Laptop Desk for Stationary Recumbent Exercise Bicycle

I spend a couple of hours on most days reading and responding to email or browsing on my laptop.  I recently purchased a used stationary recumbent exercise bicycle and wanted to add a laptop desk to it so that I can get in some exercise while I work and browse.  I spent less than $20 on materials and the project took about 5 hours to complete.

Materials Needed:
1. 1 10 ft section  of 1 inch PVC pipe
2. 4 45 degree angles for PVC
3. 1 piece of 3/4 inch plywood sized for your laptop
4. 1 piece 3/4 x 1 inch wood as long as your plywood is wide
5. PVC glue
6. 6 1 inch drywall screws

Tools Needed:
Handsaw
Measuring tape
Drill
Drill bits and screw bits
Sandpaper
Pencil and permanent marker

Step 1: Design your desk to fit your bike

First you will need to figure out how to attach your desk to your bike.  If you happen to have the exact same bike as me or a very similar  bike, you may be able to use the same design that I used.  If not, you will have to adapt the design to fit your bike.

On my bike there is a bar that wraps around the back of the seat to form handles that you can hold on to while you exercise.  The handles are a little less than 1 inch in diameter and the end sections are about 5 inches long (see photos).  This design made it easy for me to attach the desk to my bike by simply slipping 1 inch PVC over the existing handles.

If your bike does not have a handy attachment point you could design your desk to be free-standing or such that it attaches to the bike in some other fashion (maybe with screws or clamps?).

Comments

[jessyratfink]

Very smart! I could see someone steampunking this.

[therishel]

Thanks! A steampunk version would add a lot of interest. I can see people taking it in a variety of directions depending on their taste and decor.

[Vinsu]

Great idea! Just to add motivation, install an car alternator, battery and 12V plug so you just HAVE to exersice to reload your laptops battery. I've had this idea for years but due to my laziness it has stayed in an idea-form...

[therishel]

Thanks! Adding an alternator to the cycle would also increase the resistance and make the exercise more effective.