So I Fitted a Sliding Hook Storage System

Surely they’ll need to be more than 150mm apart?

You’re hanging from the centre of the tyre (roughly) so you’ll have half a wheel diameter one side and length of fork & cockpit etc the other side.

Technical question…

Assuming similar bar height across your bikes could you mount two rails on the rafters 150mm or so apart and hang alternate bikes from a different rail to enable handle bars to slide past each other?

I always find hanging a bike from its rear wheel a faf!

I may be misunderstanding this, but you would still have to shuffle the bikes about on the front rack to create space to load a bike onto the back rack? You’re also going to lose storage space by pushing the bikes further out from the wall.

Much easier to just hang a bike up by the rear wheel. I do this with one of the bikes on my rack, to create a bit of extra space, and it is no harder than hanging it from the front wheel.

This post inspired to pull my finger out, annoyingly after measuring and checking I dont have enough space to mount my bikes this way as the bikes will intrude too much into the useable space!

Off to look at steadyracks which tilt side to side to get em closer to the wall!

I dont have enough space to mount my bikes this way as the bikes will intrude too much into the useable space!

Off to look at steadyracks which tilt side to side to get em closer to the wall!

If you do something like my photos on the previous pages, you can swivel the hooks to any angle you like, and get even closer to the wall than a Steadyrack. I have rails on both sides of the garage, and on one side I have the rail mounted close to the wall with spare wheels hanging flat, and a bike that is actually parallel to the wall.

Bear in mind that tilting might not save as much room as you think, especially if you have any wide handlebars.

OK this is great!

9 bikes in the space that used to contain 4

If you put them big/small and made the bars in line with the top tube front wheel off you works get even more per metre?

Maybe – I’ve got a mix of hooks up there and tbh i’m not that short on space now! Once I move the coat rack there’s loads of space. The unichannel is 3m and extends in front of the door so I have manouverability space.

If moving bikes around frequently is something that you want then this is a great solution, my mates a spark and suggested using m8 threaded hooks and ‘zebs’ https://directchannel.uk.com/product/m8-plain-channel-nuts-galvanized-box-of-100/ and washers. Ghetto but cheaper than this already relatively cheap solution

We have a Stashed system in our garage (10 bikes take up a lot of floor space!) which is really good. I think they take up about 50% of the footprint now. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m lazy and just wanted to buy something that worked.

The only annoyance is when you push them all together to create space, it’s always the bike you want with its bars the other way round & you have to pull them all apart to get to it, and of course something is now occupying the space you need to slide them in to…

@fathomer

the garage ceiling is far to high

This is one of the reasons unistrut and allthread is so versatile.  Standard installation practise is all-thread to support the unistrut from high ceilings, its actually pretty rare to see it attached directly to the ceiling.  Where you want to remove any wobble, L brackets and shorter lengths of unistrut are used to brace it off a nearby wall and/or hang it instead of using all-thread, but once you’ve got a few bikes on there I think they will hold it pretty steady whilst you hook another on.  You could also fix the strut to both end walls and then the all-thread in the middle would purely be to add support in the middle.

I have just completed my sliding rail system using this

https://www.runners-uk.com/series-20-2m-galvanized-steel-top-track/

and these

https://www.runners-uk.com/series-20-single-axle-steel-wheel-hanger-30-x-80-5mm-fixing-plate-35kg-capacity/

and these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C1SF3D59?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Total cost c. £150 for 4m with 10 hooks.

I can hang 9 bikes (mixture of flat and curly bars) all by their front wheels in 2.6m with 1m spare to shuffle them along the track.

I had to cut down the hooks and drill a new hole at 90 degrees to the existing pre drilled holes. A single M6 bolt fixes the hook to the hanger.  There is plenty of wiggle room without the hook needing to swivel.

I suspended the rail from a newly built shelf which provides useful storage above and lowers the bikes down to just hovering above floor level. Unfortunately my calculations were based on my Dawes Galaxy being my longest bike, however my Longitude with a mudhugger just kisses the floor with the end of the hugger, but they all slide very easily.  I haven’t experimented with hanging any bikes from the back wheel yet.

As has been stated in other posts the 10th hook is looking lonely and desperately seeking a load!

Pics?

got plenty.  No idea how to post

Postimages.org then hotlink for forums, paste in here.

oh grrr. I’d left this tab open. Came back, typed up my post, submitted, then got this – with no sign of what  I just submitted. How very helpful

anyway, I’ve got a meeting now, I’ll come back later and repost what I tried to post

Right, another go. I’m intending to fit this over the holidays. I’ve ordered my sliding hooks from rak.bike only to find that not only do I vaguely know the chap who runs it, I work with this brother. I digress though. I’ve order the channel strut from ebay.

How do I correctly caulculate the size of screws I need to use to mount the strut? It’ll be fitted in the garage which was built as an extension. The ceiling is fireboard (fireproof plasterboard) but thanks to some dodgy plasterwork over the fixings, I have a nice line showing me where the joists seem to run

They seem to be spaced every 23 cm, more or less. The strut will be fitted behind where I took the photo, parallel to that line. One end will butt up against the khaki painted wall. I was thinking of just screwing into each joist using M8*120mm flat head screws if I can find some – or do I need bigger? Or is that size overkill? So I need fewer screws if bigger / more if smaller?

The local hardware shop has these

Not sure if the heads on those might be too big, been looking for the “waffle head” scres that the OP suggested but without much luck, amazon has a few at M6 but none at M8 or M10.

Anyway, suggestions / feedback welcome please. What size screws and where from?

@nbt I’d be searching for coach screws. Available in lots of large sizes and easier to sink thank a screwdriver

@5lab cheers but the op mentioned how the larger heads on coach bolts foul the runners on the hooks

how much depth does this kind of solution take from a room? I’m guessing its similar to the stashed solution – trying to work out if there’s space in a 3m wide garage with kitchen units down the opposite wall – the stashed system says it should be 700mm from the wall, and if you’re alternating bikes you’re going to end up losing approx 1.5m from the wall – sound about right?

whilst browsing on ebay I found these guys

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175443858747

no experience, they’re a sliding wardrobe company, but it looks like thier hooks offer turning as well as pushing. No bumpers (unlike the stashed system) – a lower weight limit of 40kg too

@5lab My Rallon is sticking 110cmm into the room.

@nbt  I’m using 10cm wood screws with washers straight into the unistrut

@nbt I just found these whilst thinking about the same problem. Might be the right thing for you?

https://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/woodscrews/cat840066?headtype=wafer

how much depth does this kind of solution take from a room?

How high are your bars? About what much room, assuming you hang bikes reasonably close to the wall

Having done some sums I’ve gone for 12*3″ woodscrews with M8*25mm washers to hold them in place

Like this, but from the hardware shop in the village so cost me about a tenner

https://www.screwfix.com/p/quicksilver-pz-double-countersunk-woodscrews-12ga-x-3-100-pack/15055

I’ll be trying to fit the channel strut over the weekend. I think the hardest part might be holding it in place while I get the screws fitted – I can’t just strap it to a handy joist. I’ll work something out.

whilst browsing on ebay I found these guys

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175443858747

3m * 6 hooks works out at £216.29 from them

I got a 3m length of channel strut delivered for £30 off Ebay, and 6 regular hooks plus 2 heavy duty hooks from rak.bike cost me £87.14 after the multi-buy discount.

I got a 3m length of channel strut delivered for £30 off Ebay, and 6 regular hooks plus 2 heavy duty hooks from rak.bike cost me £87.14 after the multi-buy discount.

I think the difference is the wardrobe people let you spin the bikes around, if that’s something you might find useful.

I think the difference is the wardrobe people let you spin the bikes around, if that’s something you might find usefu

Useful, but not £100+ price difference useful

been looking for the “waffle head” scres that the OP suggested but without much luck, amazon has a few at M6 but none at M8 or M10

They’re listed as Wafer head on Amazon.

I have a nice line showing me where the joists seem to run

They seem to be spaced every 23 cm, more or less. The strut will be fitted behind where I took the photo, parallel to that line.

If I’d thought it through I’d have realised earlier that the line runs along s single joist, not across several. I got my directions mixed up

You’re looking for structural wood screws.

They really don’t need to be very long at all.

A couple of inches into the joist/rafter is all you need

https://www.strongtie.co.uk/en-UK/products/structural-wood-screw-sdw

https://tradefixdirect.com/c/nails-screws-fixings/screws/structural-timber-screws/

[BearBack]

BearBack

Free Member

You’re looking for structural wood screws

I wish I’d known that at the start…

You’re looking for structural wood screws

Likewise.  I used 3″ screws and even after drilling pilot holes, my 12v drill wasn’t strong enough, i had to borrow an 18v drill from a neighbour. I tried my corded drill but Christ it’s so heavy my arms would have dropped off.

I did mount on the joist but it was quite a way away from the wall.  Ended up using battens between the joists to get the strut in the right place. Even now i think i can move it another few cm closer but I’ll leave it for the moment. I’ve got some of the bikes up there but not all: i need to move the wardrobe out of the way before i add an mtb, a road bike and a tandem. I might also change some of the small hooks for bigger ones, as i  struggled to get the bigger mtb tyres in the smaller hooks

@5lab
I got a 3m length of channel strut delivered for £30 off Ebay, and 6 regular hooks plus 2 heavy duty hooks from rak.bike cost me £87.14 after the multi-buy discount.
I think the difference is the wardrobe people let you spin the bikes around, if that’s something you might find useful.

isnt that eBay link the same as this ? Which gets referred to in most of the sliding rail storage threads https://www.bullerltd.co.uk/sliding-bike-storage-rack-track-with-hooks-en.html?variation_id=7937

in which case it definitely doesn’t allow the bikes to be spun round. Be great if it did.

Good job nbt.

Your roof must be a bit higher than mine. There’s no way I’d get a tandem on.

I used an impact wrench for driving the screws in.

isnt that eBay link the same as this?

No. Those guys work out more expensive but they do put it together in a package for you – saving you the hassle.

Their spare hooks are more costly too.

isnt that eBay link the same as this

yes I’d quoted the original. I got my strut here

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/326063004808?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Ne1EnPTPRsK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=_Ois3sOPQ1S&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

how well do the hooks roll over the channel joins? I think I’d need more than 3m of track, seems like its possible (but expensive) to buy 4/6m lengths of track but they’re more expensive/awkward for delivery

No joins in mine, but we use similar stuff in the theatre for the curtain sweep tracks and as long as it’s well fitted you really won’t notice the join at all

how well do the hooks roll over the channel joins? I think I’d need more than 3m of track, seems like its possible (but expensive) to buy 4/6m lengths of track but they’re more expensive/awkward for delivery

When I joined two bits of trak together & ran a hook along it to test it was super smooth.

However, when I put it up & ran a bike along – it got stuck. The extra weight & the fact the hook gets tilted along with the profiles of the two bits of trak not quite lining up caused this. I took off the external joiner, hammered & levered the Trak until the bits lined up better then bolted the joiner back on being careful to keep it all lined up. Worked fine.

My link in the original post shows where I bought my Trak. Postage was £9. I bought a 3m bit & a 80cm bit but they did several different lengths. Got all the joining bits & end stops too. Very cheap.