Check out this Euro-stye bike stand.
 

Link from an ebay sale (ended).
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bicycle-Bike-Rep...QQcmdZViewItem
Pretty nice I've never seen a stand like that.
I already have a home-made seatube stand but I think this would be better. I think I'll make one myself with a higher basket and some more adjustability.

i think park makes one similar to that.seems like a good idea for a home repair stand (it'll take up less room). i couldn't see using one all day long in a shop environment, unless you could make it a little higher.

The basket looks flimsy and is too low to be useful for parts and tools.

It's useless for headset and front brake work.

The thing that would bother me about that stand is that the BB just sits on it. When you are cranking the drivetrain for adjustments it would be just grinding against the paint on the bottom of your BB. Why ruin a nice paint job? This is the main reason I prefer a repair stand that supports the bike from the seatpost. If you have some fancy seatpost then you can get a cheapo to use for the repair stand. Your frame and fork are never in any contact with the stand this way. I've got several frames that are at least $1K and no seatposts that are more than $200. This makes the decision easy (for me).

ahem...

the one in the auction could probably be set up to hold it by the rear drop-outs too.

Yeh, you're probably right. But please explain to me how you do drive train adjustments - the thing that repair stands are most useful for - with the rear wheel removed? Also, the brace (?) on the Ebay stand that supports the BB tube does not appear to be vinyl coated like the Park -20 stand is. At least Park considered the paint wear problem.

I really don't like those. One of the LBSs I go to uses them. They are a pain as you need to squat down on the floor to work on the bike. The few times I've used one I hated it. All the rest of the LBSs here use Park or some other adjustable kind of stand.

I recently bought a simple and cheap bike stand.
It's actually great. Takes up very little space when folded. It's very sturdy and stable.

The only problem is that you can't get to the underside of the bottom bracket shell, and in the case of bikes such as my LHT which has a third bottle cage mount, nothing can be mounted on the lower side of the downtube, as it rests on the downtube.

It cost me the equivalent of US$35.

http://www.biltema.se/Archive/Produc...e/27-275_h.jpg

I don't really understand the hate for these stands from the peeps who claim that you can't do any headset or brake work with such stands.
1- First thing is that even if you have a traditional tube clamp type stand, it is easier, faster, and more efficient to do headset adjustments and front brake adjustments OUT of the stand. Any seasoned mechanic knows that.
2- Second, these stands that clamp to the front fork make life soooooo much easier when doing shifting installation/maintenance and rear brake since the handlebars are sooooo much more stable than compared to a traditional tube clamp stand.

There is a reason why when given the choice between a clamp type stand or a stand that clamps onto a fork, the seasoned mechanic will choose the latter, even in race and bike shop conditions.

Headset adjustments are better done with the bike on the ground but headset installation and maintenance can't be done that way. Brake adjustments can be easily done with the bike in a stand as long as the wheel is in place.

True but there are fork/handlebar stabilizers that accomplish the same thing in a traditional clamp stand. I have one and it works fine.

You have that right. European team mechanics do prefer this type of repair stand which is why Park developed and sells one. Apparently Postal/Discovery team mechanics requested it since Park is one of their sponsors.

Sure you can. A seasoned mechanic showed me this technique. With the rear wheel in place and the bike out of the stand. Straddle the bike, with the rear wheel behind you, and using your legs to hold the top and down tubes, install the headset using any headset press. I like the Park headset press b/c of the quick release mechanism. I can do it faster this way and as good as anybody using a set tube clamp stem.


I had one of those. They hold at the handlebar and top tube. Still, an add-on accessory that is not as strong holding as the race-type stands that clamp the front fork. I still think the so-called "Euro" stand is more stable and I prefer it. You can walk around the left and right sides of the bike. Easier access. Greater stability. But, to each his own. I've had a nice nice Park shop quality stand and switched to the Park Race stand that clamps at the front fork. I'll never go back to the old way.

super stand
 

A picture of one of the US Postal Cycling Team mechanics working on the Park stand that clamps to the front fork.

http://www.velonews.com/images/tech/6678.8641.f.jpg

Well, that way you turn yourself into a work stand. :) I suppose it works but it sure seems awkward.

An alternative, using the "Euro" workstand, is to clamp the rear dropouts into the stand so the front end is free to work on. How come you didn't suggest that? :)

HAhaha! Because I'm real OLD school. That's seriously how I do it. I totally forgot that you can use the wider clamps on the Park race stand to do headset installations. :o hehe. no biggie, I can do it doggie style my way just as fast.

Oh now I know they are called Euro-style stands >.<
I work on bikes with these stands hahaha and prefer them over the seatpost-clamp style.

I find the seatpost-clamp stand a little too "wobbly" when doing derailleur tuning compared to having the BB shell grounded and the front fork locked down.

My $0.02

Cheers

i really like the park european style stand. this stand is my favorite stand.. it is way nicer than the common clamp style stands we use in the shop...

it holds bikes far more solidly than the clamp stands and it actually places them higher as well
(only clamping on seatposts allowed in the shop!)
the height is also easily adjustable, unlike the clamp stands

i also find it much more convenient for work on the drivetrain as you can work with the rear wheel installed or even removed for good access when cleaning or whateva

the only drawbacks i noted when first using my stand were easily solved with some simple modifications:

first, this stand is designed to be used with common bike sizes and as such the rear wheel clamp will only handle a small range of dropout spacing.. something like 126-135mm (i forget exactly, basically modern road or mountain)
if you're only working on one or two types of bikes this won't be a problem, but i needed a littel more versatility..
in order to be able to clamp more rear spacings in the stand i replaced the stand's rear quick release axel with a longer (160mm) solid axel.. i use a pair of old hub locknuts to set my desired spacing and i secure the dropouts with the knurled nuts park provided.. also i filed some slots in the axel to accomodate narrow dropouts (like on raleighs with sturmey-archer hubs)
i've found this nutted style of clamping is faster to adjust and use than the original which used a quick release axel..


secondly, the knurled bolt under the bottom bracket cradle which allows the stand to fold was sticking out too far and could hit the chainwheel in certain positions (108mm bb axel).. this meant i had to unscrew the nut and switch it to the other side of the stand each time i wanted to flip the bike around and clamp the front instead of rear wheel.
to get around all this i just got a regular bolt with the same threading to replace the special park knurled bolt.. so now instead of being able to turn the bolt by hand i need an adjustable wrench handy when i want to fold my stand.. no big d!