poetman

I live in a place without any outside storage and without the means to bring my family's bicycles (3) in doors. What are some cheap (under$75) options for storing our bikes outside? I was thinking of getting a large piece of plywood and placing a tarp underneath to make a rough tent to protect them from the elements. Any thoughts?

mstateglfr 

Not sure how a single piece of plywood plus a tarp will help. You need something to keep one of those two things upright(really not sure which is the one you describe as upright).

Can you affix something to the side of a building or fence? If so, that gets you started since its a vertical wall. The cheapest way while still being useful/reliable would be to get some plywood for both sides, affix that to the building wall, then lay a tarp over for the top and front of the 'shed'. You would need tie down points to keep the tarp secure.
Less than $75 doesnt get you much in terms of purpose built storage.

zandoval 

Storing bicycles out side is easy if you have the room. Try to figure out a way to suspend the bikes off the ground. You can do that with a 2x4 and large hooks. That will be real be a plus. You can then get a large Poly Tarp, take some twine and run it through all the grommets, then throw it over the bikes and cinch down. Hopefully you do not live near salt water. If you do its gonna take allot more planning.

Iride01 

Buy a tent for the other family members. Bikes belong inside when not being ridden!

veganbikes

I would never store bikes outside unless I lived in a very dry area with zero rain and reasonable temperatures and a way to protect against sun damage. Leaving them outside is bad in so many ways from easier theft to damage to components from humidity and elements to really hot or cold temps and just general neglect. If I absolutely was forced to store a bike outside and I truly had zero options for some odd reason then I would be basically cleaning and lubricating the bike probably at least once a week and probably doing a complete overhaul yearly or maybe more often and replacing a lot of rubber and plastic components.

If I could I would at least get a shed to store the bikes in and lock it up well and lock the bikes in the shed to a ground anchor or something and figure out a way to dehumidify the space and make sure I am still doing regular maintenance to the bikes. For $75 I would use that money for groceries or a nice bottle or two of whisky and store my bikes indoors where they belong. I could get various different hooks, freestanding racks, floor to ceiling racks, rear wheel stands, kickstands...so I don't even need to keep them outside. Plus plywood is expensive these days and one piece with a tarp is well I don't know what it is but it won't be anything useful for much aside from keeping the top of the plywood dry for the elements coming down I guess or if it is large enough you could wrap the whole sheet of plywood in it I guess?

poetman

Thank you for these replies! How were bikes stored in the 50 and 60s? Did people always have garages and sheds? Surely the various equipment to mount and suspend bikes had not yet been invented.

alcjphil

I grew up in the 1950's and 60's. We had a garage and a shed

urbanknight

Could you fit them on a wall on a rack like this?

These are fairly inexpensive. https://www.etsy.com/listing/2347577...on0=1105473376

Iride01 

You are smiling big when you said that weren't you? Remember we had A- bombs before the 50's and airplanes long before then. So we weren't totally sharing a dwelling with our livestock and rubbing flints together to make a fire.

veganbikes

Huh? Hooks have been around a while, They had bikes on cars for the various races back in the day. I cannot imagine that bikes were not being stored some how soon after invention.

poetman

I was referring to the various contraptions that allow you to mount bicycles from ceilings in homes

veganbikes

Ahhh those have probably been around for a good long time but maybe not as long. I have never really done the ceiling mounts as I don't love things hanging above my head but had seen them at least in the 90s.

MarcusT

If you must leave the bikes outside and have a limited budget, I suggest bike covers
https://www.amazon.com/Puroma-Outdoo...reation&sr=1-5

andrewclaus

The solution will depend on some unknowns, like how valuable the bikes are, and, as mentioned, what elements you're concerned about. The foggy salt water air near a coast presents different problems than the desert sun or heavy drifting snow.

poetman

Is this any different than a tarp? I have a heavy-duty one covering the bikes now, and it's kept them dry through the rain.

MarcusT

Other than aesthetics, not much

Reflector Guy

I wheel mine right in the front door and lean it against the wall by the coat closet.

locolobo13 

In the 60s, early 70s we just leaned our bikes against a tree. Uncovered. By the mid 70s bike theft became a problem. So we locked them to the tree.

In the 80s living in an apartment the bike came in with me. Mostly been keeping them inside since.

There's two problems; Protection from the elements. Security.

If you can't keep them inside and don't have a shed or other storage option then a tarp may be your best option. As to security, what are they locked to? Not my problem but you should think about it.