Originally Posted by
africanomad
I sent an email to the Australian agent for Topeak, who immediately tried to worm his way out of responsibility by (a) telling me that the stand was not designed for extended use (although nothing to this effect said in the product manual)
Do you really need to read an explicit description to figure out that this is the wrong tool for the job? What ever could have given you the impression that a Flashstand was an appropriate device for long-term storage? Why would you want to store your bikes for a few months on an unstable, short, folding jack that only holds one wheel off the ground?
I've had a Flashstand for 4 or 5 years. I'll agree with you on one point: The Flashstand absolutely
sucks. But it sucks for its intended purpose, which is as a portable repair stand to allow the rear wheel to spin during drivetrain adjustments.
Originally Posted by
africanomad
Topeak do not seem to care about product quality or warranty
I've actually found the opposite to be true: They are extremely responsive to customer service issues. I've had three Topeak pumps die, and they've sent me replacement parts at no charge every single time. It sort of bugs me that I
have to keep fixing these things -- I'd much rather buy a pump that simply doesn't break -- but at least Topeak backed up their product. And without even asking me whether it was still under warranty.