Build a Vertical DIY Bike Rack with 2x4s

Chris loves to cycle. With his three bikes (yes – 3!!) and my bike we have four that need a home in our garage. We’ve experimented with different storage solutions over the years, none of which have worked great. Last year Chris built this DIY bike rack and it’s been working perfectly. It fits in between our two garage doors and stacks the bikes vertically to save space.

Follow the plans below to build your own version! Keep in mind, the plans provided are based on the bike rake we built for our garage, you may need to make adjustments to fit your space.

2×4 Bike Rack Materials

4 – 10′ 2×4 for the centre posts
1 – 12′ 2×4 for the base and arms
Regular screws (Chris used leftover deck screws)
Power drill
Hammer drill (you’ll probably need to rent this)
Tapcon Screws (if you’re installing into concrete)
Lag bolts
Hole saw

A note about ceilings: How you attach this bike rack to your ceiling will really depend on your setup. We have shelves installed about our garage doors and cleats attached to the studs in our ceiling. Chris used shims to hold the vertical centre of the bike rack straight and then attached it to both the ceiling cleats and our overhead shelves.

Cut List

The measurements and cuts listed below are what we used for our bike rack – please measure your space before making any cuts and adjust as needed.

Centre Post: 2 – 123″
Centre post side pieces: 2 – 106″
Cross Base: 2 – 9″ & 2 – 4.5″
Base toppers: 2 – 5.5″ & 2 – 2.75″
Bike Arms: 4 – 22″

DIY Bike Rack Assembly

Screw together the two centre posts and put to one side.

Create the base by notching the centre of both cross base pieces to they fit together.

To create the notches, use a table saw or circular saw and adjust the depth of the blade so that it will only cut through half the 2×4. Make a series of cuts close together then knock the wood out with a hammer. Smooth out any rough bits left behind with a chisel.

Position the base where you want to install the bike rack. Use the vertical centre posts to make sure it is in the right place.

Holding the base firmly in place, drill through the base with a regular drill bit, just enough to make a mark on the concrete floor below. Move the base out of the way and use a hammer drill and concrete bit to drill holes into the floor where your drill bit made the marks. It’s helpful to have a air compressor nearby to blow dust etc. out of holes.

Chris did not use pressure treated wood for our bike rack so he put a layer of vapour barrier plastic down between the floor and the wood base.

Concrete floors contain moisture and will eventually seep into the wood and can cause it to rot. Using the vapour barrier adds a layer of protection, pressure treated wood would also work – or you can just skip it and rebuild if the wood rots.

Screw tapcon screws into base holes until the ends just poke out the bottom, then position in place and screw directly into the concrete.

Put your centre post onto the base and toe screw into place.

Add the two vertical side pieces next, screw into the centre post to secure. Our side posts are slightly shorter to allow for the shelves that the top of the bike rack attaches into.

Add the top pieces of the base, screwing down into the base. You can cut the ends of these pieces at a 45 angle to give them a more decorative look.

Cut the ends of the bike “arms” with a hole saw to create a notch for the bike frames to sit in. Chris made the arms on our bike rack 22” long which we find works perfectly for adult and child size bikes.

Determine the hight you want to place the arms at and clamp in place. Pre-drill through the arms into the centre post then use lag screws to secure. Measuring from the floor to the bottom of the arm, we placed ours at 32.5″ and 76.5″.

To secure the lag screws, Chris used a socket head bit in the electric drill and then tightened them by hand with a socket wrench. You could also use an impact driver with the correct bit if you have one.