How to hang your bike in a shed

If you’re looking to store your bike – or bikes – vertically in a garden shed, there are a few things you might want to consider. It’s probably not going to be as simple as buying a bike hook from a hardware store and screwing it to the inside of your potting shed.

Is your shed able to accommodate bikes this way?

Most average garden sheds will most likely not have enough height to allow you to hang your bikes vertically inside. In sheds with an apex roof this problem is exacerbated by only having a narrow amount of the maximum height available, with the roof sloping away on either side. You would also need to check whether there is sufficiently strong structural timber inside to support the bike hooks or bike racks you would need for hanging your bikes in the shed. Our Vertical Bike Shed is designed with enough height to hang even the biggest bikes comfortably. It has strong timbers built into the back wall, to hold the bike hooks and the weight of your bikes.

Will your bikes be secure?

Security should be one of your main considerations when it comes to thinking about bicycle storage solutions. So before you hang your beloved bike in your shed, check whether it’s secure enough to protect it. Does it have a window that can be easily broken to allow access to the inside? Does it have a secure lock and doors which can withstand being crowbarred open? And is there any immovable object inside that you can lock your bike up to? If in doubt, check out our standard security features for more details.

Is there enough ventilation?

In cold and damp conditions, bikes can rust surprisingly quickly. So you need to make sure that wherever you store your bike, it’s dry and there sufficient ventilation to prevent the build-up of damp. All of our sheds are designed with to keep the damp out and allow ventilation from air flow inside. Our slatted sheds are particularly good for this because the gaps between slats allow air to circulate, without permitting rain to enter.

Will you be able to get to the bikes when you need them?

The best place to store bikes is right where you’re going to need them. If you have the space, a front garden is ideal because they’ll be right next to the street. If your bike storage shed is right at the bottom of your garden, it might be a case of out of sight, out of mind. And the distance from shed to street might just put you off using them. If there are other large items stored in your shed, the idea off moving them out of the way could be another excuse not to get the bikes out.

What type of hook or rack will you use?

There are lots of different hooks and racks available for mounting your bike to a wall. These vary in degrees of complexity and budget. In our vertical bike sheds we use simple hooks which allow you to hang bikes by their front wheels. An alternative to these hooks is Steadyrack, a more substantial, and pricier, solution that allows the bikes to be swivelled and stored at an angle from the wall. This will reduce the depth of space you need to store your bikes by a metre, but does require a metre of extra width.

Hanging your bikes in a garage

If you’re lucky enough to have a garage, this can seem like the perfect place to store your bikes. After all, it’s secure and has solid walls for attaching hooks or racks. But all of the advice above applies to garages too – they can be damp and are often used to store other things so access to your bikes can be difficult. And increasingly, people are contacting us when they choose to convert their garage into an extra bedroom or garden office. If you do choose to repurpose your garage, a bike shed gives you a convenient, dedicated storage solution for your bikes.

Whatever way you choose to hang your bike in your shed, please make sure you think it through carefully and have a look at our vertical bike sheds if you’re looking for any inspo!