Work Stands

[PaulSB]

I took a cycle maintenance course this week end which boosted my mechanical confidence significantly.

I'm planning to do far more of my own maintenance and a quality stand seems a wise investment.

The one from Edinburgh Cycles looks a good investment. Can anyone comment on this and are there suggestions for other makes to chose or avoid? Any particular features to look out for?

Thanks

[Valbrona]

a) If you are from Edinburugh Cycles that is a good sales pitch.
b) If you are not you maybe assume that people know what the Edinburgh Cycles workstand is actually like, assuming EC only market one type of workstand.

[gentlegreen]

I paid extra for the posh version of the Park tools stand - the one with the cam clamp - the EC one looks like it may be a screw clamp... The Park tools one looks quite a bit beefier - it took me three days to bring it home from work on my bike.

It's made all the difference to maintaining my bike, but it's not that brilliant - not least because I still have to hoik my heavy bike up onto it - but I rarely seriously try to orient the bike in different directions ... and I always seem to forget about the oily chainwheel ...

It suits me while I'm having to fix my bike outside, but as soon as I have a garage / barn (by which time I will also be 60 years old), I will set myself up with a variety of options and an electric hoist will form a key part.

[PaulSB]

a) If you are from Edinburugh Cycles that is a good sales pitch.
b) If you are not you maybe assume that people know what the Edinburgh Cycles workstand is actually like, assuming EC only market one type of workstand.

First I apologise if I have upset you in someway. Though I can't imagine how. I read a review elsewhere of a stand from EC, they do only sell one as far as I am able to ascertain and, wrongly I now know, assumed it was there own brand.

Secondly I'm a cyclist and CTC member with a genuine query. I have nothing to do with EC.

This is the second time I've received a scratchy reaction from a member here for no apparent reason. Not very welcoming and not a great advert for CTC.

Perhaps civility wouldn't go amiss?

[PaulSB]

Thank you GG

[willcee]

hi, welcome here, i use Park, and another type both good, but not absolutely perfect, but any decent stand will usually be suitable for home self maintenance of your bike, very few are much use where one is fighting with removal of a bottom bracket esp if its been in the frame for some while, many modern cyclists use them mainly to assist in the cleaning and lubing of their machines, changing wheels punctures and such saves defiling the sti levers bar tape etc .. the area of problem ime is where the stand manufacture says on their bumph to only clamp the seat post, i don't always use this method even on carbon frames but i'm careful of not using a high clamp force on anything lightweight tubed ..even steel, if you know what i mean try serving up a heavyish fully equipped tourer by the seat post, its practically a two man job!!! there's a lot of expert and very experienced practical advice within this forum , sometimes best not to be annoyed by folk who mean no harm and really all they are seeking is in my view to narrow down which stand you are referring to.. will

[Valbrona]

My apologies Paul for being awkward. This pic might help assuming it's the one you are interested in

[Jay Gee]

I have the one in valbrona's picture. Does the job well in my opinion, though I haven't used anything else to compare it to.

[alicat]

The Edinburgh Cycle Coop own brand Revolution Tune Up Stand as shown in Valbrona's photo is a great stand but wait until it is on offer. I got it at £49 about five years ago. I would jib at the current price of just shy of £90.

[andrew_s]

I apologise if I have upset you in someway. Though I can't imagine how.

I should just write it off as grumpiness.

However, you posted asking for advice.
You will get more/quicker replies if you post a link to what you are asking about (and check the link works).
If you don't, a fair proportion of potential responders will just move on to the next topic (like I did at about 16:15), rather than googling. A link would also help keep the replies focussed on what you asked about rather than other similar items.

[keyboardmonkey]

After making do for a bit too long with a broom handle slung between two garden chairs I put towards a birthday present for me and got one of these:

Park Tool PRS-20 work stand with mudguard bike

(The Park Tool PRS-20 work stand doesn't clamp the frame - that mattered to me as I have a bike with a carbon frame.)

Not cheap, so a bit indulgent, but just about any job is made a pleasure rather than a chore. Heavy, but stable and the platform can be spun round. Elite do a similar work stand at a lower price.

My only concern was that the front mudguard could snag against the support beam. Any longer and it would have (I have since fitted a homemade flap that folds up when necessary). Recommended.

[[XAP]Bob]

After making do for a bit too long with a broom handle slung between two garden chairs I put towards a birthday present for me and got one of these:

(The Park Tool PRS-20 work stand doesn't clamp the frame - that mattered to me as I have a bike with a carbon frame.)

Not cheap, so a bit indulgent, but just about any job is made a pleasure rather than a chore. Heavy, but stable and the platform can be spun round. Elite do a similar work stand at a lower price.

My only concern was that the front mudguard could snag against the support beam. Any longer and it would have (I have since fitted a homemade flap that folds up when necessary). Recommended.

Can you fettle the front wheel in that at all?

[keyboardmonkey]

Can you fettle the front wheel in that at all?

It's fiddlier than a frame clamp work stand, but you remove the rear wheel, turn the bike around and fasten the rear dropouts in to the wider drop out QR.

Oh, but then you might want to buy the handlebar holder to stop the front end flopping about! You can easily make do with a bit of coat hanger or a bit of bungie cord or something, though.

[Brucey]

....Any particular features to look out for?...

If you are starting out I'd suggest that you get a bunch of decent tools before getting a workstand. For routine fettling, pretty much anything that gets the wheels off the ground will be good enough. Slinging the bike from hooks above (eg just hooking the saddle over a horizontal beam) will do fine, for example. Plenty of bike shops use that kind of arrangement.

If you do buy a workstand, getting one that packs down small and easy is a great idea. You will find that they all have feet that you can trip over (if they are free-standing). Tool trays are a good idea too.

Most workstands only really let you do about half of all the jobs you might need to do on a bike, anyway. For the others you may lack good access or the reaction forces into the bike (where it is clamped) are liable to become excessive. So cranks, pedals, tight track nuts, bottom brackets, knocking out headsets etc are all jobs that are best done out of the stand anyway; quite a few frames have been damaged or destroyed in workstands by people who used a bit too much force when doing jobs like this.

cheers

[thidwick]

I never had a bike workstand until I considered that my knees hurt when kneeling down, and my back ached when bending down.... so I reached the age where a bike workstand became a really attractive idea.
I bought one (new) on ebay for about £50 or £60, and wished I'd bought one ages ago. It has a frame clamp. and screw threads rather than cams for tightening, but it does have a tool tray with a magnet (for those pesky washers and ball bearings). It also has an extension thingy for holding the front wheel (bars or forks) straight.
It lives, assembled, in the (carless) garage, and is a convenient parking place (hanging place) for one of the bikes.

I would say the desirability and usefulness of a bike workstand is in direct proportion to (cyclists age in excess of 35 years).