Are pedal hangars a safe bicycle storage solution?
 

Looking at systems like DaHangar Dan, it wouldn’t seem like using a hangar like this would be an issue, but since there are lots of knowledgeable people on this forum I wanted to know your thoughts. Any potential issues / problems with hanging mountain bikes/ road bikes on the wall by the pedal with a 25 degree or so lean? Thanks!

Considering that the pedal supports all of the weight of the rider, hanging the bike from a pedal shouldn’t put much strain on it.

That said, this seems like an inefficient use of space. One of the pictures on their website show 3 bikes but that would require a garage with really tall walls. My garage is just around 8 feet tall. That’s 2 bikes high. A bike is about 6 feet (2m) long. A garage is about 25 feet long. That’s 8 bikes at best. Put in a window and you lose one bike. I have 11 in the same space by hanging them from the front wheel. I might be able to double that by hanging bikes from the rafters.

Are you talking about this thing? Only issues I could image would be to the wall, not the bike. Remember...the bike weighs in at what 15 lbs? The pedals are designed to accomodate the weight of a person upwards of 250 lbs. So if that is your main concern...notheing to worry about.



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...20737562a4.jpg


Dan (not DaHanger Dan)

Thanks. I’ve got 3 bikes to hang in a spare bedroom converted to a workout room. In the garage I just hang by the front wheel against the wall, but in this case I only have about a foot or so of depth to spare in the room, so need a close to the wall solution. The web site claims you can fit 3 bikes in with an 8 foot ceiling. I guess I may be testing that claim. Thanks for the reassurance about the pedal/crankarm strength.

Thanks! One is a 30+ pound mountain bike, but I get your point. Sounds like this is a pretty safe route.

Helpful!
 

Hi dear,
Hanging bikes on pedals is not a viable storage option because it destroys the part of a wall where the bicycle is hanged.
The walls may crack and break. So, I would not recommend you to use pedal hangers to store your bicycle. One of my friends is storing his bicycle in a shipping storage container. You can ensure that your bicycle will be protected from rain and wind when you store it in a shipping container. You can even buy or rent a shipping container for the short term or long term.
Thanks!

dalia....welcome to the Forum!
It's important to secure the screws/bolts to the frame studs supporting the walls.

To find the studs, use a stud finder. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Ha...finder%7D%3Aqu

https://www.bikeforums.net/21921831-post32.html

I don't think there is any concern for the lateral force on the crank unless maybe you have some CF hollow cranks, then it may be of concern.

The actual vertical weight of the bike is carried by the wheel ledges that aren't immediately obvious in the main pic. Even medium-duty drywall anchors are rated for a vertical weight of up to 75-100 lb, so a 30 lb bike split between two drywall-mounted wheel rests would be well within the specs for even light-duty drywall anchors (although as an inveterate overbuilder, I'd rather anchor them in studs if it was an option) The horizontal force on the pedal mount (the "weight" of the bike leaning out away from the wall and attempting to pull the pedal mount fasteners out of the wall) would be a function of the bike weight and the lean angle, I think it might be the sine of the angle so, assuming a 30 lb bike at a 25 degree lean, and the pedal level with the center of gravity of the bike, we looking at 30 lb x 0.42 = 12.6 lb - the horizontal component would be less if the pedal is higher than the CoG, and more of the pedal is lower, but I don't know how to calculate that. Since you're looking at horizontal force on the pedal mount fasteners and vertical force on the wheel ledge fasteners, if it came down to it, I'd put the pedal mount fasteners into wood, and would be fine with the wheel ledge fasteners in drywall.
In any case, the forces involved are pretty minor

You could always screw on the wall 16 or 32 inch board strip that would be screwed into studs. That way you don't have to compromise on the horizontal bike positioning. But if you have light bike, then you might even place the hanger in between the studs but you should use those butterfly wall hanger gizmos you can get in any hardware store. Those 'open' behind the drywall and have quite large surface pressure distribution on the back of the drywall.
FlipToggle

If you make your own home made hangers like in the post I linked to, you could even cut a horizontal slot into the drywall, say 2x2" and insert a piece of wood behind the drywall through this slot and attach the hanger to it. Most skilled hobbyists would know how to go about this. The plywood hanger would be made large enough to hide the hole and the screws holding the backplate in place.

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Just had an alternative idea for those worried about the forces on the crank. You could make that wood strip that the bike wheels rest on an L shaped bracket (to make sure wheels can't easily slip off it) and use a bungee cord around the top tube of the bike frame to hold it in the desired angle from the wall (or a strap of wood hinged on the wall that you lift and hook on the bike frame top tube) . However this wouldn't work that well for the upper bike since you might not be able to reach that high to secure the cord or some other mechanism (that is, unless you are an ingenious kind :50: ).

Yeah because we can all just have a shipping container in our house.

I personally wouldn't use that system but not for your reasons as all one needs is a stud finder and the proper screws for the surface and to not abuse and pull on the bikes and you would be fine. However the googley eyes make me want to use it.

I would love a bunch of shipping containers to turn into a sweet tiny home or cool storage space but yeah not possible in my living arrangement and probably not practical for most people and I would still need stuff to keep out humidity and ideally control temperature. Having been in a container many times that has sat out in the sun and roasted all day it gets really hot or on the opposite side really cold (though blocks the wind nicely) and it is not fun being in one in those conditions.

My ideal storage would be hanging from the wall from good hooks in studs with some floor space in-between each one for heavier bikes and to give plenty of space so I don't have to go upside with bikes. However I don't have that space right now and really don't care to make it as that would be a major project and move the bikes to a bad location for me.

My first hanging solution given the space issues listed by the OP would be a hang from the TT one, not hang from the pedals design. Same amount of wall square footage used but with a possible shelf and better bike hanging dynamics (or at least the hope for less dynamics. The bike is more stable if held further above it's center of gravity. Andy

There is also something like this. The Art of Storage Michelangelo 2-Bike Gravity Wall Lean Sports Equipment Storage Rack-RS6002 - The Home Depot No drilling or permanent mounting needed, just lean it against the wall, easily to move around, has height adjustable arms, perfectly safe for almost any bike. There are a few other mfrs. to suit your tastes such as stylish wood, and various price ranges etc.

I hate those electronic ones. This FTW:

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Hanson-030...000IKK0OI&th=1

An electronic one helped me locate a plastic drain pipe behind a wall several years ago. I drilled a hole in it because I thought it was a stud. Oops.

TT which I take it is top tube racks - it won't allow you to 'overlap' the bikes. Hanging by the pedal under an angle allows the wheels of the upper bike to slip behind the bottom bike. But I suppose you could still stack the bikes if you made those rack arms deep enough.

To find studs, start with banging on the wall with the flat of the palm of your hand, maybe then follow up with some stud finder but as pointed out, you get mixed results. Perhaps the best stud finder is the simplest one, the hinged magnet one that locates screws themselves. Also, shining a light under a sharp angle on the wall reveals where the drywall screws are. Sometimes driving a nail repeatedly into the drywall until you find a stud does the best job, you don't need to worry about hitting wire or pipe if you take it easy. Studs are spaced 16" apart.

If done correctly, which some are not.

stud finders operate by picking up the disturbance in a magnetic field caused by ferrous fasteners like drywall screws screwed into studs. You can do the same with a small neodymium magnet. I wrap one in masking tape so it resembles a Hershey’s Kiss - I hold it with the small tab between my fingers and move my hand over the wall. The pull of the magnet toward a buried fastener is obvious. Once you find one fastener, it’s easy to narrow down the locations of others - vertically above/below the first one, and in a vertical line ~16” to the left or right

I didn't have good luck using magnetic stud sensors years ago. Have used electronic ones for a long time, which detect density changes, regardless of whether or not ferrous fasteners are nearby.

This is all so complicated...

I just fold my bikes and line them up ... ;)

If it was a long time ago, that may have been before the arrival of super-strong magnets, which work well.

Early '80s.