Never. Stop. Anal. Compulsing.

Back in December, I was still settling things into our new house.  I was very... well just kinda stoked about this:

For something less than $20, I had a perma-bike wash station.  Something I'd always wanted, but as a "renter," never wanted to invest my time or money on knowing I'd have to tear it down at some point.

It was far from perfect.  The fence leans out, which means the bike wants to wander off the end if I get too aggressive with my washings (like spinning the cranks to clean the chain).  Resting the bike on the strapped-on tube kinda squarshed the contents around.  Not really thinking about it, I managed to toss my shit once on a ride because I never considered the stuff shifting while washing the bike.   Doh.  Also, the angle everything hung at was just awkward.

But it basically worked.

Still, I kept my eye open for a better option.

And then there was one.

I saw it in a Bike Tumor article.  The Buzz Rack for $40.

My plan was to hack off the top portion and hose clamp it to the useless satellite dish pole in my backyard that I never bothered to dig out of the ground.  You have to buy them from Amazon (WTF?), and I think I waited too long because a day after the Bike Tumor article posted, they were sold out and only available on eBay... for a 33% markup from retail.   I guess someone saw the value being offered here and decided to do some profiteering.  In my looking for ideas for a stand for washing my bike, I came across all manner of monstrosities on Pinterest and MTBR.com using pipe clamps, PVC pipe, lumber, etc.   All trying to come up with something way cheaper than $150 for a real stand.  This stand (although not being very versatile) woulda cost as much as a pile of PVC pipe... until someone bought them out (I think).

Update:  They are back in stock for $40 on Amazon, but somebody is still selling them on eBay... for $74?!?!

But anyways, Buzz Rack had another option that was intended for storage, but still had a practical way to "grab" the bike... and after I scratched my head...

done.

It's super stupid simple.

And it doesn't touch my strapped-on gear.

I didn't bother snapping a photo, but the whole thing folds up so it can sit a little more protected from the weather under the shed's roof.  Their image should suffice:

I'm not sure if you care for my personal stoke.  My anal compulsion drives me in such manners, and I don't know who else possibly shares my affinity for a proper place to wash their bikes.  My car, on the other hand, hasn't been washed in months... because that's a waste of time IMHOMO.

BUT...

If you're looking for a cheaper option to hang your bike whilst hosing off the crusties (necessary for those that keep their bikes in the living room, bedroom, and hanging above the office space), this is the best option I've come across yet.

BTW:  This wouldn't work very well if I couldn't mount it to the corner of my shed.  It doesn't hold the bike far enough away from a wall to clear my bars, so obvs its usefulness could be limited by your location options.  It also doesn't allow you to tilt the bike like the Topeak Solo, which I'm using for for my beer fetcher bike, because otherwise it would never fit in the back of the tiny kitchen...

so... whatever.