General Cycling Discussion - Thoughts on DIY Ikea bike rack?

Looking for a bike rack with a minimal footprint, low cost, and non-damaging to my apt walls, and came across this:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg79/traycerb/bikerack_01.jpg
(from http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/02/stolmen-bike-rack.html)

It's built from some Ikea parts (a Stolmen pole and some hooks, specifically) and some minimal DIY.

Looks similar to other other bike racks (http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16731-250_SETSI7-2-Accessories-38-Racks/Sette-Stack-IT-Two-Bike-Floor-to-Ceiling-Storage-Rack-offer?utm_source=Googlebase&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_campaign=FTP&offer=IN080SN1.htm&zmam=3075515&zmas=1&zmac=30&zmap=250%20SETSI7), but with bonus (well, depending on your taste) of a clean, Ikea style. Cost wise, ~$50, so probably a wash compared to the cheapest similar products.

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_250%20SETSI7.jpg

(hmm, thinking about it more, you could further DIY it with a scaffold screw jack and some steel pipe, which, with the appropriate fittings, would probably be stable enough to use a repair stand as well, at the expense of the ikea shininess)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31mlbDyp%2B7L._SL160_AA160_.jpg

I wouldnt trust it, cheap ikea steel tubing.... have clothing rack from them that bent out of shape over time from the weight of ... clothes.

The jack with some good steel pipe sounds good, but be careful about what material your apt ceiling is made of, you don't want to punch a hole in what turns out to thin fiberglass with hollow space behind it. Might want to get a studfinder and make sure the top of your pole pushes against a solid spot.

Are you familiar with Ikea products? Nice to look at, but don't use them much or they will deteriorate quickly.

I looked at similar racks but wasn't fond of the idea of it pressing against the ceiling. It might out of your price range, but I ended up getting one of these:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24019&subcategory_ID=6600

It works great, I store 4 bikes on it in my 1 bedroom apartment with no problems. I'm no shill for Performance, but my LBS just didn't have anything comparable.

I'd get a fence pole and some long u-bolts from home depot. Use a three way elbow on the bottom, and a nylon strap attached to the wall or ceiling at the top, and you're set.

http://www.doughty-engineering.co.uk/shop/images/products/t12800.jpg
http://www.ted-kyte.com/3D/Pictures/U-Bolt-MufflerClamp.jpg
Wrap those threads in tape to keep them from scratching your paint job. They make double clamps, and you can always put a self-tapping screw through that clamp into the pipe if you're worried it's going to slip. This set up will be cheaper and likely stronger than anything else you can find.

Are you familiar with Ikea products? Nice to look at, but don't use them much or they will deteriorate quickly.

This is not my opinion. You get what you pay for both at IKEA and in other shops. I use it alot, also for DIY projects.

I am more worryed about who is paying the price for the cheap products we buy (cheap labour in eastern europe + third world, less strict rules for polution and so on).

I am looking for a way to store bikes in my carport and like the ide alot. Do not know why I did not think about it myself.

I am going there later this week, if I do it I`ll post pix.

DIY: single compression bike rack

http://www.jeremygrant.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/p-640-480-602eb321-710b-4456-b2c1-4e151b27409f.jpeg (www.jeremygrant.com/blog/?p=165)




DIY: double compression bike rack

http://www.jeremygrant.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/l-640-480-12df41b8-3385-405e-8059-c8d386c1f602.jpeg (http://www.jeremygrant.com/blog/?p=183)