cropped Banging Toolbox
Menu
  • Home
    • Latest content
  • Tools
    • Tool guides
      • Power tools
        • Different types of saws
        • How to use a circular saw
        • Miter saw vs Table saw
        • Circular Saw vs Miter saw
        • Brad nailer vs. Finishing nailer
        • How to change a circular saw blade
        • 6 vs 8 Inch bench grinder
        • How to use an angle grinder
        • Jigsaw vs Circular saw
      • Hand tools
        • How to use a hand planer
        • How to sharpen chisels
        • How to use a laser level
    • All tool reviews
    • Full tool lists
    • Power tools
      • Wood
        • Dremel engraver
          • Dremel Engraver bits
        • Thickness planer
          • Dewalt thickness planers
        • Cabinet table saw
        • Portable table saw
        • Oscillating tool
        • Belt sander
        • Finger sander
        • Detail sander
        • Finishing sander
        • Jigsaw tool
        • Miter saw
        • Biscuit joiner
        • Circular saw
        • Electric planer
        • Wood router
        • Heat gun
        • Square hole drill bits
      • Metal
        • Bench grinder
        • Chop saw
        • Angle grinder
        • Nibbler tool
        • Electric metal shears
        • Reciprocating saw
        • Brazing torch
        • Portable oxy acetylene torch kit
    • Air tools
      • Portable air compressor
      • Air nibbler
      • Air orbital palm sander
      • Air brad nailer
      • Air finishing nailer
    • Hand tools
      • Framing hammer
        • Stilletto framing hammer
        • Estwing framing hammer
      • Tool belt
      • Wood chisel sets
      • Carving chisel sets
      • Woodworking apron
      • Clamps
      • Tin snips (+ Electric shears)
      • Manual hand drill
      • Ball peen hammers
      • Tap and die set
    • Measuring
      • Laser level
      • Laser measure
      • Stud finder
    • Tool storage
      • Rolling tool bag
      • Tool backpack
    • Landscaping tools
      • Cordless chainsaw
      • Wood splitting axes
      • String trimmers
      • Gas chainsaw
      • Alaskan mill
    • Wear
      • Heated Socks
  • Cordless
    • Wood
      • Cordless multi-tool
      • Cordless dremel engraver
      • Cordless miter saw
      • Cordless circular saw
      • Cordless wood planer
      • Cordless wood router
      • Orbital palm sander
      • Cordless finishing sander
      • Cordless file sander
      • Cordless jigsaw
      • Cordless heat gun
    • Metal
      • Cordless impact wrench
        • 1/2 impact socket sets
        • 3/8 impact socket sets
        • Impact socket set [Combo kits]
      • Cordless angle grinder
      • Cordless nibbler + Drill attachment
      • Cordless metal shears
      • Drill attachment electric shears
      • Drill bits
    • Fixing tools
      • Cordless drill
      • Cordless impact wrenchs
      • Cordless biscuit joiner
      • Finishing nailer
      • Brad nailer
    • Landscaping
      • Cordless chainsaw
      • Cordless line trimmer
    • Jobsite radio
  • DIY
    • Building guides
      • Metal
        • Cut metal without power tools
        • How to cut metal roofing
        • 6 vs 8 Inch bench grinder
      • Concrete
        • How to sand concrete
      • Joinary
        • How to fix a jamming door
      • Painting
        • How to remove paint
    • Landscaping
      • How to level ground
      • How to cut & trim trees
      • Sharpen lawn mower blades
    • Woodwork
      • Build a table straight from a tree
      • How to cut perfect circles
      • How to cut a square hole
    • Craft & art ideas
      • How to make copper art
  • Design
    • Tiny house
      • How to design a tiny house
      • What height to put a door handle
    • Products
      • Window fan
      • Drafting chair
      • Portable home safe
      • Keyless door locks
      • Portable TV stand
      • Ceiling TV mount
      • Longest Tv wall mount
      • Motorized ceiling TV mount
      • Fireplace TV mount
      • Garage bike wall mount
      • Garage floor bike stands
    • How to install a garage wall bike rack
    • How to wall mount your TV
    • When to replace your roof
  • Blog
    • Tool yarns
      • How to find a real tool review online
      • Dewalt vs Makita
      • Makita vs Milwaukee
      • Dewalt or Milwaukee
    • When and how to go 100% off grid
    • Woodworking projects to sell
    • Productive ideas to do at home
    • Increase your property value
  • Classes
  • Contact
    • About
Menu
How to install a bike rack in your garage?

How to install a bike rack in your garage?

Posted on January 22, 2021February 23, 2021 by Aaron Barnett
Share Email Tweet Share

Checked and updated on February 23, 2021 by Aaron Barnett

Author intro

Before installing your bike rack on your wall, floor or ceiling make sure that you have all the tools and fixings required to finish the job. 

As you might know, a bike rack like the Koova, Gear-up, Delta, or the Steadyrack is a simple way to save space and help declutter and organize your garage using only your garage wall or ceiling. But first, you need to make sure that you have what you need to make it work.

Let’s say for only a single bike you pick the famous steady rack It doesn’t matter if you pick the Classic rack, Fender Rack, or the Fat rack. The same tools and fixings are required to mount your bike onto your garage wall.

Let’s say you have more than 1 bike to organize – Like most people, then again the same tools and methods apply for the Koova.

Table Of Contents show
The fixings you need to install a garage bike mount
Tools required for installing a bike to your wall
Positioning your bike rack
Conclusion

The fixings you need to install a garage bike mount

All the fixings you need should be included with a wall bike rack set. This consists of the right-sized coach screws for wall mounting onto timber framing. And “raw plugs” for fixing into masonry, brick, or concrete surfaces. Both fixing types can easily be installed and removed at any time.

Keep reading for more details on each bike mounting type below.

Install a bike rack in the ceiling

There are better ways to mount your bike than this.

Fixings needed for a timber wall or ceilings

Coach screws are included with a bike wall, or ceiling mount; they are a robust and straightforward fixing option for connecting brackets to timber.

First, pre-drill your holes using a small drill bit, and insert and tighten the coach screw using a hand socket set or a socket set attachment for your cordless drill. The large thread on coach screws will dig in and hold onto any timber surface with no problems.

Just so you won’t get confused, here’s a good list of set of drill bits and all you need to know.

Tips:

  1. Ensure not to pre-drill a hole too large, or the coach screw won’t bite and hold on the last turn.
  2. You can pre-drill a bigger hole only through any linings to stop it from cracking.
  3. Test a drill bit, and coach screw combination first on a scrap piece of wood to make sure it’s easy to screw and that it “bites” at the end. Start with a drill bit half the diameter of the coach screw.

Hillman 230009 Hex Coach Screw

A coach screw is basically just a large screw designed to take high amounts of verticle pressure due to the width of the screw it needs a predrilled hole to to not split the wood, then use a socket set, impact driver, or an impact wrench to drive it in.

Fixings required for a concrete, masonry wall, or floor

The plastic raw plugs that should be included with a ceiling or wall bike rack work like this. First, drill the right-sized (10mm hole for the steady rack) into your masonry wall using a masonry drill bit and a cordless drill using the hammer function. The plastic raw plug is then inserted into the hole.

This now means that when you drive a screw at this exact point, the screw will grip the raw plug, and as it tightens, the width of the screw will expand onto the surrounding concrete for a strong grip.

Tips:

  1. When pre-drilling a hole into masonry, brick, or concrete, make sure the width of the drill bit is the same width as the raw plug (10mm for the steady rack)
  2. Screw slowly and tighten just once. If you reverse and remove the screw you need a new raw plug to be installed for tight holding.
  3. It’s important not to get a metric-sized drill bit and imperial mixed up, both are slightly different sizes, and when it comes to raw plugs and concrete it needs to be exact. The steady rack kit requires a 10mm sized masonry drill bit. A ⅜ imperial-sized drill bit is the closest imperial match however the hole might be a little too tight for the screw, so you need to use a metric masonry bit if you want to fix the steady rack to concrete.

Anchor bolt for concrete floor

Although some mounts come with and recommend raw plugs and a screw for fixing into concrete, the strongest method is to use a concrete anchor, such as a dyna bolt (like above). As you do the nut up the sleave gets pushed down and expands on the wider bottom edge creating a much stronger hold than just a plastic raw plug.

Tools required for installing a bike to your wall

Have the DIY tools you need for an easy DIY installation ready. The only power tool you need is a cordless drill, this is for pre-drilling, and driving the screws.

You will then need a few basic hand tools like a tape measure, craft knife, pencil, Phillips screwdriver, and the right-sized socket bit (for timber).

Most power drills will work, however, if you will be fixing your garage bike rack onto concrete, masonry, or brick. You will need to make sure that your cordless drill is equipped with a hammer function, for more information on finding the right cordless drill have a look here .

However, this is a DIY cheaper alternative for drilling small holes in concrete. Generally, builders would use a dedicated Dyna-drill for drilling into concrete.

Drilling holes concrete with laser level

Wear a mask and sweep away the dust, instead of blowing it. Concrete dust is hazardous to breath in.

Required tool list for installing a garage bike rack

  1. Tape measure and pencil.
  2. Optional stud finder (Or tap the wall to find fixing points inside a wall).
  3. Cordless drill (With a hammer function if fixing to a masonry wall).
  4. A masonry drill bit for concrete or a timber drill bit for wood. (10mm for the steady rack).
  5. A socket set OR a socket set attachment for your drill and the right-sized bit.
  6. Craft knife.
  7. Phillips screwdriver.
  8. A handheld level or better a laser level for serious DIY’ers.

Positioning your bike rack

Now that you know what tools are required, and you know what fixings should be used for your wall type. Make sure to get the positioning right.

First, you need to make sure you know where there is fixing in your ceiling. Such as ceiling battens, or floor joists from the floor above, if you want a ceiling hung bike mount, or if you want to install to a wall for easier reach, you need to make sure you know where there is solid fixing behind the wall linings using a stud finder or by tapping the wall. 

You should measure the distance of your bike from the point of the wheel your bike is hanging from and the end of your back tire.

From this measurement you want to add a decent amount of clearance, let’s say 6-8 inches to make sure your bike can hang freely, and so that a slightly bigger bike you might have in the future will as well.

If you opt for a steady rack make sure you account for the mechanism’s movement.

Sometimes, it’s better to stick to a bike rack with fewer moving parts, unless the quality is good. This is to maximize durability as fewer moving parts mean there’s nothing to break.

You might want to position your bike rack in an area to allow for storage underneath so you have to take that into consideration, or for overhead storage. 

Basically, install your garage ceiling or wall bike mount with enough clearance for your back tire to not hit the ground.

The most important thing is to keep a wall mount plumb so that it looks good. This means vertical trueness, VS being level which is horizontal trueness. For this, you can use a handheld level, a small magnetic level (just watch out for scratches), or for more serious DIY’ers you can whip out your laser level like the DeWalt green laser  for a hands-free leveling experience!

Bike mounted on wall

Conclusion

If you haven’t already got a bike wall mount you have to read my review and find out what’s best! Otherwise enjoy a tidy garage with your pride and joy neatly hanging on your wall so as to not scratch your car.

If you use your bike less frequently or if you are a little tighter on available space in your garage then consider looking at my ceiling bike rack recommendations for an effortless bike storage idea.

And lastly, a garage is the practical place for most people to store their bicycle, however for some they want their pride and joy in their room, or on their tiny house ceiling. The same methods apply to any wall or ceiling space.

If you haven’t yet got a garage bike wall mount you can find out my best recommendation here.

How helpful was this?

Click to rate it!

Glad to hear this helped you! Please dont forget to follow Banging Toolbox on

Facebook or Pinterest

Feedback required:

Sounds like this can be improved for the next reader.

Please share how this article can be improved?

Share Tweet Share Share Share Email
Builder and Editor at bangingtoolbox.com
Aaron Barnett

My name is Aaron, and welcome to Bangingtoolbox.

As a qualified builder and DIY’er, my goal with Banging Toolbox is to provide the #1 building and DIY resource on the internet for my readers.

I’m here to show people how to start DIY, and to help qualified professionals take building to the next level.

Feel free to have a look around, and don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, you can find out more about me here.

You may also like:

  • On the racks: The best garage bike wall mount
  • Raise the roof: The best bike hangers for garage ceiling
  • The best garage floor bike stands [For mountain and road bikes]
  • How men can be productive when bored or stuck at home
  • How to use a laser level | Tips DIY and building
  • How to design a tiny house [Recommended free design software]
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Banging Toolbox footer logo

Don’t be the best builder, be the informed DIY’er, and build on your own useful projects.

Find out more

Go-after real-tool-analysis:
 
Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow View
 

Building guides Tool guides Read the blog Ask for help?

 

 

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Complaints and Returns
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Safety

Office number: (323) 553 5452
Support: [email protected]

DMCA.com Protection Status

Copyright © 2021 by Banging Toolbox
wpDiscuz

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy