How to Make a Cheap Homeade Bicycle Repair Stand

Learning how to maintain and repair your own bicycle will not only keep you on the road, it will also save you money. If you have the tools and the know-how to repair a bicycle, you will also need a bicycle repair stand. Being able to work comfortably on the bicycle and reach all of its parts is essential to performing repairs easily. You can make a cheap homemade bicycle repair stand with just a few basic items from your local hardware store.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-1/2 foot by 2-1/2 foot 3/4-inch Plywood Square
  • Cast iron pipe collar (for 3-inch pipe, with bolt holes)
  • Pencil
  • Drill with paddle bit
  • Flathead bolts and nuts (to match collar holes)
  • Socket set
  • Crescent wrench
  • 5-foot cast iron pipe 3 inches in diameter with double-threaded end
  • 2 20 lbs. barbell plates
  • 2 90-degree cast iron pipe angle
  • 3-foot cast iron pipe 3 inches in diameter with double-threaded ends
  • Pipe foam insulation
  • Box knife
  • Short bungee cord
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the cast iron collar in one corner of your 3/4-inch plywood square base, and trace the bolt holes onto the plywood. Make sure that the edges of the collar are at least 1/2 inch from the edge of the board so that the corner will not break off.

    • 2

      Drill through the plywood where you have marked the boltholes.

    • 3

      Bolt the collar onto the board. Push the bolts up through the board from the bottom so the nuts are on the top side of the board. Tighten the bolts and nuts into place. This is easiest to do if you hold the head of the nut still with a crescent wrench while tightening the nut on with a socket wrench.

    • 4

      Place the plywood base on the ground and lay two 20 lb. barbell plates on the board. The plates will help steady your stand and prevent it from tipping over.

    • 5

      Screw one end of your 5-foot section of cast iron pipe into the collar.

    • 6

      Attach one of the 90-degree angle cast iron turns to the top of the 5-foot pipe so the angle is facing over the plywood base. This is where you will attach your bike support pipe.

    • 7

      Screw one end of the 3-foot piece of cast iron pipe into the angle piece coming off the vertical pipe. The 3-foot piece of pipe should come off the vertical pipe at a 90-degree angle over your base board. This is your bike support.

    • 8

      Attach the remaining 90-degree angle to the end of the 3-foot pipe, making sure that the angled end is facing up toward the ceiling. This will serve as the bike stop so your bicycle will not slide off the rack while you work on it.

    • 9

      Cut open the foam pipe insulation, and wrap it around the bike stop and the first 6 inches of the bike support coming off the stop. This will help prevent the frame of your bike from sliding while attached to the repair stand.

    • 10

      Place your bicycle on the stand by setting it so the bike support passes under the top of the frame bar at the seat and rests in the "V" formed between the top bar and the vertical support bar of the frame. Pull the bike up tight against the bike stop, and wrap a bungee cord around the stop and bike frame to hold the bike in position.