As we’ve come to find out in La Casita, it’s not always easy to find a balance between small space living and adequate storage. As avid cyclists and tiny house dwellers it has been a challenge to find solutions to keeping our bikes protected from the elements. Charleston is a humid city, winter or summer, and between the ocean and sand, it’s hard enough to keep bikes in decent shape. The best option would be indoor storage. As much as we’d like to have our bikes inside, it’s not possible for our space so we’ve come up with a solution that, so far, is proving helpful.
For purported material reducers, we have a lot of bikes. Cedric has a road bike and an extra-cycle. I have a commuter 
bike, a visitors bike and we bought a tandem this past spring. I’ve also got a new road bike arriving in March. It’s rather ridiculous to have 5 bikes between us and a 6th on the way but cycling is our passion and we can’t seem to help ourselves. We’d been keeping the bikes locked to our trailer but the wear and tear of the elements has proved harsh and we’ve finally had to come up with a better way to protect them than just throwing a tarp over them. Between the rain and the wind a tarp wasn’t doing the job. We were also keeping bikes stored in our car but now that we have a dog we need more space in order to store Asher’s kennel. Our neighbor offered us space to store a bike or two but we use all our bikes on a regular basis and the convenience of walking out our door and hopping on our bikes is invaluable to us.
One solution Cedric and I had considered were awnings. We had every intention of making awnings this past summer but, instead, we decided to go on a 3 month bicycle tour. So upon our return we still did not have a decent outdoor storage space for our trusty steel steeds. This holiday season we finally made it happen. A friend of ours found amazing vinyl material on the side of the road that looked to have been a huge pool cover. Cedric cut it up, pounded grommets in to it and we strung it with para cord to hooks on the side of our house and connected it to the apartment beside us. We had a cold front move in a few days ago with lots of driving rain and wind. The awning worked like a charm. It not only kept everything dry but also well protected from flying debris.
Besides being a bike cover, the awning is a vast improvement to our outdoor space. 
If we need to work outside or want to relax out of doors we have a space now, rain or shine. It will serve as a protective cover from the sun in the summer and it creates a much more enjoyable space to entertain outside the house. There are other options out there for folks who wish to store their bikes indoors. There are great bike hangers that can work well which can be bought or made. I really like the idea of a bike mount attached to an outside wall of the house, which a friend of ours is doing on his tiny house. It’s really about planning a space for items as bulky as bikes although a folding bike is another option and there are some excellent models out on the market these days. The best solution is one that best fits your daily needs. I’d love to hear what you’ve come up with!
Your Turn!
- How do you store cumbersome belongings in a tiny house?
- Any suggestions on better bike storage in tiny spaces?
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