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25
Joined
11/5/2014
Location
CA
Edited Date/Time
2/13/2026 8:09am
Not sure if this has already been brought up on the forums, didn't see anything so here I am.
Looking to purchase or build a bike wash station in our shop, and after having some sticker shock at pre-built stainless options, I was hoping some other mechanics out there that have done some custom build stuff may have some ideas or suggestions.
Cheapest option, if you have outside access any bike stand (or wall mount) with a hose and good drainage = bike wash station. Maybe set up some branded boarding to deal with over spray.
Internally, go find a kitchen supply store/stainless manufacturer. They will be a lot cheaper than off the shelf options. If you can wall mount, it will be even cheaper as its just a large sheet against the wall that won't need to be structural, just the tub to hold it.
You could repurpose an old urinal if you could find that, I've seen it done before, worked well as it already has the drainage.
How DIY are you willing to go?
200-gallon galvanized stock tank (they usually have drain plugs) ~$200, flexible or oval ceiling curtain track ~$150, heavy duty shower curtain or vinyl sheet and install your own grommets ~$100. Assuming you already have water and a drain you can tie in to.
You can probably find a free or nearly free metal sink on Craisglist/Marketplace/etc. Plumbing to a drain will likely be more work than getting water to the faucets.
Everyone I know who's plumbed hot water to their bike wash raves about how it's the greatest luxury.
I 100% recommend the DIY route. Stainless steel sheet is the nicest water-resistant surface, but aluminum, FRP, acrylic, polycarbonate can all work, as long as you can seal the corners up properly. I'd even consider large format ceramic tile with acrylic grout over a waterproof substrate - get the tile on sale and it will be cheaper than you think. I'd also make it a bit bigger than you think you'll need. An XL enduro bike is almost 2m from tire edge to tire edge, so a 7' wide space would do the trick nicely. I also agree on hot water being absolutely lovely to have when washing a bike.
Thanks a ton guys, got some ideas here.
Our current two options;
A feed basin from a farm being sold "new" for pretty cheap. 8 foot long, drains on both sides, sits about a foot and a half off the floor, so we could use the shower drain we already have and put the basin overtop this. It's not much more expensive than two drums cut in two and welded together.
The other option we're looking at is the DIY tile sort of deal. Greenhouse poly "glass" for the walls as it's cheap for coverage, then do tile for the floor. We're considering doing it on a wooden frame with wheels on the one end and a drain at the other end, so if we need to move shops down the road we may be able to bring it with us.
Will update with whichever way we end up going!
Id go the cattle trough. Its better that its off the floor, less bending down for the staff, easier to clean the mud out of it, just fix it to the wall and run some sheeting over the edge into it from the wall and done
It seems like you guys are talking about inside solutions? I haven't really seen many wash stations inside in my time, but a cheap outside option is laying down some of the brick pavers that have drainage holes, using some small rock in the drainage and for the foundation of the blocks, then fiberglass reinforced plastic to protect whatever building you install it next to would be the cheapest.
Just get a old rack of some sort and your set.
some people seem to have problems understanding the words „in our shop“. do you expect to wash bikes outside in a professional environment!?
Does a bike shop never consist of indoor & outdoor areas? The OP never specified the wash station has to go inside the building. I have seen bike shops with outdoor bike prep, wash, and staging areas. Some are sheltered, some are not.
ever done this when its freezing outside? or in the middle of a big city? my shop is next to one of the busiest train stations in europe, in one if the cleanest cities. no way you wash bikes outside here
how to wash bikes in a proper shop if you are not a cretin and live in a civilized country and don’t treat your employees like dogs:
Consider: other people live in different places.
Exactly. We don't even know where the OP lives. Some of these comments would be laughed at by someone living near the equator or most places South of it.
Snowbelt ass Ontario. It's awful here for 6 months of the year, and there's enough rain to warrant it being indoors even during winter.
That fully tiled room is beautiful but likely so damned far out of what we're prepared to spend. Currently just waiting on management to decide where the money goes, but think feed trough and backsplash is the direction we're heading.
that station feeds 5 work spaces and is 5m away from the work area, so it gets plenty of use. would be overkill for less mechanics
I have never washed my bike inside a building lol
I run my business out of a heated storage space.
The guy who had the space next to me when I first moved in had just gotten divorced so he moved into his storage unit. Very illegal but he needed to make life work. The landlord gave me a "tour" of his space when I was planning to move in to show me the different available floorplans. That's when the landlord learned he was living there and was going to have to warn him/remove him.
He sorted out a shower by building a rectangular frame out of pvc pipe, hung some shower curtains (overlapping each other) from it on all four sides, used some cheap weights to hold the curtains down, and used a feed trough as a tub. The trough was on some 2x4s and he drilled a hole in the bottom to run a pvc pipe out to a drain He hooked a hose up to his faucet when he wanted to shower. Not pretty and not luxurious but it allowed it all to work out.
Scale that up and you might be able to get something functional and low-ish cost. It won't be pretty but it'll work.
It was negative 35 with windchill and 4 inches of snow last week. I cannot stress strongly enough we literally do not live in an area that this makes sense for. I'm glad you can do it outdoors.
That's kind of what we're thinking frame wise. Either scrap 2x4s we have laying around or some pvc piping with a threading tool and some tape. Drape a shower curtain on it.
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