Where do you keep your mountain/road bike?

Question

My husband got this bike about a month ago. There are a ton of trails around here and he needed an avenue of exercise so he chose biking. He rides about every other day.. sometimes consecutive days and sometimes he skips 2 or 3 days.. but he does ride fairly often and 15-20 + miles at a time. It has become quite the hobby for him.

The issues is, where to keep the bike when he isn't riding it. Where do you keep yours? What would be acceptable in your home? Our master bedroom and storage room is downstairs in the basement and he refuses to lug it up and down the stairs which is understandable. The children's rooms are upstairs with the living room and kitchen. The kitchen and living room are both small and the children are all young (4, 2 and we have a nursery for our unborn girl due in December). Currently my husband is keeping his bike in the living room. He keeps it in the entry way (which is literally 3 feet behind my couch. Our living room is already small.. maybe 15 or 16 by 9 or so... We've got a HUGE reclining couch and love seat, 2 end tables an entertainment center and a parrot cage all packed into this living room.. And then there is his bike.. right there in the entry way, behind the couch.. giving about 2 feet of walking space between the couch and bike..

His only other choices are to take the wheels off and put it in the car trunk (which I've seen him take them off in less than 3 or 4 minutes but he thinks it is a hassle) or to keep the bike in our shed (nice big shed). He says the shed will leave the bike exposed to the elements and it will rust. We live in Maryland and it is VERY humid here.

So if it were you.. your bike.. where would you choose to keep it? Continue keeping it in the living room (which is about to get smaller due to a baby swing and in a few months a Christmas tree being added) or the car trunk or the shed???

Please don't just consider my feelings.. please consider his and what is also best for the bike... I might be over reacting.. I am flooded with pregnancy hormones after all.

Answer 1

I keep mine in my bedroom next to my bed. It takes up a lot of room, but I will not leave it outside. I recommend getting a wall hanger for it. You can hang it on the wall above a desk or somewhere that won't be in the way.

Answer 2

In the living room of course ! Bikes have feelings too. But then I'm a roadie...

Answer 3

He is right the trunk of the car is a pain.  The shed will be fine if it's dry and the rain can't get in and if the floor or ground stays dry. Is there anything in the shed that is rusting, if not it would be fine.  You can get a hook from the hardware store to hang it up to keep it out of the way IN THE SHED

Answer 4

I think the answer is dependent on two questions:

How nice is the bike?  

How bad would either of you feel if it was damaged?

First, it's thoughtful of you to consider his feelings and to work together on this.  Bikes can take up important living space, especially in small homes...and with a growing family.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you don't have a garage, right?  Garages are preferable to sheds.  Your husband has probably seen his lawn mower and yard tools take a beating in the shed.  Truthfully, with some extra care to see that it is kept dry and clean, the bike would probably be okay in the shed...assuming it doesn't have a steel frame or wheels.  But, if he loves his bike, the shed won't be an attractive option.  I understand.

Personally, I think he's being a bit silly and stubborn about not wanting to store it downstairs, out of the main living area.  It would be inside, protected from the elements and petty thieves.  He wouldn't have to worry about someone knocking it over while trying to pass through a narrow walkway or one of your small children getting hurt by a falling bike.

Taking the wheels off and putting the bike in the trunk doesn't make sense.  At the very least, it's inconvenient.  In any case, the risk of damaging or marring the bike while loading/unloading it repeatedly is too great.  At some point, he will utter the famous "Oh ****!" while doing so.

If there's space on a wall in your living area, there are hangers made specifically for storing a bike off the floor and out of your way.  The small hangers can be had for $10-20 and aren't too noticeable on the wall (sans bike, of course).

There's no reason to keep the bike in the shed, unless he refuses to store it downstairs and you protest him storing it upstairs.  You and your husband should be able to sort this out; this is trivial compared to raising a family.

Answer 5

The only thing more important than my bike is a wife who also supports cycling.

Soooo, gotta keep the wife happy, good wives supportive of cycling are harder to find than good bikes.

bikes goes in shed--- fix up shed and make it weather proof and secure.

Wife, hubby and bike.. all happy.

Answer 6

I keep one in my bedroom and one in the livingroom, but my livingroom is pretty large. My brother in law keeps his in the shed and he lives in CT and its just fine. I say since the baby is not here yet and you wont need the space for the swing yet. Leave it in the livingroom till that time comes. Remember winter is coming soon and riding will be to about half what he rides now maybe less than that, then he could place it in the basement and go through the little hassle of bringing it up and down whenever he goes for that rare winter ride.

Answer 7

1.  Shed should be OK if its enclosed.  Water will hurt the machine, but hot and cold won't.

2.  What to do in the winter?  He's going to need a trainer to ride it indoors.   Bedroom? Living room?  FWIW, I can't imagine expensive furniture and kids at the same time.  

3.  Trunk of the car?  Wow, you must have a big trunk.  I can get mine in my old Neon, but I have to fold down the back seats and pass-through to do it.    Kind of a PITA, but on the other hand, if the car breaks down the bike can be an emergency "lifeboat".......

As for me, I've currently got 3 bikes in the garage and 5 in the basement.   One of them is semi-permanently mounted on a trainer for bad weather workouts.  When we lived in an apartment back in the day, the bike stayed in the bedroom.  I got the bike in 1973, the wife in 1981, draw your own conclusions.  

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Edit: Not all the bikes are for me

Wife: 1 mtb, 1 road

Youngest son (25):  1 mtb, 1 road

Me: 2 mtb, 1 road, 1 triathlon (for racing)

My 2nd mtb is an old one that lives on the trainer.

Answer 8

I keep my bike in the study.  When your bike costs more than some peoples automobiles you should definitely keep the bike in a safe location.  I pump my tires before every ride.  I deflate the tires and then inflate them to the proper pressure.  After every ride I check for any cuts on my tires and also wipe the entire frame down.  Occasionally I oil the chain and wipe the excess amount down with a towel.  I treat my bike almost like how they train soldiers to inspect and clean the M16s after going to the rifle range.  Maybe I am being extremely obsessive about my bike.  My wife doesnt mind where I put my bike.  She did complain that I seem to take forever cleaning my bike and my gear after every ride (usually takes an hour to clean the bike, my gear, eat and hydrate post-ride and then take a shower).

For a while the bike was staying in our bedroom because we have a child who goes through everything.  Now it stays in the study with the door locked.

Answer 9

If I were you, I would make a deal with him to try the shed. If he keeps the chain and drive train lubed, that will help prevent rust.  If he's still getting a little surface rust (which he can wipe off) after a week or so, then let him bring it back into the hallway.

By the way, I am assuming you can lock the shed. Bikes get stolen all the time so you want to lock it. And it IS a hassle to take off the wheels.

It's good to encourage him to ride, he'll be healthier and live longer.

good luck