Indoor Bike Parking Rack

Like most houses in Portland, we have a lot of bicycles, and we are always coming and going on them, often changing out bikes several times a day. Not satisfied with outdoor parking, or stacks of bicycles in the workshop, I decided to build some indoor bike parking. It allows for both front or rear wheel parking, and fits eight bikes comfortably.

In principal, this rack is just a railing. The bikes are held in place by their wheels resting against the wood, with the tires keeping them from rolling. I was concerned that this design might put too much torque on the rims, and that a triangular two-touch system would be better, but this design works great, even with road race wheels.

Step 1 Tools and Materials

This project was done with 100% scrap wood, so don't feel like you have to use good lumber for it.

For the dimensions of the structure, I worked around a particular room where I wanted the parking to go. It is generally recommended that slot-type bike parking has 24" of space between each bike, from tire to tire. I wanted eight bikes to fit into a 144" space, so I narrowed it down to 17" from tire to tire. There is some handlebar overlap, but because of the generous vertical dimensions of the assemblies, you can easily lift your handlebars over other bikes that might be in your way.

Here are some general measurements to help you to customize the bike rack for your specific needs.

Each parking assembly: two posts of 1"x2"x27" (wood)
Parking base: 2"x4" (wood)
Parking top: 2"x4" (wood)
Screws: 8x 4" wood screw per assembly

Each assembly should have a gap of 2.5" between posts for the tire. If you are a downhiller and have wider tires, give yourself a little more room. From assembly to assembly, have at least a 12" space.

To fit in a 144" room, I chose a top and a base of 124", and eight parking assemblies. For the remainder of this instructable, I will be writing specifically to my project, but hopefully you can easily retrofit the design for your own needs!

General tools:
Tape measure
Saw
Drill
Sandpaper
Stain

Comments

[Wasagi]

Great Idea! This would make my life far easier, I want to try it once I clean my space up a bit.

[struckbyanarrow]

hey man, where do you guys play polo in portland?

[JamesTB13]

WHY do you have so many bikes?! You begin by saying that most houses in Portland have a lot of bikes, why does ANY house need 8 bikes, unless there's 8 people living there? Also, interesting idea, but, why would you bring your bike in the house anyway? They go in sheds, or garages.

[Calorie]

JamesTB13, don't take it too seriously. I have a car as well. It's just nice to ride to the local Publix on a cool evening. Over the years I've seeded empty fields with coreopsis. You really can't see it while you are in a car. It's tucked away in an acre lot (cost me about $30 a couple of years ago.) 
http://www.americanmeadows.com/WildflowerSeeds/Species/PlainsCoreopsisseeds.aspx


I can bring my folder most of the way to work and bike in the last couple of miles (beating the gridlocked traffic.) The others are for high-speed. The tourer is the equivalent of backpacking, except you carry your gear on a bike.

And to answer your question about why you bring a bike inside...I value my bike. It's out from the elements, sidewalk salting, lawnmower clippings and is less likely to be stolen. It's the same reason for my car being in a garage.

[Calorie]

4 bikes 1) Road 2) Touring 3) Dutch Commuter 4) Folder Road is for speed/exercise. I use it less and less. The Touring is rarely used, but there is no real reason for that. The "Dutch" carries much of the utilitarian duties. The folder is unbelievably useful when traveling by car, train, etc

[JamesTB13]

OK? Sure,........You really only need 1 bike, I have a mountain bike. I don't ride it much, and if I do, it's just to get somewhere without using the car. You see, I have one of those, a CAR.

[thorbike]

everyone has a car you have to! Not everyone has a bike because that is something you choose to do.

[pie popper]

Well, having a car means getting gas. Gas is getting really expensive. It's good to have a bike, it's healthy to be riding and it's cheaper too. (And Greener! :P) But is it really that easy to lug that mountain bike up that hill? A lighter road bike would be way easier.

[JamesTB13]

Gas is only like $1, but it's a lot more than it was before, that's true. Also, mountain bike isn't very heavy. It's a mountain bike, but I don't any actual mountain-biking. Plus, doesn't matter if it was heavy, I'd just change gears. It's what they're for.

[pie popper]

1$? Where?!? Gas here was $3.47 per gallon. That's more than $100 for 30 gallons.

[JamesTB13]

Yeah, CANADA. $1 per litre.

[Calorie]

To the James TB13 (aka Instructable Troll:)

Well...you should of explained that you lived in CANADA and included the units (CANADIAN Dollars/liter.)

Stop the SHOUTING about CANADA and go do something useful. The world does not REVOLVE around YOU.

[JamesTB13]

Dude, I'm not shouting, I'm expressing emphasis. Also, the reason I capitalized it, was because I'm pissed off with everyone on the internet assuming that everyone else lives in the U.S. It's F*in' annoying.

[Calorie]

Wait...isn't Canada the 51st state?

[JamesTB13]

Hahaha, now you're just trying to annoy me.

[Calorie]

turn about is fair play, eh?

Good luck and enjoy the brutally cold winters (unless you are in Hempville, BC)

C

[JamesTB13]

Winters aren't that cold,......you just have to buy a winter jacket. It's kinda what they're made for.

[pie popper]

1 litres = 0.264172052 US gallons (according to Google) so, maybe gas is cheaper here.

[Toastalicious]

slightly

[JamesTB13]

Could be, I'm currently too tired for math lol. Chances are, with the exchange rate and all that jargon taken into account, it's pretty close to the same price.

[JamesTB13]

Sorry, *my* and *do*.

[Calorie]

Use what you've got. It's the whole reduce, reuse and recycle thing. A heavier mountain bike is less efficient, but to who? He keeps money otherwise spent on a new bike, gets a bit more exercise and reduces the cost on the environment.

PS I loathe my money going into the car. But there are advantages so I look at it as a needed (not necessary) evil.

[lamoix]

I'd say that we actually have a fewer-than-average number of bikes per person for a household with so many bike enthusiasts. Most people I know have several bikes fill specific niches, from mountain biking, to commuting, to racing, to playing polo, to tall bikes, to freak bikes, to bmx bikes, to fixies, and the list goes on. As for your second question, unless you live in an apartment, inside bike parking is a luxury, like an attached garage.

[JamesTB13]

Unless you live in an apartment? have you ever heard of putting your bike in your shed? Plus, apartments suck, you HAVE to keep your bike indoors.

[JamesTB13]

Bikes belong outdoors, but they will rust, so people put them in the next (very small) step up from outdoors, a garage or shed. And why is indoor bike parking a luxury? All it means is tire tracks on the floor.

[bluefly1215]

Here's a though.... This would really help on college campus's. My daughter's bike was stolen at college. She left it with a bunch of other bikes on campus outside her dorm and it was gone the next morning. If they had this type of rack inside the dorm's maybe it wouldn't have been stolen.

[peep7]

I don't believe this is the forum to question why someone would have more bikes than you think they should or why they would prefer to take care of them rather than throw them in a shed. If you like the instructable or have questions about the project, great - let the poster know. If the instructable is not for you (as this one obviously is not) move on. If you want to debate storing a rusty Huffy outside vs actually taking care of an investment or any other lifestyle choice, find a forum for that purpose. I mean that in the nicest way possible.

[lalalaux]

Wow, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you're not someone who rides everyday? Pros of inside parking... *Safety from the elements (rain, dirt, sun, etc.) *Safety from theft (peace of mind, priceless!) *Ease of repair/modification *Conveniently right by the door to grab on the way out, along with my purse Cons... *None, unless you have steps! I have wood floors and have never had problems with dirt. Even when it's been raining. However, if I did I can't imagine anything that a quick wipe with a towel wouldn't immediately repair. I don't have a garage or shed (another luxury!), but even if I did I doubt I'd want my bikes in there. Too dirty and out of my way for the purpose, probably in it for other uses of said garage. This would suck if you rarely ride I'll admit. Probably very much in the way, but if a bicycle is your main mode of transport, the ability to park inside (preferably near a door) is heavenly. imnsho

[JamesTB13]

Well, THAT is true, if it's your primary mode of transport, like you said, this would be nice. Although, I can't help thinking how it would look a little weird if you have a bike rack inside.

[lalalaux]

There were paragraphs in there I swear! :/

[dollywild]

The second set of photos did the trick- for some reason I was having trouble seeing what was making the bike stand stay standing- I think now that it is the other bikes themselves. This is brilliant, because that makes the bike rack very easy to move out of the way if you need the room. The rack itself can just lean against the wall. Thanks for a great instructable!

[lamoix]

Glad to hear it! My original plans called for stabilizing legs on the stand, but when I built up a proof-of-concept, I realized that it was actually pretty stable on its own. The larger the piece of wood you use for the base of the stand, the sturdier it will be. The bikes mainly exert a side-to-side pressure on the stand, and don't get inserted far into it, so there is no danger of tipping.

[dollywild]

Very nice looking- I admire the use of all the scrap wood. It stained up much nicer than I thought it would. Would you consider posting a photo of just one or two bikes on the rack? I a having trouble visualizing the finished product, and we desperately need something like this. Thanks!

[lamoix]

Let me know if the second set of photos on Step 5 and Step 6 are enough to give you an idea of what the finished product looks like - if not, I'll post some more!

[iamunique127]

Great idea, clear instructions, good pictures and enough of them. I like how you reclaimed the wood, too. Portland sounds a lot more bike-friendly than a lot of places. We all have a lot to learn from your city. Thanks for posting this.

[mickryobe]

It would be very helpful if there were an uncluttered picture of the completed rack so we could see the finished product and get an idea what we were striving for. It looks like a great project though.

[lamoix]

Thanks for pointing that out - see the final step, picture two.

[maselval]

it's practically a triathlon's transition bike rack!! cool

[lalalaux]

Wish I had room for something like this, very nice!

[cbleslie]

... I see a bike polo bike! :)