Strider Bike Stand

This exactly a necessary project, but it was a great first building project for my son. At two years old I knew I would need to get creative. The end result is that my son and I had a great time and he now has a place to park his little bike. So all in all it's a win.

Materials:

Length of 1" thin wall PVC pipe
File
1" PVC corners X4
Tubing cutter, or not. More on that later.

A couple 2" lengths were used to attach the corner pieces for the front and back. A smaller diameter would probably have worked better by allow the sides to ride closer to the wheel. However, 3/4" fittings were double the price of 1" fittings. Can see what it looks like between the little man there and his bike.

Part of the reason I chose this project for my son is that I knew I could allow him to file on the PVC pipe without injuring himself. Too badly that is. I parent under the philosophy that if you never bang your knuckles you never learn about acceptable risks.

Next I measured from the axle nut of the bike to the ground, subtracting the 1 1/8" to account for how far the leg will fit in the fitting. Coming up with about 3 1/2"

The final step was easy enough. I mocked the two end pieces with their feet attached against the wheel. If you've ever had two year for a helper, you can sympathize with the frustration I encountered have the little hold the bike upright so I could do so. The distance between the two pieces and the addition of 2 1/4" gave me the 11" I needed to bridge the two.

Was it necessary? No. Is it going to alter someones life? Absolutely not. But it was great fun to share some time with my son and introduce him to creating something that didn't exist before. Before my son and I picked up the tools began to work, his little bike stand did not exist and would not have existed had we not cut and measured and fit. And now he has a place to park his bike, of which he is SO proud, upright.

You'll notice his Google themed glasses which he received at the Bay Area Maker Faire 2016. I like to think that is some parenting done right.

Lessons Learned:

Little kids love tools. Not a big surprise. The thin walled PVC pipe did not cut well. It flexed far to much it the ratcheting cutter I purchased for this little project. I used the thin walled stuff because, well, it's a kids bike. And it was $2 instead of 4. Knowing what I do now, I would have either used thick wall tubing or with the cutter or switched to a hacksaw for the thin wall stuff.

Best lesson, let kids bust their knuckles once in a while.