Can I carry my bike up and down these stairs every day?

[kwarkentien]

@KLizotte 161831 wrote:

Hi all,

I’ve viewed a condo that I really like unfortunately it requires going up a flight of stairs to get to it. On the plus side, the stairwell is inside my condo so I could mark up the walls as much as I want. The downside is they are narrow and the landing is basically non-existent (only wide enough for the door to swing through. I’m trying to think of a hanging solution that would prevent me having to haul the road bike up and downstairs but it is a very narrow space. I already know I’d have to take off my panniers every time I had to haul up and down. Anything else I should be aware of or consider? I absolutely love everything else about the condo but these stairs are a real stickler not only for the bike but carrying other stuff like groceries. Augh.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15001[/ATTACH]

I can tell you from experience that it sucks to drag bikes up and down stairs every time you ride. In my case, those stairs were outside, which is worse than your setup, but neither would be fun. Just my two cents.

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[dasgeh]

Someone posted in women and bikes not to long ago with a contraption that stored a road bike flat against the ceiling. Would that be an option?

Or, would some sort of rail in the wall work – you would hook your bike (or a load of groceries) onto something that could glide along the rail, but didn’t stick out more than the bannister when not in use

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[consularrider]

I have to carry my bikes up eight steps from our basement storage unit and it is twice as wide as the stairwell pictured in this thread. That’s no real issue with the road and gravel bikes, but a real PITA with the fatty. Also what happens after a wet and/or muddy ride?

[anomad]

I lived in a setup like that once. It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t ideal. I’d leave my bike at the bottom of the stairs sometimes. It was a rental so I couldn’t rig up a way to hang a bike or two down there. Inside I use that plastic cardboard to park on and catch most of the crud. Hard floors though makes cleaning up easy.

On the other end of the spectrum, I once lived on a 3rd floor walk up. That got old, I moved after my lease was up. Great view of Denver though. A couple times my old chocolate lab got sick and I had to carry his ass up and down to go potty.

[creadinger]

Aside from the hassle of carrying and messing up the walls each and every time, I think about how I’m always a hair’s width away from tripping or losing my balance while carrying a big, awkward bike up or down stairs. I’m just bad at it and it’s dangerous. And falling down a narrow staircase with a bike and all its point bits would not be pretty.

[KLizotte]

@creadinger 161850 wrote:

Aside from the hassle of carrying and messing up the walls each and every time, I think about how I’m always a hair’s width away from tripping or losing my balance while carrying a big, awkward bike up or down stairs. I’m just bad at it and it’s dangerous. And falling down a narrow staircase with a bike and all its point bits would not be pretty.

Augh. I didn’t think of that which is ironic since I broke my ankle in my current apartment just from slipping on the floor. I absolutely love this condo, top floor, completely renovated with fireplace and deck. But these damn stairs!!!!

[Judd]

@KLizotte 161863 wrote:

Augh. I didn’t think of that which is ironic since I broke my ankle in my current apartment just from slipping on the floor. I absolutely love this condo, top floor, completely renovated with fireplace and deck. But these damn stairs!!!!

Do you still have the trike? I wouldn’t want to carry that up anything.

[KLizotte]

@Judd 161865 wrote:

Do you still have the trike? I wouldn’t want to carry that up anything.

Yeah, the trike is gonna have to be sold. Despite the fact that I will be buying more sq footage my storage capacity in many decreases dramatically. I will lost a garage space and large bike room (where I store my trike). And why new properties don’t have coat closets by the front door baffles me.

I was probably going to sell the trike anyway because my knees don’t like it despite the adjustments I’ve made.

[KLizotte]

Anybody have any experience at the West Village of Shirlington. Nice huge condo but I’d have to go up an external flight of stairs (though they seem to have low rises) and two flights of wide stairs with two good size landings to break up the flights. The walls are brick so I don’t really have to worry about getting into trouble for any damage I may cause.

Anybody know anything about their basement storage? The real estate agent wasn’t able to get into the storage area today. There is a very small bike room in the building but I’m very hesitant to use a communal bike room (though accessible only by key) because of theft.

I wonder if I could convince them to install bike rails?! Probably wouldn’t be allowed by code.

No elevators 😡

[KLizotte]

@dasgeh 161835 wrote:

Someone posted in women and bikes not to long ago with a contraption that stored a road bike flat against the ceiling. Would that be an option?

Or, would some sort of rail in the wall work – you would hook your bike (or a load of groceries) onto something that could glide along the rail, but didn’t stick out more than the bannister when not in use

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Hanging something from the ceiling wouldn’t work since I’d have to try to hang it up while standing on the stairs. That seems like a recipe for an eventual accident. Only other possibility is a hook that would allow me to hang it it vertically (to get the handlebars out of the way) but that would still require standing on the stairs. If only there was a decent size landing.

Because of these stairs I think I’m gonna have to give this place a pass which is super disappointing because it was perfect in every other way (walking distance to Shirlington!).

I wonder if I could convince condo option #2 if they would be willing to install a bike rail like this one for the outside stairs. They are quite wide so it wouldn’t get in the way and I already know others in the building have bikes. Heck, I’d be willing to pay for it myself. I don’t know why they show two rails, only one would be needed near the edge. I suppose if the railing is right up against the edge that might be a problem because of the handlebars. Will have to check it out on next visit.

This is the one time I wish I weren’t a cyclist. Accommodating my lifestyle is proving to be a challenge.

[drevil]

@KLizotte 161868 wrote:

Hanging something from the ceiling wouldn’t work since I’d have to try to hang it up while standing on the stairs. That seems like a recipe for an eventual accident. Only other possibility is a hook that would allow me to hang it it vertically (to get the handlebars out of the way) but that would still require standing on the stairs. If only there was a decent size landing.

Because of these stairs I think I’m gonna have to give this place a pass which is super disappointing because it was perfect in every other way (walking distance to Shirlington!).

I wonder if I could convince condo option #2 if they would be willing to install a bike rail like this one for the outside stairs. They are quite wide so it wouldn’t get in the way and I already know others in the building have bikes. Heck, I’d be willing to pay for it myself. I don’t know why they show two rails, only one would be needed near the edge. I suppose if the railing is right up against the edge that might be a problem because of the handlebars. Will have to check it out on next visit.

This is the one time I wish I weren’t a cyclist. Accommodating my lifestyle is proving to be a challenge.

I know you said #1 is not a consideration anymore, but I wonder how well these ceiling mounts would work in that situation:
https://www.amazon.com/Racor-PBH-1R-Ceiling-Mounted-Bike-Lift/dp/B00006JBL3

A bike shop I worked at 20+ years ago used a bunch of these to pull bikes up to the tall ceiling for storage. It wasn’t too difficult to use when starting from flat ground with a lot of room. I wonder how that changes starting from a stairway?
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Another option is to get an uber-light bike (if yours isn’t already) to go with your new spiffy condo. Something sleek and 17 pounds is going to be much easier to lug up stairs than a 30 pound behemoth

[reji]

2 months ago, we sold our comfy big home in the burbs and bought a cute home inside the beltway. Now instead of rolling up into my garage with tons of space for bikes and gear, I lug my bike up and down 18 stairs between my doorstep and the street. It’s been an adjustment, but it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. I’ve even learned how where to hold the bike and how to angle it so that I can carry it up/down with a loaded pannier. In fact, the worst part isn’t the stairs, it’s the awkward contortions I have to make when holding the storm door open while getting the bike in/out of the door. :p Getting back home in rainy weather sucks too but I found that some strategically placed towels help.

Another option for bike storage inside is the Steadyrack which hangs on the wall and offers vertical bike storage. (https://www.amazon.com/Steadyrack-Classic-Rack-Vertical-Bike-Storage/dp/B004N9BUEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497872679&sr=8-1&keywords=steadyrack) They’re a little pricey but we’ve put up 3 in our “bike room” with no problems. Getting the bike down and putting it up is super easy … very important after I get home tired and I’ve already carried my bike up the stairs! Also, the racks swivel if you need to make room.

We gave up a lot of conveniences for location and found that it’s simply a matter of adapting to your new environment. When we first bought the house, we thought that we were going to HAVE to find a way to construct a path that we could use to roll our bikes up/down. Now after 2 months, it still would be nice, but not as necessary as we thought. I imagine the more time that passes, the less important that path will be. If you reconsider buying and want to “practice” carrying your bike up/down stairs, just let me know!

[Guus]

@drevil 161869 wrote:

Another option is to get an uber-light bike (if yours isn’t already) to go with your new spiffy condo. Something sleek and 17 pounds is going to be much easier to lug up stairs than a 30 pound behemoth

Yet another option might be to actually get a 30 pound behemoth but get one that is suitable for 24/7 life outdoors. Think weather-proof and theft-proof. Preferably a pre-owned bike so it doesn’t look to attractive to potential thieves… I totally get that this is not for everyone, but Dutch bikes have evolved especially for these scenario’s. They are heavy but robust and (obviously) weather resistant.

[KLizotte]

@drevil 161869 wrote:

I know you said #1 is not a consideration anymore, but I wonder how well these ceiling mounts would work in that situation:
https://www.amazon.com/Racor-PBH-1R-Ceiling-Mounted-Bike-Lift/dp/B00006JBL3

A bike shop I worked at 20+ years ago used a bunch of these to pull bikes up to the tall ceiling for storage. It wasn’t too difficult to use when starting from flat ground with a lot of room. I wonder how that changes starting from a stairway?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15005[/ATTACH]

Another option is to get an uber-light bike (if yours isn’t already) to go with your new spiffy condo. Something sleek and 17 pounds is going to be much easier to lug up stairs than a 30 pound behemoth

I did think about a “lift” system as you show but the stairwell is steep, narrow, and the door opens up within an inch of hitting the bottom step. It’s even a little uncomfortable getting in and out of the door without a bike so I’ve had to choose between the bike and the patio and fireplace.

But yes, I definitely like the idea of getting a lighter bike though that may require going custom due to my small stature.

[KLizotte]

@Guus 161874 wrote:

Yet another option might be to actually get a 30 pound behemoth but get one that is suitable for 24/7 life outdoors. Think weather-proof and theft-proof. Preferably a pre-owned bike so it doesn’t look to attractive to potential thieves… I totally get that this is not for everyone, but Dutch bikes have evolved especially for these scenario’s. They are heavy but robust and (obviously) weather resistant.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure the condo association won’t be pleased with my bike behmouth cluttering up the public grounds. If I do move into a more bike friendly place that I am seriously considering, I am going to start jumping up and down and asking for bike amenities (racks, bike rails on stairs, etc). I am gonna be one of “those people.”

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