Solution for turning truck tailgate into bike repair stand?

[bikeman242]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a simple solution for getting my bike a few inches off the ground while out of the house in order to get the wheels and racks on and off, and do very light cleaning/tune ups. I was thinking there has to be some simple way to make use of my trucks tailgate. Short of getting something like this,

Park Tool PCS-12.2 Home Mechanic Bench-Mount Repair Stand | REI Co-op

Designed to mount to your workbench, the Park Tool Home Mechanic Bench-Mount repair stand lets you securely position your bike for easier maintenance with its rotational, cam-actuated micro clamp.

www.rei.com

And bolting it to a piece of wood, then ratchet strapping that wood around the tailgate to hold it in place, I can't think of anything.

Yes, I could get a portable repair stand, but for my intended use (just getting the wheels and racks off, and minor on-the-go maintenance), it seems like there has to be a more obvious solution.

I'm not interested in a hitch rack, because I need the hitch for other things.

 

[J.R.]

The Topeak ebike tune up rack looks interesting. Good for cleaning, maintenance and storage, but doesn't get the front wheel off the ground. I've seen them advertised for less than $80.

Prepare to Ride

PREPARE TO RIDE

www.topeak.com

 

[PDXzap]

Kuat has an accessory for some of their racks called the Trail Doc. It might give you some ideas?
I think Park Tool used to make a stand that would slide into 2" receiver hitch but I couldn't find any information on it. You could probably make something out of hardwood that would work or maybe use a couple of the stake pockets if you have them.

 

[6zfshdb]

Park Tool also makes a wall mount work stand similar to the one you linked:

Amazon.com

If all you want to do is get the wheels a few inches off the ground, you could bolt it to the end of an 8' piece of 4x4 and just lay it in the pickup bed. You might have to weight the end depending on how heavy your bike is. If you want to rotate the bike, you'll have to hold down the 4x4 somehow to keep it from flopping around.

 

[Latitude]

I’m a woodworker, so I have clamps. The photo below shows some Bessey clamps mounted on a table at my garden shed. The horizontal one can grip the seat post securely. A clamp like it could be attached similarly to a tailgate, maybe with less expensive clamps holding it there than I am using. This works well for me and is quick to set up.

 

[bikeman242]

Basically I am looking for a solution that I can take on and off the truck quickly. I don't want to have to bolt anything into the tailgate.

I just want to get both wheels off the ground by a few inches, with minimal lifting effort. I won't be doing any real maintenance out on the field, so no need to rotate.

My thought was to take a piece of plywood and mount the park tool bench clamp to it. I will rest the plywood on a cinder block on the tailgate to give it some height. The plywood with clamp will hang over the back of the tailgate.

I will drill a couple holes in the plywood on the other side of the clamp, and run ratchet straps from the holes on the plywood to the truck tie downs to support the weight of the bike as a counterbalance.

When I am done I will throw the plywood in the back of the truck.

I would love to hear if anybody has any better ideas, or if there is a simple repair stand product that I could purchase that would accomplish the same thing. A full sized repair stand is more cumbersome than I need for this purpose, and I only want to have to lift the bike a few inches off the ground.

That topeak tune up stand x is an idea, though a bit pricey for what it is, and it doesn't lift the front wheel.

 

[elliot friedman]

I figured a way to use my portable trunk mounted bike rack from my car as a maintenance stand before purchasing a dedicated bike stand.

 

[Buckdubay]

The Topeak ebike tune up rack looks interesting. Good for cleaning, maintenance and storage, but doesn't get the front wheel off the ground. I've seen them advertised for less than $80.

Prepare to Ride

PREPARE TO RIDE

www.topeak.com

The stand looks like it works well. However you still have to bend a lot to do any significant work. Cleaning your bikes drive train with this setup would be rough. I would be very interested in some tailgate ideas. I sad to say the idea never crossed my mind.

 

[Buckdubay]

Just realized the topeak stand could be placed on tailgate. I guess I am a little slow. I think the length of the bike across tailgate might be the only issue.

 

[Buckdubay]

Just did a drive train clean right on tailgate. Tipped up on kickstand in order to turn wheel and chain. Work quite well.

 

[bikeman242]

Well I went ahead and ordered the topeak tune-up stand X from Todson. Should arrive in a couple weeks.

 

[Code54]

Attach it to a piece of 2x2 steel and use the receiver hitch on the truck. Just an L shaped bracket with a hole to attach the clamp too.

 

[jhonmichal]

Hehe... You can do a simple method just put 2 to 3 bricks and put your tailgate pad on this. With this method, you can get up your bike from the ground.

 

[Marcela]

Does your truck have the stake pockets?

 

[6zfshdb]

This idea doesn't use a tailgate but If you have a hitch rack that supports the front wheel, you can use a piece of 2x4 to turn the rack into a work stand. Just stick it between the bike's bottom bracket and the hitch frame.

The pic above shows the idea used on a roof style rack. The principle is the same and can be used on many other rack types as well.