Built my own bike rack, the American way

[outlawracer]

So the other day I was going through the forms and noticed a thread on custom bike racks. One picture in particular had a rack made of wood and that game me the idea, hell build my own. So seeing how I work at Lowe’s I picked up the lumber and started construction. All and all it was pretty easy. My buddy and I hung out listing to rockNroll and worked on it for most of the day. Here’s the results. I will say this thing is built solid! This is VERY picture heavy

my buddy doing some measuring

The frame is built

Me sizing the wheels

Its almost done

there it is, yes that is a spot for a cooler

last but not least, yes i Rhino Lined it!!!!!

[Johneblz]

Nice job. Did you leave any room for larger bikes/wheels? I may try and buold my own for repairs etc.

[fat_billy]

How many beers will the cooler hold? Just asking. 😄 Later,

[outlawracer]

Thanks guys, yeah I thought about using pvc but I wanted to build something tough and strong. I don’t mind the weight, Makes me feel like its more secure. This thing it bullet proof. The cooler in the pic isn’t mine, it was used for conveyance. Mine is larger and can deff hold more……."Water"… Lol. Now on the other hand I would like the plants to that pvc rack you have. That thing is awesome. Looks beefy. I have to many bikes around the house lol

[outlawracer]

For got to add, No I didn’t leave room for a 29er. I rode one the other day and didn’t like the way it felt, wheel flexing it a weird feeling. My bike is a 21.5 frame with an extended seat post. I am 6.2 260lbs lol. Good ol 26" works for me

[Inertia]

That is awsome! I must say for it to be truly American, you need to add at least one strip of Duct tape. 😃

[Huber]

chilipepper, what are the measurements that you used for the pvc one. i’ve seen you post it before in another topic, but i can’t seem to find it now.

and i agree with inertia, it needs duct tape

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

Nice job, dude. That’ll definitely do the trick! Probably saved yourself like $500+ there….

[outlawracer]

Dont know about $500 bucks but I only spent $32 on everything. I love discounts

[tdbgwl]

I like it. I built something similar to store the bikes in the garage, but I didn’t even think about building one like that for the truck. Strong Work. 😉

[outlawracer]

Thank bud, yeah I’m pretty happy with it. I’m going to get my gopro, stick it to the back windshield and take video of it. See how much it moves

[TheWVPedaler]

"ChiliPepper" wrote

Sweet build! Man, I wish I would have known you were going to build a truck rack, I would have sent you plans on a much lighter rack to build, that would hold at least three bikes. See Below….

Works very well.

I will post pictures of mine but I never thought to use PVC pipe…1 in? Can I get those plans if you dont mind…?

[TheWVPedaler]

Forget last post Chili…thats what I get for not reading the whole thread before posting…HA 😆

[Huber]

so, when you stand bikes up in the bed of a truck with either a wood or pvc stand, how to you keep the end that is not in the stand from sliding around. will it stay by itself, or do you need to bungie it. what is the best way to stabilize it?

[Dorado]

I may be mistaken but, if you secure the rear tire in the rack even if it bounces it should remain in roughly the same place, but adding a few bungees wouldn’t hurt.

[outlawracer]

It pretty much stabilizes itself. Now as far as safety go’s, its always a good idea to bungee things down. With this bike rack my bike doesn’t move at all, even off roading its going nowhere but I still bungee it down for safety.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

Needs more duct tape. 😆

[cynergy68]

Great job!! Beats having to buy one. I think you just motivated me to do the the same. Thanks 😃

[Mark Larson]

@ ChiliPepper, I think I started mine on the same design plan as yours. I needed to be able to carry 4 bikes at a time…so the modification started. The only way I was able to fit 4 was to load the bikes alternating front and rear wheel. The original design had a higher profile that did not allow clearance for the rear derailleur. Through trial and error, I eventual cut the height down giving it a flatter angle and the clearance space for the derailleur. Shrinking down the scale added more stability to the bike rack; however, the bike wheel has less contact with the frame and requires the use of bungee cords to help stabilize the bikes.

[kcrushz]

Loved the idea of building stuff & the real satisfaction it brings when the end product really works!
Great job on the various bike racks showcased. But I would like to tap your experience in a different kind of build. Anyone successfully built an indoor wall-leaning stand that can accommodate 2 bikes – one on top of the other? Something like the Saris Bike Bunk or the Delta Michelangelo or Minoura’s Gravity Stand?

[TheWVPedaler]

This is my down home hillbilly build…I am going to build up one of the pipe holders that Chilipepper posted…

[Beaker]

Go to http://www.utahmountainbiking.com and look under the ‘articles’ tab – go to the "how to do it" section and look for the Truck bed rack. There is the design and plans for Chilipepper and prophets desgin. I agree prophet, I had to cut down the 8.5" pieces to allow for the rear derailleurs – I cut down to about 7".

The rack works great – I use bungees to keep the bikes a little more stable, especially with smaller dia. tires. My mtb is big enough that it squeezes against the lift gate and stabilizes it that way.

Took me about an hour and $20 to make a 3 bike rack.

[RidingPastor]

How about bike racks for wagons or little flatbed trailers attached to a wagon? 😃

[fleetwood]

"Beaker" wrote

Go to http://www.utahmountainbiking.com and look under the ‘articles’ tab – go to the "how to do it" section and look for the Truck bed rack. There is the design and plans for Chilipepper and prophets desgin. I agree prophet, I had to cut down the 8.5" pieces to allow for the rear derailleurs – I cut down to about 7".

The rack works great – I use bungees to keep the bikes a little more stable, especially with smaller dia. tires. My mtb is big enough that it squeezes against the lift gate and stabilizes it that way.

Took me about an hour and $20 to make a 3 bike rack.

I built this rack on Saturday. My issue is that my bed isn’t quite long enough. I have a bed cover that rolls up and the tire hits the hardware at the front of the bed. Without those few inches lost, I think it would work perfectly. However, if I put the rear wheel in the rack, I can turn my handle bar slightly and it fits. My only concern is that my rear derailleur is inside the piping and I am concerned about it getting bent or broken while shifting during transport. Anyone had any problems with that?

I’m considering building a similar rack. Are you guys doing anything to secure the bikes against theft while they’re in these racks? Obviously, nothing will stop a really determined thief, but it would be nice to be able to make stops along the way to and from the trail with a little security.

[fleetwood]

"arvi" wrote

I’m considering building a similar rack. Are you guys doing anything to secure the bikes against theft while they’re in these racks? Obviously, nothing will stop a really determined thief, but it would be nice to be able to make stops along the way to and from the trail with a little security.

That was another concern I had. I don’t have anything inside the bed to which I can lock the bike. I ended up not using mine at all and it is stored under the house. It would make a nice bike rack for parking bikes in a garage though.

The only idea I’ve come up with on my own is running a cable through the bikes to the tow hitch. If there are no better solutions, I think I’ll just go with fork mounts with locking skewers.

[schwim ✓ supporter]

My truck(and all the others I’ve owned in the past) have mounting points at the lower four corners of the bed(mine had s-type hooks there for cinch straps). I welded a ring to the plate that bolts there and I run a wire cable through the frames and those rings, locking the ends with a padlock. It’s as secure as the locking systems on the hitch mounts.

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