Customer Reviews

Delta Michelangelo Two-Bike Gravity Stand (Red Hooks)

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I use this rack in my apartment to keep my bikes away from rain and thieves. I like that this rack requires no wall-drilling and keeps bikes flat against the wall (rather than sticking out like those racks that hang bikes by their front wheels.) I'm very impressed with its stability, considering the rack itself is pretty light. There's only one contact point with the wall, which has a big, rubber end (like the two feet) so it won't scratch or mark. The feet stick to my carpeted floor quite securely, and my guess is that they'd work well on noncarpeted surfaces, too. The hooks that hold up your bike have a generous, rubbery coating, so they won't scratch up your frame. I keep two bikes on the rack, with my regular commuter on the lower one, and the rack is quite stable, even when only the upper bike is on it. For those of you who care, the rack is manufactured in China, so I'm sure Delta's making a fortune, but I had lots of trouble finding a U.S.-made alternative.

Pros:
* It's hard to find a (two) bike storage solution that cheaper than this ($50)
* Decent quality and finish (but read on)
* Works on carpeted surfaces (check out the images I posted)
* Can be installed over a heater (with room to spare)
* Arms have padded hooks that hold my Kestrel (with a fairly unusual top bar x-section) OK. I think it'll work with any bike.

Cons: (most have been pointed out in earlier reviews)
* The 2-3 threads for the bolts to hold on to is definitely not enough for this weight bearing construction
* Almost impossible to take the bike off without changing position of the arms
* Arms are too long, thus the bike is too far from the wall taking up substantially more space than it would have taken if it just stood next to the wall without any rack. The other consequence is that the front wheel has too much room to turn, taking even more space. The latter might be more of a problem for front-heavy triathlon bikes, but I'd still watch out for that.
* The top of the rack needs to be chained down to the wall (hardware is provided), but that limits rack's portability (which is not what you'd immediately think after reading Amazon's product description)
* The whole construction is a little bit springy-flimsy ... but I don't think I would have been any happier had I bought something else. I decided on this rack after 2-3 months of looking around ... I guess this is what you get for 50 bucks.

I needed two bike stands as my roommates and I have quite a few bikes together. After a while of online search, this one seems to fit the bill. I live in an apartment, and drilling on walls is not an option. So I order one from amazon right away, to see if it is really as good as the reviewers said.

A day later, after a stroll in a local major department store, I found apprantly the same one for significantly less! So I thought this is the first time I got something for a higher price than in amazon. I bought it from the store right away. I unpacked it, and found the quality not to be as good as reviewed. The paint seemed like it will peel, and in some places it looks badly welded. In fact in the process of assembly, the threads on some of the screws got so badly worn I had to exchange for another one at the store. The exchanged one I got still has a worn screw in the vertical tube, and other assorted quality problems. The stand is holding up only because of gravity. So I thought I had a sub-par product, with another one coming.

However, when I got one from amazon, I immediately noticed the difference. The packaging is different. The content is also different in small but significant ways. The design and the assembly instructions are the same, but the one from amazon has higher quality paint on. The screws and the hex key are much better. Instead of one hex key for all the screws as in the inferior version, there are two hex keys, each of a different size. The thicker hex key is used to tighten the arms, because that requires more force and thus more susceptable to thread wearing. I set it up without the problems I encountered in assembling the one I got from the major store. It's much sturdier. I can tighten the arms better without worrying about messing up the screws. It looks like the one amazon is selling is one that is improved over the initial design. So the lesson here is, get it from amazon, and don't be cheap. I noticed that amazon has another listing that has the same title as this one. I guess you don't want to touch that one, if that's indeed for the inferior version. As for this product, I highly recommend it for reasons stated in other reviewers, but order it here so you know you're getting the better ones. If not for the bad experience of getting an inferior version from somewhere else, I'd have given it 5 stars.

I searched high and low for a bicycle rack that would keep my two bikes (commuter and road) tidily and securely tucked against a wall in my apartment. Given my space options and lath and plaster walls (impossible to find a stud in) this gravity model appealed. It took me two tries to get this product - the first one came with metal tubes that were cut to the wrong lengths so that it wasn't even possible to assemble it (one "leg" was about a foot shorter than the other). So I exchanged it for another of the same model. Alas, it does not have screws for the arms that cradle the top tube (unlike the one pictured on Amazon) - it relies on o-rings to hold the spiral ends of the arms in place. I was worried whether the replacement stand will actually hold bikes securely.

Sure enough, three months later the o-rings have snapped and the rubber coating on the hooks that hold the bikes have started to peel. My commuter bike gets taken on and off the rack 5 days a week, and the road bike 1-3 times a week. I did not expect this sort of use to be beyond what the rack can handle, and I'm disappointed that this otherwise nice design includes such shabby materials.

This is a great bike rack at a good price. I live in a (small) apartment and used to just lean my bike against the wall (and was always knocking it over too). When my boyfriend moved in we realized we'de have no room for both of our bikes so we went on the hunt for a 2-bike rack. We found loads of options but this one was the best for our needs. I like that there are no screws to mess up my landlords walls and minimal assembly. It took me a few tries to get it put together just right but once I leaned it against the wall I was sold. It is VERY stable, once I hung my bike... it wouldn't budge. I can grab it and shake it fiercly without it falling over, which is great because we are always bumping into things here. I like that the bikes lay flat against the wall, they only stick out about the width of the handlebars... which is going to happen any way you hang it. I love this rack and would recommend it to anyone searching for some way to store their bikes (among other things). You just can't beat the ease and simplicity of this rack... and it doesn't look half-bad either.

We bought one of these a couple of years ago, and liked it so much that we decided to buy another. The design has now changed substantially from that in the pictures (I've attached a photo), for example it is no longer round at the top. The tubes are beefier and more solid, but on ours the bend at the top is not symmetric, I have had to leave a gap of around 1/2" in a join on one side to keep the rack from tilting significantly to one side. The rack is also a couple of inches taller than the old one, and does not currently fit where we want to put it (next to the old one), and so I will be cutting it down before final installation. If I didn't own a miter saw I'd be sending this back.

The stand works as advertised. It doesn't damage the wall, it is very sturdy and secure, and best of all it is portable if I move out or even just rearrange the furniture. The product photo shows the top set of hooks fairly high up, and the stand is tall, so unless you are tall yourself or strong enough to lift and hold your bike over your head, that might be a problem, but you don't have to set it up that way. I've set the top pair of hooks about 1/3 down from the top of the rack, to rest against the bolts that connect the top section to the center, and the 2nd set about 2/3 down, at the cross piece. So technically mine can only hold 1 adult bike at the top and maybe a child bike on the bottom. For me is that is OK since I'm small and I only have one bike. I put my bike on the top hooks without having to lift it over my head, and keep my helmet and bag on the bottom hooks. The only problem I see is if I need to store 2 bikes - the photo shows the top hooks being kept from sliding downward by a couple of bolts near the top. Mine isn't made like that - the bolts are further down, at the 1/3 from top mark, which is where the U shaped top piece connects to the rest of the stand. The plastic coating around the backs of the hooks seems to be all that will keep them from sliding down, and it seems to hold them pretty tightly in place, but gravity always wins and I don't know if I'd want to trust the coating to hold for a long time. Fortunately, that's not an issue for me, but other buyers should consider it. I've had mine for a month now, and I'm happy with it.

This is an awful product. The allen bolts that tighten the poles stripped on the first tightening, the poles were not flush at the joints giving the whole stand a lopsided look. Following the instructions, I positioned the stand against the wall and put my first bike (the heavier one, 23lbs) on the hooks. Ok, no problem here. Added the second bike - the 16lb machine - to the upper hooks, and the whole stand started to fall away from the wall. Took both bikes down, rechecked the instructions, made a couple of minor positioning adjustments and rehung the bikes. Same result. The only way I could prevent this stand from toppling over was to use the top hooks for just a 4lb frame.

A most unsatisfactory product and an excellent advertisement for buying a more expensive, stable storage system.

The bike rack has defects, and i had to do the following things to make it work:

the bolt heads are too soft and after only a few necessary adjustments loosening and tigtening the bolts, the allen wrench rounded out the fitting in three of the bolt heads, and i had to take my Dremel rotary tool and carve a slot in each for a wide standard screwdriver to fit.

the clamps that hold the arms in place are not strong enough to withstand the torque of lifting off and on a 28-pound bike. After two adjustments to the positioning of the arms, everytime i tried to put the bike up, the arms would move side-to-side with the movement of placing the bike and with each on or off the arms would slide just a bit lower, requirig frequent adjustment, and with each adjustment it just got looser. I had to determine an exact location for the arms and drill new holes all the way through the clamps and the upright, and then bolt the clamps securely to the upright form. That of course means that whenever i get a new bike i will have to find the perfect spot again and drill new holes to secure the bike in the best manner.

I can only recommend this rack to those who are handy with tools and have a power drill and a power rotary tool. The concept is good and with several hours work you can make it a useful bike rack.

The tubes which extend off the body of the rack have less than three or four threads to secure the 6mm bolts. The bolts put too much stress on the threads and stripped them out before I even had a single bike on the rack. I do not recommend this product at all.