2 Into 6 ft²

My biker chick and I had just a few requirements while shortlisting apartments in Kuala Lumpur.  Easy access to the Light Rail Transit system so we can avoid the traffic jams.  A guest room for all our friends who have promised to visit us.  A study for work and online shopping.  And space for two bicycles, a workbench, a work stand, and shelves to hold helmets, lights, gloves, spare tubes, and the rest of my cycling paraphernalia.

I was spoiled in Den Haag.  We had a basement utility room that easily doubled as a store room and bicycle workshop.  It quickly became apparent that I would not have the luxury of that much space in Kuala Lumpur.  Unless I took over one of the bedrooms.  Which might have meant living on my own.

The apartments in Kuala Lumpur on our shortlist all had maid’s rooms that could become bicycle rooms.  They all had small maid’s rooms that could become small bicycle rooms.  I have 6 square feet at my disposal.  Once I got my workbench and shelves into the maid’s room I was left with 4 square feet.  That isn’t enough space to have both bikes and myself in the room at the same time.  So for a while I would wheel one bike outside when I wanted to work at the bench.  Biker chick suggested that I rack one bike above the other, and also suggested what to use to do that.  Smart girl.

We once had an IKEA Stolmen system in our bedroom.  She suggested using two posts and some hooks to hang one bike above the other.  That is a great solution because the posts telescope to fit a range of ceiling heights, and the hooks can be mounted anywhere on the posts.  Another big advantage is the posts do not need to be bolted to the floor and the ceiling so installation is very easy.  The hardest part of the installation turned out to be sliding pieces of old inner tube onto the hooks.  700 x 23c inner tubes are a very tight fit on Stolmen hooks.  Dishwashing liquid and some elbow grease did the trick.

Now I have one bike in a stand against the wall, and another suspended above it on non-scratching hooks.  It isn’t the cheapest solution but it is quite elegant.  And portable, in case our next move is to somewhere with a similarly small bike space.