The 10 Best Lifts For Bike Storage
Special Honors
Power Rax You can avoid manual work altogether with this motorized double lift from Power Rax, which requires only the push of a button to begin execution. The hooks are solidly built into the support beams, and their angles can be adjusted to secure your bikes in various positions. powerrax.com
Mission Bicycle Hoist Built more for utility than for show, this is a solid, old-fashioned piece of storage equipment. Once you mount the brackets directly into a ceiling joist, you can clear up extra garage or shed space by hoisting bikes, canoes, and anything else you’d like to get out of the way. missionbicycle.com
Racor - B-1R It may not be as convenient or helpful as a hoist-based solution, but for users on a budget who don't find their bikes too heavy to lift over their heads, a simple hook like this is one viable, budget-friendly alternative to a more complexed system. racorstoragesolutions.com
Editor's Notes
March 29, 2021:
We removed the Extreme Max 3004.0204 and Floaterhoist BA1 due to availability issues, and while the former option wasn’t a terrible loss to the list – thanks to other choices like the Delta Cycle RS2300 and Racor PBH-1R, which share a similar design – we were sorry to see the latter model go, as it was one of our only inclusions that can support your cycle in a horizontal orientation. With it gone, our top-rated Flat-Bike-Lift Overhead is now the only item on our list that boasts this functionality.
Our two new choices this time around deviate slightly from the expected parameters for this category, as both solutions require a bit of lifting on the part of the user, without the assistance of any sort of pulley or hoist.
The first new addition, the Steadyrack Classic, earned a spot with its slick, swivelling design and 77-pound capacity, but it was a spot near the bottom of our list because we recognized that, as a wall-mounted option, it will likely miss the mark for many of our users. Still, if you’re looking for a simple means to help keep your garage tidy, this one will be easier to install and operate than our ceiling-mounted selections, and, as long as your children are strong enough to lift their bikes onto their rear tires, it’s a device that you can (try to) get the whole family behind.
The Saris Glide Ceiling Rack is one of the priciest options we ranked, and it requires even more muscle than our new inclusion from Steadyrack, as you’ll actually need to lift your bike off the ground to get one of its tires onto a hook (which also makes it an impractical choice for shops and garages with extra-high ceilings), but it beats out the rest of our rankings with its four-bike capacity, which makes it a nice choice for families. Serious cyclists can even invest in its add-on kit, which pushes its capacity to six bikes, with a maximum-weight rating of 50 pounds per bike.
With that kind of storage on your hands, you might need to pick up an extra bike or two, just to fill the space. If that’s the case, then you might be interested in our lists of mountain bikes, beach cruisers, folding bikes and electric bikes.
January 02, 2020:
Upon finding availability issues with the Cartman Utility and Garage Gator, we took them off the list. We also removed a couple items due to reports of low quality, including the Bike Lane Products, which is made with faulty hooks the create a serious safety issue. We noted multiple instances of bikes falling from the hanger untouched.
We added several new items, some of which feature webbing or straps for securing bulky items like kayaks, wheelbarrows and ladders in addition to bicycles. Most are designed to work in spaces with ceilings between 10 and 16 feet high.
The Flat-Bike-Lift Overhead differs rather significantly from traditional pulley models. It is powered by a hydro-pneumatic lifting system, which uses a gas spring to provide the initial lifting boost and a hydraulic spring to regulate its return speed.