Topeak Swing-Up Bike Holder

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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