DIY Bike Rack for $20 / Bike Storage Stand & Cabinet for Garage

Looking for a cheap and easy DIY bike rack? This rack requires nothing more than a drill and a few 2x4s, some bike hooks, and a handful of screws. For measurements and more, check the video!

Step 1: Clean Up Your Space and Measure Your Wall

You'll need roughly 12" of space per bike, plus 12" on either side of the bikes on the ends. For example, my 5 bikes needed ~7 feet of wall space. For my area, I used two 8 foot long 2x4s and cut them each down to roughly 84".

Step 2: Mount the 2x4s on Your Wall

These measurements are VERY important, so pay attention here. The lower 2x4 should be mounted roughly 65" from the ground. This will ensure that most bikes will hang freely from the hooks. There might be some exceptions to this rule, so consider measuring the length of your bikes first.

The upper 2x4 should be mounted roughly 14" above the lower 2x4. This will stagger your bikes so that their handlebars don't clash.

To mount the 2x4s to your wall, use 3 ½" screws and make sure to screw them into the studs. I used two screws per stud.

Step 3: Mount the Bike Hooks on Your 2x4s

The hooks need to be mounted 24 - 26" from each other on the same row. This will allow enough room to remove the bikes on the opposite row without having to remove any other bikes. After mounting the hooks on your lower 2x4, center the hooks on the upper 2x4 between the hooks on the lower 2x4.

To mount the hooks, pre-drill the holes using a ⅜" drill bit and then thread the hooks into the hole. These are the exact hooks I used, they're extremely affordable and crazy sturdy.

Step 4: Optional: Build a Cabinet for Your Bike Accessories!

I didn't add steps for this, as it's a bit more complex and needs more tooling. If you're interested, watch the video at the top of this Instructable to see more details on the cabinet I built.

Step 5: Mount Your Bikes and Enjoy Your Organized Bike Area!

That was easy, right? I turned my cluttered bike area into a clean and easy to navigate storage area in an afternoon, and only spent $20 in the process! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

Comments

[oregonexpat]

Thanks for the inspiration! I bought the specific hooks linked to in the instructions but actually found them to be a bit overkill. The main thing is the threads are super long, so even when going at slight upward angle it's nowhere close to embedding threads fully in a 2x4. They also require a giant drill bit for pilot hole. Anyway went with the two dollar HD hooks as long as rubber stays in place they should be great. I was planning to do the two board setup so I spaced at 26" but after hanging first one I'm considering just adding a few more hooks 13" on center in to hang road bikes by rear tire instead.

[Alexdi2]

Excellent storage method. Some tips:

* THD $2 bike hooks are very, very similar to the hooks recommended in the article. I bought both. Per unit, they cost about the same. Both were big enough to fit my 3" 29+ tires. Anything bigger would be a stretch.

* Use one bit size smaller than 3/8" to predrill for the hooks. 3/8" allows the hook to go in with low resistance, low enough that they might get knocked out of alignment.

* Predrill at a slight upward angle. It's easy to get the bike on the hook and it's more secure if it's angled down a down. Not too far or you start losing tire clearance.

* If you alternate mounting direction (front wheel high / front wheel low) of your bikes, you can space the hooks much closer than 24". I spaced 16" for my most frequently used bikes and as low as 10" for the ones pending sale.

[mrperkins0514]

I totally agree with using a 1/4" bit instead of 3/8". It allows enough "bite" of the threads. I also used the 16" on center as mentioned and even though I already put both 2x4's in, I only used one with enough room for 6 bikes. I will uninstall the other 2x4 and put it to use, using the same method. This is by far the best DIY ever for wall storage for anything. For photos, see the prior thread.

[mrperkins0514]

Best idea yet! If you go 16" on center, staggering the handle bars up and then down, you can put 6 bikes on 1 2X4. Cost me $15.00 when purchasing hooks and 2X4 through Home Depot.

[NinaM75]

Any suggestions for keeping the wall clean where the rear tires contact?

[Rock Guy]

You could mount a third 2x4 board at the height where the wheels touch the wall. Or maybe a wider piece of cheap plywood (7-8 inches) if you have several bikes with different tire sizes.

[AnthonyR215]

This was great!!! Thanks so much for the information, and a great quality video as well!

[CharlotteW61]

Do the bikes generally stay perpendicular to the wall, or do they flop to the left or right?

[craftedworkshop]

They stay perpendicular, no flopping! :)

[gmx43.]

Thanks for this! Just out of curiosity, could you put 3 on top and 2 on bottom? I am assuming that the 3 on bottom is for ease of hanging?? Would it be an issue to angle the screw into the joint were the 2 walls meet at either end?

[dbenedetto]

Does hanging the weight of the bike by its rim affect the shape of thr rim?

[diramu]

No. A lace rim can take (the static weight of the rider and a the whole bike)/2 on a small contact spot and the dynamic forces would be much higher. This small static force is nothing in comparison.

[diramu]

You can get away a single row of hooks with ~12" spacing if you are prepare to hang every other bike from the rear wheel. It is easier to lift the front wheel first, so if you have the space go for the 2 row solution.

[AndrewW133]

How much clearance is required above the upper bar? I ask because i'm trying to tuck this sort of set up underneath a basement AC header that has about 84 inches of clearance. With the lower at 65, and the upper 14 above that (79), I wonder if there will be enough space above the top hook?

[loony1]

FYI, hanging bikes with suspension forks in this manner can, and will, ruin the seals and O-rings within the fork as oil is given opportunity to part company from the internal areas it is present to lubricate and protect. While it takes much more space, all my rigs are stored either hanging in the opposite direction, or simply in riding orientation.

[craftedworkshop]

Even if you are using them on a weekly basis?

[lauramet]

Any thoughts on shocks leaking? Not sure how the new ones are, but my old mountain bike was hung this way and the shock lost it's oil...

[craftedworkshop]

They definitely should not leak, the seals should be much sturdier than that!

[lauramet]

Okay - so I'll build it as is, then! It was an older fork, so I won't worry about it. Thanks!

[phikatz]

I don't know for sure, but if you hang your bike(s) by the rear tire it may be better due to the rake angle.