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Bicycle Storage - The Claw
February 14th, 2008 by Warren T 
Whirlpool’s Gladiator GarageWorks division announced yesterday that they will become the first major U.S. manufacturer to commercially produce a product from the ABC Television network reality show, American Inventor. From the press release:
The bicycle storage device prototype designed by Craig Forrest and David Moeller will be displayed at IBS then restyled, rebranded, renamed and relaunched by the brand in the coming months. To store a bicycle up to 50 pounds the device grasps a bicycle’s tire by opposing hooks when the central plunger is depressed. By re-pressing or “bumping the plunger” the device opens and unlocks for easy bicycle wheel removal without having to lift the bicycle over the top of a standard bike hook.
According to the Claw website, the Claw will be available this summer in Lowe’s, Sears and other Gladiator retailers. Looks cool, but my cheap hardware store, plastic covered hooks have been working fine in my cluttered garage for over 20 years. Work is a different matter. Do you think your employer might be willing to make a concession to allow something like this to be installed?
February 14th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I love gadgets…but…come on. Let the epic battle begin! Claw vs. Hook!!!
February 14th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
On first reaction, I thought this device was cool but then I realized “Wait, what was wrong with my hooks?”
Perhaps like a lot of things, this is solving a problem that never existed
February 14th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Seriously…how much work does this save?! At best it saves you an added two inches of lifting to get the wheel above the end of a hook. I have NEVER seen a hook fail, but I could see a bike getting dropped with an inadverdent bump or something. My final word…eh.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:48 am
…sorry, but huge ‘duh’ factor here…
…as stated above, hooks don’t fail & hooks also allow you to place two hands on the bike for lifting, rather than all the weight of the bike coming down w/ one hand on the bike & one hand on the button…
…i think it creates a bigger problem for the average person, than it solves…
…lemme check my calender…nope, it ain’t april fool’s day…
February 15th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Though I agree that hooks are a “problem that doesn’t need to be solved”, I think the idea is that the wheel pushes the button so you can keep both hands on the bike.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
…joelguelph…you know, you’re quite right…i overlooked that aspect…thanks for pointing that out…
…personally, i think i’ll stick w/ simple ol’ hooks…they’ve never failed me yet…something to be said for the kiss principle…
February 20th, 2008 at 11:30 am
It’s insane. We have a tandem that cost as much as a good used car, and it’ hanging from two ninety-nine cent hooks. Like I said on my blg, I’ll buy hooks in bulk, repackage them as “bicycle-specific” and sell them for $9.99 which should make people with more money than sense very happy.
June 7th, 2008 at 8:18 am
this is great it is really easy to use and is much better than a hook as it does not get stuck over the hook when you try and get it of also a cheap hook straightens out after a while
I rate the claw 110% any day!
you cant judge something you have not tried
June 26th, 2008 at 10:35 am
saw this on American Inventor and the best part of their demonstration was showing an 8-10 year old girl taking down her own bike. it also saves space because in order to get more than one bike on a wall, you’d have to “hook” them one on top of the other. with the claw, you can get hand them side by side. hmmm. sounds like much better use of dead wall space. i’m trying to get 2 for our small porch space.
July 18th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I think it would be very useful for my jogging stroller. I have a dinosaur of a model and it weighs a lot. Not having to maneuver around that hook will save my already aching back some strain. I’m in shape and strong, but let’s face it, who wants to have a massive stroller fall on their head?
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
The claw is compicating something that works. Good designs minimize ability of a product to fail. I even know one of the “inventors” personally, and I still do not condone the product. Sorry guys. hook > claw.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Where is it? I read the Whirlpool Gladiator press release but as of yet I don’t see it for sale.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I saw it on Amazon, they are calling it the Gladiator Claw. The reviews are pretty good so far. I might have to get one to try.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I found a mention about it on Gladiator’s website: http://www.gladiatorgw.com/content.jsp?pageName=New_Products&activeCategory=0&activeSubCategory=6