# Is it ok hang your bike from the tires on hooks in the ceiling?



## ccoppola

Does it mess up your wheels if you hang your bike from the ceiling?

I have NO WALL SPACE so trying to figure best way out to store my bike in the garage.

If its bad to hang from ceiling was thinking of a few options:

bike stand like or similar to this or possibly a repair stand.


----------



## JCavilia

It's no problem; it won't hurt anything, unless the hooks scratch something. Use vinyl-coated hooks and no worries.


----------



## Rogus

Funny, but was in a bike shop a couple of days ago and the owner said to NOT hang your bike by the wheels as it's not good for the wheels. First, I'd ever heard that and asked why. He said it could mess up wheels with lower spoke counts. I forgot to ask how. Maybe something about the weight of the bike concentrated in one place and not how the wheel was designed to bear weight?


----------



## mtor

ccoppola said:


> Does it mess up your wheels if you hang your bike from the ceiling?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have NO WALL SPACE so trying to figure best way out to store my bike in the garage.
> 
> If its bad to hang from ceiling was thinking of a few options:
> 
> bike stand like or similar to this or possibly a repair stand.


I never had a issue with it.


----------



## CActuskid

I am over 200lbs and may hit bumps on the road riding on my wheels, you bike weighs 18-30lbs? and your worried about stagnant storage damage?? highly doubt it


----------



## den bakker

Rogus said:


> Funny, but was in a bike shop a couple of days ago and the owner said to NOT hang your bike by the wheels as it's not good for the wheels. First, I'd ever heard that and asked why. He said it could mess up wheels with lower spoke counts. I forgot to ask how. Maybe something about the weight of the bike concentrated in one place and not how the wheel was designed to bear weight?


better pray no rock or branch hit those babies......


----------



## Randy99CL

I wouldn't worry about damaging the wheels but you could position the hooks to hang the bike upright by the bars and saddle.

If your ceiling is high I've seen cool rope/pulley systems for about $20-$30.


----------



## nOOky

Don't do it. A shop guy's friend's boss at the bike shop told me that it puts stresses on the wheels they were not designed for. He knows a friend who's friend's sister hung her bike on a hook and walked into the garage one day and the wheel had taco-ed from the stress 

Yes you can hang a bike by the wheel from a hook, if you ever have any problems get a hold of my brother and he'll pay for any damage caused if you can find him.


----------



## MerlinAma

On the other hand, your bike will become accustomed to NOT having the rubber side down. I fear that may have very negative implications for your rides.
Bikes should be stored at a temperature of 68-71 degrees and very low humidity. In or near your bedroom is ideal. 
After all, it is your BIKE!


----------



## tlg

Hanging the bike upside down from the wheels is only a problem if you are sitting on the bike while doing so. Don't do that and you'll be fine.


The only other issue to watch out for is make sure you don't whack the valve stem on the hook.


----------



## PlatyPius

ccoppola said:


> Is it ok hang your bike from the tires on hooks in the ceiling?


Everyone has missed the important part... he wants to hang the bike by the TIRES on hooks from the ceiling. That's gonna get expensive, what with having to replace the tires due to hook punctures all the time...


----------



## Randy99CL

PlatyPius said:


> Everyone has missed the important part... he wants to hang the bike by the TIRES on hooks from the ceiling. That's gonna get expensive, what with having to replace the tires due to hook punctures all the time...


Yeah, I was wondering if he was planning to use some big clamps or something?? Vice-grips? C-clamps?
Obviously, tubeless tires wouldn't work.


----------



## nOOky

You guys are not helping with your smart-alecky replies you know.


----------



## EvanAlmighty

I have 2 hooks to hang my bike. One for each wheel. So technically each wheel is bearing 1/2 the weight of the bike. So far I haven't noticed any damage to either wheel. I haven't done the math, but I doubt ~8-10 lbs of tension is going to cause the wheels to warp.


----------



## Roland44

ccoppola said:


> Does it mess up your wheels if you hang your bike from the ceiling?
> 
> I have NO WALL SPACE so trying to figure best way out to store my bike in the garage.
> 
> If its bad to hang from ceiling was thinking of a few options:
> 
> bike stand like or similar to this or possibly a repair stand.


I don't see a reason why that would be a problem. Go for it...


----------



## Cooper1960

I have a bike in my garage that has been hanging by the wheels for maybe 15 years, the wheels still look round to me. But it's a Trek....


----------



## Dave Cutter

I recently hung one of my bikes in my basement office... you know... like art. It solved a storage problem and made an interesting decorative look.


----------



## carveitup

Only if the bike weighs less than 15 lbs. If your bike is heavier, tell your spouse you need to upgrade so you can get it out of the way!


----------



## Samfujiabq

Both my bike shop hang bikes,geeze,if they were that fragile we'd all fall on our asses from structural failures.


----------



## velodog

*Don't hang your bike from the wheels!!!*

I had my bike hung by the wheels and didn't ride it for about 3 months and when I finally took it out for a ride the wheels were so out of round that I was thrown over the handlebars.

Not only was I embarrassed as hell but the rims were so jacked up that I had to get both wheels rebuilt with new rims, and the guy what built the wheels said if I woulda let the bike hang static like that for another coupla months I probably woulda needed new hubs too. The spoke holes in the hubs were just starting to elongate but they were still usable. 
I got lucky.

Now when I'm not riding the bike I keep it upside down on the seat and handlebars so I don't have to worry about my wheels.

Oh, I had to get a new helmet too because my old one got busted up when I went over the bars.


----------



## Samfujiabq

velodog said:


> *Don't hang your bike from the wheels!!!*
> 
> I had my bike hung by the wheels and didn't ride it for about 3 months and when I finally took it out for a ride the wheels were so out of round that I was thrown over the handlebars.
> 
> Not only was I embarrassed as hell but the rims were so jacked up that I had to get both wheels rebuilt with new rims, and the guy what built the wheels said if I woulda let the bike hang static like that for another coupla months I probably woulda needed new hubs too. The spoke holes in the hubs were just starting to elongate but they were still usable.
> I got lucky.
> 
> Now when I'm not riding the bike I keep it upside down on the seat and handlebars so I don't have to worry about my wheels.
> 
> Oh, I had to get a new helmet too because my old one got busted up when I went over the bars.


The only problem I see is that you didn't ride it for 3 months,by not riding it you could get round,,lol


----------



## goldsbar

It's not a big deal. You'll just have to true your wheels before each ride. It's tricky at first and you'll probably make them worse. Once you get the hang of it, it'll only take a few minutes.

The other problem is if you hang it by the fork and the fork is carbon. Wait, are the wheels carbon? You know about carbon, right?

[Yes, it's fine to hang your bike by the wheels]


----------



## velodog

Samfujiabq said:


> The only problem I see is that you didn't ride it for 3 months,by not riding it you could get round,,lol


Yeah, but I was riding the other bike.

But the other problem with hanging it from the ceiling by hooks is forgetting it's there and hitting your head on it.
Believe me, that hurts.


----------



## Hookem Cruise-balls

Alot of mom and pop bike shops I've been in hang their bikes on the wall by the rear wheel with just one hook, bearing the entire weight of the bike on the rear wheel. If a bike shop does it, why not? Just make sure your skewers are tight.


----------



## Jwiffle

It IS kinda funny how often this question comes up, but I guess as more people come into the sport, it will continue to be asked.

Anyway, I hang all my bikes by the rear wheel, from my 17 lbs carbon road bike to my 32 pound full squish (with carbon wheels). I've been storing them this way for 7-8 years. Never a problem. It won't make your wheels go out-of-round or put undue stress on the rims. My only problem is that my ceiling is so high in the garage that I have to use a 3-step stool to reach them. Getting down the heavier bikes is a little awkward.


----------



## wim

PlatyPius said:


> he wants to hang the bike by the TIRES on hooks from the ceiling.


Always good for a laugh in the shop when the customer comes in with a terminally tacoed wheel:

"Can you fix this or do I need a new tire?"
"We can't fix this. But you don't need a new tire, all you need is a new wheel."
"Oh good, I thought this going to be expensive to fix."


----------



## nealric

I've heard that for certain mountain bikes it can be an issue, as the suspension components could leak.


----------



## danl1

I have one pair of al-carbon hybrid wheels where the carbon is just a non-structural fairing. Those would give me pause, at least for the wall-mount sort of hooks. And less about the hanging, than about smacking them around when taking them on or off.

For anything else, including full carbon wheels, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.


----------



## headloss

Learn how to properly use a quick release skewer first! 

I wouldn't store the bike long term that way, but I don't see where it would cause a problem for the occasional overnight.


----------



## Kerry Irons

Rogus said:


> Funny, but was in a bike shop a couple of days ago and the owner said to NOT hang your bike by the wheels as it's not good for the wheels. First, I'd ever heard that and asked why. He said it could mess up wheels with lower spoke counts. I forgot to ask how. Maybe something about the weight of the bike concentrated in one place and not how the wheel was designed to bear weight?


Lesson learned: you definitely should get a new bike shop.


----------



## Soaring Vulture

Is it OK to store my bike with its wheels sitting on the floor?

If that's OK, then it's OK to hang it; the load is the same only in opposite directions.

I ain't gonna ride a bike whose wheels go pear-shaped under a 10 pound load. Imagine what they would do when someone gets on the bike and starts pedaling.


----------



## r1lee

EvanAlmighty said:


> I have 2 hooks to hang my bike. One for each wheel. So technically each wheel is bearing 1/2 the weight of the bike. So far I haven't noticed any damage to either wheel. I haven't done the math, but I doubt ~8-10 lbs of tension is going to cause the wheels to warp.


How do you know it's exactly half the weight?




velodog said:


> *Don't hang your bike from the wheels!!!*
> 
> I had my bike hung by the wheels and didn't ride it for about 3 months and when I finally took it out for a ride the wheels were so out of round that I was thrown over the handlebars.
> 
> Not only was I embarrassed as hell but the rims were so jacked up that I had to *get both *wheels rebuilt with new rims, and the guy what built the wheels said if I woulda let the bike hang static like that for another coupla months I probably woulda needed new hubs too. The spoke holes in the hubs were just starting to elongate but they were still usable.
> I got lucky.
> 
> 
> 
> Now when I'm not riding the bike I keep it upside down on the seat and handlebars so I don't have to worry about my wheels.
> 
> Oh, I had to get a new helmet too because my old one got busted up when I went over the bars.


Let me guess, true story?


----------



## velodog

r1lee said:


> Let me guess, true story?


Dude, I couldn't make up a story like that. I still worry about those hubs.


----------



## MR_GRUMPY

It's fine.......
.
.
.
Unless.........
.
.
.
.
1) You live on the surface of Venus.
.
.
2) You plan to use the hanging bike as a "chin up" workstation.
.
.
.


----------



## jmpsmash

I have actually seen LBS hang their bikes on the rim for display. not upside down, but they have the bike upright and have a display stand that hangs the bike by the top part of the rim. given the CG of the bike is usually below the hang point, the bike stay upright. actually looks rather good.


----------



## loxx0050

The only reason I wouldn't hang a bike by the rim is with my wheels with a non-structural carbon aero section. Metal rims only, not going to blink an eye as I do that already with several bikes. I used to work at an Aluminum foundry and the stuff is pretty robust in most cases.


----------



## Favorit

I'm in the don't worry about hanging the bike camp, but I have also thought of hanging _myself_ upside down to counteract the forces of gravity and time on my aging face; It's much cheaper than a facelift, and with the jowls at the top of my head, I can just hide them under my helmet or cap.


----------



## froze

Rogus said:


> Funny, but was in a bike shop a couple of days ago and the owner said to NOT hang your bike by the wheels as it's not good for the wheels. First, I'd ever heard that and asked why. He said it could mess up wheels with lower spoke counts. I forgot to ask how. Maybe something about the weight of the bike concentrated in one place and not how the wheel was designed to bear weight?


If one wheel can't hold a 16 pound or so bike then it could never hold anyone in excess of 32 pounds riding the bike.


----------



## Doctor Mabuse

froze said:


> If one wheel can't hold a 16 pound or so bike then it could never hold anyone in excess of 32 pounds riding the bike.


But are we talking about forces that are exerted in exactly the same way, over time, on the rim of the wheel?


----------



## cxwrench

Doctor Mabuse said:


> But are we talking about forces that are exerted in exactly the same way, over time, on the rim of the wheel?


Don't even start massively overthinking this. There is NO WAY hanging a bike by the wheel(s) will damage it.


----------



## King Arthur

Yes it is


----------



## cxwrench

King Arthur said:


> Yes it is


Whew...we finally get a definitive answer on this question.


----------



## tlg

Doctor Mabuse said:


> But are we talking about forces that are exerted in exactly the same way, over time, on the rim of the wheel?


No. There are no G-forces involved when hanging your bike.

What do you think the G-force is when a 180# rider hits a pothole at 20mph?


----------



## Squeegy200

There are no issues with hanging road bikes from the ceiling. I have several road bikes hanging from a hook. The are positioned alternating front or rear wheel so that I can position them closer together when hung from the ceiling.

As someone mentioned, Mountain bikes with hydraulic forks are a different issue. If hung upside down, the oil settles on the upper seals in the fork. They are not designed to be submerged internally in oil and can often leak or dry out this way. 

I noticed a local bike shop uses a bar or hooks and suspends display bikes from the ceiling using the front of the saddle. This suspends the bike in the correct upright orientation. I've adapted this method for my MTBs with the rear wheel up against the back wall. This minimizes the chance of accidentally bumping the bike saddle off the ceiling hook. 

But my road bikes are all hung vertically, alternating front or rear wheel.


----------



## froze

cxwrench said:


> Don't even start massively overthinking this. There is NO WAY hanging a bike by the wheel(s) will damage it.


Exactly, and that was my point as well to show the just how ignorant some people by showing just how little weight is being put on a wheel compared to someone riding it or doing a trackstand even. 

I use to hang my bikes for years and never had an issue, one bike hung for 12 years or so by the front rim and it never did anything weird. I no longer hang my bikes due to space where they park now is utilized better using a bike rack I built out of PVC pipe.


----------

