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Mounting bicycle rigidly vs hanging it with a rope

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Mounting bicycle rigidly vs hanging it with a rope

Old 06-14-22, 04:12 AM
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user1617
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Mounting bicycle rigidly vs hanging it with a rope

I want to build my bicycle fixing corner in my balcony in my small apartment in the city.

So I went to over to a bicycle retail shop and learned out that a wall mounted repair stand or a stand could be not that chip, if you want to buy a decent one.

The other thing is that I have recently been to Amsterdam (capital of bicycles) and I saw the mechanic there working and fixing bikes when they were hanging from the ceiling uaing a strap.

So I would like to know, what are the cons of a strap? The pros are of course that it doesnt use up a lot of volume when not in use and it doesn't cost much.

Now what about the cons?
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Old 06-14-22, 04:32 AM
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bboy314
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It doesn’t hold your bike as still and securely as a work stand.
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Old 06-14-22, 04:39 AM
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I use a hanging mount to do work on my bike. Gonna need something to brace the front wheel but works completely fine.
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Old 06-14-22, 06:48 AM
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TL;DR a strap will work fine for most types of work.

I have a semi-recumbent to which I added a hub motor and other e-bike conversion parts. Because it doesn't have a diamond frame and does not have a traditional seat post, a typical bike stand didn't work. So I took a long ratchet strap, looped it around a beam in my workshop in my basement, and then looped the lower end through the seat back of the bike, basically hanging the tail end of the bike up in the air. Because it's a ratchet strap, I could set the hanging height of the bike as I wished for whatever I was doing. I'd either let the front wheel rest on the ground, or I'd elevate it with a 5-gallon bucket or similar if I was doing something where I wanted the bike level...but off the ground. You can't hold the bike firmly for doing high-torque work (like a bottom bracket), but it works well for pretty much all else.
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Old 06-14-22, 07:56 AM
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I would suggest that you mount the suspension strap into studs so that when you have to apply lots of pressure for loosen/tightening you don’t pull the mounts out of the ceiling.

Dan
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Old 06-14-22, 07:58 AM
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Assuming you are only talking about storage of the bike.

With a strap you might can loop and fasten it over beams or other structural supports. The you won't be damaging things cosmetically as would having to screw a hook or mounting screws.

About the only negative I can think of for a strap is that you can't simply put the bike up with out having to do something with the end of the strap. So if your bike is heavy you might need a third hand.

Last edited by Iride01; 06-14-22 at 08:01 AM.
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Old 06-14-22, 08:10 AM
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Not sure of any of these would work for you but another option. Shop around on Ebay etc. for cheaper options. Leaning wall racks, no tools needed. wall leaning rack for bicycle - Bing images
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Old 06-14-22, 08:40 AM
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IMHO

If you are really going to work on your bike a lot, nothing replaces a good rack, which are not cheap. It is the single best investment you can make and will last a life time

I like ones that are free standing and can fold (still heavy) i use an older park pcs10

I have done the hang the bike from the ceiling with rope thing, sorta works, but only for very basic stuff.

If you live where there are Aldi's grocery stores, they often have a less expensive but workable stand on sale, but i have no experience with them

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Old 06-14-22, 09:07 AM
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I ran bike store service departments for almost two decades and always used Park repair stands, and yet I'm perfectly happy with my cheap Aldi repair stand. Good for anything except high-torque applications, but standing the bike on the floor solves that problem, as noted earlier in this thread. (If the OP buys one of the Aldi stands, here's advice: don't trip over the legs of the stand - many people spread the legs far wider than necessary - don't want you to fall off the balcony!

But ropes from the ceiling work reasonably well, too. Use three ropes - two for the opposite ends of the handlebars and one for the saddle - and you'll be able to do most service tasks with no problems.
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Old 06-14-22, 10:01 AM
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Like Trakhak notes, it's often easier to do the high-torque jobs with the bike standing on the floor. Hmm, most of those center around the crank and bottom bracket: pedal removal (and to a lesser extend, installation), BB removal and installation, maybe tightening the seatpost clamp. I'd think the rope idea would work well for most other jobs, because the torque is pretty low for most other bolts on your bike. If you start twisting the bike hanging on a rope, you're probably getting close to breaking a bolt or stripping a thread.
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Old 06-14-22, 11:47 AM
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If you’re near and Aldi grocery store, see if they have them. Yes, I know that sounds weird. But a few years ago they were carrying them, and a few other cycling-related items. I went to check them out and the looked good. I already had a Park work stand, but I purchased a descent pump that I’m still using. The stands were selling for about $25 (US) then. I just saw a PSA for folks in Europe that they’re back in stock for 2022. So maybe the US stores have them. There was discussion in these forums about them several years ago. A couple who’d gotten them said they were very good quality for the $25 they paid.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...right-now.html

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/produc...back-in-stores

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Old 06-14-22, 12:36 PM
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I've been hanging bikes by the saddle through a rope loop forever. Sometimes I run a second rope under the stem. When I want solid, I set the bike down in it's wheels and lean it against the bench. Bench is right behind the two ropes so access to tools is easy. Rotating the bike to work on the other side is easy. Setting it down is easy. Re-hanging it easy. Every once in a while I come to a place where this doesn't work and I have to do something else to get proper support but that happens seldom enough to be easy to live with. In return, I get a shop with no stand in the way when I am doing carpentry with large pieces of wood. Nothing to bump into, stub toes on or get by. I do hit my head on my "stand" all the time but I rarely notice!

I look at it as a quality of life issue. No big, heavy awkward stand in the key passage of my shop is a huge plus. The sacrifice in storage and other uses of my shop to dedicate a special place for that big stand; just "nah". Having that so easy to use ":stand" right next to the bikes in the primary bike traffic spot for pre-ride, post-ride - "yeah!"
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