I couldn’t open my car doors without hitting something in my garage. Two hybrid bikes took up most of the walking space, leaving me barely enough room to squeeze between my car and the wall. After months of getting frustrated every time I needed to grab tools or park, I found the RAD Cycle Products Bike Hoist for $25.
This ceiling-mounted pulley system has been running strong for two years now, and I liked it enough to buy another set for my road bikes. That cramped garage now feels like it doubled in size.
Why I needed a garage storage solution
The problem with floor-mounted bike storage
My two hybrid bikes—the kind built for both road and trail riding—sat right in the main traffic area where I needed to walk and park. Getting to my tool cabinet meant squeezing sideways past handlebars and wheels, like some kind of garage obstacle course.
What really got to me wasn’t just the tight quarters; those bikes sitting at eye level made everything feel smaller than it was. I’d approach while driving and tense up about whether I could fit my car in without clipping something. I couldn’t park both vehicles inside anymore, and I’d stopped thinking about using the garage for projects.
I tried different bike racks and wall-mounted hooks, but none of them fixed the real problem: bikes are bulky, and when they’re sitting at your eye level, they eat up visual space even when they’re technically “stored.”
The RAD Cycle Products Bike Hoist: a simple but effective solution
What makes this system work
The RAD Cycle hoist is beautifully straightforward—a pulley system that lifts your bikes to the ceiling, where they’re completely out of the way. The kit includes everything you need: ceiling-mounted pulleys, heavy-duty rope, bike hooks, and mounting hardware. The weight capacity handles even heavy mountain bikes without issue.
What impressed me most was how the system uses basic physics to make lifting a 30-pound bike feel effortless. The pulley arrangement provides enough mechanical advantage that even my kids can operate it safely. Once you understand the rope routing (more on that later), raising and lowering bikes becomes a 30-second task.
The genius lies in utilizing dead ceiling space. Most garages have 8-10 feet of height, but we rarely use anything above 7 feet. This system reclaims that vertical real estate without permanent modifications to your bikes or garage structure.
Installation: easier than expected (with a few caveats)
What you’ll need and what to expect
You need a few essential tools to install this: a drill, a ladder, and a stud finder. That last one isn’t optional; don’t attempt this without locating ceiling joists properly. I learned this the hard way years ago when I hit only drywall on a different project.
The actual drilling and mounting took about 45 minutes per hoist. The confusing part was initially figuring out the pulley system. The instructions explain how to thread the rope through the pulleys, but you’ll spend a few minutes figuring out how the leverage actually works. After that, it’s pretty straightforward to use.
My biggest installation tip: take time to plan your bike’s positioning before drilling. You want the bike to hang where it won’t interfere with your overhead garage door when it’s open. I spent extra time planning where the bikes would hang before I started drilling. I’m glad I did—it kept me from having to fill in extra holes later.
Two years later: how it’s transformed my garage
The real-world benefits
The change hit me as soon as I raised both bikes to the ceiling. With both hybrid bikes now stored overhead, my garage suddenly had room for everything I’d been cramming against the walls. I can park both cars comfortably, with space to open doors fully on both sides.
The mental shift was bigger than just getting more floor space. My garage stopped feeling like a junk room and started feeling like somewhere I wanted to be. I put a small workbench where one bike used to sit, and now I actually look forward to spending time out there.
Getting my bike when I want to ride is ridiculously easy now. Pull the rope, lower the bike, unhook it, and go. It takes less time than it used to for me to move other bikes out of the way when they were all on the floor. After two years of regular use, the original pulleys still operate smoothly, with no maintenance required.
The success led me to buy a second kit for my road bikes. Soon, I will have four bikes stored overhead, and my garage will be more organized and spacious than ever.
Is the RAD Cycle Bike Hoist worth it?
What works and what doesn’t
At $25, this pays for itself just in the space you get back. Even if it broke tomorrow, I’d buy another one. The install takes basic DIY skills—nothing fancy, but you do need to be comfortable drilling into ceiling joists.
The downsides are pretty minor. You’ll need ladder access for installation, and the initial pulley setup can be confusing without careful attention to the directions. A stud finder is essential—this isn’t a system you can wing with drywall toggle bolts.
This solution works best for standard garage heights and people who are comfortable with basic installations. Renters or people with low garage ceilings probably can’t use this setup, though there are other home fixes you can perform without power tools.
My garage feels bigger than ever before
Sometimes the simplest solutions create the biggest improvements. A $25 pulley system transformed my garage from a cramped storage nightmare into a space that genuinely feels twice as large. The RAD Cycle hoist proves that smart vertical storage doesn’t require expensive built-ins or major renovations—just a willingness to think beyond floor-level organization.
If you’re struggling with bike storage and have ceiling height to work with, this system delivers remarkable results for minimal investment. Two years in, I can’t imagine going back to floor storage.
