DIY Bike Rack
**UPDATE**
Check out the newest version of this rack: Bike Rack 0.2
So for those that don’t know, I’ve moved into a new apartment. My old place was kind of a tiny hole, which was exacerbated by the pile of bikes that lived in my kitchen. We had 3 or 4 bikes leaned up against the wall, in various states of disrepair. I scribbled up some plans for a vertical rack with legs to support it, but never built anything.
A few months back, I saw this online, and figured I could build one cheaper.
Here are some pics of my version.
It took about 30 minutes to slap together. It’s a 2×4, cut to about 7’7″. I drilled a hole in one end and screwed in a long lag screw. I just unthreaded the screw to tension the 2×4 against the block at the top. The bikes are held by some stud hooks that I found at Home Depot. They slide over the 2×4 crosspieces, and hold really well. The entire project cost about $15.
I have to credit my dad with the idea of using a lag screw to tension the rack. I was hashing out much more complicated (read expensive) solutions; this is real slick.
It’s rock-solid, as well. I was a little worried about stability, but it’s not going anywhere. As you can see, the construction is pretty rough. I could make it prettier, but this is functional.
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36 Responses to “DIY Bike Rack”
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[...] I’ve updated the pictures the recent post about my bike rack. If you missed it before, check it out.link [...]
Erin told me about your bike rack. She was pretty excited about it. It does look great!
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[...] I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t I see this somewhere else? Maybe some super-popular site, with millions of hits every day?” You’d be correct; I originally posted this at mike.sapak.info. [...]
Thanks for taking the time to post this. $15 is hard to beat! I look forward to putting a couple of these together this weekend in my garage.
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[...] the bike only set him back around $15 in supplies and took about a half hour to assemble. Not bad! DIY Bike Rack [...]
Your a genius! I’m so making one of these for my apartment. It will be perfect out on my balcony. My landlord has been complaining about the bike parking lot we have out there!
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@Elle
Glad you like it. Bikes are tough in apartments, aren’t they?
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I really like it! You can buy for about 30 cents each a copper pipe bracket _|-|_ (looks like an omega) to keep your stud hooks from slipping.
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You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s the ugliest, most kludged together thing I’ve ever seen! I just bought two wall-mounted folding racks from a local sporting goods store for $9.99 each. Two screws to install each unit.
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@Cornflower
Thanks for the tip. I’ve been thinking about a good way to attach the hooks. I bet a pipe bracket would work nicely.
@Mark
Wall-mounted means finding studs and drilling holes. Not a good option in a short-term apartment. To each his/her own. However I have seen the folding bike racks, and they do look pretty sweet.
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[...] gibt es ja noch die Möglichkeit es selbst zu bauen. Ausschauen könnte es dann wie bei Mike. Das möchte ich dann aber nicht mehr in meiner Wohnung [...]
Could you please elaborate on “using a lag screw to tension the rack”? I am sure how it is done. Thank you very much for the information.
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mike.sapak Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Sure. A lag screw is just a heavy screw with a hex head. You use a wrench or socket to drive it, rather than a screwdriver.
First I drilled a vertical pilot hole in the top of the rack. Then I drove the lag screw almost all the way in. Then I stood the rack in position, and had my girlfriend hold the horizontal piece against the ceiling. I unscrewed the lag screw until it pressed tight against the horizontal piece.
You can’t really see it, but I drilled a shallow hole in the horizontal piece, to keep the lag screw head from sliding. I also covered the top of the horizontal piece in rubbery non-slip cloth. The bottom of the main rack has some screw-in feet to keep it from sliding. These things might be optional, but I felt like they helped.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
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BikeLover Reply:
October 16th, 2008 at 10:19 am
How do you “unscrewed the lag screw until it pressed tight against the horizontal piece”? It seems to me you can drive the lag screw only from the top of the hex head. Thank you very much again for the information.
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mike.sapak Reply:
October 16th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I just used a crescent wrench to unscrew it. If you don’t have a crescent wrench or an open-end wrench, you could probably use a pair of vice-grip pliers to grab the shaft of the screw. A wrench would be the easiest, however.
Mike,
I liked the design and the price and I have a similar situation myself where I’m not allowed to mount to the wall.
I built two, but using 1×6 and 2×6 scraps from a construction dumpster to fashions “hooks” to hold the bike. Saved money, but way more time. Also, instead of the lag screw I used salvaged casters and threaded inserts, primarily because I had the casters laying around. Anyway, I was into things for less than 3 bucks each, plus screws and wood glue I already had.
Besides complimenting your design/idea, I was curious how yours has held up. I was wondering if the 2×4 has warped under the weight/tension over time.
Thanks again for saving me big bucks.
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mike.sapak Reply:
November 15th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Glad it worked out for you. I was only in that apartment for 8 months, so it wasn’t exactly a long-term experiment. However, I had no problems with warping at all. I was actually amazed at how well the thing held up. After about a week, I gave the screw a bit more tension, just to be sure. After that, I didn’t make a single change. I checked on it every month or two, but it never slipped or sagged once.
I’ll definitely use this design again. With a bit more care and some finish work, I think it could be attractive as well as functional.
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[...] $15 DIY Bike Rack (Sapak) [...]
Very cool, man. I would’ve tried this if I didn’t buy one of those racor things… Bah! I guess when I add more bikes to my collection, I’ll hook it uo! Great post!
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[...] Fortunately, I have experience storing bikes in kitchens. Some may remember my original DIY bike rack. That post got a lot of traffic, and many people complained about the crude [...]
[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]
[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]
great build, I’m doing something similar at the moment.
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[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]
It’s a cool idea, but think you’re overdoing it with that lag-screw-tension thing. Consider the physics of the problem. The vast majority of the force is going straight down through the upright. As long as the upright is resting on the floor, you could simply cleat it to the wall (stud) with a half dozen 3″ screws. Don’t believe me? Temporarily put the bikes on the unit and hold it against the wall. I’ll bet you can hold it there with 1 finger…
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mike.sapak Reply:
January 23rd, 2011 at 9:05 am
@Steph: You’re right, it doesn’t take much to hold the rack in place, provided it’s nice and straight.
However, attaching it directly to the wall would involve screws in the plaster/drywall. This was a short-term apartment, and the goal was to avoid any actual modification.
I used a similar rack here: http://mike.sapak.info/2010/05/10/2-bicycles-2-adults-in-1-studio-apartment
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Steph Reply:
January 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 am
Well, I haven’t rented for 25 years or so, so I’ll defer to you on that point…
Thanks for the post. I’m going to use your design and then fasten it to my garage wall with my method.
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Another way to tension it to ceiling is to get a threaded rod (I used 1/2″) and put it in place of the lag screw. To create tension, add bolts, lock washers, and washers to push away from one another. This is a little confusing to describe but if you design it correctly, the bolt/nut design will allow you to vary from different height ceilings more than a lag screw would. Maybe I will post my idea on my page when I am done.
And you thought your rack is ghetto. I am using scrap lumber from an old pallet!
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Excellent info, exactly what I needed. Thank you for taking the time to post and share this. Much appreciated.
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mike.sapak Reply:
June 13th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Hi Shane, glad you found it useful. I’ve built 3 or 4 of these racks for various apartments, in slightly different configurations. They’ve all worked beautifully.
One piece of advice: check the tension on the lag screw after a week or two. I’ve noticed that they loosen up a bit at first; I suspect it’s because of flex in the upright.
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Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of DIY Bike Rack : mike.sapak.info . Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return.
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[...] A bike takes a lot of space in a home and most often that space could be used for something else. But if zou hang the ike on the wall, then the problem gets solved. It wonşt take zou more than 30 minutes to complete this simple project. Zou need a 2×4 cut to the siye you want. Drill a home in one end and insert a long lag screw. Add some stud hooks and you’re done.{found on mike}. [...]
Hi there, I know this is a couple of years old, but could I show your images of your bike racks on TreeHugger? People always complain that the racks I show are way too expensive….
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mike.sapak Reply:
December 21st, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Hi Lloyd,
Absolutely, feel free to share! I now store my bikes in the garage, but over the past several years I’ve built three different versions of these racks for apartments. I’ve probably spent a total of $50 on all three combined. They can be as pretty or as ugly as you care to make them, they do no damage to walls, floors or ceilings, and they’re very solid.
I do have to recommend tightening up the lag screw after the first couple weeks, and checking it again a few times per year. They can have a tendency to loosen a bit as the wood ages or as the seasons change.
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[...] the bike only set him back around $15 in supplies and took about a half hour to assemble. Not bad! DIY Bike Rack [...]
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