My favorite commercial products for putting a bicycle above the floor ; those lovely solid oak stands which hold two bicycles each . There are two styles of stands . One is freestanding , anywhere out in a room . That stand works when you expand it upward , so that it presses against both the ceiling and the floor . Obviously it will not work with a "suspended" ceiling . The other style very ingeniously "leans" against the wall . It needs no holes drilled anywhere in any surface . It is perfect for people who do NOT want to leave any marks anywhere in the room . When the "leaner" is taken away , you can't tell it was ever there ! Search for oak racks from "Sport Solutions" .
However , for my contribution to "novel" ideas . . .
Years and years ago , in the far-away land of extreme southern Texas , I wanted to hang my bicycle in my bedroom , right up near the ceiling . I wanted it out of the way , in a corner , above a dresser . The bicycle would occupy space that otherwise was not being used at all ! I wanted to leave only the TINIEST of holes in that room . It would be even better to leave no holes , no marks at all .
I decided trying to hang a bicycle from the wall would be too damaging to the wall . I decided to hang the bicycle from fine wires . I considered derailleur cables , but decided they were too thick and too stiff . I considered monofilament fishing line . It was almost clear , but might stretch over time . And plastic fatigues with age . I chose some polished copper wire , which I just happened to have in the toolbox at the time . It was quite strong . And while it was a dark color , it was pretty to look at . Most of all it was easy to work with .
So , I measured the depth of the dresser , how far it came out into the room . I measured the width of the bicycle's handlebar , from outside edge to outside edge . I also measured the free space along the top tube , between the front of the saddle , and the back of the stem . I climbed up into the tiny attic crawl-space . I took a tape measure , a long nail of very small diameter ( perhaps I found an old "ice-pick" ? ) , and a small hammer , and some wire . Once I was up in that attic crawl space , in the tight corner where I wanted to hang the bicycle , I found the ceiling rafter I wanted to use . I made two very-very small holes through the ceiling "plaster-board" . I made the holes tight-up-against the ceiling rafter beam . I threaded a long length of wire through each hole . I can't recall what I tied-off the other ends of the wire to . . . Did I pound nails into the top of that ceiling rafter , up there in the attic ?
Anyway , back down in the bedroom , I used a cheap pair of pliers , and a cheap wire coat-hanger , to fashion two rather nice hooks to suspend the bicycle . I used a tiny bit of paint to paint the hooks white , and a small amount of white paper-towel to pad each hook . Then I was careful to attach to hooks to the wire without making any tight kinks which might result in the fairly soft copper wire breaking in years to come .
I think that bicycle hung for more than a decade . The wires were more than strong enough . Of course , I was CAREFUL when I hung the bicycle back up there , each time .
And the holes in the ceiling were so tiny that they could be either left there , almost invisible , or filled with an almost microscopic amount of filler . ( I understand the old dorm-room trick is to fill holes with white toothpaste - I don't know what happens when you try to paint over that ! )
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I was finally able to get out for my first ride of the season although
> not on a topic machine. It felt great to actually see the wheels rolling
> and be able to steer around a corner at the same time! Oh well...
> rollers are a necessary evil if you live up here with snow banks still
> on the side of the road.
>
> I have a question if anyone may want to give some suggestions. I need to
> get some floor space and want to put some complete bike up on the wall.
> Any inexpensive and novel ideas out there people?
>
> Kind regards,
> Thom Adams
> Blandford, Nova Scotia