Making a Surfboard Rack for Your Bike - Part 2

Let's crack on with the actual rack construction. The first thing you need to do is cut the tee pieces to the correct shape. Check where the cables are on the frame of the bike and cut the pieces to allow for that. Using the hacksaw, cut about 1/3" to 3/8" of the circumference out of the top part of your PVC tees. The cut should be far enough that the tee will snap over the frame of the bike. (NB: For safety you should secure the PVC pieces in a Vice so you can cut them without getting your hands in the way. This will also make it easier to cut a much straight, better looking cut.) The diagram below illustrates where you should be cutting.

Cutting the Tee Pieces to Size

Check if you have cut away enough by trying to snap it onto the frame. (Don't use a tiny hacksaw like the one in the diagram. It's only for illustration purposes you know.  There's no need to take these things literally!)

• If you've not cut enough away and can't get it onto the frame, it's back to the garage. You'll need to cut some more.


• If the cut is over half way through the cross section, the tee piece will not stay on by itself. But not to worry — the hose clips will keep it on.


• Don't worry if the tee pieces only fit very loosely; you can pad it later. (Which we recommend! See below.)

Now you can secure your tee pieces into their final places. Doing this now will make it a lot easier to measure out the pieces in the following steps. If there is room on the inside of the tee pieces, we recommend filling them with a strip of bicycle inner tubing or similar. This will protect the paintwork of your bike, and it will also prevent the tee pieces from sliding down the frame when they have been tightened down. Use two hose clamps for each tee piece, one at the top and one at the bottom. Tighten the hose clamps, making sure that the tee pieces are 90 degrees to the frame. (i.e. your rack will stick out at a right angle to the bike.)

Measuring the Pieces

The next thing is to measure the distance for pedal clearance. With the tee pieces in place, measure the distance from the stop position inside the tees (the raised edge on the inside of the tees) to the outside edge of the pedal. Add two inches to this measurement. You now have the length of PVC pipe you need for the horizontal part of the arm. Cut two pieces of pipe using this measurement. Once these pieces have been cut, insert them into the tee pieces. You're now ready for the next measurement.

Horizontal Arm Measurement

Now we measure the length for the inside vertical section. The length of the inside vertical pipes should be half the width of your board plus 3 inches. (Perhaps make them a little larger if you have a very wide board.) You also need to make sure that any difference in the height of the tee pieces from the ground (when attached to it) are taken into account to make the bottom horizontal pieces sit at the same level.

While the bike is standing upright, measure the distance from the bottom of each horizontal arm to the ground. If there is a difference, you need to ensure that the two inside vertical pipes are different in length by this amount.

Once you've cut your pieces to the right length, add an elbow to each horizontal arm (the ones attached to the tee pieces) and insert the correct inside vertical into the elbow. Add an elbow onto the bottom of each tube. Have a quick check to make sure that the bottom of the surf rack will be level. If there is more than a little difference in length, it's a good idea to cut the longer vertical section down to match correctly.

We're now half way through the rack construction. Next up: Completing the Surf Bike Rack - Part 3 >>

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