Stowing Your Bike On Hooks

Lumpy Roads
Lumpy Roads Posts: 91
edited December 2012 in MTB general
Hi, I'm not sure if I dreamt this, but I seem to think that I have seen recently that it is wrong to hang your bike by the front wheel against the garage wall, obviously on one of them purpose built bike hooks. The reason given I think, is that any air or gas in the hydraulic brakes will move down the system and interfere with braking, causing it to go squidgy. Did I dream that? Or is it generally accepted as bad practice to hang your bike up?

Comments

  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,008
    I think the oil in suspension forks moves into the wrong chamber (blow-off?), but sorts itself out after a few 'pumps'.
  • RyanCTJ
    RyanCTJ Posts: 16
    I can tell you from experience that (older) Avid Elixir brakes don't like being upside down and can cause problems, but I read that Fox forks apparently benefit from time stored upside down. FWIW I've got a friend who stores his bike on a hook and he's not had any issues in over a year of doing it.
  • JMcP92
    JMcP92 Posts: 339
    Would a simple solution to this (if it is true) simply be hang it on the back wheel rather than the front..?
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Inverting forks is a good thing. If your brakes are properly bled then you will have no problems.
    I store my Scalp on a hook from the front wheel. My Elixir X0 brakes are perfect, no problems at all.
    If it was a problem then hanging it by the back wheel would shift the problem from the front brake to the back one.
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  • Lumpy Roads
    Lumpy Roads Posts: 91
    Thank you Rock Monkey and all, still not sure where I saw it, but my bikes are well maintained and haven't suffered so far. I appreciated your comments and advice.
    Steve
  • Plyphon
    Plyphon Posts: 433
    I find it very hard to believe that during transit and storage in various warehouses each set of forks, brakes etc are always stored upright.

    IMO, it's okay to hang your bike any way you want to.
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    I've stored my bike upside down for months (broken bones so no riding) and they've been fine.

    Fox forks can go stiff because oil runs into places and block some holes in the rebound circuit but this doesn't damage the forks in any way you simply need to turn the rebound from fully closed to open and also cycle the forks a few times and oils soon runs back to where it should be.
  • dusk
    dusk Posts: 583
    the fox service guide says storing your forks upside down is good as it will help lube the seals/wipers
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  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    dusk wrote:
    the fox service guide says storing your forks upside down is good as it will help lube the seals/wipers

    Same for Rockshox & Marzocchi
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  • mrmonkfinger
    mrmonkfinger Posts: 1,452
    Lumpy Roads wrote:
    The reason given I think, is that any air or gas in the hydraulic brakes will move down the system and interfere with braking, causing it to go squidgy.

    The levers end up higher than calipers, so any air tends to collect at the lever - where it is really easy to bleed out.

    +1 for the forks, oil & seals thing, too.
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  • bennett_346
    bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    Lumpy Roads wrote:
    air or gas
    But...

    But they're...

    Nevermind.
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    bennett_346 wrote:
    Lumpy Roads wrote:
    air or gas
    But...

    But they're...

    Nevermind.

    Reminds me of the senior engineer working for a major utilities company with many letters after her name who asked me if compressed air or electric signal cables could freeze in cold weather
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  • bennett_346
    bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    bennett_346 wrote:
    Lumpy Roads wrote:
    air or gas
    But...

    But they're...

    Nevermind.

    Reminds me of the senior engineer working for a major utilities company with many letters after her name who asked me if compressed air or electric signal cables could freeze in cold weather
    Brilliant :lol:
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Lumpy Roads wrote:
    The reason given I think, is that any air or gas in the hydraulic brakes will move down the system and interfere with braking, causing it to go squidgy. Did I dream that? Or is it generally accepted as bad practice to hang your bike up?

    There shouldn't be any air in the brakes! It's possible to bleed brakes badly and get away with it by keeping the bike upright, but better to do it right- that way if you do have the bike upside down (fixing a mechanical, falling off a cliff) the brakes won't act up. (also if you have air in the reservoir, there's a risk that when the pads wear down it gets into the working fluid and all of a sudden mid-descent, no brakes)
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  • jehosophat
    jehosophat Posts: 108
    I store a couple of bikes upside down - at this time of year both mine and my wife's full suss, I always have two bikes upside down at all times, have done for 15 years, and have had no issues at all. Pace and Fox forks benefit from it, allegedly.

    My only issue at present is finding another pair of rubberised hooks for this purpose - I used to buy them in Homebase years ago but have struggled to find any recently, I could do with another pair to get three bikes upside down and clear some more space in the garage, which is full of bikes, Thule racks, and car and bike wheels/tyres...
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    rubberised hooks available on ebay for a couple quid.

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