General Cycling Discussion - Post your DIY repair stands

Hey there! I'm looking for ideas to build my own repair stand (I don't see the reason to shell out 150$ for one) so let me see pictures of yours! :)

Not to derail my own thread but this (http://static.flickr.com/34/121000600_2291443799.jpg) is the new bike rack in my bedroom, the bike was in the way. I made it with my dad out of an old basketball hoop. :P

Don't have a picture, but my "better" stand is a rope. I have a little chainstay prop I made out of wood, but if I want it up where I can work on it I have a piece of rope tied to a joist in the basement. I run it through the frame, back up to another joist. Lifts the bike off the ground (mostly anyway) and go to town. Only downside is it isn't super stable, the bike'll swing around. Of course, that was handy while I was sanding the frame, I could turn it any which way and yet it couldn't fall when it slipped out of my hands or whatever.

I was looking for a stand last week and i told my dad about how much they were and he busted one he made along time ago... maybe I can take some pics of it tommorrow.

I found this online which is neat:
http://hampshirebicycleexchange.com/images/acty2.jpg
They can be had for about $12 bucks or could easily be made at home.

EDIT: you can't see it but the front wheel rests on the ground.

Here's mine.

One day, before I became a cyclist, my wife came home with this POS bike rack with a tow hitch mount. I never used it, until it became my bike work stand using a few scrap pieces of timber.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jdekter/misc/DSCN4388.JPG

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jdekter/misc/DSCN4389.JPG

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jdekter/misc/DSCN4390.JPG

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jdekter/misc/DSCN4391.JPG

We had a thread on this in the Mechanics forum (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=103687). A lot of the pictures got lost in one of the server moves, I guess. All of mine are gone. Anyway, here is the one I made with stuff from Home Depot and a clamp from Harbor Freight.

Click on each of the following thumbnails for a larger image.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004_001.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004_001.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0013.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0013.sized.jpg)

I bought all this stuff from Home Depot which is why it was slightly pricey. Total cost came out to around $40.


1 x 3/4" Pony clamp.
1 x 18" long 3/4" dia. steel threaded pipe
1 x 1"->3/4" reducer elbow
1 x 60" long 1" dia. steel threaded pipe
1 x 1" dia. threaded flange
1 x 2'x2' particle board base
2 x 2"x4"x4" wood blocks (just have them cut up some scrap 2"x4" segments)
2 x strips of old innertube
4 x 5/16" bolts (these go into the flange holes... double-check the sizes)
4 x 5/16" nuts
4 x 5/16" lockwashers
4 x 5/16" washers (these are for the bolts to help distribute the load on the underside)
8 x wood screws of indeterminate size to secure the wood clamp blocks to the Pony clamp


You can see the tale of the construction (with more pictures) in my blog entry (http://journals.neebu.net/khuon/archives/000517.html). The "tricky" part or rather the more time consuming part was routing the holes for the underside to countersink the bolts and washers so the base would sit flat on the ground. I also did a through-hole in the wood clamp blocks to allow them to slide along the 3/4" pipe.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0008.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0008.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0010.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0010.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0009.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0009.sized.jpg)

No picture but I built one out of scrap lumber that looked somewhat like a sawhorse. I used an old front axle and quick release to hold the front fork and the bottom bracket just rested on the sawhorse with the rear wheel hanging out in space. The cost was right "Zero" and it was sturdy enough to do anything but headset and front brake adjustments.

Ha ha. Mines an old michelin tyre looped over a beam in my shed. Hang the bike by the saddle and off to work I go. Either that or work on it on the floor. :)

The parts for mine add up to under $20. I used all 1/2" pipe. I have gone the rope and hooks from the ceiling route and this is much better. It swings back over the table out of the way or I can take off the C-clamps and move it. This is a very handy clamp for repairs.

Click on each of the following thumbnails for a larger image.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004_001.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004_001.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0013.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0013.sized.jpg)

I bought all this stuff from Home Depot which is why it was slightly pricey. Total cost came out to around $40.


1 x 3/4" Pony clamp.
1 x 18" long 3/4" dia. steel threaded pipe
1 x 1"->3/4" reducer elbow
1 x 60" long 1" dia. steel threaded pipe
1 x 1" dia. threaded flange
1 x 2'x2' particle board base
2 x 2"x4"x4" wood blocks (just have them cut up some scrap 2"x4" segments)
2 x strips of old innertube
4 x 5/16" bolts (these go into the flange holes... double-check the sizes)
4 x 5/16" nuts
4 x 5/16" lockwashers
4 x 5/16" washers (these are for the bolts to help distribute the load on the underside)
8 x wood screws of indeterminate size to secure the wood clamp blocks to the Pony clamp


You can see the tale of the construction (with more pictures) in my blog entry (http://journals.neebu.net/khuon/archives/000517.html). The "tricky" part or rather the more time consuming part was routing the holes for the underside to countersink the bolts and washers so the base would sit flat on the ground. I also did a through-hole in the wood clamp blocks to allow them to slide along the 3/4" pipe.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0004.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0008.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0008.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0010.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0010.sized.jpg)http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0009.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/bike_repair_stand/pict0009.sized.jpg)


you still run rim brakes?!

you still run rim brakes?!

For me, there's no reason not to. They work well enough for my type of riding. I have no complaints with stopping power even in wet and muddy conditions. And upgrading my frame would mean that I would have either give up my current fork (which I absolutely love) in favour of ones with disc-tabs or fabricate myself some tabs and then play the gamble with epoxying it to the carbon fibre legs. I suppose I could build a clamp-on type mount though. And then I'd have to upgrade my wheels and if I go hydro, I'd have to upgrade my levers which are currently integrated so I'd have to get new shifters too. At anyrate, it's a lot of expense for little gain for me.

I use a $5 V shaped bike holder from Home Depot. Folds flush to the wall when not in use. The arms are long enogh that the pedals can be rotated while its in the rack. The bike is held secure enough for any work that I have done.

I use a $5 V shaped bike holder from Home Depot. Folds flush to the wall when not in use. The arms are long enogh that the pedals can be rotated while its in the rack. The bike is held secure enough for any work that I have done.

I have one of those in my office at home which is where I keep my roadbike when it's not being used.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/home-office/PICT0022.thumb.jpg (http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/home-office/PICT0022.jpg)

Awesome pics, guys. I though this thread was going to be dead with no replies soon.. Glad to be wrong! ;)

Can anyone link me to that v-shaped bike holder? That could do the trick for me! Although i'd prefer to build a free-standing unit like khuon's.

Haven't seen anyone doing this yet...but I just use my hitch mount bike rack with the truck parked in the gargage. It's a Thule, with individual cradles over each arm. Just hook the seat over a cradle, fasten it down, and away you go. Works with both the single and the tandem.

I didn't see a $5 one yet, but there's always this: Rubbermaid FastTrack Horizontal Bike Hook (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/jsearch/product.jsp?pn=142944)

I might just have to pick one of those up, after the LBS only stocking a $20 stand that I didn't care for.

Here's one such beast - $7.97:

Rubbermaid FastTrack Vertical Bike Hook (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1019750688.1144188928@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgaddhhehfdkhcgelceffdfgidgnj.0&MID=9876)

And it's horizontal brother - $9.97:

Rubbermaid FastTrack Horizontal Bike Hook (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1217205558.1144189074@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdaddhhehekhkcgelceffdfgidgim.0&MID=9876)

Blasted double post. :/ Server timeouts are giving me grief. But at least there's two examples! =)

3 simple thread in j-hooks screwed right through the floor joists. Bars hang on two, back of the saddle on one. Can tork all you want on it. US$1.44.

I hang mine by the saddle either straight on a basement pipe or a washline post in the back yard. Old sewup tires work well for hanging the bike too. If I'm on the road, I just put it up on it's nose balancing on the front wheel and brake levers.

jw