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Tortec Universal Storage Hook

9
£14.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Very sturdy bike storage option for road or MTB; the hook rim protection could be thicker
Weight: 
673g
Contact: 

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The Tortec Universal Storage Hook is a very sturdy bike storage option for road or mountain bike, holding skinny and fat tyres equally well. The hook rim protection could be thicker though.

The first impression of the hook is solidity. This is one weighty bit of metal, welded in a manner that says your bike is safe with it. The hook is steel, and is compatible with wheels from 12-inch up to mountain bike 29ers. The weight limit is listed as 18kg, so you won't be hanging that 850W full-supension German e-mountain bike off of it.

The hook mounts on to any kind of wall, but it's up to you to fix it firmly. Included are standard 8mm brick/concrete plastic wall plugs and two hefty, long self-tapping Philips-head screws. If you have different needs - e.g. into wood, or a hollow or metal wall - these should do the job with the appropriate kind of plug. Tortec advise not to use the hook "on any kind of drywall, panelling or plasterboard".

Tortec recommend you mount the hook with the bike attached and 10cm of space under the rear wheel - you will need a friend for this. Holding the bike upright, judging the distance, keeping the front wheel straight and the hook attached to the wheel in the right alignment and then marking the holes will be beyond anyone with fewer than five arms.

Once it's fixed to the wall, putting the bike into place is very simple: lift with the wheel to the right of the hook, align with a gap in the spokes, shift the wheel left to put the hook over the rim and let the bike drop down. The tyre seats between the angled guides and is held firmly, regardless of size. A 23mm road tyre will sink deep enough to just sit proud of the wall plate; a 2.1in mountain bike tyre sat a little further out but was still gripped firmly.

The angle of the guides means there is a little sideways movement if required, i.e. if you have a line of bikes up on a wall you should be able to move them to one side to facilitate handlebar clearance while removing or mounting. The geometry of the hook and guides means the bike naturally returns to centre if moved.

The only concern with the hook is the thickness of the plastic powdercoating on the metal hook itself. This is there to save any scraping of the rim, but at just under 1mm thick is not overly generous. A rim with angled corners or ham-fisted mounting could see this cut through and subsequently might result in the rim being marked. It would have been nice to see Tortec use some sort of high-impact ABS plastic sleeve in place of a thin powdercoat. Wrapping/zip-tying a few layers of old inner tube around the hook should guarantee your pride and joy is totally safe from the risk of scratching.

Overall a quality product that can hang any bike, so long as it's under the recommended 18kg.

Verdict

Very sturdy bike storage option for road or MTB; the hook rim protection could be thicker

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Tortec Universal Storage Hook

Size tested: Black

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 hanging bikes on walls. Any bike, so long as it's under 18kg, and any wall except plasterboard or paneling. Tortec say "Tortec wall hooks are precision engineered by the latest 3D CNC forming machines using premium high-tensile steel for maximum strength and durability. Each hook is coated with a tough durable epoxy based powder-coat shell with soft covers to protect wheels from being scuffed."

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

Holds up to 18kg, and wheel sizes from 12" to 29" / 700c. Fixings for brick/concrete included.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

The words 'brick' and 'outhouse' spring to mind.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

It hangs bikes, and does so without fault.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Aside from possibly wearing through the could-be-thicker hook protection, it should outlive you.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

£14.99 isn't cheap, but this is a quality product.

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

Very well. Bikes of all types hung vertically and safely. They aren't coming out by accident.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The tyre centering - which kept the bike where it needs to be.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Only the thin hook protection. Which won't be an issue if your rims are smooth.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes. It's changed my life for the better, in that there's one less bike cluttering the floor.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 183cm  Weight: 71KG

I usually ride: Charge Juicer  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: club rides, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, MTB, singlespeed and 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.

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