Things That I Love: The Cycloc

I hate moving.  Even though I came up here six months ago, I was living with a friend for a while, so I've only really been in my new place for about three months.  I'm still getting settled.  

But this weekend I did some work around the house, mostly on my workshop and living room.  And it reminded me that I don't think I've ever shared my favorite bike storage solution on here, so have at it!  

Living in small spaces has resulted in some creative solutions for bike storage over the past few years.  For being as awesome as they are, bikes are incredibly weird and awkward to store - they take up a lot of room even leaned against a wall, which I don't mind - but living in a 500 square foot apartment with six of them led to problems.  So I did some research and found this super cool thing.   And even now that I'm up to 700 square feet, I still have a need for bike storage. 

Truth be told, there are lots of nifty options out there for wall mounted bike hangers, which I've posted about before, but after getting a good deal on a used Cycloc I found that I really like the design and flexibility.  

 

Every living room should have at least one bike hanging.

First, I love the color options - the Cycloc comes in this awesome bold orange, a dark green, black, or white, so you can get an option to pair with just about any space.  I like the pop of orange that this one adds to my living room, and it just so happens to match the bike it's currently hanging!

Second, the Cycloc can be configured to hang your bike vertically, which is great for mixtes and other step through style frames that might not work with other wall racks.  It can also be hung at a diagonal, which is good for mountain bikes and other bikes with less than conventional frames. 

Image courtesy of yliving

The Cycloc also can be used outdoors, and hung on a variety of surfaces.  Here's Andrew Lang, the designer of the Cycloc, showing it off on a lovely brick wall.

Image courtesy of The Guardian

For those of you panicking because this guy is hanging his bike outside, notice the Cycloc also has a place for a U-Lock.  And, its shape allows for storage of gloves, tubes, parts, etc.

Image courtesy of Philadelphia Weekly

Along with all that, it is actually pretty easy to install, and comes with instructions for being installed in studs, drywall, or brick, as well as a template to make it easy to mark where the screws need to go.  It's probably not the most renter-friendly solution, but if your good at patching a few holes before you move out, it shouldn't be a problem.  I've used mine so far in two places, and after I repaired the holes from the drywall anchors, you couldn't tell the difference.  Just don't use toothpaste. 

And sturdiness?  I've never felt like a bike was going to fall, and this thing has supported a 35 pound gaspipe mixte while hanging on mostly drywall.  Not that I'd recommend that, but just sayin'. 

While I do absolutely love the wooden, more shelf like solutions like this beautiful example from Knife and Saw, it's a bit out of my price and a bit limiting compared to what I can do with a Cycloc, but there are definite pros and cons to both. 

And as for the work on my shop?  Just a bit of cleaning. 

Finally a space to work!  Woohoo!! 

Hope you all took some good rides this weekend.  


It has come to my attention that some of the older posts are suddenly missing photos.  I'm working on fixing it!!