Indoor Bike Stand Options for Road Bikes and MTBs

Advantages and Disadvantages of Indoor Bike Stands

Let’s first review the pros and cons of using an indoor bike stand.

Advantages

The two main advantages of using an indoor bike stand are: reducing the risk of damaging your bike and saving storage space.

Road bikes and MTBs that are stored indoors often cost over $1,000, and sometimes even several thousand dollars. Naturally, you want to minimize the risk of damaging or breaking them.

By securing your bike firmly in a stand, you can reduce the risk of it falling over and getting scratched indoors. It also nearly eliminates the risk of someone else damaging or stealing your bike.

Additionally, bikes can take up more space than expected when stored indoors. Using a stand allows you to make effective use of wall space or vertical room, enabling more compact storage of your bike.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of indoor bike stands is their price.

You can get a simple stand for around $20, but tower stands can cost over $100. While the space-saving benefits are significant, the price may make you hesitate to purchase one[2].

Types of Indoor Bike Stands

Before choosing an indoor bike stand, it’s important to understand the different types available.

Indoor bike stands can be broadly categorized into the following four types:

1. Floor stands
2. Simple stands
3. Tower stands
4. Wall-mounted types

Floor Stands

Floor stands are ideal for those who want to store their road bike or MTB securely. Imagine it as a single slot from a bike rack at a parking lot, repurposed for home use. Depending on the product, there are different styles:

1. Front wheel holder
2. Rear wheel holder
3. Vertical storage

You can choose the storage style that best fits your available space, allowing you to store your road bike or MTB securely even in tight areas.

For everyday bikes, a “front wheel holder” type is convenient—just push the bike in to secure it. If you want to minimize the required width for side-by-side storage, the “rear wheel holder” offers more flexibility. To make use of vertical space, “vertical storage” is a great option.

Prices vary depending on the type, but most can be purchased for around $30–$50. With a modest investment, you can use your space efficiently and manage your bike with ease.

Simple Stands

Simple stands, like those found in bike shops, hold the bike upright by clamping both sides of the rear dropout. They are available from as low as $10, and can be folded away when not in use, minimizing both cost and storage space. Installation is easy—just open the stand and clamp the dropout—making them beginner-friendly.

The downside is that you’ll need enough floor space for the entire length of the bike. Also, since the stand itself has some width, it requires a bit more space overall.

Tower Stands

Tower stands are optimal for storing multiple road bikes or MTBs indoors. They allow you to store two bikes vertically, significantly reducing the required storage space.

Some models also let you mount wheels, so if you own multiple bikes or wheelsets, you can store everything efficiently.

The main differences between tower stands are the “fixing method” and the “storage method”:

Fixing methods include:

1. Freestanding (stabilized by the stand’s base)
2. Tension type (fixed between floor and ceiling like a tension rod)
3. Inverted type (leaned against the wall)

Storage methods include:

1. Two bikes stacked vertically (side by side)
2. Two bikes stored upright, left and right

The most common is the “two bikes stacked vertically” style, but if you want to avoid using horizontal space, the “upright left and right” type is popular.

The main disadvantage of tower stands is the price. Most models cost between $100 and $300, making them the most expensive option among bike stands discussed so far. However, if you want to store multiple bikes efficiently, they are the best choice.

Wall-Mounted Hook Type

This type involves installing hooks directly into the wall to hang your road bike or MTB by the wheels. It’s a common storage solution seen in the rooms of cyclists overseas.

Since it’s just a hook, the price is low, and its space-saving ability is on par with tower stands. You also have a lot of freedom in layout, as you can install the hook anywhere on the wall you like.

While it seems to have only advantages, the biggest drawback is that you need to drill holes in the wall. In rental properties, you’ll need to consult with the owner, and even in your own home, family members may object to making holes in the walls.

If you can’t drill into the wall, this type is not an option.

Comparing Each Type: Advantages, Disadvantages, Installation, and Price Range

Let’s compare the features of the indoor bike stands for road bikes and MTBs we’ve discussed so far.

Now, let’s compare the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

At first glance, these products may seem similar, but a closer comparison reveals that each type has surprisingly different features.

Points to Consider When Purchasing an Indoor Bike Stand

Decide How Many Bikes You Want to Store

The first thing to determine when buying an indoor stand for your road bike or MTB is how many bikes you plan to store (including future additions). This decision greatly affects your options.

Even if you only have one bike now, if you think you might want to separate your cycling and everyday bikes in the future, or store family bikes together, it’s more cost-effective to choose a multi-bike stand from the beginning, as this avoids unnecessary future purchases.

If you only have one bike now and are unsure how deep you’ll get into cycling, you might opt for a simple stand that takes up more space, then upgrade to a more advanced stand once your cycling lifestyle is established.

Match the Stand to Your Storage Space Layout

Next, consider the layout of your storage space, which is also influenced by the number of bikes you plan to store.

When planning your layout, think about:

1. Will the bike on the stand block any walkways or daily movement?
2. Is it easy and practical to take the bike out?
3. Is there a risk of hitting the bike or walls when moving around?

As a rule of thumb, it’s easier to use if you leave about 50 cm (20 inches) of space around the bike on the stand.

Most manufacturers list the dimensions of their stands when set up, so be sure to measure your room before purchasing.

Consider Your Budget

Finally, think about your budget.

This varies from person to person, but as a general guideline, consider spending about 5% of your bike’s price on a stand. For a $1,000 road bike, that would be around $50.

If you have a bike worth a few hundred dollars, a $20 simple stand may suffice, and you can repair or replace the bike if it gets damaged. However, if you have several bikes worth hundreds of dollars each and want to store them safely, a $200 tower stand is not an unreasonable investment.