Built a PVC Bike Rack and Enjoying the Sunshine…

NOTE: I am having issues with a ERROR 400 “Bad Request Error” when uploading my blog with pictures. As soon as I solve this I will add pictures to the blog

Our routine has been delightful as we settle into our daily activities here in Imperial Bonita Estates RV Park. We have been here about 1 1/2 months which leaves us another 1 1/2 months to go and yes. I admit it, I am starting to get a little bit of hitch itch. Nonetheless we continue to enjoy our stay this winter.

One day I was enjoying a late happy hour with a nearby Canadian neighbor named Bob. I noticed Bob had a nifty bike rack made out of PVC pipe on the side of his RV. I looked it over and decided I wanted one too. I looked online and found several examples of larger bike racks but none with plans for a 2 Bike Rack. Finally I basically took the plans Home Depot had online for a three bike rack and converted it into what I wanted.

Twenty seven dollars and change later I had a new bike rack!.I bought two 10 foot pieces of 3/4 inch PVC and rode them home on bicycle. I also purchased the necessary T’s and Elbow joints to complete the project. I measured all the pieces and cut them by setting up a little jig and clamp system to hold down the pieces as I cut them with a hack saw. Yes, there are better ways to do this but it is what I had so I dealt with it.

After I cut all the pieces I used some sand paper to sand the burs off the inside of each piece of PVC pipe. I also used my electric drill with a grinder bit to round the edges of the cut pieces of PVC pipe.With all the pieces prepped it was easy to fit them all together to quickly make this bike stand. Well, it was almost that easy… I measured one side a bit too long and had to had to re-cut those pieces, grind and the re-sand them so they could be used to properly assemble the bike rack.

Pretty cool, we now have that nifty bike rack I wanted which also doubles as a way to block the path of those who felt compelled to cut through our site. Don;t get me started… Anyhow for those of us who have bikes without kickstands this is a great solution for parking bikes upright and not having to lean them on a tree or the picnic table.

Other than little projects we have also made some time to visit the beach and walk miles along its seashore while looking at the seashells, dolphins and birds along the way. We even explored a new brewery in town although it wasn’t all that great. So even though I have hitch itch we are still managing to be productive and find some fun things to do…

NOTE: We are now at our winter site for the season in Bonita Springs, Florida…