Being a college student, I just moved into my apartment off campus. However, I still have my trusty bicycle. So now the question is: how do I store my bike in an apartment?
Well, there are plenty of answers to this question because every size and type of apartment could warrant a different method for storing your bicycle. But here are some general guidelines that were recommended by other cyclists on Facebook after asking “How do you store your bike?
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8 Options For Storing Your Bike In An Apartment
1) Make Room!
It’s simple enough; If you’re like me who was lucky enough to pick out which room would be their bedroom (and not get stuck with one of those rooms that don’t even warrant space for furniture), then you should already have plenty of room. But if your living situation is like some of my friends, make sure they understand the need for storing a bike inside (preferably in the bedroom). After all, you can’t live without it, now can you?
2) Get Something to Keep It Up
Put simply, racks and hooks are good for hanging bicycles on walls and off the ground out of the way. Some recommend getting something that holds up one end at an angle so that you’ll be able to lean your seat against the wall as well.
3) Get Rid of Clutter
This applies not just to bikes but every little thing laying around such as clothes and video games. Clutter can fall on the bike, you can trip on it, and/or it will just be in the way. So clear out the junk so that your bicycle doesn’t become one of those “junk things” laying around.
4) Lock It Up!
Don’t let your bicycle be an easy target for thieves. Even if you live in a neighborhood with low crime rates, always remember to secure your bike to something sturdy enough that won’t allow someone to pry or cut their way through (i.e., don’t use anything meant for outdoor use).
5) Keep It Clean
Nobody likes cleaning up after other people; especially not you because you’ll be living there too! But keeping your bicycle clean will help keep the rust off, so it’ll be easier to maintain even if you keep it inside all of the time. And besides, isn’t more fun to ride a clean bike?
6) Dry It Before Storage
Water and metal are not friends. Water can rust metal over time and that’s something you want to avoid at all costs. So before putting away your bicycle for storage, make sure you dry everything off with some old rags or towels.
7) Vacuum First!
With all the commotion of cleaning up after yourself, make sure not let any leftover dust or dirt settle onto your bicycle. Simply take an old broom or perhaps a handheld vacuum cleaner (they make very small ones for tight spaces) and sweep or vacuum the area where you plan on storing your bicycle to get rid of any excess dirt.
8) Lubricate It
The whole reason why you are storing your bike is because it’s not being used. But, if you still want to keep it in prime condition, you’ll need to lubricate all of the moving parts (i.e., pedals; wheels; chain; gears; etc).
Well there you have it! A few storage tips from some fellow cyclists who live in an apartment. If you have any other ideas, feel free to share them in the comment section below!
Do I Have Enough Space To Store My Bike?
A large number of urban apartments do not have space for a bike in their storage rooms or garages. This is led to a series of posts on the internet that want to answer the question: ‘ How much space do you need? ‘.
The answers vary from person-to-person and base themselves on personal experience. It’s still hard to get right since there’s no one-size-fits-all for these kinds of questions.
The number of bikes, their size, and type play a role in answering this question. More importantly is the geometry of your apartment: if the route from the front door to the storage room is long and straight or has more than one turn. Luckily there’s an easier way: just use a tape measure and run through some steps!
Knowing how wide your bike(s) are will help you enormously. Measure them with a simple measuring tape, look up their width on the internet, compare it to the specs below. The higher accuracy the better.
There are many ways of calculating how big an area for storing a bike is needed. One important thing to remember is that every bike needs a certain amount of space around it to be able to stand upright.
It’s usually about 20 cm on either side, plus a general safety distance of about 30 cm. That will be a good rule of thumb when measuring your own space.
You might want to take some measurements yourself, but if you have no experience with geometry I recommend taking a tape measure and going through the steps below. The whole process will roughly take you about 20 minutes if there are no difficulties.
Measure your front door
The entrance of your home is, without doubt, the most important factor when measuring the space for storing a bike. This is where you will leave your bike, or put it in when arriving home. You can do this by placing the tape measure at the bottom of the door and measure until it hits something that won’t let you go further!
Remember that measurement, as we will use it later on – or just take a picture of the tape measure. For those who don’t have a measuring tape: grab something long and straight like a ruler or dowel rod, place it to the bottom of your door and draw a line where it hits something. Repeat this for both sides.
Measure all turns in the way from the entrance to the storage room
After getting past your front door you will need to make some turns before arriving at your storage space. Measure each turn individually with the tape measure, marking off how wide each turn is.
If you don’t know how wide your turns are, just measure the widest turn. That’s good enough for this purpose – but remember that your turns can be different angles. Take note of anything unusual that a bike would not fit around.
Measure the storage room
After getting past all turns place the tape measure at one end of your storage room and go until it hits something that won’t let you go further. Repeat for both sides to remember how big an area is needed for storing a bike. You can take some more measurements (length x width) if you like, they will probably only give you an even more precise figure.
You might want to take measurements of the height as well. This is not necessary for measuring how big your storage room needs to be, but it’s good to know if you have high places that need clearance or low ceilings.
Calculate Your Space For Storing A Bike
Now you have all the measurements needed! Let’s do some math… Multiply each length by its width, then divide this number by 1 meter² (1 square meter). It’s basically just multiplying by 1000, e.g.: 10 m x 4 m = 40 m² 40 m² / 1m² = 40 You’ll notice that one space for storing a bike takes up approximately forty square meters . That means your storage room needs to be at least that big! Easy, right?
If you face difficulties or can’t find measurements for some parts of your home just leave a comment and I’ll try to help you out. Remember: this is just an estimate, but it’s very accurate if done properly. Good luck!
Add padding or a cover to protect your bike from scratches or damage.
Protect your bike from dust and rust by cleaning it regularly. Also drape a cover over it! These things will make your bike last years longer. If you really want to protect the outside of your bike, use another layer of bubblewrap or foam to keep it safe and clean. The air between two layers prevents scratches and damage which will wear out your paint.
Check for any rust that might be caused by moisture or the humid climate where you live. If you find any, treat it with a rust converter and let dry before repeating the process until all rust is gone.
After a few weeks check to see if there are any new spots of rust developing on your bike – if there are keep treating it with rust converter.
Inspect your storage solution on a regular basis to ensure everything is still in good condition. If not, make a note of what needs to be replaced.