How to Hang Carbon Fiber Bike?
Let’s face it – if you have a carbon fiber bike, you’re going to need to take extra care of it. Although they’re very sturdy, in some cases they can be quite fragile. You don’t want to compress your bike when hanging it.
This guide will be all about how to hang carbon fiber bike. We’ll talk about two effective methods and also some things you should avoid.
Contents
What to Keep in Mind When Hanging Carbon Fiber Bike?
When you’re hanging carbon fiber bikes for storage, you need to be careful. Well, as long as you’re handling it carefully, there is no issue. With that being said, these are things you might want to keep in mind while working on hanging your lovely bike:
- It can sometimes be prone to scratching. While quality carbon fiber bikes won’t break, small scratches can appear. It’s an aesthetic problem.
- Keep an eye on the weight distribution of the bike, hanging a bike too heavy on one side can cause the rack to become unbalanced and damage the bike.
- If you’re storing the bike for a long period of time, it’s recommended to protect it from dust and dirt by covering it with a bike cover or bag.
Related reading: How to Hang Bike in Shed?
Use Softer Materials for Hanging Carbon Bike
Since the only concern when hanging carbon fiber bikes are scratches, you can just use soft material. A hook that’s covered with something like pipe insulation can do the trick.
If you can find any, even using socks can help. A better and easier option would be to get a bike hanging hook that’s covered in rubber. These hooks are softer and won’t do any damage to the paint and rims.
Don’t Forget to Clean Your Carbon Bike
If you ride your bike, then this won’t be a problem. You’re probably it cleaning it every other day. Regardless, cleaning your carbon fiber bike is pretty important. You don’t want it to sit gathering dust for long periods.
Life happens. And sometimes you might not have that much time to ride your bike. And it can end up stored away in the garage. As long as you clean it frequently, you should be fine.
Get your Bicycle Serviced Regularly
Every 3 to 12 months, you should get your bike serviced. This will ensure the bike maintains its optimum performance. If you happen to see any kind of cracks or holes, get it serviced by a professional.
Just keep these things in mind and you should be fine. Storing and hanging carbon fiber bikes isn’t much different than any other bike. The only problem could be little scuffs and scratches that may happen with improper handling.
How To Hang Carbon Fiber Bike?
Alright, let’s check out some ways of hanging your carbon fiber bike. Hanging your bike isn’t that difficult. There are two methods you can go with. You can use a bike rack/hook or a hook.
Using a Bike Rack or Hook
As long as you’re being careful and using soft materials, you can use bike racks for hanging your carbon fiber bikes. For that, you can buy a suitable hook from your local store.
They are very easy to install. Plus, if you have more than one bike, these hooks can be a great way to save you space. There are a couple of tools you’ll need for this:
- Protective equipment
- Bike rack
- Hammer drill
- Impact driver
- A pencil or marker
- Tape measure
- Electrical tape
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to install it.
Step 1: Choose the Spot Where You Want to Install the Rack
This part is crucial. So, take it a bit slow. First, you’ll need to decide where you want to drill and install your bike rack. That’ll depend on how much space you have and also the length or height of your bike.
Measure your bike and you should get a pretty good idea about how high your bike rack needs to be. Also, keep in mind to measure from the farthest ends of your tire if you’re measuring it horizontally. Once you find the right spot, mark it with a pencil or marker.
Step 2: Drill a Hole into the Wall
Then simply take your hammer drill and drill into the wall. Here’s a cool little tip for you, wrap the electric tape around the length of the drill bit. This can be a point of reference that will help you to not drill in too far.
Step 3: Insert Wall Plugs
Then it’s time to insert the wall plugs. Wall plugs are also crucial. They perform the simple but very important task of giving the screws something to grab onto.
Step 4: Screw in the Bike Rack
Line up your bike rack or bracket with the holes in the wall. And then use your impact driver to secure it to the wall. Give it a double-check to see whether it’s securely in place or not.
Once it’s all secured, you can hang your bike up. If you want a more visual guide, this video tutorial will come in handy.
Free Standing Bike Stand
If you aren’t too keen on drilling holes into the wall, you can opt for using a freestanding bike stand. These are pretty great for hanging carbon fiber bikes. A durable bike stand like Delta Cycle Rugged Michelangelo 2 Bike Rack is a pretty easy and cost-effective way to hang your bike without much hassle.
There are also double-decker stands. They’re great for hanging multiple bikes. It saves you space and also looks pretty neat!
Things you’ll need:
- A sturdy bike stand
How You Should Not Hang Carbon Fiber Bike?
When hanging your carbon bike fiber, you need to keep in mind that you don’t compress any part of the frame. There are a couple of stands that use a clamp-style mechanism. You’ll have the clamp grab onto a part of the frame of your bike.
This is a big no-no. Carbon fiber bike frames should never be compressed. Just let it hang on a hook or a bike stand without compressing it. Other than that, don’t use any metal hooks either. It can scratch the paint job. Check out the video below for information on this.
- Do not overload the bike rack as it can cause damage to the bike.
- Do not hang the bike by the saddle, as this can also put stress on the frame.
- If you’re storing the bike for a long period of time, it’s recommended to protect it from dust and dirt by covering it with a bike cover or bag.
Can You Hang A Carbon Bike From The Top Tube?
Hanging your carbon fiber bike from the top tube is completely fine. You won’t do any major damage. But you need to keep in mind not to clamp it. That’ll be a problem. Other than that, you don’t have much to worry about.
Also keep in mind that you should use a hook that has a soft material, as we mentioned before. This will help save the paint job and prevent any kind of nasty scratches. This forum page has some pretty informative discussions on the issue.
Conclusion
So, if you’re wondering about how to hang carbon fiber bike, you should be pretty much covered with these two methods.
You can hang a carbon fiber bike with a freestanding bike stand or use hooks/racks.
As long as you aren’t compressing the frame and not using any metal hooks, it should be all fine. Also, make sure to clean your carbon fiber bike from time to time.
