Racor - PBH-1R, Bike Storage, Garage Pulley Lift

This was easy to hang, and its easy to operate. I can hang my bike up real easily. No fussing around. My bike is out of the way. The rope seems like its a little thin, I hope it holds the test of time. Been using it for a month, no complaints.

I was concerned how much this would save me room. I made the purchase and was glad I did. I had 2 bikes hanging from the ceiling in 20 minutes. It was very easy to follow the directions and quickly put the bikes up. It has a locking system like window blinds: pulling one way raises and locks, pulling the opposite way lets it down. The rope ties to a cleat for added security. I am able to get to the shelves by barely ducking. One note that is not an issue but others complain about; when lifting, it does not rise evenly. Hold down on the side that is rising faster while pulling and it will even out. The pulleys are smooth action and there is no effort to even out the bikes. I also tried raising it in the uneven state and it leveled out at the top. NO issue for me. Definitely a space saver.

This is a very useful, nifty little device. Too bad the manufacturer wont commit to making it a quality product. It does sell for a cheap enough price that you can afford to swap in a high quality rope and some decent screws. To fit the brackets snuggly over a 2x joist, youd need to shim it on either side. It also should be shimmed on the underside, because the nuts holding the pulleys prevent the brackets from fitting flush to the joist bottom. Without the bottom shims, stress is not distributed evenly. The whole design, in addition to the crappy screws, invites unsafe installations unless you make some corrections.

These work great and are easy to install. No problem right out of the box. The only item to be aware of is where you place the tie ups for the rope. Test where you are installing the ceiling mounts and then test where the tie ups would then go to find the best locations.

I cant compare this to other similar bike lifts since Ive never tried any others. But this does seem to be fairly well made and does the job well. Im so happy to get the bike out of the way in the garage. Some reviewers complained about the quality of the rope but I think its fine. I also really like the safety mechanism which automatically grabs the rope to stop the bike from falling on its own. The bike can only be lowered if the rope is held and pulled in a specific way, which is a great safety feature. A couple of notes about installing: (1) The pilot hole size recommended in the instructions is too small. Instructions call for a 1/8 pilot hole into the wood stud. When I drilled the holes this size, I could not screw the screws in. In fact I twisted the head right off one of the screws trying. So I had to go up a couple of drill bit sizes to get a pilot hole that was snug but in which the screw would actually fit. (2) You cannot install this in a sheetrocked garage unless you have a proper stud finder. You absolutely need to screw into studs or this will not be safe. Installation took me about an hour including carefully planning the location of the lift, finding the studs, drilling new holes after I twisted the head off a screw, etc.

Quick install ... setup a board on ceiling to anchor the Bike Lift. Didnt have the screw problems described in other posts, I have my own set of screws ready but had no need to use. Maybe manufacturer upgraded / corrected screw problem

Installation was easy. Instructions are adequate and the provided screws are large enough to support the weight of your bike. Make sure to drill a pilot hole before screwing in the mounting brackets. I have installed 4 of these in our garage for our bikes and our sons big wheel. It wasnt necessary for the big wheel, but he was really excited about having his bike hung, so he wanted the big wheel up there as well.

Good product. Very useful in high ceiling. Easy to install and use. Especially it has selflock function for safe protection.

This product works as advertised. Super easy to install in my garage that has 12 foot ceilings. Ensured brackets were mounted to studs in ceiling. Strong and secure. I would purchase again.

I have two older versions of this lift. I have been using them for years and love them. The ones that I have did not come pre-assembled, as some of the Racors do now. Installation isnt terribly difficult, but you need to be able to find a joist/stud in the ceiling to make sure it is secure and safe. It can be frustrating to hold the parts in place to mark holes and again when screwing them in, but anytime I work above my head on the ceiling it tends to be frustrating. Using the 2 inch screws provided, the two pieces hold fast to the ceiling. On one of mine I was able to get one of the center holes over a stud, used anchors for the other two center studs, and then added two more wood screws to the side holes alongside the center hole in the stud so that I had three screws in a row across all going into a stud. It has stayed in place without a problem. Our house has 13 ft. ceilings, and even though the package said these are for 12 ft. ceilings, I have no problem using it with my ceilings. I have both bikes installed above my garage doors, with room to spare. It might even be able to go a little higher to 14 ft. and still be usable. The rope does stretch some, but not enough to worry about. You also need to be careful when letting the bike down, as the rope can get away from you depending on how you hold it. If you pull the rope away from the bike - toward the front - while you hoist, it will not slip when you stop to grab more rope for the next pull. To release the mechanism for lowering, you need to pull the rope back towards the bike - towards the pedals. That moves the lock at the top out of the way allowing the rope to lower freely. I have never had one of these suddenly drop a bike or come loose from the ceiling after 4 years of use. I would recommend this if you have ceilings that will allow this hoist to get bikes out of the way.