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Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder

7
£49.99

VERDICT:

7
10
If you need to hang a bike of less than 16kg on a wall and swing it both ways, this is a good choice
Weight: 
872g

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The Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder is a high-class solution to the problem of keeping lots of bikes tidy, or one bike in a very small space. Just be aware of the weight and tyre width limits.

The premise is very simple: instead of a static wall hook you have a hook that is hinged, so your bike can pivot left or right. This lets you have a line of bikes on a wall, of varying sizes, and be able to flip through them like a Rolodex (Millennials: google it). Your bikes can lie almost flat against the wall, greatly increasing space, particularly if your storage area is restricted, such as in a corridor. Bikes are held vertical by the back wheel bracing against a block set at the right height.

> Find your nearest dealer here

In the box you get the required screws for wood and plastic inserts for masonry. Installation is as simple as drilling/screwing four holes, but you really need to pay attention to where your bike will end up positioned, particularly handlebars relative to nearby objects. As the saying goes, measure twice, drill once.

Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder 9.jpg

Once up there's really nothing to it. The folding arm sits ready to accept your front wheel, and the combination of indented groove and protruding lip of the arm holds it firmly in place once there. The rear wheel holder is generously proportioned to hold any size tyre in place.

Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder 6.jpg

The feel of the Swing-Up is quality engineering. The only plastic is the shield that the wheel sits against, the rest of it is metal, and snugly assembled at that.

In regular use the Swing-Up Bike Holder does the job very well. Road or mountain bike, skinny or fat tyre, it held them all and allowed easy movement, removal or return. I never felt the need to fold away the arm, partly because even if it were an aesthetic consideration the rest of the unit sits out so far the arm's not much worse. You get just as much clearance for passers-by by turning the holder fully to one side or the other, so why the arm is foldable is beyond me.

Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder 5.jpg

We've seen solutions like this before, most recently from Feedback Sports in the form of its five-star-reviewed Velo Hinge. The Velo Hinge now retails for £30, and is often available for under £25. It will take a 2.4in (61mm) tyre and a tyre-rim height of up to 3.15in (80mm) before needing the optional longer hook. It has a weight limit of 22.7kg.

In several regards the Velo Hinge has the Swing-Up Bike Holder beat: it's nearly half the price, and it can hold bikes that weigh an additional 6.7kg – no doubt mostly because there's a third screw in the design holding it to the wall. The Topeak is limited to 70 degrees left or right, which is fine for mountain bikes/hybrids with wide bars, but for road bikes it means they don't lie quite flush. The Velo Hinge isn't restricted and you can get bars touching the wall if the pedals don't contact first – but it only swings one way. If you want to swap the swing direction that's five minutes of unscrewing it from the wall, swapping the hook orientation around, and fixing it back on. Probably not that much of a drama in the long run, but if you really need bi-directional swing for your stash of bikes the Topeak's the one to go for. But, if you have a rim-tyre depth of more than 80mm the Topeak's not for you – the Velo Hinge with the Long hook is the only option.

> 10 of the best bike storage systems

The Topeak website lists the maximum tyre width as 2.35in (which is 60mm, though Topeak says 66mm), but in the box the instructions say 2.6in (which is 66mm). A measured 2in (50mm) tyre only had 5mm spare between tyre wall and the arm when centred, so I highly doubt the 2.6in/66mm claim.

Fundamentally, it comes down to whether you need the bi-directional swing. If you do, then the money spent on the Topeak Swing-Up won't feel wasted – it's good kit. If you don't need bi-directional swing, or have a heavier bike to hang, or have really deep rims, other options are available.

Verdict

If you need to hang a bike of less than 16kg on a wall and swing it both ways, this is a good choice

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder

Size tested: Max Load 16kg

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's for people needing to hang and store/swing bikes on a wall.

Topeak says:

Compatible with wheel / tire combinations having an overall height of 3.15" (8cm) and tire width up to 2.35" (approx 6.6cm)

This elegant wall mounted bike holder allows you to store one bike and swing it to either side to optimize storage space. A molded rubber bar keeps the front wheel stationary, preventing the bike bike from twisting and includes all mounting hardware plus a molded rear wheel pad to prevent tire marks on the wall. Fits standard road and mountain bikes up to 29" wheels. Not compatible with fat tire bikes.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Topeak lists:

ADDED FEATURES: Rotatable front wheel, Fixed bar

ATTACHMENT: Wall mount

LIMITATIONS: Compatible with wheel / tire combinations having an overall height of 8cm (3.15") and tire width up to 2.35"

MATERIAL: Aluminum / Plastic

MAX WEIGHT CAPACITY: 16 kg / 35 lb

SIZE: 27.5 x 16 x 7.7 cm / 10.8' x 6.3' x 3'

WEIGHT: 845 g / 1.86 lb

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

It feels top-class.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Getting bikes in and out was a breeze.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

The plastic part aside, no reason to think it's not a lifetime purchase.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

This is where it loses – no avoiding it, it's expensive.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well, can't fault it.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It oozes quality. Solid.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing, really.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if they needed to swing both ways.

Use this box to explain your score

The value proposition depends on your needs. If bi-direcitonal swing is critical, no contest, this is great. But if it's not essential, the Feedback Sports Velo Hinge wins on price, load, tyre size and rim-tyre depth. I also prefer more screws than fewer – two is okay, but three of four would be better, possibly uprating the possible load in the process.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72kg

I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
macrophotofly | 6 years ago
0 likes

No mention of anything to steady the lower wheel or stopping it mark the wall?

The Steadyracks are a similar price, swing both ways and have the lower wall attachment

Avatar
BarryBianchi replied to macrophotofly | 6 years ago
1 like
macrophotofly wrote:

No mention of anything to steady the lower wheel or stopping it mark the wall?

Beermat.  Available at £29.99 as an additional extra...

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to macrophotofly | 6 years ago
2 likes
macrophotofly wrote:

No mention of anything to steady the lower wheel or stopping it mark the wall?

The Steadyracks are a similar price, swing both ways and have the lower wall attachment

 

that would be the sentence “The rear wheel holder is generously proportioned to hold any size tyre in place”

 

plus photos 4 and 11

 

Cheers

 

Avatar
mingmong | 6 years ago
0 likes

This might catch on.

 

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
3 likes

I'm guessing if you're into bi-directional swinging and deep rims this is a bargain.

Avatar
BarryBianchi | 6 years ago
0 likes

Or two hooks from the £1 shop.

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