Build Your Own Bicycle Work Stand for under $20

By Dax Kent
August 2002
British Columbia Mountain Bike Guide

    If your a home wrencher like me, and are very picky about keeping your ride in top notch working condition, you've probably looked at one time or another into getting some bicycle tools and possibly even a work stand to make the job easier.  Trying to work on your bike, and at the same time keep it balanced on the floor is not only a test of co-ordination but patience as well.  After checking with my local LBS, scouring E-bay and several online stores, I decided than rather shelling out the $200 some odd dollars to buy a stand I would build one.  Call me a cheap bastard if you must, but I would rather put that 200 bones in my "New Ride Fund" than spend it on a hunk of metal to suspend my bike.

    My requirements were simple, I needed a some sort of stand that would hold my bike so I could do simple maintenance such as tuning derailleurs, or adjusting brakes.  The stand would have to hold the bike, and allow me to turn the pedals while at the same time give me access at a comfortable height to places I needed to reach.  My workspace isn't very big so I decided to make something that would mount to the wall, or use a set of shelves right beside my work bench.  Some of you may not have the ideal set of shelving like I had to work with, so you may have to get creative in building some sort of support structure to hold your stand.

Here's a list of parts and supplies:
2 Pieces of  1.25" Curtain Rod wood Dowel ($6.00 Home Hardware)
4 U-shaped Plumbing Pipe Mounts that are the same size as wood Dowel ($1.56 Home Hardware)
2 Rubber Coated Threaded Hooks (4.99 Home Hardware)
1 Foam Pipe Insulator ($.25 Home Hardware)
Zap Straps (Had lying around)
8 wood screws (Had lying around)

Suggestions:
1. Measure your Shelf Top or Support Frame, and make sure you buy your Dowel's long enough to extend out from your shelf.  You want the dowels to extend enough so when your bike is on the mounts your pedals have room to turn freely.  I went with 36" Dowels and gave myself some extra room front and rear of the Pipe Mounts.

2. Buy Dowel and Hooks large enough to support the weight of your bike.  I went with 1" dowel and the largest hooks I could find.  My bike weighs 35lbs and is supported 12" out from the edge of the shelf.

Diagram 1: How the Parts Fit Together

Step 1
Mount your Pipe mounts to your shelf surface. Diagram 1 shows the dimensions I used but you may want to measure your bike and shelf to see what will work best for you.  I as well added some spacers under the mounts so the dowel was snug but not tight.  This way I can take the dowels out if they are in the way, and slide them back in when I need to use them.  Washers work good for spacers, but not to much or the stand will be very loose and floppy.

Diagram 2: Suggested Mounting Dimensions

Diagram 3: Picture of Pipe Mounts

Step 2
Drill a pilot hole in one end of each Dowel and thread in your hook.

Diagram 4: Dowel and Hook

Step 3
Assemble, cut and mount pipe insulator so your bike has a soft resting place when on the stand

Diagram 5: Fully assembled stand

Step 6
Put your bike on the Stand

If I didn't have the ideal shelving to work with, my options would have been to build a bench or shelf and support it firmly to the wall.

Good luck hope some of you can use this, and if you have any questions or need some help, please feel free to contact me.

Dax
dax@bcmbg.com

Update August 2003

I did a little shop clean up this week and made a few improvements to my stand have a look.

I got rid of my shelving and have now fixed my stand directly to the wall.

Note the extra braces for support.  I have hung over 50lbs on the stand with no problems.

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