bike cellars, clean bike storage can protect against ugly damage and expensive repairs.
>> You can find even more tips for Christmas or afterwards here: Gift idea from the editorial team
3 tips: You need to pay attention to this with the wall mount
The vast majority of the bike mounts we have selected as examples can be used on very variable bike models. However, you should pay attention to three basic points before purchasing and fitting.
- Are suitable Frame shape and tyre diameter for the corresponding wheel mount?
- If both the bracket and the wall or ceiling are suitable for the Wheel weight suitable?
- And do the type of bracket and the mounting location allow the wheel to be without much ado or are there no wheel parts protruding into the room in such a way that you can constantly get caught on them?
A small "bad habit" of current models are the increasingly wider handlebars, which are mostly unnecessary when riding, but are real space wasters. Important: Especially with mounts in which the bike is fixed with the side facing the wall, it is essential to compare the distance between the mount and the wall with the handlebar width; the distance to the wall must be greater than half the handlebar width including any attachments, otherwise the front wheel will always protrude into the room!
The few brackets that fix the tyre instead of the frame tube always specify the minimum and maximum tyre width between which the bike is sufficiently tight but can be removed without excessive force. The coarser the profile of the tyre, the more difficult it is to remove. We have deliberately not included any of the wall brackets where one of the pedals is hooked in while the two tyres tilt against the wall further down. On the one hand, they can be fiddly to attach, and on the other, the tyres get dirty on the wall unless an extra protective surface is fitted for each tyre. And finally, the lateral tensile forces that particularly heavy models exert on the relatively small pedal bearings are simply not material-friendly in the long term. Also, there should never be a hook on the saddle! Its chassis is made for compressive and not tensile loads; negligible for a seven-kilo road bike, but unfortunately not for touring bikes and e-bikes weighing around 20 kilos.
Two systems or ways of hanging up your bike have prevailed over others. Individual, horizontally aligned wall hooks, into which the rear or usually the front wheel is hooked, are quite space-saving and inexpensive; the bike then hangs vertically on the wall, sometimes there are additional contact plates for the other wheel. Lined up alternately with "handlebars up" and "handlebars down", there is no more efficient way to store several bikes in a small space. But where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages: even when mounted at the ideal height, you have to lift the bike well in front of your body rather than by the "long arm" to reach the top mount - a feat of strength that should not be underestimated with pedelecs.
Practical tip on bike wall mounts
Tighten the rear brake, pull the handlebars to bring the bike into an upright position and roll it in a balanced manner towards the wall or bracket. To lift the bike, keep both hands on the handlebars, bend your knees slightly and lift the bike with your legs rather than your arms. Press against the saddle with your hips or thighs to prevent swaying; proceed in the same way when lowering the bike.
Bicycle garage instead of wall bracket
Perfect wall mount or not, sometimes there is simply no more room in the cellar or in the flat. In order to still give the bike "its space", there is the option of providing protection and theft security outside, at least in suburban and rural areas. Not only at Biohort have we found special garages for precisely this purpose. Especially for owners of bulky cargo bikes or residents of old buildings that are difficult to access, such a box can ensure a longer service life and less fear of theft. Insurance companies also often honour such measures with lower premiums.
If even the best lifting technology doesn't help with bulky pedelecs, there are mechanical or even electrical assistance systems that can take over the lifting work, albeit not quite as cheaply. Such bike lifts have so far been more common in company bike garages or hire pools, but they are very practical!
Rumour has it that this type of storage hanging from the front wheel can fatigue and damage the headset and mechanics of any suspension forks. We are not aware of any such cases, but you should still take care when hanging the bike vertically from the front wheel to handle it with as little momentum as possible to avoid force peaks on the material - another argument in favour of the supporting lifts!
The number two standard solution for bike storage is a mount for the top tube so that the bike hangs parallel to the wall at the bottom. The classic solution is two hooks about 30 centimetres apart. With traditional diamond frame shapes, hanging and removing the bike from such holders is child's play, the bike hangs straight and secure. With a sloping top tube and trapezoidal frame, the bike hangs very diagonally on the wall if the holder cannot compensate for the shape of the frame. For beginners, we recommend the Rose version with the single "spike" instead of two hooks.
Design mounts for the (e)-bike
Design racks have experienced a real boom in recent years. Perhaps inspired by sitcoms in the 90s and 2000s, in which every stylish flat had an impressive bike hanging on the wall, particularly iconic old steel racers and modern high-tech gravel bikes are sometimes displayed on flat walls like works of art.
Of course, the holder must not be from the mass-produced range of bike discounters. Noble materials such as titanium or wood, particularly creative bike mounts and concealed fastening screws are a must, often in combination with additional storage options for helmets, glasses or trophies.
A small disadvantage: Most of these pieces of jewellery are not quite as versatile to mount. And with horizontally presented bikes, you should definitely think about a strap that secures the front wheel against twisting, otherwise the handlebars will constantly tip over. This could be avoided if the front of the bike is pointing clearly downwards. However, the design brackets and the general aesthetics do not really allow this.
Speaking of aesthetics: As much as you might like to have your "little treasure" around you - it only really looks good on the wall when freshly cleaned and doesn't stain any furniture. Velosock offers a clever and attractive solution: a cover that covers the lower two thirds of the bike. This means that the cleaning condition doesn't matter in the short term and you can hang the bike in its place without cleaning it. You can find the practical covers in our 24 Christmas gift tips.
>> You can find even more Christmas tips here: Gift ideas from the editorial team
