Free-standing, Vertical Bike Stand

I wanted to store my bike in the hall, without it taking up too much room. Because I live in rented accommodation, I didn't want to drill anything into the building. So I designed and built this freestanding bike stand, to hook my bike up vertically. I even added a second hook on the opposite side, for my kid's bike too, and smaller hooks on the side to hang our helmets.

The stand uses relatively little material, is quick and easy to make, and also collapses if needed, for easier transportation. For heavier bikes, use thicker wood and cable - though the design isn't suited to really heavy bikes because you have to lift them up to get them on.

Materials:

1. 2 lengths of wood, roughly as long as the bike, with a square cross-section with width 25-50mm (but at least as wide as the bike tire)
2. Piece of wood for base plate, 15-25mm thick, at least as wide the wood lengths, and about 300-500mm long (depending on width and weight of the bike)
3. Metal cable, as long as the lengths of wood
4. Large bike wheel hook (with fixings)
5. Small, screw-in hook
6. 3 screws, 4-6mm wide, 2 25-30mm long, 1 50-60mm long
7. 2 nails, about as long as the wood lengths are wide, and a similar diameter to the metal cable
8. A bolt, 8-12mm wide and as long as 3x the width of the wood lengths, and a matching wing-nut
9. Optional: hook(s) for helmet & accessories

Tools:

1. Pencil
2. Tape measure
3. Wood saw
4. Hacksaw
5. Drill
6. Drill bit the width of the bolt
7. Drill bit the width of the screws (excepting the thread)
8. Countersink drill bit
9. Flat drill bit the diameter of the bolt head or wing-nut (whichever is larger)
10. Workbench to clamp the wood into

1. Saw one of the long lengths into two equal lengths; these will be the legs.
2. Cut a wedge off one end of both legs. The wedge angle determines the splay of the legs; I chose an angle of 10 degrees.
3. At the same end of the legs, on the faces opposite those the wedges have been cut from, about 3cm from the end, mark midpoints. This is where the bolt attaching the legs to the stand will go.
4. Clamp one leg with the wedge cut face facing down and parallel to the floor (so the leg should not be horizontal, but rather at a slight angle). Using the flat drill bit, drill vertically down onto the marked midpoint, until the bit has reached the downslope side of the leg.
5. Now swap to the drill bit the width of your bolt, and again drill vertically down through the marked midpoint, all the way through the leg. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for the second leg.
6. Drill a hole (using the bit the width of your bolt) on the remaining long length, at a distance, equal to the radius of your bike's tire, along the length from one end.
7. If your bolt has a square neck (like mine, shown), use a chisel to square off the outer end of the bolt hole on one leg.

1. Saw a section off the remaining long length, at the end furthest from the bolt hole. The section should be roughly 1.5x as long as the width of the wood. Then saw this section in half using a 45 degree cut.
2. At the other end of the long length (the end nearest the bolt hole), mark the midpoint of the end and drill a pilot hole through the midpoint, using the drill bit the width of your screws. Drill a similar hole right through the center of your base plate, the use countersink bit on one side of the hole.
3. Screw the base plate onto the long length, then clamp the two halves of the short section around the long length, touching the base plate, as shown in picture 4, to provide lateral support.
4. Drill pilot holes through the base plate into the center of each supporting block, drill countersinks, and screw in two screws.
5. You can now unscrew the base plate from the long length when needed, for easy transportation.

1. Using the bolt and wing nut, attach the legs to the upright.
2. Screw the small hook into the base of the long length, point out in the direction of the legs.
3. Drill a horizontal hole through each leg, near to where it touches the ground, for the cable to go through.
4. Insert the cable into one hole, with the length of the cable feeding outwards.
5. Hammer a nail into the hole from the inside, to hold the cable in place.
6. Run the cable around the hook and thread it into the hole on the second leg, from the outside in. Pull the cable tight, while keep the upright vertical and the legs in place.
7. Hammer a nail into the second hole, to hold the cable tight. Leave a bit of the nail peeking out in case you need to readjust.
8. Test the strength of the upright, by pulling it horizontally in the direction of the legs. The cable should hold it firm.

1. Level off the feet of the legs by holding a block of wood (or book or anything) about 1cm deep against the leg, and, using a pencil, mark a line on the leg along the edge of the block. Do this on both sides of the leg.
2. Saw along both lines simultaneously to cut a wedge off the leg, so the foot lies flat on the floor.
3. Screw the bike wheel hook into the upright at a suitable height, facing out towards the legs.
4. You should now be able to hang your bike on the stand. Make any adjustments necessary for it to hang as desired.
5. You can add other hooks to the side of the upright, to hang accessories such as your helmet, lock, etc.