Madrax Bike Racks
Whether for use in a bike room or designated space outdoors, when you want to create as many bike storage spots as possible in your space, a two-tier bike rack is a great option to consider.
Let's look at key information about these types of bike racks and help you determine the best situations to use them.
Deciding on a Two Tier Bike Rack
The most important item in deciding if a two level bike rack will meet your specific needs, is the available space of your bike storage area.
Generally, the design of this bike storage rack requires a distance from the wall, that extends beyond the bicycle, which totals about ten feet. 72 inches is needed for the parked bicycle and another 48 inches of aisle space is needed to effectively use this type of bike storage rack.
You can get away with less aisle space, but 48 inches is the recommendation. Otherwise, it can become difficult to load and unload bicycles from the racks or maneuver within the area.
We would also encourage you to review your local ordinances as they might require a specific amount of aisle space.
Then there is the matter of overhead clearance. Generally, these racks need eight and half feet of overhead clearance to be used effectively.
This allows enough room for the bicycle to be properly loaded into and unloaded from the upper rack without running into ceilings, fans, lights or other overhead obstructions.
Another key element when evaluating this type of bike rack will be users.
Cyclists will need to be able to lift their bicycle multiple feet to use the upper racks. There are two tier list-assist bike racks that make it easier to load bicycles on the upper storage level. But these will take up a larger portion of the budget.
A bike boost makes it easier for a cyclist to load their bicycle into the upper rack of a two tiered bike rack and return it to the upper position.
Another item to note with list-assist is the additional space required. You will need the recommended 48 inches of aisle space from where the tray rests in the lowered position, and not where it sits in the stored position.
The final determining factor for a double tier bike rack is the budget. Depending on the total number of bike storage spots and the specific design of the unit you select, prices can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It's a matter of figuring out where the final price fits into your budget.
Two Tier Bike Rack Selection Tips
Maximizing space is usually the main reason for considering a tiered rack and where you need to start when comparing specific solutions.
One main difference between two tier bike storage racks is they are designed with rack elements at the same height or where the racks alternate in height.
With designs where the racks are at the same height, as is the case with the Madrax Bike Storage Tier Rack, each bike stall is spaced farther apart so bicycle handlebars don't overlap.
A two-tiered bike rack where each rack is mounted at the same height.
This takes up slightly more width to park the same number of bicycles.
The alternative, where racks are at staggered heights, like the Horizontal Storage rack from Madrax, is each rack can be placed closer together, reducing the total width of the unit.
A two-tiered bike storage rack with racks at staggered heights.
So, the number of racks or bike storage spots you want and the space available to place the racks will be the first determination.
Another measurement to be aware of is the length of the racks.
Local ordinances may state that the rack can only extend a certain distance from the wall. In the case of the Bike Storage Tier Rack, this distance is 65 and three quarters inches.
With the Horizontal Storage Rack solution, the rack goes out 70 inches.
The length of the rack can differ between styles of two tier bike storage racks.
The other major consideration is the ability to lift a bicycle to the upper racks.
With the Bike Storage tier and Horizontal Storage Rack units, placing bicycles on the top level of racks is done manually.
With a Madrax Bike Boost Storage, there is a lift-assist element that lets the bicycle be loaded closer to the ground and then mechanically returned to the upper bike storage spot.
Madrax Two Tier Bike Storage Racks
Madrax offers three styles of two tier bike racks. The Bike Storage Tier Rack, the Horizontal Storage Bike Rack and Bike Boost Storage Rack.
The two tier bike rack dimensions are what separates the Bike Store Storage Tier from the Horizontal Storage. The Bike Boost is a lift assist bike rack making it easier to park bicycles on the upper tier.
Bike Storage Tier Rack
Looking first at the Bike Storage Tier Rack, this is Madrax's base two-tier bike rack. Two main differences of this rack are that the rack elements are all at the same height and spaced 24 inches apart.
This makes this unit slightly wider than the other bicycle storage racks in the Madrax line-up.
The rack element on this unit is shorter though. Measuring 65 ¾ inches. This meets certain local ordinances that require the rack to be under a certain length.
It is also Madrax's most economical two tier bike rack.
Horizontal Storage Bike Rack
When looking for a higher-density solution that can store more bicycles in an area, The Horizontal Storage Bike Rack would be worth exploring further.
The design of this unit alternates the height of every other rack by 8 inches. This reduces the spacing between racks without running into the problem of conflicting handlebars. Compared to the Bike Storage tier, the unit takes up less width and more bicycles can be stored in an area.
The rack elements of this unit extend out 70 inches. It is a mid-priced option in Madrax's two tier bike rack product line.
Bike Boost Storage Rack
The third option would be the Bike Boost Storage rack. The feature that makes this unit stand out from the others is the lift assist.
The upper rack of the Bike Boost Storage can be lowered closer to ground. Making it much easier for the bicycle to be loaded onto the rack and returned to the upper position to be stored. As compared to other two tier bike racks where the bicycle would need to be manually lifted onto the upper racks.
Related Resources
- [Shop] Two Tier Bike Racks
- [Article] High Density Bike Storage Solutions
- [Video Course] Creating Efficient and Maximum Density Bike Storage Areas
