$25 rack stores 5 bicycles!
#1
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$25 rack stores 5 bicycles!
I posted this in the "General Cycling" forum but since this forum has a lot of DIYers who may not read every thread in GC I wanted to post it here too. I promise I'm not cross-posting to every forum, just these 2 where it seems most appropriate.
I was frustrated with my growing collection of bikes taking up too much space in my basement and every time I'd go to grab the bike I wanted I had to move 3 other bikes out of the way. I looked at buying a rack but everything I found was way overpriced and many of the racks had questionable reviews. I decided that there must be a cheap and easy way to store my bikes so I could access any of them without taking up too much space or costing an arm and a leg. Below are some pictures of what I came up with.
The frame is 2x4's with 2x2 cross bracing. Everything was "glued and screwed" together with the exception of the 2 "platforms" that hold the upper bikes; these were nailed on using galvanized steel framing braces. This unit was sort of a prototype to see if this would work and if I'd be happy with the design. I may modify the rack in the future to include a shelf in the upper portion of the A's to store bike pump, chain lube, and other bike accessories. Although the upper bikes stay on the rack just fine, I added bungee cords to secure them just in case we have an earthquake or something. Safety first!
It's not beautiful but for $25 it gets the job done. Your comments and questions are welcome.
I was frustrated with my growing collection of bikes taking up too much space in my basement and every time I'd go to grab the bike I wanted I had to move 3 other bikes out of the way. I looked at buying a rack but everything I found was way overpriced and many of the racks had questionable reviews. I decided that there must be a cheap and easy way to store my bikes so I could access any of them without taking up too much space or costing an arm and a leg. Below are some pictures of what I came up with.
The frame is 2x4's with 2x2 cross bracing. Everything was "glued and screwed" together with the exception of the 2 "platforms" that hold the upper bikes; these were nailed on using galvanized steel framing braces. This unit was sort of a prototype to see if this would work and if I'd be happy with the design. I may modify the rack in the future to include a shelf in the upper portion of the A's to store bike pump, chain lube, and other bike accessories. Although the upper bikes stay on the rack just fine, I added bungee cords to secure them just in case we have an earthquake or something. Safety first!
It's not beautiful but for $25 it gets the job done. Your comments and questions are welcome.
#2
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I've been trying for months to come up with an idea for a bike rack that I could use. You just supplied it. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks
#4
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can you provide dimensions? I was thinking of doing something similar only out of pvc, and the wheel supports for the bikes on top would have been sawed in half to create a trough to allow the bike to rest in more securely
#6
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I'll try to get some more exact dimensions when I get home [I'm at work now], but here are a few #'s off the top of my head:
• The bike "shelves" are 5 feet long.
• The vertical "A frames" have an 18 inch gap between them.
• The "shelves" are positioned about 4 feet up from where the legs touch the floor. I think 4' may be a little higher than they needed to be and I'll try to get a better measurement for how low they could be placed to make lifting bikes onto the upper shelves a little easier.
• The spacers at the tops of the A Frames are about 8" long (outside to outside at the top) and I want to say that I cut 7 degree miters on each side for a total of ≈14 degrees of angle.
• The 2x2 crosspieces in the A Frames were cut to about 17" and fit perfectly at the [current] level of the bike "shelves".
• The vertical sides of each A Frame are about 8' long. I'll try to remember to measure when I go home.
♣ Depending on your ceiling height any of these numbers may need to be adjusted to fit your space.
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Nice, I just started a basement reno and have lots of studs that I am taking out. I am gonna pop one of these up for the garage on the weekend for sure. Thanks. I don't think I would do this in the basement. Too plain, but maybe painting it up might make a difference.
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Looks like it could double as a heavy duty easel! Very nice & simple.
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You mentioned that the upper bikes stay on fine without the bungees. I would have thought that the front wheel would turn sideways and the bike would roll backwards until it fell off (they do that a lot when I prop them against the wall in the garage anyway). You didn't have trouble with that? Is it because the "shelves" are perpendicular to the uprights?
#10
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You mentioned that the upper bikes stay on fine without the bungees. I would have thought that the front wheel would turn sideways and the bike would roll backwards until it fell off (they do that a lot when I prop them against the wall in the garage anyway). You didn't have trouble with that? Is it because the "shelves" are perpendicular to the uprights?
If this became a problem, a channel of split PVC pipe or a routered groove in the wood would be a quick and easy fix but I didn't feel it necessary.
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go knoxvillians. Already mentioned this once (im mtnbiker2082 on knoxcycling and Chris from Harpers if you didnt know) but I think it looks awesome. I might be moving into an apartment soon and will loose alot of storage space so this might be a good way to remedy that.
#12
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Hi Chris!
Thanks everybody for the nice comments. If anyone builds a rack similar to this (or even a rack that is completely different) I'd love to see pictures. Feel free to post here or PM me.
Happy riding.
Thanks everybody for the nice comments. If anyone builds a rack similar to this (or even a rack that is completely different) I'd love to see pictures. Feel free to post here or PM me.
Happy riding.
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hello
#14
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Just a quick update after using the rack for a little longer-
I'm still quite happy with it. I've filled it completely and again I have random bikes and bike parts strewn abut my basement but that's my fault not the racks.
I did buy some cheap bungees at the Dollar Tree so I'd have dedicated bungee's for the upper bikes. So far I have yet to drop a bike off the rack and even when the top is full and the bottom is empty the rack is still pretty stable. I added some boards to create a "shelf" in the middle of the A frames and I keep my pump and some lube there for quick access when getting the bikes out for a ride. Overall I'm very happy with the performance of the rack and although I know it isn't pretty to look at it really does a nice job of storing the bikes while allowing acces to any bike at any time.
I'm still quite happy with it. I've filled it completely and again I have random bikes and bike parts strewn abut my basement but that's my fault not the racks.
I did buy some cheap bungees at the Dollar Tree so I'd have dedicated bungee's for the upper bikes. So far I have yet to drop a bike off the rack and even when the top is full and the bottom is empty the rack is still pretty stable. I added some boards to create a "shelf" in the middle of the A frames and I keep my pump and some lube there for quick access when getting the bikes out for a ride. Overall I'm very happy with the performance of the rack and although I know it isn't pretty to look at it really does a nice job of storing the bikes while allowing acces to any bike at any time.