Anyone will tell you that keeping a bike in a NYC apartment can be kind of tricky. They have such awkward dimensions that it seems like they are always in the way. Two bikes? Forget it. There are a lot of options for hanging bikes. Most of them are fairly unsightly (i.e. a large vinyl covered hook that screws into the wall or ceiling). Have also seen people use those tension rod racks. They seem really good from the perspective that they don’t require putting any holes in the wall/ceiling, but in my opinion are more fit for a dorm room than an apartment occupied by two gainfully employed adults. I have been trying to figure out a solution that isn’t hideous, basically since last August when we moved into this place. There are a lot of cool wooden shelf/racks that mount on the wall. But I wasn’t super keen on getting two separate racks. Also, the ones that I liked the most seemed pretty pricey for something that I could make by myself if I had the stuff and time.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a relatively minor surgical procedure on my ankle that severely limited my ability to get around for the short term. I decided to take advantage of the extra time that I would be spending stuck inside of my apartment, and broke out the power tools. I took some measurements and sketched out a quick design for a rack that would support most its own weight, and hold two bikes. I made a list of lumber, and my GF drove us to Home Depot to pick up supplies. I cut all of the parts and assembled the rack in an afternoon. I should mention that we also built a bench. More on that in a bit. We spent the next couple of days sanding, painting and staining. As a finishing touch, I added raw leather to leading edge of the wood that receives the bike frame. It isn’t perfect. But I really like it. I have posted the plans/instructions here, for anyone who would like to build their own.

Couldn’t help but include Lola in a couple of the shots.

The bench is basically the same story. My GF was looking at some benches on one of those super hipstery looking furniture websites and saw a bench made from reclaimed pirate ship wood or some BS like that. The makers were asking $500+ for the bench. Again, something that could be so easily built if I had the lumber and 20 minutes to spare. The bench is made from an 8′ 2×8 that I cut in half and joined with bevel cut 2x4s (if I did it again I would probably use 2x2s instead). The hairpin legs were purchased from some dude in Philly who makes them and sells them on Etsy. We stained the pine with a walnut stain. Boom– reclaimed/upcycled pirate ship hipster wood!

More Lola