DIY Bike Stand – 2 Easy Ideas For Perfect Storage

DIY Bike Stand

Where do you store your bike when you’ve finished riding it around outdoors? If you’re in the habit of propping it against the wall of your home and leaving it outside, you should stop doing that immediately. 

Will storing your bike outside damage it? While your bike won’t show any signs of damage after a day or two outside, after a few days you’ll see rust. After a month, your bike’s components will start to degrade. 

So, you really don’t want to neglect your bike! Build a DIY bike stand for it to keep it indoors and safe from damage. In this guide, we give you two tutorials on how to make your own DIY bike stand. 

Contents

Indoor Bike Storage: Is a DIY Bike Stand Necessary?

Indoor Bike Storage: Is a DIY Bike Stand Necessary

You might wonder if you really need a bike stand. The short answer: you do!

Note that there are two different types of bike stands. One is just for storage purposes, while the other one keeps your bike off the ground so you can do repairs on it. 

A DIY bike stand that you use for storage purposes has many benefits, and this is the one we’ll be talking about in this article. These advantages include the following:

  • Having a DIY bike stand enables you to store your bike safely so that it can be kept out of the way and this also prevents it from getting damaged, such as if someone knocks it over.
  • If your bike is dirty after you’ve used it outdoors, having a convenient bike stand can prevent you from bringing your bike indoors and making your home dirty.

How to Make a DIY Bike Stand – Option 1 

How To Make A DIY Bike Stand - Option 1 

This DIY bike stand is made out of wood. You won’t need many items in order to make it yourself, and you won’t require a lot of DIY skill, so it’s great for beginners.

It will also save you money because you probably already own some of the items you need to build it. 

What you’ll need

  • 2 wooden boards (one is 2×4 inches, the other is 2×6 inches) 
  • Measuring tape
  • Handsaw (or miter saw or circular saw) 
  • Pencil 
  • Drill 
  • 4-inch wood screws 

Instructions 

Note: Make sure that the 2×4-inch board and 2×6-inch board are both at least three feet in length.

  • You should cut the 2×4-inch board into two pieces that are both 16 inches long. Use a measuring tape to get it right, and a saw to cut it  – you can use a miter saw, handsaw, or circular saw.
  • Put the two 16-inch boards underneath the front tire of your bike – one in front of it and the other behind it. They should rest against the tire without causing your bike to move. The boards should be parallel to each other. 
  • You should measure the distance between the boards. Make a note of this measurement. Calculate the measurement from the edge of one board to the other.  
  • If you get different measurements when doing the above, adjust the boards so that they are properly aligned and straight. 
  • You want to now make two wooden boards out of the 2×6-inch piece. Your board should be marked based on the number you got when measuring between the 2×4-inch boards on either side of your bike’s tire. Create two wooden boards that are of the same size. So, if the measurement that you got between the two boards was 20 inches, you should cut the 2×6-inch board so that you have two 20-inch pieces. 
  • Place the boards on top of the 2×4-inch ones – make sure they’re in a vertical position so that they will hold the bicycle wheel on both sides. The outer edges of the 2×6-inch boards should be lined up with the wood planks. To help you better visualize how this will work, you want to create a rectangle with two taller sides that hold the bike tire securely.  
  • With a pencil, make a mark on the edge where the boards meet. Since you’re going to be assembling your stand upside-down, you should extend the pencil markings all along the side of the longer boards to ensure that they’ll be visible. 
  • Place the boards upside-down on the floor and make sure your pencil marks are aligned with the boards. The edges of your thinner wooden boards also need to be lined up with the 2×4-inch edges of the boards.
  • Hold a four-inch wood screw over the center of the junction where both boards meet. Drive the drill through the 2×4-inch piece and into the middle of the 2×6-inch one. 
  • Drill until the screw is completely flush with the wood. You want to repeat this with the other three junctions. 

How to Make a DIY Bike Stand – Option 2 

How To Make A DIY Bike Stand - Option 2 

You can easily make your DIY bike stand at home and it shouldn’t cost you more than about $50. This tutorial is a steel-welded bike stand tutorial. The stand won’t rot like wood and will therefore last you for a long time.

It will raise your bike off the ground, therefore saving you floor space in your garage and keeping your bike protected from damage. You will require a bit more DIY skill to build this bike stand, and many more items in order to make it. 

What you’ll need

  • ¾-inch pipe clamp 
  • ¾-inch schedule 40 pipe: it should be 1 x 8 inch threaded on both ends 
  • 1-inch schedule 40 pipe: it should be 1 x 10 inch threaded on one end and 1 x 3 foot no threads 
  • 11/4-inch schedule 40 pipe: 1 x 4 inch no threads, 1 x 3 foot threaded on one end 
  • ¾-inch to 1-inch coupler 
  • 1 ¼-inch steel coupler 
  • 2-inch square steel stock (1×2’) 
  • 1 ¼-inch angle steel stock (2×3’’) 
  • 2-inch flat steel or square stock (2×3”, 2×2’) 
  • 3 x ⅜-inch eye bolts 
  • 3 x ⅜-inch hex nuts 
  • Thick closed-cell foam (neoprene) 
  • Welder 
  • Drill press 
  • Bench-mounted vice 
  • Hacksaw 
  • Grinder

Instructions 

  • Start by making the clamp by welding the angle iron to the bar stock. 
  • Weld the bar stock to the pony clamp’s teeth. 
  • With your vice, flatten the angle iron so it’s at a 120-degree angle. 
  • Weld the bar stock to the angle iron, and the bar stock to your clamp. 
  • Now you can attach the clamp to the ¾-inch pipe. This pipe should then be attached to the short length of your one-inch pipe. 
  • Now you will need to make a T-piece. Notch your one-inch pipe so you can weld it to the shorter 1 1/4-inch pipe. 
  • Drill two holes in the short piece so eye bolts can fit. 
  • Weld your short pipe to your long one. 
  • Weld your two hex nuts where the drill holes have been made.  
  • Thread your eye bolts into the nuts, before moving them into the drill hole. Align the hex nuts properly. 
  • Drill a hole for one eye bolt to be placed three inches down on the long 1 ¼-inch piece. 
  • Weld a hex nut over the eye bolt, in the same way, you did with your T-piece. 
  • Weld the 1 ¼-inch coupler – you want to do this in the center of the square stock. 
  • Now, you should weld the end of the square stock to the bar stock. 
  • Screw the long piece of 1 ¼-inch into the base. 
  • Fit the T-piece you’ve made into the base. The eye bolt can be used to adjust the height so that it’s where you want. 
  • Now you can move the crosspiece into the T-piece. The two eye bolts can be used to adjust the angle for clamping. 

Related Questions 

Is it bad to hang a bike upside down?

Is it bad to hang a bike upside down?

If your bike has hydraulic disc brakes on board, you shouldn’t hang it vertically or upside down. This produces air bubbles inside the cables or reservoir tank, which will affect the quality of your brakes. 

Can you hang your bike by its back wheel?

If you want to hang your bike on the wall, hanging it by its back wheel shouldn’t be a problem. However, if your bike has special aero carbon rims, you should avoid doing this.

Conclusion 

If you want to get better storage for your bike so you don’t have to leave it leaning against your garage wall, you can make your own DIY bike stand.

In this article, we’ve looked at an easy wooden DIY bike stand as well as a metal DIY bike stand that takes a bit more effort and skill.

Building your own bike stand can help you store your bike safely without damaging it or it getting in the way. Now it will have its own designated spot in your living area, fully ready for the next time you need it. 

Resources:

Last Updated on July 27, 2023 by Danijel Cakalic

About The Author

Leave a Comment