Very Simple Bike Repair Stand

I can’t get over how expensive bike repair stands are for working on (not storing, actually working on) bikes, and always made my own with scraps of 2x4 and so. This last revision worked out extremely well, and is also extremely cheap (possibly free if you have the gear) and fast to build.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 plywood 6” x ~40”
• screws
• 2 x clamps

The idea is to clamp the bike repair stand against a 4x4 post around the house or garage, but this could be modified to clamp to a 2x4 stud or any other width. Cut out the pieces below. Note the cross members are slightly more than 3 1/2” wide (which is the actual width of a 4x4), because you want the stand to fit snugly but easily over the 4x4 and then clamp tightly to it. The second thing is to notice that the clamp is to be applied near the top of the stand over the 4x4. This is because the clamping location becomes the pivot point once the weight of the bike is applied, and so you want adequate material below the clamp pressing against the face of the 4x4. Imagine the stand will want to rotate downwards, about the clamping point. This is why the stand is 6” high, to make a good stop against the 4x4. Also remember to drill pilot holes when screwing into the edges of 3/4” plywood to avoid splitting. Finally, I added some cardboard and tape to the point of contact with the bike to protect paint.