sirkoondog

I live in a smallish apartment and have been bringing my bike down to the LBS for basic tuneups throughout the riding season. But since its starting to get cold, I am much inclinced to learn how to work and maintain my bike this offseason. I got the chain cleaner as my first tool and it worked great, albeit a bit messy. thankfully, i laid down some old cardboard and tarp under the bike. It was a pain in the ass trying to clean the chain while the bike was leaning against the wall. I found 2 repair stands on amazon that i am considering. Obviously, I am just starting out, but I would prefer to get a repair stand that would last me many years. Is there any benefit in spending the extra $$ for a fork mount stand vs a clamp. I have narrowed it down to the Venzo brand stand at amazon. The have a clamp and a fork mount. ($90 vs $120)

Also, would it make sence to pay up 2x for the brand name versions? (park tool, pedro, etc)

SSRI

The fork mount is more stable.
I used a clamp mount for years( nashbar ), you will need to be careful carbon and thin tubing bikes (ie cannnodales)

I am currently using one from feedback, the rotation feature is a great.

Feedback Sports Sprint Work Stand | Competitive Cyclist

BoSoxYacht

other than professional shop workstands, this one from Performance is the best I've ever used, and it has a lifetime guarantee.

Spin Doctor Pro G3 Work Stand

WalksOn2Wheels

For straight repairs, I feel like a seatpost clamp stand is easier. With a fork mount stand, you can't adjust the front brake in the stand (no wheel to set it up on) and running cables under the BB can be a hassle because it's resting on the support. That said, I actually prefer a fork mount stand for home use because it's AWESOME for cleaning the bike. That alone is worth the trade off for me. But in an apartment, a folding clamp mount stand would make the most sense to me, and it will save you some money for the moment.

I don't think there is a HUGE advantage to buying name brand at this level. The name brand stuff offers very similar stands at higher prices. Only the much more expensive ones will have significantly nicer clamps, more metal construction, etc.

Also, I really hate to be "that guy" but the chain cleaner was a waste of money. Get some good lube, oil the crap out of the chain, wipe off excess. If your chain is REALLY dirty, hitting it directly with cleaner from an aerosol can (White Lightning Clean Streak is my favorite), and then wiping clean is good enough. Follow with a liberal amount of lube and wipe off the excess. In the end, this is much less of a hassle than dumping cleaner into a geared cleaner that still gets crap everywhere.

seymour1910

Yup. This stand is great. I got mine on sale at my local Performance for $120. No coplaints at all.

rmfnla

I've almost always either worked in a shop or known someone in one who would let me work on my bike there, so I've been spoiled.

Times have changed and I've been using my trainer to do tune-ups and repairs for a while now.

It works but it's getting old; might be time to look into one of those...

FeltF2Tarmac

I use the Feedback Sprint and its everything I need. I did look at the Spin Dr and almost went with that one but have some issues with clamping carbon. I was going to buy an alloy post to swap in for servicing. Not an option with Di2and internal battery though.

seymour1910

I bet you coud get a very fine discount Thanksgiving weekend.

BoSoxYacht

There's no issue with clamping carbon. The problem comes when you clamp down on carbon frames like a ham-fisted moron.

I work with a CF framebuilder, and we clamp CF frames regularly without any problems.

FeltF2Tarmac

Just a personal preference. Overly cautious maybe but I have been that way forever.

rjones28 

I use this one at home...https://www.feedbacksports.com/shop/...ht-work-stand/


As to where to clamp a bike, I always use the seatpost. I'm not ham-fisted, but I figure seatposts are cheaper to replace than frames if one gets carried away with the clamp.

RoadGuy

I went with the Park Tools PCS-10 after years of personal debate. The heavy steel frame is comforting when I'm wrenching, the ability to rotate the bike as necessary is useful, and the ability to clamp where ever necessary is great.

I chose not to go with the bottom bracket support stand for the reasons already pointed out by others (can't work on under bottom bracket cabling, can't work on the front wheel mounted on the bike, and can't work on the front brakes). Seems to me like half the stuff you want/need to work on is not available when using this type of stand.

I do suspect that under heavy wrenching (R&R bottom bracket), the bottom bracket support repair stand might be more stable than a clamping repair stand, BUT I put the bike on the ground when I really need to gorilla wrench, and I suspect that I would do the same thing no matter which type of repair stand I had.

As far as working on your bike in an apartment, I'd suggest that you make it a practice to deploy a tarp under the bike stand and the surrounding area if you expect to get your deposit back when leaving the apartment. The crud that coming off a bike when servicing is going to permanently stain whatever flooring is under the stand, and the apartment management is not going to like that.

Wheever

I went with the PCS-10, and it's great, but for the fact that it's ridiculously heavy. In many ways I wish I'd gone with something lighter for the sake of ease of transport, but this thing is so stable and strong, and I don't think an aluminum stand would be quite so confidence-inspiring.

SSRI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3M1pxv2gRw

The first time I saw the Feedback Repair stand was in a GCN video, I had to research it before I ID the stand. the spinning feature totally sold me.

rousseau

Fork mount. Always. It's just way better than the ones you clamp your seat tube or seat post onto. Like others have said, you can spin your bike around, which is amazing, and nothing gets in the way of the work you want to do. You never have to bother with the need to stabilize the front fork, as that's a built-in feature.

Another cool thing with the fork mounted repair stand is that you can lift the rear end up with one hand and do a proper cleaning/inspection of the underside of the bottom bracket and the chainstays.

BoSoxYacht

So if this is true, please explain why every bike shop uses a tube clamp style.

kingston 

I think I got mine for right around $100 with some combination of on sale and performance points. It's not as nice as the feedback stands mentioned here, but a lot cheaper and has served me well for several years.

goenrdoug

I have this one and it works well: BIKE HAND Cycling Tools, Bicycle Tools Manufacturer

I have formerly used the similar Park stand (extended loan) and this one is on par, quality-wise.

rousseau

I'm far more impressed by the fact that the pro mechanics use the fork mount stands exclusively. Bike shops always seem to have tiny work areas without much room to maneuver in, so the spinning feature wouldn't be of any use. I think they'd also find removing the front wheel to be an annoyance.

The pro mechanics do a standardized maintenance regimen on the same bikes every day, which is what I do (not every day, of course). Bike shop mechanics are sitting ducks taking on all comers, so getting any and every bike into and out of a seatpost clamp as quickly as possible would seem to be optimal in their circumstance.

BoSoxYacht

Thanks for posting. Your opinions are always amusing.

rousseau

Normally I'm only amusing when I'm trying to be. I don't understand what was so fall down funny in what I wrote. It's based on what two different bike shop owners have told me about their workstand preferences, and it seems to stand to reason, from what I can tell.

BoSoxYacht

First it was based on what some team mechanics use, but now your opinion is based on what you've heard from 2 shop owners.

I find that amusing.

GlennR

I have a Feedback Sports stand and it's fine with carbon frames. It spins around easily and stays in place when i let go.

kingston 

I thought it was good explanation.

Do a google image search on "pro team bicycle mechanic" and look at what kind of stands they are using.

I still prefer a regular clamping stand for my personal use because I have a dozen or so bikes in my household and none of them are carbon fiber race bikes, so I'm more like a typical bike shop mechanic than a pro team mechanic.

rpenmanparker 

Exactly. Tube clamp for the win. The Park PCS 9 is cheaper than the 10 and just as good.