Wall Mounted Bike Repair Stand With Heavy Duty Clamp

A bike repair stand is a neat thing – you don’t have to put everything on the ground and you avoid some serious pain in the back…

Having used several stand alone repair stands, I wasn’t satisfied with there design in general, all of them are more or less wobbly. If you look inside a professional repair shop, they mainly use wall mounted or post-mounted devices.

My goal was to build a wall mounted repair stand myself as inexpensive as possible, which should fulfil those requirements:

• easy to attach and remove on a wall
• adjustable grip at various frame tubes
• quick clamping and release
• build manly from standard material and scrap

This Instructable shows you my general design and the parts I used. Unfortunately I didn’t document every step while making it, but I am sure you can take this as an inspiration to build you own.

Supplies

Material needed:

• Pipe locking pliers
• Steel plate, approx. 15 x 25 cm, at least 4 mm thick
• Steel pipe 1", approx. 5 cm
• Steel pipe 3/4", approx. 10 cm
• Seat post saddle lock 31.8 mm
• Felt pads (4 pcs)
• Washer and hexanut M10
• Plug 12 mm and hanger bolt M10

Tools needed:

• Anglegrinder
• Drill
• Welder
• Steelbrush

Step 1: Developing the Idea

The most of the bike repair stands come with plastic clamps and therefore won't have a proper grip.

Some higher quality stands do the hold with a bench vice.

My idea was to make use of a pipe clamp. It is mainly used for holding pipes before they got welded. The vise grip mechanism is adjustable and therefore can be used for any kind of bike frames.

The challenge was to create a rotatable and removable connection to a plate which can be mounted on a wall. The bolt for setting the pliers ends at one handle bar and has to be still easy to adjust.

The only proper joining technique would be welding. Ironically, the welding clamp has to get welded for a different use afterwards...

Step 2: Doing the Metal Work

You need to have a welder for connecting those metal parts.

Alternatively you can cut all the pieces in length properly and bring it to a welding shop. The process of welding itself might take less than 1 hour if everything is set.

Luckily I found an old metal plate which already had the proper size of approx. 15 cm in width and 25 cm in height. It should not be thinner than 4 mm.

The 3/4" and 1" steel pipes were cut offs. A 3/4" pipe fits (quite tight) into an 1" pipe. Since it shall be detachable and lockable by the use of a seat post saddle lock, the 1" pipe needs a lengthwise cut.

Step 3: Finishing Steps

Glue the felt pads at every corner at the backside of the plate for preventing the wall from scratches. It also gives the entire device a proper hold.

Attach the seat post lock at the end of the 1" pipe.

Drill a hole in the wall and mount the hanger bolt.

Attach the plate on the hanger bolt and tighten it with a hexanut (a wingnut might work even better and you don't need a wrench).

Step 4: DONE - Ready for Your Next Bike Repair Project!

I mounted the repair stand approx. 1.50 m above ground. When you place your bike at the top tube of the frame you got an ergonomic height for almost all major repairs.

Clamping the frame at the seat tube or down tube applies as well since you can rotate and lock the pliers.

Comments

[olliejb]

Hi Diggler45,
Thanks very much for this instructable. I agree that most bike repair stands have some wobble to them. I was looking for a really solid, and easy to use, clamping mechanism and found this instructable - the pipe clamp is a great idea.
My electric bike is heavy, and it has a curved, non-horizontal main tube, so the only place I can think to grip it is the vertical tube or seat post. I'm wondering how strong a hold this pipe clamp has on vertical tubes?
I'm also wondering what brand of pipe clamp you used? It looks very solid - more solid than the ones I've seen advertised online.
Thanks for your thoughts!

[Diggler45]

Hello Olliejb,
Thanks you for post and your appreciation of my project!
Well, I am glad stanley.mk already posted an answer already...
My bike clamp was made by FORMAT and I purchased it through Amazon, but I am afraid you can get it in Europe only. Another manufacturer for solid pipe clamps is KNIPEX (German tool company), I am sure they sell worldwide. Maybe STANLEY makes those pliers too...

P.S.
Found another clamp tool on an UK site with a slightly different mechanism, looks even more suitable and solid than mine, 'though quite expensive...
https://www.rsis.co.uk/hand-tools-c10/clamps-and-v...

[olliejb]

Thanks Diggler, yes that Bessey clamp looks great, but yes, very expensive, and also it looks like it would be difficult to use the adjustment knob (and handle), once you weld it onto the bike stand.
Does your clamp have a strong hold (no wobble / slippage), when you grip a vertical tube on the bike?
I've also seen a few examples of people using pony pipe clamps, which seem like they would work really strong hold, even if it takes more time to use.

[Diggler45]

Hi olliejeb,
I just checked if my device will hold a bike properly when attached on the saddle post - well, not perfectly, since the center of gravity would be more off the clamp it tips over slightly...

[olliejb]

Thanks for letting me know!

[stanley.mk]

Irwin Vise-Grip #9R, though pipe pliers may be your better choice
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/strong-hand-pipe-pliers

[olliejb]

Thanks Stanley, yes they look great. But as with Diggler's suggestion, they look like they'd be difficult to use once welded onto the bike stand.

[DougR40]

I like your idea, I notice that you are clamped to the top tube. You should clamp to the seat post for a few reasons. 1 - the bike will swing and cause the top tube to get scratched. 2 - Seat tube scratches are easier to repair and cheaper to replace. 3 - You can rotate the bike to gain access to the other side, assuming you have given enough length on your post welded to the clamp. 4 - if you are not careful you can crush the top tube, especially on aluminum bikes. I think I might make one myself, although the only problem I see is quickly adjusting the clamp while holding the bike up

[Diggler45]

Honestly, I can't follow your suggestions...
#1+2 - All bikes I clamped so far didn't swing at all, neither did I the top tube got scratched, since I covered the plier tongues.
#3 - Rotating a bike horizontal around the seat tube is impossible on a wallmounted bike stand.
#4 - That might apply for carbon tubes, not for those made of alumnium.

[Cekpi7]

Carbon tubes are almost impossible to crush or bend so it would mostly apply to aluminum tubes.
It's easier to repaint damaged seat post than frame or just replace it, i guess you could just rotate vice for 90 degrees.
Things happen, better be safe than sorry.

[BrianO54]

I noticed something on the jaws of the vice grip, but you didn't mention it. I think I'd probably cut some sections of rubber hose to slip over each jaw of the vice grip to prevent scratching the bike frame.

[Yonatan24]

You can even use old bike inner tube, it should be good enough.

[Diggler45]

Hello Brian,
You are right, I put some tape around the end of the jaws, just to prevent the bike frame from scratches - didn't write it in the text but mentioned it on the first pic at step 2.

[KellyCraig]

I don't even own a bike and had to check this out because is was cool. Good job.

[stevepenarth]

Bike stands should really clamp around the seat post to avoid damaging the frame - don't clamp the crossbar. Simple change to this instructable.

[Diggler45]

Well, as long as the bike frame is steel or aluminium, you can put the vice grip everywhere you want to.
Won't do the tubes any harm...

[Alex in NZ]

That is a brilliant idea for the clamp. Thank you for sharing it :-)

[jessyratfink]

Really well done! Thanks for sharing :D