My cheaply homemade bike rack...what do you think?

Was tired of having my bike and my buddy's bike lay on top of each other while getting to the trailhead so took some 2x4s I had laying around and a few cuts here a few cuts there, some sanding here and a can of spray on bedliner later I had this unique little contraption. What do you think? This is just temp till I get my welding classes out of the way, then I will fab up something a little nicer.










Going to add some eye bolts in between each wheel slot so I don't have to hook the ratchet strap all the way across the bed when just hauling one bike. And yes I probably could have just use the ratchet straps and nothing else, but where is the fun in that???

 

Nice backyard ingenuity. Now please take the reflectors and "dork disc" off your bike. :lol:

 

If it works for you ...I guess thats all that really matters.I'm assuming that you use more than that single green strap going through the frame? If not it no wonders how your bikes end up in a heep.

Honestly the only thing that is needed is two motorcycle tie-downs secured to the handlebars. I've carried 230# motorcycles this way for years and have never had a problem.

 

like ^^^ he said. All you should need are 2 straps per bike and they wont touch each other.

 

It was made out of boredom and slight necessity. I wasn't sure if ratchets alone would do the job. And how would my bike end up in a heep due to this???

And I'm a newb, so I have no idea what this "dork disc" is...

 

He's talking about the plastic thing on your rear wheel between the cogs and the spokes. Unless you use your bike for nothing else other than the trails I wouldn't be too concerned about removing the reflectors. Since you are a newbie I'd also leave the "dork disc" on there to protect your spokes in the event of a chain deraillment.

All that being said, I'm confident he/she was mostly joking. Oh, and :welcome: :wave:

 

Yup, good-natured ribbing is all.

 

Reflectors have a tendency to fall of on the trail. You will not notice this and will have littered on the trail. Littering is bad. You'll want to take the "dork disc" off because it's usually easier to clean out your cassette with a brush without it. Clean cassettes are good.

 

Gah. I should have expected a hazing!

I guess I will take the reflectors off then, don't want to be littering the trail. The "dork disc" I am not sure about removing, just in case my derailleur decides it wants to push the chain past the last cog.

I am still figuring out the whole maintenance aspect. I have only ridden 3 times with this thing so I don't think its too dirty yet. Need to sit in on a maintenance course in the near future.

Thanks for the slight hazing and info everyone!

 

Nicely done.

Here is mine. It fits in a PU bed or in the back of my Subaru Outback.

 

Nice Job. I bet that will work better than staps alone.

 

I've got one of these in the bed of my truck.



It's a bolt on fitting kit from Ancra. It's removeable which is handy when I need a flatter surface and simple to install. It's sturdy enough to hold down 2 sportbikes that way 350+ lbs each. It's one of the best mods I have made to that damn truck. It was the cheapest too!

 

Once you learn to weld, you can build one of these racks:
http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/16353-home-made-bike-rack.html

Not as nice as that one, but here's the one I made out of PVC for about $15:


It works allright keeping the bikes from hitting each other, but you still need to strap it down when you've only got one. When I have three bikes in the back, I just bungee them together at the rear wheel (With the fronts in the rack) and they don't move around.

Here's the instructions on how to make it:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/bikerack/makerack.htm

 

I had bought those same fork mounts, but then returned them. For some reason I have a huge problem trying to get my disc lined up back in the caliper that I wanted to eliminate any need to have to take off the wheel as possible.

Any pics of that mounted in your truck? Having a problem seeing how that works.

Yea in all my searching, I came across the PVC one numerous time. I almost started on that one, then I found the 2x4s on the side of the house just sitting there.

I may make something like your hitch mounted one in the future, but I will try to keep them in-bed until I start needing the bed space more.

Thanks for the link though!

 

I think the word is ghetto Fabulous, but it looks like it gets the job done.

Great job.

 

Here it is removed.


Sorry for the bad pics. I am at work and only have a cell phone.

 

Nice work! I built something similar for an old Jeep I had. Making stuff at home rules as long as it works well.

 

Well You have a few other options.

All my bikes are over 6 feet total and wont fit with tiedowns unless I leave the gate down. So a Dakine Tailgate Pad was my solution. I bought one and love it for carring more then one bike. (have had 5 on so far). Another option just hang the handel bar out of the bed, one on each side. Not so great for a long freeway run tho.

All my bikes are over 6 feet total and wont fit with tiedowns unless I leave the gate down.

 

I would have to agree on the ghetto fab, haha.

Oh ok! I like that. having a tie-down lower is so much nicer then the ones almost nera the top of the bed.

I love making stuff myself. Little projects like this entertain me. Plus it gives me an excuse to use all the sweet power tools!

 

A warning about PVC... it gets really brittle when exposed to UV rays.