Northern California - How do you use this contraption?

I'm looking for a cheapie but good, folding workstand and ran across this. The price is right but I can't figure out what would go where. I already have a workstand but it's large and fixed and takes up a ton of real estate so I'll sell it and pick up a folding model. This HF stand would fit the bill if I could figure out how to use it.

Does anyone know of another workstand that's inexpensive and folds?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98579

I don't have first hand experience, but it looks like you put the bottom bracket in the center (top of the triangle) and the arm holds the downtube steady.

It uses the same principals as the Performance Spin Doctor Essential.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24377&subcategory_ID=4216

The bottom bracket sits on the center joint, the down tube held by the bracket on the left side. There're a couple small arms (you can see them between the left bracket and the center joint) that can rotate and extend to the left (in the picture) to keep the front wheel/fork/handlebars straight.

It's not the strongest design but it work fine for most jobs unless you have a loose cable going below the bottom bracket like on many rear suspension mountain bikes. For a road bike it's no problem.

The product manual is linked on that Harbor Freight product page. In the manual, there is a somewhat decent pic of a bike mounted up. As the others have said, it looks like it supports the bike by the bottom bracket and downtube.

Tom

Thanks guys!

make sure to try it on your bike first if you can. I tried out the one sold by performance linked by gpelpel and it didn't work for my bike. My cranks would be stopped (not enough clearance) by the fastening nut on the spring loaded part of the clamp. So it held the bike fine, but I couldn't turn the cranks through the gears, so any shifting issues couldn't be fixed with the cranks I use.

I posted a review on the performance site mentioning this issue and it never posted though.

Can't turn the cranks? Talk about useless!

At $29.99 you're getting what you pay for lol

Every time I see this thread I can't help but read it as "How do you use this contraception?"

That requires pictures to explain

make sure to try it on your bike first if you can. I tried out the one sold by performance linked by gpelpel and it didn't work for my bike. My cranks would be stopped (not enough clearance) by the fastening nut on the spring loaded part of the clamp. So it held the bike fine, but I couldn't turn the cranks through the gears, so any shifting issues couldn't be fixed with the cranks I use.

I posted a review on the performance site mentioning this issue and it never posted though.

I had one of the 1st generation one of those "Spin Doctor Essential" stands. It worked well except the plastic part that held the downtube down broke. I returned the five year old stand and got a replacement 2nd generation Spin Doctor Essential stands and it sure does have the problem described by citizenerased. It might work for MTBs that have a wide Q-Factor but it wouldn't allow a narrow Q-Factor crank to spin past the tightening knob.