Bike Repair Stands

Ed said:

By "good", I mean one that holds the bike in the normal service positions, and doesn't fall over
while tweeking the bike.

In that case, don't get the one I got. I have the basic Park stand, and it will fall over backwards
if you are not careful. I lust after a better stand, but haven't justified the expense. Yet. It does
allow you to rotate the bike 360 degrees, and the jaw is good, but the height is not adjustable and
it is not adequately stable.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | More people object to wearing fur than leather because it is _`\(,_ | safer to harrass rich
white women than motorcycle gangs. (_)/ (_) |

"Ed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Funny coincidence. I was pricing them at the LBS today. I was kind of
surprised that they are in the cdn$200.00 range. Does that sound right?

David L. Johnson said:

Ed said:

By "good", I mean one that holds the bike in the normal service positions, and doesn't fall over
while tweeking the bike.

In that case, don't get the one I got. I have the basic Park stand, and it will fall over
backwards if you are not careful. I lust after a better stand, but haven't justified the expense.
Yet. It does allow you to rotate the bike 360 degrees, and the jaw is good, but the height is not
adjustable and it is not adequately stable.

I was considering Park, simply because of brand, but that's why I was looking for a comprehensive
review of many stands. Thanks for your input.

The only other style that I see is the Ultimate BRS-70. It has a tripod base that looks more stable,
but I don't know anything about the gripper end.

Ed

Sat, 06 Sep 2003 01:59:01 GMT, <[email hidden]>,

bgaudet0801 said:

Funny coincidence. I was pricing them at the LBS today. I was kind of
surprised that they are in the cdn$200.00 range. Does that sound right?

The Ultimate stand mentioned by Ed was at MEC for awhile. Its wide tripod base is stable but the
clamp and clutch didn't inspire much confidence. It was $195. The Park is $225. (CDN)

Park makes a wide range of stands. Their professional models are the standard many bike shops.
They're priced twice as high as the home mechanic models. Park's best clamp mechanism can be
gotten less expensively by purchasing the wall or bench mounted pro clamps. The base should then
be plenty stable.
--
zk

Ed said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Does anyone know of such a review? If so, where (in the world) is it?

By "good", I mean one that holds the bike in the normal service positions, and doesn't fall over
while tweeking the bike.

Thanks,

Ed

I purchased the Park PCS-4 at PerformanceBike.com a few weeks ago with a 20% off coupon. This bought
the $200 price down to $160 plus shipping.

The stand is rock solid, and the clamp and rotating mechanism are excellent. The new 2003 model is
fully adjustable from 54" to 72", which in my opinion is both not low enough and too high a range. I
would prefer just a bit lower and then find something to sit on while adjusting the der. But this is
not a big problem for me since I can do the same with my Home Depot wall mount, which I use daily
and cost me just $5.

I also liked the more expensive $250, Park PRS-5 Folding Workstand, which folds into a small
carrying case for storage and adjusts from 40" to 60", which in my opinion is a better range.

performancebike.comProfile.cfmOpen ↗

You can try this coupon number 97181207 at checkout, supposedly expires 9/08.

IMHO the tripod models of other manufacturers invite either tripping over the legs or even knocking
the stand over.

Joe

"Ed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Does anyone know of such a review? If so, where (in the world) is it?

Guys...why do you persist in buying those crappy "clamp style" repair stands. Been there, done that
and finally got the Tacx repair stand that looks like a sawhorse which is super stable. Can clamp by
front fork with rear wheel on, can take the rear wheel off, perfect height to work on bikes, folds
flat, comes with a tool tray, has a doohickie thingie so that you can take the rear wheel off and
still run the chain, etc. And it's cheap-they are charging the exact same price as when I bought
mine 2-3 years ago! Take a looky here...this is where I bought mine.
chicagolandbicycle.comtacx workstand.htmOpen ↗

HTH, Cat

Ed said:

Quoted message said:

In that case, don't get the one I got. I have the basic Park stand, and it will fall over
backwards if you are not careful.

Put something heavy across the feet of it and it's OK. Using the deluxe head with the wide jaw
opening (for my recumbent) puts the weight of the bike far enough forward that this isn't necessary.

Quoted message said:

The only other style that I see is the Ultimate BRS-70. It has a tripod base that looks more
stable, but I don't know anything about the gripper end.

Before I got the Park, I had a Wrench Force one. If you attached the bike by the seat post like
you're supposed to, the gripper would turn around until the front wheel rested on the ground. Didn't
matter how hard you tightened the damn thing down either.

The Nashbar stand-by-me stand is good ($14) for just getting the rear wheel off the ground so you
can turn it, say to WD-40 a rain-soaked chain, without turning the bike over and dumping months'
worth of accumulated junk out of the milk crate on the rear rack.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Zoot Katz said:

Sat, 06 Sep 2003 01:59:01 GMT, <[email hidden]>,

bgaudet0801 said:

Funny coincidence. I was pricing them at the LBS today. I was kind of surprised that they are in
the cdn$200.00 range. Does that sound right?

The Ultimate stand mentioned by Ed was at MEC for awhile. Its wide tripod base is stable but the
clamp and clutch didn't inspire much confidence. It was $195. The Park is $225. (CDN)

Park makes a wide range of stands. Their professional models are the standard many bike shops.
They're priced twice as high as the home mechanic models. Park's best clamp mechanism can be
gotten less expensively by purchasing the wall or bench mounted pro clamps. The base should then
be plenty stable.

Unfortunately, I don't have any wall area or bench space for a bike clamp. So, I will have to go
with a free-standing type.

At this point, I'm willing to spend about $150 (US) for a stand. The reason for the post is that
like most bike related purchases, you don't know what you will get (from a performance standpoint)
until you actually buy it. Then, it's usually too inconvenient to undo.

Ed

Joe said:

Ed said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Does anyone know of such a review? If so, where (in the world) is it?

By "good", I mean one that holds the bike in the normal service positions, and doesn't fall over
while tweeking the bike.

Thanks,

Ed

I purchased the Park PCS-4 at PerformanceBike.com a few weeks ago with a 20% off coupon. This
bought the $200 price down to $160 plus shipping.

That's about at my squeek point.

Quoted message said:

The stand is rock solid, and the clamp and rotating mechanism are excellent. The new 2003 model is
fully adjustable from 54" to 72", which in my opinion is both not low enough and too high a range.
I would prefer just a bit lower and then find something to sit on while adjusting the der.

Again, this is the problem. Not having used a reapair stand before, I have no feel for good/bad
height. I do know that now, when I work on my bike on the floor while sitting on a one foot high
stool), I usually can't do what I want, and I end up with a sore back.

Last night, I tried suspending the bike from the beams in the garage. Forgetting the inconvenience
of hanging the bike, the swing factor made it less than ideal. Maybe if I bought a boat anchor to
stabilize the hanging bike, I've have the ideal repair setup.

But this is not a big problem for me since I can do

Quoted message said:

the same with my Home Depot wall mount, which I use daily and cost me just $5.

I also liked the more expensive $250, Park PRS-5 Folding Workstand, which folds into a small
carrying case for storage and adjusts from 40" to 60", which in my opinion is a better range.

Too pricey for me (today)

Quoted message said:

performancebike.comProfile.cfmOpen ↗

You can try this coupon number 97181207 at checkout, supposedly expires 9/08.

IMHO the tripod models of other manufacturers invite either tripping over the legs or even
knocking the stand over.

Back to my original post --- that's why I was hoping that someone had done a compartive review of
today's popular stands.

Ed

Quoted message said:

Joe

Cat Dailey said:

"Ed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Does anyone know of such a review? If so, where (in the world) is it?

Guys...why do you persist in buying those crappy "clamp style" repair stands. Been there, done
that and finally got the Tacx repair stand that looks like a sawhorse which is super stable. Can
clamp by front fork with rear wheel on, can take the rear wheel off, perfect height to work on
bikes, folds flat, comes with a tool tray, has a doohickie thingie so that you can take the rear
wheel off and still run the chain, etc. And it's cheap-they are charging the exact same price as
when I bought mine 2-3 years ago! Take a looky here...this is where I bought mine.
chicagolandbicycle.comtacx workstand.htmOpen ↗

HTH, Cat

Interesting. I had not seen this one before. I did a google on it and got no hits. Apparently it's
only sold at chicagoland.

My only concern with this particular rig is that it looks like it has less flexibility than the
"normal" reapair stands.

Sat AM

OK. So here's what I've learned.

1 - There is no comprehensive bike stand review.

2 - The 2-leg (L-shaped) stands may be unstable, but can be stabilized by weighting down the legs
if needed.

3 - The tripod type stands may be more stable, but you are more likely to trip over the legs. (The
Ultimate brand doesn't seem to get anyone's vote so is probably no good.)

4 - The quality of the gripper (holding power) varies from brand to brand and probably model to
model. There is no good way to know if the gripper end works well until I buy one and try it.
Obviously, I will post the question once I pick a specific model, before I actually buy one.

5 - If/when I get over thinking that I need a repair stand, there are a couple cheaper devices that
make it considerably easier to tweek my bike.

Thanks,

Ed (gone biking)

Quoted message said:

Guys...why do you persist in buying those crappy "clamp style" repair stands. Been there, done that
and finally got the Tacx repair stand that looks like a sawhorse which is super stable. Can clamp
by front fork with rear wheel on, can take the rear wheel off, perfect height to work on bikes,
folds flat, comes with a tool tray, has a doohickie thingie so that you can take the rear wheel off
and still run the chain, etc.

I prefer the ability to rotate the bike for access to the bottom bracket area, etc.

No complaints about my Park Pro stand, though since it was a gift I didn't have to think about
sticker shock.

YMMV, of course.

Chris Neary [email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the
elements I loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

"Zippy the Pinhead" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ed said:

Quoted message said:

In that case, don't get the one I got. I have the basic Park stand,

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

it will fall over backwards if you are not careful.

Put something heavy across the feet of it and it's OK. Using the deluxe head with the wide jaw
opening (for my recumbent) puts the weight of the bike far enough forward that this isn't
necessary.

Quoted message said:

The only other style that I see is the Ultimate BRS-70. It has a tripod base that looks more
stable, but I don't know anything about the gripper end.

Before I got the Park, I had a Wrench Force one. If you attached the bike by the seat post like
you're supposed to, the gripper would turn around until the front wheel rested on the ground.
Didn't matter how hard you tightened the damn thing down either.

I have a WrenchForce too. It's ok for the most part, but I did manage to bend the large adjustment
screw. I straightened it out and haven't had a problem since. But the fact that it did bend would
give me pause to actually recommend this stand. I haven't tried any others.

It's light and stable. I haven't had any problems tightening it up so that the bike stays still. It
cost about $130.00.

M.

"Ed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cat Dailey said:

"Ed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to buy a "good" bike repair stand for home use. I've looked on the web for a
comparitive review of the various stands but can't find any.

Does anyone know of such a review? If so, where (in the world) is it?

Guys...why do you persist in buying those crappy "clamp style" repair stands. Been there, done
that and finally got the Tacx repair stand

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

looks like a sawhorse which is super stable. Can clamp by front fork

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rear wheel on, can take the rear wheel off, perfect height to work on

bikes,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

folds flat, comes with a tool tray, has a doohickie thingie so that you

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

take the rear wheel off and still run the chain, etc. And it's

cheap-they

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

are charging the exact same price as when I bought mine 2-3 years ago!

Take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a looky here...this is where I bought mine. chicagolandbicycle.comtacx workstand.htmOpen ↗

HTH, Cat

Interesting. I had not seen this one before. I did a google on it and got no hits. Apparently it's
only sold at chicagoland.

My only concern with this particular rig is that it looks like it has less flexibility than the
"normal" reapair stands.

Why less flexibility? You can clamp the bike by either the front or rear dropouts. If in the front,
it's really easy to just lift up the whole bike if you need to clean the bottom bracket shell. IF by
the rear, you can run the chain on the spool-thingie and it works great. You can get super amounts
of leverage on it since the whole bike is supported, so if you need to tighten/loosen cranks or
pedals it works great. And it's the perfect height to work on bikes. Need I say more....you wanna
come to my house and try out mine??? :> (AND it's $114!)

HTH, Cat

Cat Dailey said:

Guys...why do you persist in buying those crappy "clamp style" repair stands. Been there, done
that and finally got the Tacx repair stand that looks like a sawhorse which is super stable. Can
clamp by front fork with rear wheel on, can take the rear wheel off, perfect height to work on
bikes, folds flat, comes with a tool tray, has a doohickie thingie so that you can take the rear
wheel off and still run the chain, etc. And it's cheap-they are charging the exact same price as
when I bought mine 2-3 years ago! Take a looky here...this is where I bought mine.
chicagolandbicycle.comtacx workstand.htmOpen ↗

HTH, Cat

Neato. I've been thinking ... off and on ... about how nice it would be to have a stand and how much
I want to avoid spending the $$$ for a pre-built one. The Tacx design lends itself to 2x4
construction. Thanks for the tip!

Michael said:

Quoted message said:

chicagolandbicycle.comtacx workstand.htmOpen ↗

pre-built one. The Tacx design lends itself to 2x4 construction. Thanks

No kidding! Two or three 8' 2x4s, 12 nails, and a $20 fork mount. Hell, even I can afford that!

For that matter, I can just screw a fork mount into...a sawhorse! Of course, I have no place
to put it.

--
Rick Onanian

Cat Dailey wrote:

----cut---

Quoted message said:

Why less flexibility? You can clamp the bike by either the front or rear dropouts. If in the
front, it's really easy to just lift up the whole bike if you need to clean the bottom bracket
shell. IF by the rear, you can run the chain on the spool-thingie and it works great. You can get
super amounts of leverage on it since the whole bike is supported, so if you need to
tighten/loosen cranks or pedals it works great. And it's the perfect height to work on bikes. Need
I say more....you wanna come to my house and try out mine??? :> (AND it's $114!)

HTH, Cat

Maybe this IS the Cat's Meow !!

Ed

Cat Dailey said:

Quoted message said:

My only concern with this particular rig is that it looks like it has less flexibility than the
"normal" reapair stands.

Why less flexibility?

With even my not-so great Park stand, I can easily rotate the bike upside down while it is clamped,
to get at the cable guides (to lube them) or to clean under there. Quite a useful feature.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand _`\(,_ | mathematics. (_)/ (_) |