Bicycle Mechanics - Bike Repair Stand

Has anyone made a homemade bike repair stand? If so..how did you do it?

My friend didn't want to spend the money on a bike stand, so he uses the bike rack on his car. He has the kind of rack that you can take on and off a hatch back. It kills two birds with one stone and seems to work well.

i made one from scrap i had lying around. spent about a buck for a bolt and wingnut.

I hang my recumbent, and my wifes hybrid from 2 ratcheted cargo tie down straps (with plastic coated hooks) and 2 hooks that slide over the garage rafters. A bungee cord from the chainstay to an eye set in the floor steadies the whole thing. Cost; less than $30.00. It has some sway to it, but it doesn't present any problems. I used it when I replaced the BB and upgraded the rear derailleur, as well as regular cleaning/maintenance. It's cheap, it works, and it handles a LWB recimbent easily. bk

Check out Instructables.com, here are two that I found with a quick search, but there are probably more:

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Bench-top-Bike-Repair-Stand/

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Home-Bicycle-Repair-Stand/

Kind of funky but functional enough...

I have one of these old Black & Decker Workmate portable workbenches - kind of like this.
http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=2657

took a couple of pieces of 2x4, one about 5 ft long, one about 1 ft long, and attached them in the form of an upside down L, added a plastic-coated bike hook at the end of the short piece. For stiffness, I used a couple of angle irons where the two pieces of 2x4 join together. I stand up the upside-down L, clamp it into the workbench, and hang the bike by the seat on the hook. Part cost, less than $8, not counting the workbench.

I've used a jack stand under the bottom bracket and bungied the front wheel to the downtube to keep it straight for minor work.

Awesome! I like the idea of the car bike rack because I have one of those sitting around but I think I will attempt at the PVC pipe one once I get the funds.

I made one out of a few pieces of steel pipe, a Pony pipe clamp, and a couple blocks of wood, contoured to fit the seatpost. I clamp it in my bench vise when I need to use it, and it works great. If you don't have a bench vise, you could mount a pipe flange to your workbench. If you don't have a workbench, you could use the same principle to make a floor model. If someone is both interested and confused, I can shoot a picture.

For simple procedures like oiling a chain or a quick der. adjustment, I often just stick the saddle nose through a loop of nylon webbing hanging from a garage joist.

I am interested and confused. Lol. If it's not too much troble do you think you could get a picture of that?

Another option if you have a good wall for it is a wall hanger. You can find them for around 10 bucks.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020059.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020062.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020059.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020062.jpg

I built a similar repair stand from 1-1/2" steel pipe and a pipe clamp but made the upright on mine long enough so it could stand on the floor. I bolted a floor flange to a 24" square piece of doubled up 1/2" plywood as a base. I could unscrew the upright from the base for storage.

BZ's stand is better than this one, but it's super simple:

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/09/diy_bicycle_repair_stand.html

... but I'm copying BZ's.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020059.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/P2020062.jpg

You have a metal lathe and a drill press - I expect something more complex than a few pipe fittings!;)

(but it is a nice idea ...)

I am interested and confused. Lol. If it's not too much troble do you think you could get a picture of that?

I'm a bit short on time right now; anyway BZ's device is similar enough, especially the business end. Mine just has a couple elbows and makes a double 'L' so I clamp the bottom leg in my bench vise.

What intrigues me more are BZ's handcuffs. Never considered them an essential ride tool, but maybe it depends on the ride.

When I lived in an apartment, I used my wife's ironing board.

Hang the bike off the pointed end.

Hey, BZ, I've just replicated a floor-standing version of what you've got there. Is that delrin in the jaws?

Hey bz, you handcuff your bike to lock it up?

He's such a tease!

Has anyone built the PVC pipe bench mounted one that was linked earlier? Any tips or improvements you made? I got the pipe and joints off the parts list but wanted to ask before getting started.

here are some pics

not seeing any pics lechat

I've got a home made bike repair stand I've used for 55 years and it came with every bike I bought! It's called flipping it upside down on to the bar and seat if standing upright didn't work-it works great and I repair all my bikes this way; in fact it's the way all of us did it years ago.

I've got a home made bike repair stand I've used for 55 years and it came with every bike I bought! It's called flipping it upside down on to the bar and seat if standing upright didn't work-it works great and I repair all my bikes this way; in fact it's the way all of us did it years ago.

I did it that way when I was a kid. I much prefer a stand now.

thanks for the history lesson.. thank dinojesus you told us.. never would have thought of that :rolleyes:

Has anyone made a homemade bike repair stand? If so..how did you do it?

I've made a few over the years. Most didn't work all that well but I did make one that was pretty good for everything but headset and front brake adjustments.

It looked kind of like a sawhorse. I used an ordinary bicycle front axle and quick release to hold the fork. The bottom bracket just rested on the opposite end of the sawhorse. A real sawhorse won't work because the back leg has to go straight down so you can turn the cranks. Making it didn't require above average skill level and I made it from scrap lumber I had laying around so my out-of-pocket cost was zero.

One that I did with scrap wood:

http://bloombikeshop.com/homemechanic/repairstand1.php

My $12 repair stand.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/fj40/DSC01982a.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/fj40/DSC01983a.jpg

Ricoh, what are the pads in the vice jaws? Did you make those, or are they part of the pipe clamp?

Ricoh, what are the pads in the vice jaws? Did you make those, or are they part of the pipe clamp?

They came with the pipe clamps.
The pads are very tough and kind of "squishy". They grip the seat post very well.
I bought the clamps on sale for $6 and the rest is scrap.

Hrm. Thanks.

I've got one that I'm assembling from steel pipe and a pipe clamp, but I need something in the jaws to keep from crushing the seat tube and keep the bike from rocking. I'm probably going to wind up cutting some pieces out of delrin, or I might wind up casting jaws out of epoxy.

Lots of great home made stands everyone.
Made from an old motor rebuilding stand.
Strong enough to hold any bike that's for sure.
http://www.jtgraphics.net/images/tandem/stand_full.jpg
http://www.jtgraphics.net/images/tandem/1front_side.jpg
More photos here http://www.jtgraphics.net/bike_stand.htm

http://glyphpress.com/xfer/Bike%20Stand.jpg

Note that the clamp is right up under the saddle. I don't want to clamp it down hard for fear of crushing the tube, plus it wouldn't hold on well enough even after crushing the tube without some better jaw action. Note Bravo Zulu above, using the same clamp, but with some slightly out of focus roundy things in the jaws. Wood might do it and delrin would, certainly.

This was almost exactly $50 from Home Despot. It's four stock 3/4" black steel pipes (the legs are 36", vertical is 60", horizontal is 18" but should be 12" for less wiggle), two endcaps, two 45° elbows, two nipples, a T, a 90°*elbow.

not seeing any pics lechat

the site won't let me load the files. says they too big.

I use my fluid trainer as a repair stand - I can do everything except remove the rear deraileur and clean the drivetrain. I think I could clamp the front wheel in if I wanted to and then have access to the back, but haven't tried it yet.

I've seen a picture of Eddy Merckx working on a bike in his shop (back in the 70's) - it's hanging from the ceiling held by hooks on chains, one on the seat and the other on the bars. Seems like a neat idea to me.

I was going to build a work stand then, I caught a sale on one at Nashbar. It is my bike storage stand when I am not using it for a repair stand. I consider it the best bike related purchase ever. I doubt that even I will damage or misuse it to the state of needing repair or replacement. :)