Best Bike Storage Solutions 2023

Best Bike Storage Solutions 2023

The best bike storage solutions make it easy to safely stow your ride wherever space is available. From wall racks to garage racks to hangers to hooks, options abound that allow you to store your bike inside, away from the elements and would-be bike thieves. And best of all, these options don’t force you to lean your bike against a wall or stuff it in a closet. Whether you have a single dedicated steed or multiple bikes, you could enhance your storage and save space by using a high-quality storage rack or bike hanger.

There are just as many bike storage solutions on the market as there are bikes, but don’t let the options overwhelm you. We’ve researched and tested a variety of models before narrowing down our selection to nine of the best bike storage options for different needs and budgets. While the Topeak LineUp Stand won us over with its set-it-and-forget-it design that costs a mere $90, our other top picks enable you to hang your bike on a wall, store it from a ceiling, elevate it on a freestanding rack or park it in a vehicle.

Store your bike safely and securely with one of the best bike storage solutions.

Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers

So how do we know these are the best bike storage solutions? Well, as dedicated riders with decades of experience, we’ve relied on a multitude of methods to store our bikes in different environments, from large homes with two-car garages to small apartments without an inch of space to spare. And because we find ourselves testing new bikes on a regular basis, we can’t help but put these storage solutions to the test, which helps us identify the models that are worth the money. With that in mind, here are nine of the best bike storage solutions that cater to your needs.

Topeak

Topeak LineUp Stand

Are you guilty of leaning your bike up against the wall? Well, stop scraping and scuffing the paint, and get this easy-to-use floor stand from Topeak instead. There’s no assembly required—simply lock the fold-down swing arm in place, then roll the front or rear wheel of your bike into the slot. The spring-loaded swing arm holds your bike upright, and there’s no risk of scratching the wheels or frame. To get your bike out, simply apply some pressure to the arm to hold it in place while you slide your bike out.

As a lightweight, portable and freestanding unit, you can position the Topeak LineUp Stand almost anywhere, from the house to the apartment to the garage. Heck, you can even throw the stand in the back of your car to use it at the trailhead so you don’t have to lean your bike against the car while getting ready.

The wheel slot accommodates almost any type of bike, from the skinniest 20-millimeter road tires to wider 29-millimeter mountain or gravel bike tires. Note that the rack does not accommodate extra-wide fat bike tires. And if you own more than one bike, multiple Topeak LineUp stands can easily sit next to each other to form a flexible storage solution for a collection of bikes.


Hang your bike on the wall like a piece of art with a Cycloc Solo mount that holds your bike either vertically or horizontally and rotates to accommodate a variety of bike frame angles. Rubber contact points on the curved lip protect your frame from any scratches or scuffs.

The small circular space within the bike mount is perfect for storing accessories like bike lights or gloves. Should you store your bike in a public space, the hole through the top and bottom of the mount enables you to lock up your bike, or you can use it to hang your helmet. 

The Cycloc Solo secures to your wall via three bolts and will hold bikes that weigh up to 66 pounds. For bikes with wide bars—like mountain bikes or other flat bar bikes—an optional spacer extends the bike mount further away from the wall to make room for the handlebars.


Amazon

Steadyrack Classic Rack

Trying to store multiple bikes on the floor of your garage or piling them up against one another can quickly get out of hand. A far better option would be to use the Steadyrack vertical bike storage mount, which enables you to hang multiple bikes next to one another in a small space. This wall-mounted bike rack features a fold-down arm that swivels 160 degrees from side to side and securely holds the front wheel of your bike in place. The swivel design allows you to fit multiple bikes in a smaller footprint than would be required were the bikes hung horizontally against the wall.

While vertical wall racks tend to make it easy to lift bikes up onto the wall, heavier bikes usually pose more of a challenge because they require more strength to lift and maneuver into place. The genius of Steadyrack, however, is that you don’t even have to worry about lifting your bike off the ground to mount it. Instead, simply balance your bike on its back wheel and slide the front wheel into the arm.

The Steadyrack also comes in a variety of styles to accommodate different types of bikes—standard, mountain, fat and those with fenders. The Classic Steadyrack fits standard bikes with a wheel diameter of 20 to 29 inches and tire widths up to 2.1 inches, and it can support bikes up to 77 pounds.


If you don’t want to drill holes into your walls, this floor-to-ceiling bike stand is the perfect non-permanent solution for storing multiple bikes. The single-pole design securely wedges between the floor and ceiling much like a shower curtain. 

The bike stand extends to fit ceilings up to 10.5 feet high and no tools are required to install it—simply extend the spring-loaded pole to reach the ceiling and lock the extension lever into place. This lever can then be tightened with a standard Allen key to ensure the arm doesn’t slip when loaded with bikes. 

Once the bike stand is in place, lock the foot stepper to engage the spring, which forms a secure mounting setup from ceiling to floor. While the stand will hold up to four bikes, the package only comes with two hook mounts, so you’ll need to buy more to expand your storage options. These hook mounts swivel up to 30 degrees to accommodate a variety of standard or sloping frame top tubes. The mounts also slide up or down along the stand to make room for large or small bikes. Each hook mount can hold up to 39.7 pounds in weight and the entire stand can accommodate up to 158.7 pounds. As an optional accessory, stabilizers can secure your bike handlebars in place so the front wheel doesn’t twist when it’s suspended off the ground.


Amazon

Delta Cycle Michelangelo

The Delta Michelangelo bike stand leans against your wall and uses the force of gravity to hold two bikes of any style, or up to 80 pounds in total weight. Out of the box, the stand can be assembled in mere minutes with nothing more than a Phillips screwdriver. For heavier bikes, such as e-bikes, a wall stabilizing strap is included to avoid any accidental toppling (for really heavy bikes, stay on the safe side and only store them on the lower rungs).

Thick rubber feet prevent the base of the bike stand from sliding out under load and protect your floor from potential damage. Padded hooks on each side of the stand secure your bike in place and move independently up and down to accommodate any size or style of bike. You can even add extra hooks to hold accessories such as bike helmets, caps, gloves, lights or fanny packs. 


Renters seeking a space-saving solution will often look for a vertical wall rack that won’t take up valuable real estate. But unlike the Delta Michelangelo rack, this freestanding rack has a solid base that doesn’t rely on a wall for support.

The upside of this is that you eliminate the risk of scratching the wall, and you’re also not limited to placing the rack next to a wall; basically, you can place it anywhere you have a few feet of space. The downside of a freestanding rack is that you need more floor space to accommodate the 31 x 21-inch base. Two independently adjustable arms allow you to easily tweak the angle of both bikes to avoid hitting objects, and the rack can accommodate two bikes and up to 70 pounds of weight.


MOST POPULAR

BikeStow

BikeStow Original Vehicle Stand

While vans and trucks are great for storing or transporting bikes, things can get messy if you’re not organized—derailleurs knocked out of alignment, spokes broken, frames scratched and so on. The BikeStow Original bike rack makes it incredibly easy to keep your bikes organized and safe to and from the start of your ride. As the bike rack folds down flat and weighs less than 30 pounds, it can double as a bike storage solution for your house, apartment or garage when it’s not being used to transport bikes in your vehicle.

The portable bike rack folds open to create a stable platform in the back of your vehicle and holds up to four bikes. Cargo straps secure the bike rack in place and ensure it doesn’t tip over should you fancy yourself a bit of a Formula 1 driver. 

The bike rack is easy to deploy and use—simply roll the front or back wheel of your bike into the dedicated slots and slide down the aluminum V-lock to secure your bike into place. Each wheel slot accommodates tires up to 3 inches wide on 26-inch or 27.5-inch wheels and 2.6 inches wide on 29-inch wheels.  


Larger households, and particularly those that include kids, may prefer a multi-bike rack that doesn’t require you to lift bikes off the ground. Not only can kids scratch bikes and scuff walls while trying to lift bikes onto a wall-mounted rack, but they can also potentially injure themselves if the bikes fall.

The Saris Mighty Mite rack solves this problem by providing a six-bike storage solution that allows riders to roll the bike wheel into a dedicated slot. The industrial-style design is somewhat reminiscent of outdoor street bike racks, though there’s no vinyl, rubber or padding to protect your spokes. It’s a fairly utilitarian design but it makes for an affordable, simple, family-friendly solution that can’t be beat.


Why use up that valuable garage floor real estate for bicycles when you probably need it to store cars, lawnmowers and other equipment? The Cycle Glide from Saris solves this problem by allowing you to maximize the empty space above your cars by storing your bikes on the ceiling. And if you don’t have a garage, the rack also installs in a basement or dedicated bike room (if you’re lucky enough to have one). Installation is straightforward for most and you can probably have the entire thing set up in under an hour. Note that if the plaster on your ceiling is thick, you may need to use screws longer than the ones provided, but those can be purchased from your local hardware store.

The rack can hold up to four bikes (up to 50 pounds each), with wheelbases up to 56 inches and tires up to 2.5 inches. If you need more space, two additional add-ons are available to expand the rack’s capacity to six bikes. Patented glider technology on the rack allows you to access each bike individually, so you don’t have to remove the outer bikes just to reach one of the inner bikes. The best part about this rack is that, while it keeps the bikes safely tucked away above, they are still within arm’s reach, so there’s no need to balance precariously on a chair or trunk to get the bikes on and off the rack.


How We Chose The Best Bike Storage Solutions

As dedicated cyclists with decades of experience on roads and trails, we know how frustrating it can be to store your bike in a home or small apartment. We’ve crammed our bikes in closets, hung them from rafters and positioned them so awkwardly that a single heavy step could send them toppling over. For these reasons, we understand the importance of a stable, secure bike storage solution whether you’re an avid rider or occasional commuter.

When selecting the best bike storage solutions for this list, we relied on firsthand experience, expert advice and independent reviews from shoppers just like you. We considered different living spaces, different types of bikes and storage options that allow you to orient your bike in any number of positions. We took into account different specs and features that set one option apart from the rest, and compiled a list that represents the best of the best.

This roundup of the best bike storage solutions is updated regularly for accuracy and integrity. It was last updated November 2023.

What To Consider When Shopping For A Bike Storage Solution

With so many bike storage solutions on the market, we understand if the thought of choosing just one sounds a bit overwhelming. Here are some things to consider to help you in your search.

Your Living Space

If your space is small, you’ll probably want to skip larger floor racks that take up a lot of real estate. And while you’d still have numerous wall and freestanding racks to choose from, if you’re a renter (or if you’re just generally cautious when it comes to drilling holes into the wall), you may prefer a rack that isn’t permanent. In this case, you’d do best with a no-drilling-required option like the Delta Michelangelo, which leans against the wall; the fully freestanding Thule Bike Stacker, which doesn’t touch the wall at all; or a small, freestanding floor rack like the Topeak LineUp Stand.

The Number Of Bikes

This one might seem obvious, as you’ll need enough racks to accommodate your bikes. In other words, if you have four bikes, you’ll either need a single rack that can accommodate four bikes (like the Saris Cycle Glide ceiling rack, the Saris Mighty Mite floor stand or the Topeak Dual Touch), or you’ll need enough separate racks to accommodate four bikes across them. For instance, you may want to mount a few Steadyracks on the wall in your hallway and keep a Topeak LineUp Stand or two in the garage.

Also consider not just how many bikes you have right now but also how many you might have in the future. Though you may be new to riding and only have a single hybrid bike, you may decide next year that you also want a road bike or an e-bike. Similarly, if you and your partner ride but you have (or will soon have) young kids who will also ride, you may want to go with a rack that can accommodate more bikes from the start, or which can an easily allow additional bikes to be added on (like the Saris Cycle Glide ceiling rack).

Your Strength And Mobility

Keep in mind that the higher the rack, the more challenging it will be to store your bikes on it. As convenient as some of these wall- and ceiling-mounted racks are, if it will be challenging for you to lift the weight (or even if it’s a challenge simply to lift your arms above your shoulders), then it will prove difficult to impossible to get your bike on and off the rack. If strength and mobility are limited, then a floor rack like the Topeak LineUp Stand for one bike or the Saris Mighty Mite for up to six bikes will serve you well. These floor racks are also great if you have kids in your household because they can wheel the bike on and off the rack without asking for help.

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