I am interested in buying/building a storage shed that can hold three standard 19" mountain bikes. Ideally, the space would be as small as possible while still allowing one person to get the bike in and out. I am fine with having to take all the bikes out to get to the one I want, but I don't want to have to disassemble the bike (I don't even want to take the wheels off) to put it away. What dimension should the shed be and how big does the opening have to be?
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1Are you willing to store the bikes vertically? Are you planning to install hardware so the middle bike can stand without leaning on the other 2? Is it feasible for the entire front to open, or is there a maximum width (percentage or absolute) to the door(s)? Do you need to bikes to strictly roll in/roll out, or can they be partially lifted?– DavidWJul 29, 2019 at 15:04
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@DavidW willing to do anything that doesn't require taking the wheels/seats/pedals off.– StrongBadJul 29, 2019 at 15:09
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Do you expect to stand inside this shed? Or do you want to open a door and then pull bikes out without entering the "room" ?– Criggie ♦Jul 29, 2019 at 21:57
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Does it have to be free-standing or can you lean/locate it up against a fence or an existing wall? Do you have dirt underneath or a preexisting concrete pad/path/patio ?– Criggie ♦Jul 29, 2019 at 21:57
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3 Answers
Width: If you hang the bikes on the wall, either "head to toe" or at staggered heights so that you can interleave the handlebars, then the width requirement is only slightly greater than 2x your handlebar width. Call it 60".
Depth: If the wall opposite the hanging wall opens like a barn door, then you don't need to be able to fit your body in the shed, and it only needs to be as deep as the bikes are tall, so that's whatever your seat height is above the ground, plus some clearance. Maybe 36".
Height: Length of bikes, end to end, plus some margin. Maybe 60"? Unless you're hanging them at staggered heights, in which case it's probably more like 75". And you'll want a little bit of a pitch to the roof so it sheds rainwater, so a few inches higher at one side.
These are all inside dimensions. If you're using 2x4s for framing, add 7" in each direction, plus the thickness of whatever your cladding is (plywood, chipboard, clapboard, etc). And don't trust some rando on the Internet--measure this out carefully before you start cutting materials.
I don't know how tight a space you're trying to fit this shed into, but you might want to consider making it a little bigger than this. Plywood comes in 4'x8' sheets, and every cut you save makes the project simpler. Plus you can leave room for your N+1 bike.
Making a shed that they can roll straight into will be easier to use day-to-day, but the width will need to be the total width of all the bikes at their widest point, plus some margin, so that handlebars don't interfere with each other.
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1If you lift alternate bikes so pars clear, the width becomes clearance for the pedals.– mattnzJul 29, 2019 at 19:36
I have 1 of these, fits 2 bikes easily with plenty of space for a third, reversed. Internal dimensions H: 1170mm 3' 10" D: 1800mm 5' 11" W: 840mm 2' 9". http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/twin-bike-locker
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Only 840mm width? Aren’t there MTB handlebars which are as wide as that?– MichaelJul 30, 2019 at 7:49
It should be at least as wide as the 3 bikes and as long as the longest bike and as tall as the tallest bike plus some additional space to put 2 bikes away if the one you need is the further-est (sp?) in the shed.
You need some extra space (couple of feet) all around to be able to move your bike in and out without struggling too much and if there are racks in it, factor that in.
Don't forget to include/add individual bike locks for each of your bikes; a door lock on the shed is not enough.
Other than that... nothing much I can add.
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I think the width is hardest to get right. Depending on how much the handlebars interfere with each other it can be quite a hassle.– MichaelJul 30, 2019 at 7:48