Cheap, easy, DIY workstand
#1
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
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From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
Cheap, easy, DIY workstand
If you have a trunk rack. Simply screw a 2x4 into the studs in your garage, screw 2 hooks into the 2x4, hang rack on hooks: Ta daa!
IMG_0518..jpgIMG_0519..jpgIMG_0520..jpg
Only drawback is it isn't portable. But it works.
IMG_0518..jpgIMG_0519..jpgIMG_0520..jpg
Only drawback is it isn't portable. But it works.
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
I made one really similar to the one in the link. There are many ways to make a workstand based on a pipe clamp. I used a 4x4 for the vertical post, a pipe at the top, and 3 2x4s for the legs. Since the wood was scrap the whole stand cost maybe $20.
https://journals.neebu.net/khuon/arch...nd-000517.html
https://journals.neebu.net/khuon/arch...nd-000517.html
#8
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
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From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
On my car the bike wasn't held out far enough to turn the pedals without hitting the bumper. Plus, if I wanted to clean & lube, etc. stuff would drip on the car.
#11
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 0
From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
#12
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 0
From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
My brother gave me mine about 10 years ago and I think it was around $75/$100 then. The ones they make now are similar. Two straps grab the trunk below the rear window, the bottom sits on the bumper against the trunk and two straps reach down and grab the rear bumper under the car. It's mounted to a '99 Camry. I use a huge clothes pin type clamp on each arm that holds the top tube and just at the junction of the seat stays and seat tube, but it's an Elsworth Distance (dualie) so I have to be tricky. The bike rests against the clamps on the horizontal rack arms and it keeps the bike away from the trunk. The pedal clears the bumper by about an inch and a half.
#14
You gonna eat that?
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,917
Likes: 543
From: Fort Worth, Texas Church of Hopeful Uncertainty
Bikes: 1966 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, 1973 Schwinn Varsity, 1983 Raleigh Marathon, 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS
I commonly see trunk racks in thrift stores for $5-20. If all you want to use it for is a workstand, you don't need any of the straps, which are the most common part to be missing when the racks are sold used.
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Yeah, they either don't exist, or they are so dried out they can't support the bike and itself.
#16
#18
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 0
From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
That's something I would not be doing regardless of what stand I had. If I ever get into that type of repair/maintenance stuff I would get a better stand. I mainly wanted something that would make it easier to do routine cleaning & minor stuff like dérailleur adjustments.
#19
Senior Member

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,123
Likes: 4
From: Near Portland, OR
Bikes: Three road bikes. Two track bikes.
I built a DIY bike repair stand. It is made with steel pipe fastened to a plywood board for the stand and uses a pony clamp and a couple blocks of wood with notches cut out for the clamp. I can do anything with that stand, up to and including headsets. It doesn't pivot like a real repair stand, so it's not quite as versatile (and it certainly doesn't travel), but on the other hand, it is heavier and more solid and steady than most consumer repair stands. And it only cost me about $30 in material and about an hour or two of time to build. Been working for me for about three years now; I use it almost daily.
__________________
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
#21
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 0
From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
#23
Thread Starter
Dan J
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 0
From: Iron Mountain, MI
Bikes: 1974 Stella 10 speed, 2006 Trek Pilot 1.2
#24
Making a kilometer blurry
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 26,170
Likes: 93
From: Austin (near TX)
Bikes: rkwaki's porn collection
Cheaper: no photos right now, but I made what amounts to the Park stand below, using 3 feet of scrap 2x4, an old front axle and QR, and some c-clamps.
What I did was make two mini t-stands. The fork one is about 6" on the bottom and 8" going up (upside-down T). The BB support tee is taller, maybe a foot. I ripped the 2x4 for the front support to the width of an axle minus lock nuts, then drilled a hole across that width and bolted the axle through there. I shot a couple screws through the wood against the axle to pin it in place (no wobble).
For the rear tee, I cut a notch and use a length of MTB tube to tie around the BB. Then I clamp both tees to my work bench in the shop. Works great. I'll post images of the setup later, but it supports the bike just like this:
What I did was make two mini t-stands. The fork one is about 6" on the bottom and 8" going up (upside-down T). The BB support tee is taller, maybe a foot. I ripped the 2x4 for the front support to the width of an axle minus lock nuts, then drilled a hole across that width and bolted the axle through there. I shot a couple screws through the wood against the axle to pin it in place (no wobble).
For the rear tee, I cut a notch and use a length of MTB tube to tie around the BB. Then I clamp both tees to my work bench in the shop. Works great. I'll post images of the setup later, but it supports the bike just like this:
#25
World's slowest cyclist.
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,353
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From: Londonderry, NH
Bikes: Cannondale CAAD5 and Cannondale Rush
I use hooks like those pictured in post #6 screwed in to my basement ceiling. Most of the stuff I just hook the nose of the seat on the hook and it's fine for just about any work. If I have to work on the seat I'll just hang the bike by the rear tire. I had no problem doing a bottom bracket on the hook, but that did require that I steady the bike with a free hand. Not perfect, but it cost about $4 and all I needed was an exposed basement rafter.






