How to attach timber cleat to ceiling joist for hanging bike?

Question

Hi all,

I'd like to hang my pushbike from the garage ceiling using a pully kit.

The ceiling is lined with gyprock, and the softwood ceiling joists are 700mm apart.

To fit the pully kit, I need to attach a cleat (I think it's called) across 2 joists then I can attach the pullies to the cleats. The pullies will sit between joists and painting the cleats a ceiling white will keep the "boss" happy ;-)

I know exactly where the joists are & will visit a BW for some cleat timber. I'm thinking 45mm thick framing pine for strength.

My question is what size screws I should use to secure the cleats to the joists. The bike weighs approx 10kg.

Thank you for your help.

New2Retirement · Answer

That sounds perfect, thank you Jacob.

I'll have the framing checked.

And good idea on the batten screws. I'll check the size of the joists and get screws to maximise depth/ strength.

Regards and thanks again. Love this forum.

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @New2Retirement,

While a 10kg bike isn't particularly heavy, it is always best to be cautious when hanging anything from ceiling framing. There is no guarantee that the existing ceiling structure is in good condition and was engineered to support additional suspended loads, so before proceeding, I would recommend having the framing checked by a carpenter or builder to confirm that the joists and proposed fixing points are suitable.

If they confirm that you're good to proceed, I'd look at using fairly thick screws that maximise the embedment of the screws used to attach the cleat. With 45mm framing pine for the cleat and around 10mm of plasterboard to pass through before reaching the joist, I'd be looking at something in the 100–125mm range. This would allow roughly 45mm for the cleat and 10mm for the plasterboard, while still providing around 45–70mm of embedment into the timber joist. If you could confirm the thickness of the ceiling joists, you should then go with the screw that has the deepest embedment possible.

I'd be inclined to use two appropriately sized batten screws at each joist connection, around 100–125mm long, rather than smaller general-purpose timber screws. Pre-drilling the cleat would also be worthwhile to reduce the chance of splitting it and make installation easier.

Once you've had the framing checked, you might want to run this by them to ensure they are in line with this recommendation to confirm it is suitable.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob