Vertical Bike Rack from 2x4s

I recently built a vertical bike rack from scraps of 2x4s leftover from another project.  I built this rack so that the rear wheel from one of our bikes could rest on the floor.  I found that I would need this bike to be hung at 63.5" using these hooks, but the wheelbase on this bike is larger than the wheelbase on my other bikes.  You can adjust the length of the height (77" for my project) as needed.

The spacing of each bike will be 12", and the top level is 12" higher than the bottom level.  If you don't want to alternate the levels to hang each bike, then you will need to accommodate for about 18" of spacing between each bike.

Lengths to cut 2x4s:
2 - 77"
4 - 36"
4 - 28.5"
5 - 15"
2 - 18"

Screws: 2.5" wood screws

Bike Hooks:  Any bike hook system will do, but I picked up these from Home Depot.

Edit: Read this instructable.  It is important for the discussion of spacing as well as to see how they did the hooks.  One of my bikes rubbed the coating off one hook, so I repaired it with handlebar wrapping and electrical tape.

If you only need to hang one bike, here is my single bike design.

Step 1: Cut Your Wood!

Cut the following lengths of your 2x4s:
2 - 77"
4 - 36"
4 - 28.5"
5 - 15"
2 - 18"

The 36" lengths are the legs of the stand.  Cut a 1.5" x 1.5" corner on one side of each leg.

The 28.5" lengths are the crossbeams.  Cut 45 degree corners on both sides of the cross beams (i.e. measure the width of the 2x4 and make the cut extend to the same length of the width).

Comments

[Adambowker98]

Is it 28.5" from tip-to-tip, or to the beginning of the 45 degree cuts?

[mythicalbyrd]

That would be from Tip to Tip. Cut your 2x4 to a lenth of 28.5", and then cut the corners out.

28.28" is the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose sides are both 20".

[David Catriel]

Brilliant!!!
I've been looking for way to fit the bikes properly in the shed and this is perfect. Thx for the idea!

[David Catriel]

Forgot to mention that the only thing I would add to this is a diagonal brace on the back that goes all the way from top to bottom. The bikes add quite a bit of weight to this thing, so it could begin folding itself a bit over time (although I noticed you had a couple of screws in each corner, which should mitigate this).

[mythicalbyrd]

Good Idea with the diagonal brace, especially if you trying to build a larger rack that hangs more bikes!

[NolanFinn]

I built this for my apartment and it works great. I modified it to hold 3 bikes and it fits perfectly in our living room. I also made this SketchUp model with timber measurements that you can print and take to the hardware store http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ffea63e7447ebfb6240b439a6a28b78e

[tinpusher]

Fantastic! Exactly what I needed!

[mythicalbyrd]

Oh Wow!!! I love it!!!!

[Huckle-Bear-ie]

Thanks for the design. I tweaked it a little so that it could hold 9 bikes.

[ldenicola]

Are the 20" side boards from step 5 missing from the cut list? Surely I'm just missing it...

[ywj_pheej]

Here is a 4-bike version. The whole build (not counting time buying hooks and lumber) took about 4.5 hours. I used slightly different hooks on mine. Rather than being a single long screw that goes into the wood, the hooks have a flat metal backing that spreads the bending moment over about six inches. These hooks were about twice as much at Home Depot than the style you used ($5 instead of $2.50), but I think they are very firm.

[ywj_pheej]

Forgot to add the picture . . .

[Evening Newbs]

Thanks for the instructable! Here's a picture of mine.

[mythicalbyrd]

Very Cool!

[wolfface]

Very excellent project for bikes to keep area freely... I have built mine at 7 feet instead of 77". I decided to set mine higher cause I leave mine out in the balcony holding a mountain bike and bmx. It gave me more space since I have many things around in an 600 sq apartment... Highly recommend! =D

[wolfface]

Forgot to upload my picture after I selected it. Enjoy!

[mythicalbyrd]

Nice!

[jbinion]

Hi,
I used your basic design, doubled it and added some wheels. We now have a nice rack for all four mountain bikes with hangers on the back for our two BMX bikes. Six bike and all for under $75.00. Thanks!!!!!

[mythicalbyrd]

That's awesome!

[Bev Kirk]

This is a really wonderful, easy-to-follow 'ible - thanks for the work that went into it.

Our garage has high a enough ceiling that hanging bikes don't bump anyone's head. I securely attached old-fashioned clothesline pulleys beside each bike hook, turn the bikes upside-down, and tug them up to the hook with 550 cord tied to each tire. I push the bike onto the hook with a long stick. I'm a short adult, but this works easily and efficiently for me.

[xenobiologista]

This looks good, I bought bike hooks before realising I'm not allowed to drill holes in my apartment walls.

One suggestion, could you put formulas or explanations for the lengths of wood up front in Step 1 so it's easier for people to redesign it if they have different sized bikes or more bikes?

[mythicalbyrd]

Is there anything specifically that you want me to explain?

[xenobiologista]

Just that it would be nice to add, to the list of lengths of wood you have up there, explanations of what each bit is for, so it's easier for people to plan if they need to resize anything. Like the subsequent 2 lines about the 36" bits being the legs and the 28.5" bits being the crossbeams. Thanks.

[t.mithaiwala90]

Just what I needed! Cheers for that

[micgel]

Thanks this is well made and very useful to store the bike in limited space.

[angelabchua]

Not only does it function great, but it looks good too! awesome i'ble!

[MrsDJE]

What a great idea! I've had the hooks for a couple of years, but just haven't been willing to drive them into the wall-studs of my garage. Even if I had, the bikes would have likely 'wobbled' without the base support. Now I've got the solution. Thanks!!

[katlinbr]

Thanks for this. Just the ticket for our needs.