How to Store Bikes in an Apartment - 10 Best Options for Tight Spaces

How to Store a Bike in an Apartment - 10 Options

How to store a bike in an apartment? That’s always a tricky one, especially when tight spaces are involved. A lot of things could go wrong, especially if you don’t invest some time into planning the optimal strategy for how to store bikes in an apartment.

If you’re looking for perfect indoor bike storage, you have options. This article brings you 10 bike storage ideas for small spaces, ranging from entirely free to affordable to somewhat expensive. You won’t find some options applicable because you might not have a pantry or a balcony, or just because you don’t feel comfortable drilling a wall in a rented apartment.

The good thing is - we have options for every situation. Hacks and products listed below will make sure your bike doesn’t randomly fall in the middle of the night and will keep those free of tyre marks.

Let’s dig in!

Yup - it’s the simplest option that costs nothing.

Leaning your bike on the wall is a perfectly good way to store a bike in an apartment, especially if you don’t have a balcony, pantry, or garage. It will cost you some space, sure, but experiment with a couple of places and you’ll surely find the least invasive one.

There will be times when your bike will fall for no apparent reason, usually in the middle of the night. You can also easily leave tire marks on the walls, so keep that in mind:

If we had to summarize this option into a couple of pros and cons, here’s what that would be:

Provided you have a balcony, you can easily free up your apartment space by storing your bike there.

Now, this isn’t a solution for everyone, and you shouldn’t consider it if you live on the ground floor. People had their bikes stolen even while living a couple of floors above the ground. Never underestimate a thief.

Also, if you have a small balcony, cramming a bike there won’t be the happiest solution. You do get extra space by moving it out from the apartment, and you likely won’t hit it by accident every time you walk by it.

If your landlord is okay with it, you can drill a hole in the wall and install a vertical wall mount. That will keep the space around the bike tidy.

Same as with the balcony, this option is only applicable if you have one. If that’s the case, it’s likely already filled with a bunch of stuff you were too lazy to get rid of. Zero judgment, just speaking from personal experience.

We find this option to work well if you’re not cycling regularly, and are okay with storing your bike in a potentially dirty and humid area. If you’re taking cycling more seriously, you likely want to keep your bike in sight, since it’s your pride and joy.

Further, storing your bike in a pantry might be a viable solution if you live on a higher floor in a building without an elevator, and don’t want to carry the bike up the stairs. It’s all fun and games while carrying a 7kg road bike, but imagine a 25kg e-bike. Thanks, but no thanks.

Another simple and entirely free solution that might work if you have a bigger piece of furniture.

Unlike the balcony and pantry options, this one will work for more people for obvious reasons. It’s not the most visually appealing option, but we’ve seen it work well with a bit of creative thinking.

This option will require you to move the piece of furniture forward, so make sure you have adequate space for that. Road bikes will take less space than mountain bikes due to significantly narrower handlebars. Also, getting the bike in and out this way gets old soon, and you’re bound to damage something in the process.

Just like with the pantry and balcony bike indoor storage options, you’ll find this one applicable only if you live in a two-story apartment:

Essentially what you do here is place your bike(s) under the stairs. This area is unused most of the time, and you could easily fit a bike there.

You could go as simple as leaning it on a wall, or as creative as shown in the image above. The perfect middle ground would be to opt for a floor stand, which is covered in the following section.

This is the option we use for storing a gravel bike and an e-bike in a small room. In particular, we use Rakk mounts available in standard and XL formats, depending on your tire width.

Speaking of the standard Rakk mount, it can accommodate tires up to 2.4" wide. The whole mount is heavy (2.7 kg or 6 lbs), so you won’t have any issues with stability or accidentally moving the mount while storing the bike. There are some rubberized anti-slip feet at the bottom of the mount, so you can rest assured it will stay where you place it:

Feedback Sports RAKK Bicycle Storage Stand

A perfect floor stand for tyres up to 2.4" wide.

A floor stand that touches only the tire of your bike, which prevents scratches on expensive components. You can park the bike with front or rear wheels, and you can also combine multiple Rakk mounts if you have more than one bike.

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You can see below how neatly it stores my gravel bike without touching the wall:

If you have a mountain bike, e-bike, or a fat bike, you’ll be pleased to know that Rakk mount is also available in XL size, which can accommodate tires between 2.5" and 5.0" wide:

Feedback Sports Rakk XL Bike Storage Stand

A perfect floor stand for tyres between 2.5" and 5.0" wide.

Identical to the regular Rakk, but can accommodate wider tires and fat bikes. Comes with adapter for plus-size tires which you can remove as needed to expand the size of the tray.

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Here’s what it looks like when I load my 25 kg (55 lb) e-bike on it:

Both are sturdy and relatively inexpensive options well suited for indoor bike storage. You can also attach multiple Rakk mounts together, as shown in the following image:

This will provide more stability when storing multiple bikes side by side, provided you have the space for it.

Let’s now go over some superb vertical wall mounting options for indoor bike storage. This is exactly how you store bikes in an apartment if space is tight, and you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing solution.

Before committing to a vertical wall mount, here are some things you need to consider:

• Are you allowed to drill in your apartment? Check with your landlord first.
• Are there any installations interfacing with your desired mount location? Better safe than sorry.
• Will you be able to actually drill through the wall?

The last one is tricky if you think about it. We tried drilling the outer building wall but failed to do so with a budget drill. The reason? Exceptionally strong reinforcement bar. Make sure you have a powerful drill first.

Everything okay? Good - let’s check the first, and probably the simplest vertical wall mount for apartments:

Wallmaster Bike Rack Garage Wall Mount for Bicycles

Free up valuable space in your garage.

Mount the bike rack securely to the wall, just remember to find the correct height placement before you get started. The mount has rubber-coated hooks that prevent bikes from being scratched or slipping, and can take up to 22.5 kg (50 lbs) in hanging weight.

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It’s a dirt cheap option that requires only four screws and will allow your bike to hang securely from the wall. It has a weight limit of up to 22.5 kg or 50 lbs, which should suit anything but the heaviest of e-bikes.

If you want an even more minimalistic vertical wall mount for storing bikes in an apartment, take a look at this one by Delta Mount:

Delta Cycle Leonardo Bike Rack Mount Storage

An elegant product design with premium powdercoated finish.

Free up your floor space and protect your bicycle with Delta Cycle’s Leonardo Bike Wall Mount Rack. This rack saves space by storing your bikes vertically against the wall and features a clever hook-shaped design for easy access and bike removal. Ideal for your apartment, home, or garage. Built to accommodate any bike size or type, this bike hanger supports a single bike up to 18kg (40lbs) with tires measuring under 2.5".

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This mounting system is as configurable as they come. You can order from 1 up to 4 pack bike hooks, with an additional option of fitting fat bike tires.

Now that you know your options for affordable vertical wall mounts, let’s go over some general pros and cons:

When it comes to horizontal bike wall mounts for storing your bike in an apartment, things get crazy expensive. The products are superb, but the high asking price is difficult to justify when there are so many affordable options.

The first one on our list isn’t only for storing your bike, but also all of the gear you take on your ride, such as a helmet, gloves, and so on. It’s molded, filed with HD foam, flame-polished, and made in the USA, unlike most of the other alternatives:

DAHÄNGER

Modern indoor bike rack that looks great with or without a bike.

Combining sleek design with perfect function. Available in grey or black. Includes all the hardware and a black felt pad for added protection. No more scratched frames or kinked cables by hanging your bike by the seat. Designed for lighter bikes weighing up to 13.5 kg (30 lbs).

Buy on Dahanger.co

The Dahanger promises to keep your frame scratch-free because the bike is hung by the saddle. Even though it looks sturdy, it can only support bikes weighing up to 13.5 kg (30 lbs), so most mountain bikes won’t make the cut. Even if they do, you’re bound to leave tire marks on your wall due to the handlebar width. Go with this one if you can afford it and if you ride a bike with narrow handlebars.

The next option on our list is even more expensive but can accommodate a bit wider handlebars (up to 66cm, or 26"). It can accommodate bikes weighing up to 20kg or 44lbs, which covers pretty much all road and gravel bikes:

Parax D-RACK

The design bike wall mount

Elaborately milled anodized aluminum, durable silicone to protect your bike frame, and precious Kebony or olive wood make the bike mount a real gem in your home. Thanks to the intelligent drilling template and the mounting material supplied, the wall bracket can be installed in no time at all. The ingenious thing: Even bicycles with a sloping top tube can be hung up straight.

Buy on Parax.de

You and you alone should be the ultimate judge of whether a horizontal wall bike mount is a worthy indoor bike storage solution. Here’s what we think:

You should consider this option only if you want to store multiple bikes in your apartment. A bike stacker storage solution allows you to vertically stack two bikes, and essentially halve the amount of storage space needed.

The first option we recommend comes from one of the most reputable brands - Thule. It’s made from heavy-duty steel is 213cm tall (84") and can carry up to two bikes. The recommended combined bike weight is 32 kg (70.5 lbs), which is somewhat on the lower end:

Thule Bike Stacker Storage Unit

Free standing storage bike rack for your home.

The Thule BSTK2 Bike Stacker is a convenient upright, freestanding bicycle storage rack solution designed for use when wall or ceiling-based storage is not a viable option. The rack holds two bicycles of virtually any weight, which it accommodates through a combination of heavy-duty steel construction and independently adjustable arms that can be moved up or down the length of the unit.

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Also, it’s worth noting that you might have trouble storing a full suspension bike on this mount, depending on where the rear shock is located. Take a look at the reviews and you’ll see what we’re talking about.

If you’re in the market for a cheaper alternative, this one by Delta Cycle checks a lot of boxes:

Delta Cycle 2 Bike Rack Storage

Fully Adjustable Garage Bike Rack for Road, MTB, and Hybrid Bicycles.

Safely suspends your bicycles with no permanent mounting or drilling required. Our innovative wall-lean design can securely hold up to 36 kg (80 lbs). The rack’s super small footprint saves space by storing your bikes vertically. Ideal for an apartment, home, or garage.

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It’s about three times cheaper, but can somehow hold more weight (up to 36kg or 80lbs). It still won’t hold a 25kg e-bike, but hey, almost nothing will.

As with the previous option by Thule, this mount will also have trouble holding full suspension bikes (depending on the shock location) and bikes with step-through frames.

If you don’t have the floor space to store your bike(s) and are looking for an affordable ceiling-mounted option, this is the section for you.

The first option comes from Bike Hoists and provides secure ceiling bike storage. You can hang a bike that weighs up to 45 kg (100 lbs), which is pretty much any bike you can imagine. Just make sure your ceiling is high enough, so you don’t hit your head by accident when walking by:

Bike Hoists Overhead Pulley System

Secure ceiling bike storage with 45 kg (100 lb) capacity.

Allows you to lift heavy products, up to 45 kg (100 lb) capacity. For indoor ceilings up to 366cm (12ft). high. Once the bike is out of the way you free up so much floor space you won't know what to do with it all. Safe locking mechanism prevents accidental release.

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The pulley system is something to get used to, but the product has excellent reviews. There’s even an option to order 2-pack/4-pack, depending on how many bikes you have.

The following option is about 10 times more expensive, but allows you to store up to four bikes, each weighing up to 22 kg (50 lbs). This should be enough for everything except the heaviest of e-bikes.

Saris Bike Storage Ceiling Rack

A go-to solution for storing multiple bikes on a ceiling.

Effortlessly store up to four bikes within arm's reach. Free up floor space in your garage or basement (22 kg or 50 lbs per bike). Wheel hooks adjust to the bicycle's wheelbase to accommodate a wide range of bicycle sizes. Accommodates bicycles with wheelbases up to 56", and can be used with bike tire widths up to 2.5".

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Although more expensive, it’s easier to attach/detach your bikes since you’re not dealing with a pulley system. Definitely an option to consider, provided you have enough vertical space.

How to Store Bikes in an Apartment - Summary

To conclude - you have many options to choose from if you’re investigating bike storage ideas for small spaces. There’s no clear winner here, as everything depends on your individual conditions.

Maybe you have a pantry, balcony, or garage - this changes everything, and your preferred bike indoor storage system won’t apply to the others.

You can go as simple as leaning the bike on the wall, but we recommend getting a decent floor mount at a minimum. This will prevent your bike from tipping over randomly in the middle of the night and will make sure the walls don’t get dirty over time.