Mounting a Stasdock in drywall
 

I just got a Stasdock (because purdy)

I just bought a Stasdock rack (installation manual here) I'm trying to install on my office wall. Ir's a 12"x12" frame, with mount points at all four corners. The studs on my wall are 16" apart. I considered bolting a piece of plywood across the studs and attaching the rack to that, but that would look terrible (and looks are kind of the whole reason for the Stasdock). Any suggestions? I'm not sure drywall anchors would hold up, and I don't want to risk my favorite and second most expensive possession to "I'm not sure."

Looking at the instructions, it appears as though it was designed to mount to a brick wall.
You could try installing it with two screws on one side into a wall stud, and the other two into the drywall using something like this (Project Source 18-Pack 1-3/4-in L x 1/8-in dia Standard Drywall Anchor (Screws Included) in the Anchors department at Lowes.com) , but I'm not guaranteeing that will work.

When I clicked on your installation manual, I see a big banner that says "Attention". That banner says you will need an additional mount for any other wall type other than stone or wood. My bet is that the company will sell a bracket to fit 16" center spacing that is fairly unobtrusive. I would contact them and order it.

You'd think so, but nope. They refer you to your local hardware store for appropriate mounting hardware, without a mention of what would constitute "appropriate." I mean, I would have paid an extra $20 for the kit up front if it existed. Seems like a missed sales opportunity, but maybe they don't want the liability of someone dumping a C68 on the floor.

You could get a halfway decent looking piece of wood/ply, long enough to span two studs, and mount the bracket to that.

In that case I would go to the hardware store and buy a bar of aluminum. Drill two screw holes for stud attachment and holes for your mount. Just paint the bar the same color as the wall, screw the bar to the wall and bolt on your mount. Make sure your bike mount bolts are on the aluminum bar pointing out to attach to your bike mount when you screw the bar to the studs. Use 3" deck screws to attach the aluminum bar to the studs and you could hang your body weight on it.

Took a look at the product and for other readers here is a picture
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce1c6c96e6.png

In one of the reviews the new owner had the same complaint as you. The company does not offer an alternative to mounting it on a brick or similar wall. That person would not buy it again because it was difficult to mount. It does risk falling off if mounted to drywall. You could buy a piece of decent wood like oak or cherry wood and mount it on the wall first spanning two studs. A cheap piece of pine probably wouldn't look good. Most home centers have wood like that in 1 X 6 and various lengths. Not cheap though these days. The holder is priced at $165 on Amazon. That was one of the other complaints - the price and not receiving a complete package. About half of the reviews on Facebook (in English) were negative. Not a good sign for something this expensive.

Hmm. Home Depot has mahogany 1x12 for $20/linear foot. I'd only need a foot and a half... Thanks!

You could try toggle bolts.

I'd use a toggle bolt, I have two bikes on a wall held up with two toggle bolts each for two years now.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2580c5d226.png

I have used these to mount hanging desks with PCs setting on them on drywall with no problem. They claim they hold 265 lbs in 1/2-in drywall. That is enough to mount a 1967 Schwinn Breeze. What do you ride?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Couple pieces of nice 1x4 oak/walnut etc

If I paid that much money for an overly-complex solution to a simple problem, I would expect it to come with all necessary hardware for mounting to any common type of wall.

But then, I suppose I'm inelegant: I spent years commuting by bike, and always just leaned it against my office wall.

I used those same mounts to attach grab bars in my parents' house. They held me pulling on the bar, 20 lbs of bike wouldn't even be noticed.

If I go with the heavier bike (ti hardtail with a ti rigid fork), maybe 23 pounds. So it's not the weight (I could hang both bikes from a single 3-nail picture hanger), but the constant on and off of the bike that seems like it would start to erode the drywall.

Lol. The "what do you ride" was just a facetiously rhetorical reference to how heavy old Schwinns are. Once the thing is mounted, it should be fine as there really shouldn't be any movement to cause drywall damage in my estimation. An extra effort to make sure it holds as well as it can would be to use a stud and use an anchor for the other mounting hole(s) as mentioned previously.

I'd use beefy toggle bolts and just get it done. They will hold, and if the drywall deteriorates (unlikely, given the application), they will still hang loose for a while, and not fail catastrophically.

Is it your wall or the landlord's wall ?

I don't like toggle bolts for many reasons but would use them if I could locate and drill into at least one stud in multiple locations (top and bottom). if not, I suggest locating the bolts on the wall where you want to install the bracket. Next locate the studs, use a strong magnet not one of the gimmick finders and layout these locations in pencil. (Hint, try to locate the bracket between two studs if possible.) Cut out the sheetrock from between the studs (6" wide), in the area where the upper screws attach. Install two pieces of 2x3x3" blocks on each side of the opening and screw them to the studs, remember to set the screw blocks back enough to replace the sheetrock. Install a 3/4" thick piece of plywood in the slot and screw it to the blocks. Replace the sheetrock/paint and install the bracket.

You could drill new holes in the center of your mounting plate in a vertical line say 2" from top and bottom, use 3" screws into just one stud and call it good. I'm certain that would hold 100 lbs or more. If you wanted more, which I don't think you need, you could use 1/4 or 3/8ths by 3 inch lag screws, pre drill and use a ratchet to drive them in. You could paint the heads black with some rustoleum to match if they showed.

OR, you could mount a 12 x 12" piece of wood to the wall using the above method and then mount your plate to that piece as per the instructions.

I personally hate toggle bolts and the like. These work better IMO and are easier to install. Regardless of what you use, I recommend going a couple of sizes higher in terms of weight rating for your application because you are going to be loading/unloading all the time and that is more stress than just hanging something once.

E-Z anchors

This isn’t that tough.

First step is to figure out the weight of the bike, rack, and accessories. This will help your peace of mind when using anchors that are rated at 50lbs each are used to hold less than 50lbs total.

Center the rack over a stud and find a place on the rack along the vertical centerline to drill a hole, two would be better. You can then fasten the rack directly to a stud. This would give me peace of mind as that rack isn’t going anywhere.

This will probably be sufficient, but for aesthetic reasons, or extra piece of mind, get the plastic, or metal, E-Z Anchors linked above for the 4 mounting holes.

John

The stronger way would be to cut a piece of drywall out that spanned the two studs to the studs on each side. About 12" high. The hole would then be 48wide by 12 high.

Get a piece of 2"x10" lumber that is 16" long. Place that horizontally between the studs where you want to hang your bike and nail/screw it into place through the studs on each side where you cut away the drywall so you have room to nail/screw.

Patch the drywall (5 minutes quickset will be your friend), paint. Project will take a 2-4 hours. Pro tip: take a small (4"x4") piece of the removed drywall to the local big box home supply to match the paint color. They do it with a machine that matches about perfectly.

That 2x10 will be the backer for your mount.

Mine.

It looks like the company is based in Europe. I don't think drywall is common there. Does the company even know drywall is common in the US?