City Life Done Right: How to Attractively Store a Bike Indoors

published Oct 25, 2017

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If your preferred mode of transportation is powered by bike pedals, you might be familiar with the dilemma many bike owners + city dwellers face: Where the heck do you store a bike? Like, in a way that’s not totally revolting to the eyes? These real-life spaces have the right idea.

(Image credit: Lauren Kolyn)

As a rule, your best choice is going to involve some sort of wall or ceiling hanging situation. Why? Because attaching your bike (or bikes) to a solid surface will impose visual order on them. They’ll become almost sculptural, architectural when hung. At the very least, they’ll look intentional, and not just like a bunch of the Stranger Things kids dropped their bikes off in the middle of your living room. And you’ll save yourself the pain of having to remove scuff marks from wall paint because you constantly nudge a tire while shimmying past a leaning bike. (I have personal experience with this.)

A bike pulley system (like say, this Racor one from Amazon), is a sleek, no-fuss solution for storing a bike if you have high enough ceilings. I love this because you can install it close to your door, preventing the need to roll dirty bike tires all over the place.

(Image credit: Melanie Rieders)

This elegant living space in Brooklyn is an example of how a bike artfully hung on an attractive bike storage piece (in this case, Cycloc) — even when smack dab in the middle of a room — can feel, well, like art!

(Image credit: Jill Ruzicka)

Another example of hanging bike storage looking like art is seen above. Thanks to an incredibly sleek and small Delta Cycle Leonardo Da Vinci Single Bike Storage Rack and the fact that this is already a minimal, modern, industrial looking room, the bike doesn’t feel out of place while it’s out of the way.

(Image credit: Alicia Macias)

I think the entryway above exemplifies what to do when you have to store more than one bike in a small space: distract, distract, distract. The pattern on the wallpaper, the pattern on the rug — there’s a whole lot for your eyes to look at in this room, and I guarantee it’s not going to focus on the two mismatched hanging bikes.

If you rent and can’t punch holes through your wall or ceiling, I think you’ve got two great options that are still visually appealing. Leaning against a wall, but higher than normal and very elegantly, like below.

(Image credit: Sophie Timothy)

The two road bikes atop the vintage lockers in the room above are the visual equivalent of walking into a room and acting like you own the place. They shouldn’t look so cool and casual, but they do. (I am also curious how they get them down? But hey, sacrifices have to be made for beauty sometimes.)

(Image credit: Morgan Schemel)

And when in doubt — or you’re just not sure any of the options previously mentioned above are your style — opt for a well-designed bike. If it’s something you’re going to use often and see everyday, you may as well invest in making it look good. The bike above is from Ghetto Cycles.