RAD Cycle Products Ceiling Mount Bike Hoist
by RAD Cycle Products
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List Price: Our Price: $12.94 You Save: $42.01 (76%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $11.65 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of RAD Cycle Products Ceiling Mount Bike Hoist
Customer Review: Solid product
Summary: 4 Stars
Product feels solid and sturdy. I used 6 screws and plugs per hook on a concrete ceiling and it is rock solid, I'm sure I can hang much heavier things than just my bike.
The rope is very long: my ceiling is about 9 feet high and I needed to cut a little over 1/3 to lift all the way down. That leads me to believe it can lift the bike up quite high, and you will need that if you want to walk underneath it/have a high ceiling.
Pulling the bike up is a breeze, it doesn't requier major effort and also doesn't take a million pulls to get up. Good balance.
The only issue I had is I bought two lifts for 2 different bikes. One bike's seat seems to provide enough grip for the hooks, but the other bike's seat does not. It fell down a couple of times as I was figuring out why it didn't grip, but fortunately, the hooks can 'swivel' 360°, o instead of them holding the back of the seat, they are now gripping the side of it, making for a better hold. I could also attach it to the wheel, but then I'd have to place the hooks further apart and drilling above your head gets old quickly.
One more thing, it comes with 10 screws and no plugs. I'd advise you use plugs and more screws (there are a total of 20 holes to put screws through, plus 2 for the thingy where you roll your excess cord over).
I would certainly recommend, especially at the $14 plus free shipping I paid for it. Gave it 4 stars because I only give 5 stars to products that deliver something more than expected.
Customer Review: Works well. Installs poorly.
Summary: 4 Stars
If you can get past the installation process, this bike hoist works well. The components are strong enough for the job. Only the screws are substandard and get stripped easily. Since they are dry wall screws and you really want to fix the hoist to a wood beam to support the weight of the bike, you will do much better with your own wood screws anyway.
Here is a list of tools and material that I recommend for the installation:
1. One fully charged drill/screw-driver with appropriate drill bits and screw heads.
2. One piece of 3/4"x3 1/2" lumber for extra support. It also gives you some flexibility if the ceiling beam does not run through the exact location of your choosing.
3. One electric saw for trimming the lumber to the right length, which depends on the bike you want to hang.
4. #8x2" and #8x3" wood screws.
5. One pencil.
6. One tape measure.
7. One stud finder.
8. One ladder.
9. One set of stuck screw extractors, if you insist on using the default screws.
By the way, the Racor PBH-1R Ceiling-Mounted Bike Lift is exactly the same as this product except for a coat of less shiny paint. There is absolutely no reason to pay extra for Racor, particularly since the screws are equally worthless.
Customer Review: BIke Hoist review
Summary: 2 Stars
It works, but, I had to make several modifications, which took allot of time.
Negatives:
1. Thin rope
2. Rope jumps off pulleys often, have to release tension, then re-align rope to fit in the center of the guides.
3. Hooks are at right angles, meaning, when it lifts your handlebars, it is parallel to the floor, flat. Several times the hooks slipped off.
4. Mounting screws are junk. Striped the head of the first Philips screw. I used another screw I had at home.
Solutions:
1. With much force, I was able to bend the hooks up slightly w/ C clamps. First remember to remove the rubber cover or it will rip.
2. Use your own mounting screws. They will go in far easier, w/o stripping, and will be much stronger.
Now it works o.k., I just have to watch the guides, when hoisting up, as if I go too fast, it derails off the guides.
This is my second Hoist. First hoist has better hardware, thicker/stronger rope, and great guides. In five years, my old Hoist has not derailed once. Price was about the same, but, I couldn't remember where I purchased the old Hoist. I have two bikes.
Suggestion, spend a few more $, and get a higher quality hoist, something you can put together and have it work, without modifications, or derailed rope.
Customer Review: Great product
Summary: 4 Stars
I'll keep this short, since a lot of people have commented already. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase.
Pros:
- Good price
- Keeps bikes out of the way
- Autolocking of the rope when slack is nice
- Clean design
Cons:
- For my skinny mountain bike seat, the hooks don't hold the best. The front hooks are great for the handle bar, but for the seat it's a little precarious. If you bump it hard, the bike can fall. Instead of using the wall cleat, I actually tie the loose end of the rope to my chainstay, so if the hooks slip off the seat, it will only fall a few inches.
- Mounting isn't the easiest. You DEFINITELY need to mount these into wood. I tried using a few drywall anchors, and that didn't work so well. I didn't realize how much pressure a lightweight bike can apply to the pulleys if it drops 12 inches first (i.e., the rope slips, but then catches). This would be the case for any bike mount on the ceiling, but I felt it was worth mentioning. You should plan on using a stud finder and making sure the screws are secure.
Overall, the hassle of installation is well worth it for the extra space you gain.
Customer Review: Less Here than Meets the Eye
Summary: 4 Stars
You are not going to mount your bicycles with what comes in the package. The manufacturer neglects to tell you that the lifting device is not designed to be mounted on the ceiling and the picture on the web is deceptive. It is designed to be mounted on a 2X4 that is then attached to the ceiling. The 2X4 is not in the box, the bolts to attach the 2X4 to the ceiling are not in the box.
If you decide to forego buying the wood and simply attach the pulleys to the joists in the ceiling you are still going to have to go to the hardware store because the screws included in the box are way too short to reach the joists through the sheetrock on the ceiling and the heads are too small to securely hold the pulley platform.
So keep in mind that regardless of how you finally decide to mount your bicycles, you are not going to do it without a trip to the hardware store.
After I got the longer screws (I had no desire to go to the extra steps with the 2X4s) the device mounts easily and the bicycle rises majestically to the ceiling. The front hook fits securely on the handlebars, but the rear hook can have problems with some of the seats that split in the rear.