Standing bike with no fork

[figbat]

Are there any wise tips out there for leaving a bike standing without a fork on? I need to service the seals in my MTB fork - never done it before but now I have time and evening light to have a go. However I only have one work stand - I'd like to use it to hold the fork whist I work on it, meaning the bike will have to sit around waiting for the fork to be done. Is there a clever tip to do this? I wondered about, for example, using a garden broom or rake up the steerer tube with a suitable stop half-way up. I don't have a workshop or large amount of space in the garage or shed to work, so the bike will have to sit and wait, out of the way but taking up as little space as possible. If the weather holds I can use the patio as a work station for doing the fork (if not, the living room is looking tempting).

 

[Milkfloat]

Can you not simply rest it on the ground or even hang it up?

 

[figbat]

Hang it up: not easily; the garage has no rafters, just a featureless, plastered ceiling. I guess I could rig up some kind of hanging frame.
Rest it on the ground: I was worried about stability and damage to the chainring and/or steerer tube. I suppose I might be able to rest it on a pedal if the crank was at the vertical, but again, stability.

I may be over-thinking this (it's a curse).

 

[matticus]

Upside-down? i.e. with the saddle and the back-wheel (rack??) as the only contact with the ground? (I've never tried this!)

 

[MontyVeda]

Upside-down? i.e. with the saddle and the back-wheel (rack??) as the only contact with the ground? (I've never tried this!)

Careful now... I seem to recall a thread many moons ago about the dangers of putting a bike upside down.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I may be over-thinking this (it's a curse).

This you are. Just put it down, flat on the floor, out of harm's way. That may or may not be another room.

 

[Globalti]

The best place to store a bike is on the spare bed. Cover with a duvet or clean sheet to keep the dust off.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Strap it to back of a car and drive it to a beauty spot? Then get to work on the fork whilst enjoying a nice view.🤔

 

[wafter]

There should be an obvious elegant solution to this (I too considered brooms up the head tube) but if there is I can't think of it

 

[Shadow121]

Maybe cut a piece of clean wood down at one end to fit in where the fork came out,
leave it long enough to reach to floor with the bike levelle.

 

[Shadow121]

Could you put it on a bike rack, cover over it to keep rain out of head tube.

 

[roadrash]

just lay it down out of the way,

 

[Globalti]

But don't trip over it!

 

[figbat]

just lay it down out of the way,

Trouble is, there is no “out of the way” - hence wanting to keep it upright to minimise footprint.
@Shadow121 may have nailed it - I have a tow-hitch bike rack that I could stand on the floor to hold it up.

 

[roadrash]

so you have nowhere to put the bike but you have somewhere to put the bike rack AND bike,