AlbatrossCafe
First Fill-Up (of many)
- Location
- Western WA
I made this "bike rack" tonight. It took me more time to get out all the tools & put them away than it did to actually make it. If you have a welder, angle grinder, thread tapping set & barely know how to use them, this is the project for you.
Material | Cost
Flat bar steel | $10
Twisty Knob | $3
Fork mount | ~$16
2 tiny screws | $1
Leftover spray paint | $0
Total cost: $30
I wanted to mount a 3rd bike inside (+2 person rack on the outside) for the rare occasions I'm biking with 3 people. I didn't want to spend very much money. I cut the flat bar into 3 sections and welded them as you see in the below pictures. Before you cut, do some mock ups to see where you want your bike to actually sit. The bar that is parallel with rear bumper for mine sits just past the little raised sliders on the cargo floor.
Tap a couple of holes in the flat bar so that you can install your for mount. I used REALLY short (m6 x 10mm) bolts so that they didn't really protrude out below the steel
Find a twisty knob thing at your local hardware store. I found one with some 5/16 threads for about $3. You could also get some all-thread and tack-weld a wing-nut to the end or something, but a premade piece looks more fancy.
Cut a small end of flat bar off. Tap a hole in it so your twisty knob thing can thread into it. This will be used instead of your OEM cargo anchors to secure it to the track.
Drill a hole in the flat bar that sits over the track. Insert the twisty knob thing through that hole and stick your tiny flat bar piece on the other side of it. You can slide the whole thing in like this so that you don't have to worry about dropping that tiny flat bar inside the tack.
Slap it in, tighten the twisty knob thing into the track, & mount the bike.
Done in 1 hour & $30.
Material | Cost
Flat bar steel | $10
Twisty Knob | $3
Fork mount | ~$16
2 tiny screws | $1
Leftover spray paint | $0
Total cost: $30
I wanted to mount a 3rd bike inside (+2 person rack on the outside) for the rare occasions I'm biking with 3 people. I didn't want to spend very much money. I cut the flat bar into 3 sections and welded them as you see in the below pictures. Before you cut, do some mock ups to see where you want your bike to actually sit. The bar that is parallel with rear bumper for mine sits just past the little raised sliders on the cargo floor.
Tap a couple of holes in the flat bar so that you can install your for mount. I used REALLY short (m6 x 10mm) bolts so that they didn't really protrude out below the steel
Find a twisty knob thing at your local hardware store. I found one with some 5/16 threads for about $3. You could also get some all-thread and tack-weld a wing-nut to the end or something, but a premade piece looks more fancy.
Cut a small end of flat bar off. Tap a hole in it so your twisty knob thing can thread into it. This will be used instead of your OEM cargo anchors to secure it to the track.
Drill a hole in the flat bar that sits over the track. Insert the twisty knob thing through that hole and stick your tiny flat bar piece on the other side of it. You can slide the whole thing in like this so that you don't have to worry about dropping that tiny flat bar inside the tack.
Slap it in, tighten the twisty knob thing into the track, & mount the bike.
Done in 1 hour & $30.
