Sure it sounds like a typical first world problem. Oh I have so many extra wheelsets, I don’t know where to put them all! Really that’s what you are complaining about?
But now between cyclocross racing with tubulars that may get put away for 8 months a year, and the recent crop of mountain bikes that can either run 29er or 27.5+ wheels for a different ride, the thought of an extra wheelset isn’t really so extravagant. Almost every bike we’ve test rode in the last year has had more than one wheelset put on it in our reviews, and often times more than one setup can bring out individual characteristics in a bike. So if you are anything like us and have succumbed to the idea that it’s always better to have more wheels than bikes, you might just want to look a little closer at this tidy wheel hanging solution…
We end up testing a good number of different bikes and different wheels throughout the year, so it isn’t that out of the ordinary for us to have 5 or 6 extra wheelsets lying around before they get sent back to manufacturers. The Offset, now on Kickstarter, looks like a simple solution that gets wheels off the ground, or off of your standard hook. We haven’t had a chance to test these ourself so far, but I have to say that I did personally pledge my own support to the Kickstarter, as I welcome a bit more wheel organization at least in my home, as I’m sure my wife does.
The Offset is a simple extruded aluminum hook that gets felt pads glued to it to keep from scratching your fancy carbon (or alloy) rims. It then bolts to the wall with a pair of standard screws. While the bulk of the wheels on Foothill’s Kickstarter are for the road, they do show some mountain wheels being hung, and claim compatibility for both 29er and wheel bags. It isn’t clear exactly how wide the rim hooks are, but based on the bolt spacing, they should be anywhere between 2.5-3″ wide; so plus-sized rims should be fine, but not fat bike wheels.
The offset of the two hooked rim wells of the extrusion means that the outer wheel hangs down enough that the hubs (and QRs) don’t hit each other so the wheels can be packed a bit closer to each other while staying flat/parallel to the wall. The difference from one wheel to the next is only a couple of inches, so to use it on wheels with disc brakes it looks like you should just face the rotors in opposite directions, then ending up with the cassette likely against the front wheel’s spokes.
The Offset is on Kickstarter now with a campaign running almost through the end of May. There are still early bird specials available for even lower prices, but a single regular Offset to hold one pair of wheels will set you back a pledge of $25. A three pack to hang 6 total wheels will cost $70. Delivery is anticipated for July 2016.
It’s a simple solution that we hope will help solve some clutter, so I am now anxiously awaiting.
