72andsunny

What does everybody use to hold up their tandems? Pedro's says their stand will hold my bike as long as I'm on a level surface, though I have my doubts. Also, Nashbar just raised the price to offset the coupon.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

Captain Mike

zonatandem

We use the ULTIMATE workstand. It folds, adjusts in height and really holds the tandem securely. We use their top-of-the-line model; a bit pricier than some, but worth it.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/Zonatandem

galen_52657

Rudy & Kay,

I am not farmiliar with that stand. Does it us a clamp? Do you clamp your carbon-tubed AriZona tandem?

TandemGeek

I'm not Rudy, but I do own one of the Ultimate Pro's and I slept at a Holiday Inn last night. So, that said, the Ultimate Pro is the ultimate in folding workstands as well as for anyone who is looking for their first workstand... It may be the only one you need.

Instead of a "clamp", per se, it uses what they call a "Slide-Lock™ Clamp" that slides open with slight turn of the knob then slides closed to meet the tube and is tightened against the tube by a threaded screw knob to give you precise control of clamp tension. That said, it's still best to clamp a tandem by the stoker's seat post mast, resting the balance of the tandem's weight on the front tire.

More info here (but don't freak out on the price):
https://ussbike.com/product.asp?14369

To buy, although the prices seem to keep going up (ours was $149 from REI about 4-5 years ago) Lickton's seems to consistently have the best price & price matches (Note: if you search their site for Ultimate you'll find that they also package it with some additional accessories, e.g., wheel truing stand, etc..) https://www.lickbike.com/productpage....9;2637-02'

The "Slide Lock" clamp only comes on the Ultimate but, IHMO, it's worth it (heck, they may have even improved it by now). This stand is one of those things that you'll still have and use in 20 years. I've attached some photos of one of our tandems in the Ultimate as well as a close up of the clamp. Note: The silver thing on the clamp arm is padding as I have a habit of hanging bikes on the arms by the nose of their saddle when I'm just doing a "quickie" adjustment to drive trains.

zonatandem

Well, I am Rudy and not Mark!
Thanx for posting the photos Mark and your 're-Marks' are right on the money!
Broke an Ultimate stand after 10 years of heavy usage (assembled about 100 tandems + repairs) and so impressed we bought another Ultimate without a second thought. Top-of-the-line comes with attached/removable toolbox, wheel truing attachment + an adjustable arm to hold front wheel from flopping around while you work on the tandem.
I use a heavy rag before clamping/slide-locking c/f tandem into position.
A bit pricey, but a very good workstand . . . you get what you pay for.

TandemGeek

I've found that the small size bubble - bubble wrap is very gentle on the frame finish. I've got a small piece of it taped to my Park workstand and only have to replace it about once every 4 months or so.

Gunther

I second (and third) the above opinions on the Ultimate stand.

I've had my for a few years. Had my doubts the first time I loaded the tandem in it, but it handles it well, even while pulling cranks for winter BB maintenance.

I may have to try TandemGeek's bubble wrap idea. There's just too much movement when using a rag to protect paint.

GB

Brian

I'm seeing a trend here. I've got the Ultimate as well. I've never had any problems with the stand itself, but our shed floor is pretty uneven, so proper balancing is an issue. I also like the clamping system and the fact that it's light and folds up into a carry bag.

zonatandem

Sounds like the "Ultimate Admiration Society" is now in session!

galen_52657

All great comments. My issue with the clamp is geared toward my Look single, not the KHS tandem. The Look is carbon-fiber tubed with a carbon-fiber seat post. I have seen adds for the new Park stand

https://www.parktool.com/tools/PRS_20.shtml

which holds the bike by the front or rear dropouts and crandles the bottom bracket. Since I only want to buy one workstand, I wonder if it would hold a tandem by the stoker's BB and rear dropouts if the front wheel was on the ground????

72andsunny

Thanks everybody for the comments. Picked up the Ultimate Pro at a Performance store yesterday: $169.99 (it's much higher on their website). Now I just need to wait for something to break...

Captain Mike

TandemGeek

No doubt, the Park stand looks slick and is perfect for 1/2 bike post race tune-ups -- a wash, dimension check, new bar tape, shifter cable replacement, and derailleur tweaks. So, if that's all you need, it's perfect. In fact, Minoura has made work stands that hold bikes by the front fork or down tube & bottom bracket for a long, long time and, having owned one, I'll note that they have their limitations, i.e., cranking on bottom brackets is awkward and you can't replace headsets or forks. The current model is the RS-X which is about $50 (MSRP $79) on sale at Nashbar vs. the $209 MSRP of the Park PRS20.

IMHO, I think you're still better off with a conventional workstand if you don't already own one. As for carbon fiber seat posts, if you look closely at the Ultimate photos I posted in my initial reply you'll notice that the clamp is attached to an Easton EC-70 carbon seatpost; they're as tough or tougher than aluminum when it comes to handling clamp pressure. In fact, for s--ts and giggles, take a look at the attached photos of our other tandem being held by the stoker's EC-70 without the benefit of a front wheel in our Park workstand (no, the Ultimate won't let you do this)... noting that the 36lbs of off-center tandem weight putting shearing loads on the seatpost and seat tube are still well below what they experience from the rider.

Also, it's worthwhile to note that most frames damaged by workstand clamps were clamped by the very delicate and unreinforced top tubes or, in some cases, a seat tube with a short seatpost mast. Well, that coupled with a pre-tensioned (over tensioned) clamp or one of the cheaper models like Blackburn's first folding stand that had hard contact points. The latter is an important point in that it's usually no big deal to clamp an lightweight frame by the seat tube IF the seatpost mast extends down into the seat tube far enough to double the seat tube; you just need to know how far down it goes and then be sure to clamp it above that point. Again, this gets back to the point about using some plastic (mininmal added tube clamping diameter), bubblewrap (a little added tube clamping diameter), or a shop rag (even more added tube clamping diameter) to protect the decals and finish from being marred by the clamp because the frame will rotate in the clamp when you're working on the bike. Any dirt or grime on the tube or the clamp head will work like an abrasive and will mar the finish.

zonatandem

Carbon fiber is not as 'delicate' as what people think. Just because it is light, does not mean it's not strong. I've seen old Reynolds 753 get dented pretty bad.
Having said that, all material has it's limits. Precautions are advised.

galen_52657

Mark,

There is a bit of difference between the Minoura stand and the Park. Most importantly, the Park can hold the bike by the fork or the rear dropouts. I would think you could do any repair on the Park PRS 20 that you could on a clamp style stand. One may have to flip the bike back and forth for a complete rebuild but other than that if secured by the rear dropouts and the bottom bracket, I would think you could torque on things as much as necessary.

TandemGeek

By all means, give it a try and let us know....

PRS20 $165 on Ebay:
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...139234341&rd=1

2intexas

I use a Spin Doctor G2 Pro stand from Performance Bike. Works great for our Santana Arriva.

Retro Grouch 

I've never thought about it much. I usually just clamp the rear seatpost and let the front wheel stay on the floor. When I have to adjust the front brake, I use somthing to hold up the front bottom bracket. I'd think any workstand would be OK.

Doggus

I know I'm digging up old threads...but was wondering if Galen ever got the PRS-20. Did it work with a tandem? I'm tired of working on my bikes in the grass.

Retro Grouch 

If you do work on the grass, be sure to put a tarp or a blanket or something under it to catch the itty bitty screws and such that you drop. That can be a MAJOR time saver.

TandemGeek

Good grief! There are a myriad of "homemade" stand options that are better than nothing....

A nylon rope of the correct length looped over an exposed rafter or bicycle hook screwed into a ceiling joist and then looped around the stoker's saddle nose such that the back end of the tandem is raised a few inches off the floor will work for minor tune-ups, as will suspending the tandem from a pair of hooks and two ropes.

If you have a good homemade wooden work bench you can also fabricate a removable "arm" out of a 2" X 2" or 3/4" section of galvanized pipe that extends out from the bench that you can hang the nose of the stoker's saddle nose on for simple adjustments.

You can't do any major work like a headset replacement, facing work, or BB replacements that require lots of torque, but adjusting derailleurs, eccentrics, and wheel removal are all fair game.

Again, as RetroGrouch notes, if you're taking things apart and don't have a clean and light colored floor by all means put a drop cloth down under your work area so you can find things if they happen to fall off the bike during your maintenance session.

Final Note: A good workstand is a one-time purchase and, frankly, I find the things to be invaluable. I'm fortunate to have a non-portable heavy duty Park Tools workstand in the garage as well as a portable stand and would recommend the latter to anyone as their first stand since it can pull double duty. Again, the Ultimate Pro workstand is my weapon of choice... I think mine's about 7 years old.

Back to the utility of workstand, the tandems always go into the workstand after every ride where they get a quick wipe down before they're put away. I find that that the five minutes spent wiping sports drink gunk, dead bugs, and road grime off the frame pays huge dividends as the bike rarely needs a major cleaning (i.e., after a long ride in the rain) and the little maintenance tweaks that I think of when we're riding automatically get addressed (instead of forgotten). Moreover, often times the tandems will just stay in the stand over Saturday night if we know we'll be riding again on Sunday.

Admittedly, each of our bikes and tandems represent a substantial investment which warrants a bit more attention in how they are handled and cared for as none will likely be replaced unless a radical change in bicycle technology, our physical dimensions or abilities emerges. However, I can think of very few premium grade tandems that aren't "substantial" investments (> $1k) so the logic follows, extra care and handling is simply prudent.

Brian

I use a moving blanket, small bits show up nicely on it.

Bill G

I find a good strong regular bike stand with a fully adjustable clamping jaw dose the trick just fine. I just use the stokers seat post with a soft cloth between the rubber jaws to be exstra safe at preventing any types of scratchs on the seat post. I have done this for over ten years now with no problems what so ever. Also I have put together several tandems from the ground up useing this method of holding the tandem, you have to have the front fork installed and the front wheel mounted, after that it is pretty easy to put the rest of the tandem together holding it this way.

Take Care,
Bill G

mtbcyclist

I have the same setup as Bill G. and it works great. I often put a box under the front wheel so I can get the tandem more level when I am working on it. If I use a big enough box, I can remove the front wheel but I rarely do.

galen_52657

NOPE! I followed the advice of the good folks here on BF and got the Ultimate Pro (as a present from my wonderful girlfriend!). And.....it is the shiiiiiitzzzzz! It will actually hold the whole tandem in the air if you want when clamping the stoker seattube.

And since I replace my CF seatpost on my single with an alu post, I can clamp every bike I own...

Doggus

TandemGeek's 'good grief' comment made me so mad I went out and bought the Ultimate Pro-Elite Workstand. That'll teach him

Ok...not really TG..I wasn't mad, I just needed an excuse. The last 4 nights have been spent working on Tandem, Roubaix and Tricross #2. Tricross #1 is scheduled for assembly and maintenance this weekend (still in airline box from Europe trip).

I gotta say though, I wish I would have got off my arse and broke out the Tig welder and built my own base. This one is really wobbly. Although the base I would've built would require my F250 to haul it around.

Sure makes working on bikes more enjoyable. Another thing too, our local club put on a 'bike washing' clinic. Sounds stupid, I know, but the guy who did it used to work for the U.S. National Cycling team. Washed 18 bikes every night. The guy showed us the quick and easy way to an anal cleaning job. The workstand really helps in that aspect.