Hang 'em high!

So you pulled out all the stops, put on your cape, and played Super Mom/ Dad for Christmas by getting the little one(s) a new bicycle with dual overhead thingys, quad turbo whatsits, and a unified theory of squidgybo. Congratulations on making their little dreams come true! Now that the bow is off and they have figured out that maybe deep winter isn't always the best time to go riding, where do you store the dang thing until the spring thaw where it won't get stolen, snowed/ rained on, or treated like a fire hydrant by every K-9 in a 10 block radius?

If you aren't lucky enough to have an out building or storage shed, and you garage is already full of either stuff or cars, what are you going to do? Do the kids park it where ever they can find room in the garage and hope it doesn't get run over or hit by one of the cars? Do you wind up like a contestant in the hammer throw and lob it on top of the junk pile and hope to not start an avalanche? Do you cover it up with a tarp outside hoping spiders and condensation don't reduce it to a small pile of rust before it gets ridden again?

My suggestion is to hang it from the garage ceiling. The kits to do so are moderately priced ($10- $25+), although I'm not sure I'd personally trust the $10 one to hang a bike over anything breakable. The only other guidance I would give besides reading the instructions completely before starting the job is:

1. Open the garage door and check clearances before you pick a spot! For some reason they don't mention this in the instructions.

2. Measure the height of the bike and do the math from the ceiling down to make sure you still have the vertical clearance you may need to get to the car, trash cans etc. I'm 6'2" and bending double to throw the trash blows!

3. Buy some good, heavy duty, weight rated anchors and screws as back ups because the idea of finding joists in the ceiling where you need and want them to be is laughable!

(No, I will not explain to you the mysterious scratches on my kids' bikes, the garage door, my windshield or the bruises on my forehead! I already did that for the wife and one time was enough. So don't ask again! Bitter, party of 1 your table is ready.)