Bicycle Mechanics - Park Tool PRS-20

My LBS has one for sale. My last workstand got jacked while I went inside the house to answer the phone with my garage was open. They're selling it for only 130 + tax since it has some cosmetic blemishes (scratches, demo model). Is it any good? I could get a regular clamp on Park Tool model for about the same price at another lbs.

http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/spr_PRS-20_4_200589_74914.jpg

I've never seen anyone with this design. It's totally different from a clamp on design. I don't know if the clamp on model is better or not but its what I'm used to and it works/

Many Euro race teams use this style stand, so it must work.

I've been using one for about two years. I have been very happy with the stand. Holds the bike well and has held up well. If your worried about clamping your cf seat post, or don't have enuf seat post showing to clamp, then this stand is a great choice. The bigest drawback I found is that you can't rotate the bike. I like to keep the front end low when working on headsets or adjusting the rear der. You don't get that option with this stand.

I don't have one, but wonder what the hassle factor would be... you have to remove the front wheel every time you use it. Also, what do you do if you want to work on the front brakes or something that needs the front wheel in place? Can you reverse it in the stand and use the rear wheel dropouts to clamp to? Still gotta take off a wheel...

I gotta say, the traditional style stand is fantastic in one other way: you can hang the bike up off the ground by hooking the front of the seat over the protruding arm of the traditional stand. Gets it up for quick maintenance, and things like checking tires after a ride. My bike pretty much lives there between rides.

I wonder how much of a "hassle factor" really exists. It takes all of thirty seconds to remove a front wheel with a ratchet (if you have a nutted setup) or about five seconds if you have QR.

Seems like a good deal to me. If I felt I needed it, I'd leap at it.

If you have a reason you don't want to clamp your bike (scared of clamping carbon, seat post too short, or whatever) then this is probably the best stand on the market (imo). Otherwise you would probably be better off with a more traditional stand.

Time removing front wheel = time raising seat to clamp on seatpost.