Natural Wood Indoor Bicycle Stand for Under $15 USD

I keep my bicycle indoors due to space constraints outdoors. After looking at various manufactured bike stands, I decided to make one that would not look like it belonged in a bike shop rather than in my room. I prefer the look of natural woods and glass, and wanted to match that motif if I could. This bike stand is an easy to create and assemble, attractive indoor wooden bicycle stand that is very stable, yet has a small footprint.

I had some 1 in x 1 in finished scraps in 1 foot lengths, and thought that if I could come up with a way to use it, then I'd feel better about conservation. Mom taught me a lot about how to make every penny count (back in the days when a penny was worth --- well, at least a penny.) These were pretty nice "scraps", and I didn't want them to be wasted. In addition, the 1 foot lengths seemed adequate because I wanted the final bike stand footprint to be small and unobtrusive.

I went through several designs before I settled on this one. I even had the three risers already glued together when I decided that I didn't like what the eventual product might look like, and how easy it would be to use. So I put what I had already made down next to the bike and tried several different approaches to a stand. Because this is a stand for a full-suspension mountain bike, and I regularly swap the road wheels and mountain wheels, I needed to make sure that the stand would clear both sets of wheels.

Step 1: The Materials and Tools.

I used 1 in square x 36 in long ash stock. This stock is available from Home Depot and Lowe's. It is fairly well finished, though for more elegant projects, I further smooth the sides with an orbital sander with 320 grit paper.

Glue: I used Gorilla glue for the first time on this project because of reviews I had read. It requires the wood to be damp before the pieces are glued. We'll see how it survives the test of time.

Clamps: I happened to have a pair of Sears Craftsman 18" clamps on hand. I have also used straps with ratchets and wood blocks or cloth to protect my project. Failing that, you can simply weight the wood pieces while the glue dries.

Angle Braces: I decided to attach two right-angle braces at the end of the stand with the least glued contact surface.

The Wood: I used 12 1-foot pieces in this project. I think that I could have gotten by with 10 pieces. The extra two pieces are there because I changed the design at the last minute. The stepped support consisting of a 12", 8", and 4" piece is built as much for looks as for strength. This wood stock is sold in 3-foot lengths.

Drill and small drill bit (I used a 5/64").

Phillips screwdriver.

Step 2: Preparing the Wood.

Cut wood to the following lengths.
4 - 12"
2 - 8"
2 - 4"
4 - 10.25"
2 - 10.75"

It is important that all cuts are as close to square as possible. The strength of the glue joints will depend on surfaces being flush and smooth where they are glued.

Note that the only dimensions that are specific to the Giant XtC are the 10.25" riser that the suspension rests on and the width of the bike frame at the support point. The other lengths are not critical. In fact, nearly all my wood pieces are shorter than the dimensions listed here. I have listed the dimensions without regard to saw blade kerf - the width of the cut the saw makes through the wood. Cutting a 12" length of wood stock into 4" and 8" pieces results in two pieces that are slightly shorter than 4 and 8 inches. The important dimensions are the height of the bike frame support riser (here 10.25"), the width of the 12" risers that the bike frame sits between, and the length of the base frame end pieces (here 10.75"). The latter dimension is governed by the width of the bike frame where you choose to support it; in my case, the width of the frame at the support point is 6.75", including approximately 0.125" (1/8") of extra clearance to make it easier to slide the bike in and out of the stand.

Sand all cut edges to remove ragged edges and to smooth the cut surfaces prior to gluing.

Step 3: Assembly and Finish.

Assemble the riser clusters first. The Gorilla glue folks recommend dampening the wood that is to be glued. I used a damp sponge. To spread the glue as thinly and as uniformly as possible, I cut the ends off several Q-Tips. The remainder was very much like a lollipop stick, and made an excellent tool for laying down a thin, uniform layer that completely covered the area to be glued. To make sure that I put glue only where it was needed, I put glue on the smaller of the two surfaces to be joined. I let each assembly dry for 2 hours.

If you make a stand similar to mine, you would assemble 4", 8", 12", and 10.25" risers in a row. When that dries, attach the 10.25" frame support riser. Assemble the 12" base pieces to each vertical support assembly. The last step is to attach the base ends.

I varnished the stand in steps. I first put two coats on the base, allowing the first to dry before adding the second. Then I turned the stand upright and applied four coats of varnish to the upper surfaces.

As a final step, I added right-angle braces at the end with the least amount of glued surface area. I pre-drilled the screw holes with a 5/64" bit to make it easier to drive the small screws.

Step 4: Enjoy the Result!

Voila! A bike stand that is at home on my wood floor! Here are close up views of the bike frame resting on the support risers. Note that with the rear wheel off the floor, the bike is supported on three points, two at the rear and the front tire. This makes the stand very stable.

Step 5: Fit for Fatter Tires!

Because I swap wheel sets between my road tires and my off-road tires, I made sure that the stand would allow my fatter off-road tires to clear the frame and the floor when they were mounted on the bike.

Step 6: Bike Stand for 2000 Klein Quantum

Following the theme amd methods above, I created one for my 2000 Klein Quantum, too. Once I had created the first one, the second was easier to visualize, used less wood for the same support, and assembled faster. Note that the support on the RH side would not clear the derailleur at the axle, so I moved it forward. Because the Klein is pretty light, I moved the base frame inside the vertical supports to reduce the total footprint. To protect the Klein's finish, I'll add felt to the top of the support riser.