DavidPT40

I see that bike repair stands come in all different prices. Just for kicks, I checked them out on ebay. They were extremely inexpensive there. Can anyone comment on why they were so much cheaper than those of cycling supply websites or my local bike store?

cyclist2000

Could you post a link to the ones that you are looking at?

alcjphil

Bike repair stands are sold at many different levels of quality. Some are much better than others. Not knowing the ones you saw on Ebay I am not able to comment on how good they are. Bike stores are reluctant to sell low quality ones because dissatisfied customers will be very quick to complain. Unless you see exactly the same workstand for a much lower price(including shipping, don't forget that they are heavy and may be expensive to ship), be suspicious

Jed19

Repair stands are something that, in all probability, will last thru your cycling life, provided you buy a decent one. I'll steer clear of any crap from ebay by way of nameless chinese vendors. I have had the top of the line Ultimate repair stand for over five years now, and absolutely no regrets.

DavidPT40

Adjustable 6' Bike Repair Work Stand Telescopic Arm Clamp Cycle Bicycle Rack | eBay

This one for example. Its 43 bucks. What is wrong with it? My bike shop wanted $300 bucks for a bike stand. That's more than my bike's worth lol.

alcjphil

Me too, was well worth the money. Mine can handle the weight of a 60 pound Ebike with no problems even though the stand is not all that heavy and folds down to a compact size. I can even take it along on cycling vacations

2manybikes

There is a wide range of quality and prices. And, like everything else in the whole world, they can be found cheaper on the internet. Many reasons, selling out for less than paid for. Buying direct with no middleman.
Stolen. Used already. Just about everything you can think of.

gsa103

Clamp are usually a mat weak point. You can usually find reviews on Amazon.

le mans

cheap and nasty! i picked up a similar one for free that i only use to clean bikes

i'm guessing the one you saw in the bike shop for $300 is way better quality


you virtually get what you pay for

Jamminatrix

Doesn't say anything about what it's made from. The weakest points on eBay stands are usually crappy clamp designs and poor engineering (fail in spots you wouldn't think of).

I still have a Park PCS-1 I bought back in 2002 kicking around the house. It's been phased out by newer models, but still works beautiful despite being through years of bike washes and maintenance.

loimpact

I have that very bike stand (slightly different coloration) and it's fantastic. Absolutely no problems. Very convenient. Folds up nicely. Holds my 60cm bike right side up/upside down, left, right, center.......just fine. The quick releases are also a great help.

While I won't skimp on some things, I can assure you that unless you really want a Park stand or some other high-dollar stand, you cannot go wrong with the one you linked!

Wanderer

I thought I saw that same stand on Amazon for $38................

zebede

I have a park stand bought second hand at double the cost of the ebay stand. It is probably 10x better than that stand and will last me a life time.

However If I were a single bike owner and needed light duty folding stand for occasional maintenance, at that low price I would accept the risk and try it.

xiaoman1 

Hello David,
I faced the same issue a year ago, I wanted a stand that I could work on my bike with the confidence that it will not tip over or the clamps wouldn't give way....loimpack says it works and he is right..... but to my eye it looks a little flimsy.
One of my friends had a less stout stand and was always worried about stability. I Bought a Feedback Pro for 157.00 and happy I did...the extra cash layout was worth the peace of mind to me. I like the splay on the legs as well as the clamp and locking system.
Always a dilemma to buy unseen.
JM2C
Regards, Ben

El Gato27

I have a very similar stand for ~40 from Amazon. So far so good, clamps fine and is stable, but I knew it wasn't going to be used much. if I was going to work on bikes more frequently I would invest in something better. For my needs it is fine.

Troggie

I made a bench top mounted one from 1" galvanized plumbing pipe. 25 bucks for a quick usable solution.

bonner1040

With 200+ 4 Star REviews, up down and rotational adjustability @ $89 I picked this up. Still waiting for it to come.

BIKEHAND Cycle Pro Mechanic Bicycle Repair Stand rack Bike

The only negative i saw is that it may not resist heavy duty cranking while working on the drive train?

loimpact

Just a tip in the event you find yourself wrenching hard enough to create torsional forces and want to feel more secure.....lower the stand so that 1 or both wheels are on the ground just to create a "stop" to any rotational forces. (It's what I used to do when I hung my bike from the rafters so I still just do it anyway)

Make gravity your ally!

bonner1040

This was my thought exactly. I wouldnt have bought if I thought I wouldnt be able to do everything! For the rare chance that I will change the drivetrain I am going to do just this!

1 Miyata Biker

A bike stand is a tool. And there's always been one saying that over my 65 years, has always been true. Buy a cheap tool, and you'll be buying another one to replace it before long. Buy "quality" tools, take care of them and use them as intended, and you'll never have to buy them again! My father taught me that and I've always found it to be fact. I purchased my Park work stand 20+ years ago. Currently it has cost me about $8 per year to own and use. Never replaced any parts on it and never had it fall over with a bike mounted because it was too light weight. It will likely last me until I can't throw my leg over the bike to ride it. ( Hopefully another 20 years! ) You get what you pay for!

sam_cyclist

I do grant that a bike stand is a tool. However, you don't always have to pay more to get excellent quality. I have 3 or 4 cree headlights with batter and accessories and they cost me less than $20 a piece.

Unless you can show me evidence that park builds their stand to higher tolerances, and/or uses higher quality materials, then there is no reason to believe park builds a better stand.

As is almost always the case on this forum, there is almost a complete absence of any objective evidence to back up claims of superiority/inferiority.

agenkin

Look at the way the legs of Park PCS-10 are reinforced with metal gussets, compare that to the sketchy fold-out legs design on "budget" stands. Compare the Park's metal clamp with the plastic clamp from cheaper stands.

I think that it's a given that Park Tool use materials of better quality, compared to those $40-80 stands. That said, one of those cheaper stands may be good enough for someone not using the stand very often. I thought about this for a while, and decided to get a PCS-10.

sam_cyclist

Good points. I'll take a look at the park design when I have a chance.

However, consumers are advised not to take higher price as a clear indicator of higher quality as a "given" unless the evidence is presented clearly. Take honda and acura for example. The overlap between models and parts may be as high as 90% between the standard and luxury brand, but an identical acura part may cost 2-3X as much even though everything is identical except the label.

Also, the question is, what are the needs of an individual cyclist working on one or a few bikes occasionally as opposed to a shop that uses a stand 10-12 hours a day every day? Do you need to be able to tow 8K pounds or do your needs begin and end with say, hauling a six pack of beer and groceries in the back seat?

Unless they are made of bamboo, the legs on the ebay stand should be more than sufficient to hold a typical 20-30 lb bicycle.

1 Miyata Biker

sam_cyclist
I do grant that a bike stand is a tool. However, you don't always have to pay more to get excellent quality. I have 3 or 4 cree headlights with batter and accessories and they cost me less than $20 a piece.

Unless you can show me evidence that park builds their stand to higher tolerances, and/or uses higher quality materials, then there is no reason to believe park builds a better stand.

As is almost always the case on this forum, there is almost a complete absence of any objective evidence to back up claims of superiority/inferiority.

1 Miyata Biker:
My objective "evidence" is the fact that I purchased this Park stand more than 20 years ago, use it probably 4 to 6 times per season maintaining our bicycles, and have never experienced any problem with the work stand. No parts worn out or broken. On the other hand, my friend had purchased a bike repair stand of questionable quality. He probably used his more than I did because of the number of bikes they had. I was at his house one day when he was working on his 10 speed Schwinn road bike. He had it clamped in his work stand upside down. Our attention was averted to cleaning parts when the stand with the bike toppled over, bending the rear derailleur and breaking the derailleur bracket. Apparently the weight distribution wasn't very good. The repairs probably cost him the difference of what he paid for his work stand versus my Park work stand. Each of us must decide our priorities when purchasing equipment. I prefer to purchase quality tools/equipment for reasons of safety, ease of use and longevity.

gsa103

I have this exact stand. I'll definitely vouch for it. Its definitely better than the PCS-9, and probably comparable quality to a PCS-10. Its light but sturdy, and folds very quickly, with the Aluminum feet and tower sliding smoothly. It does everything I've wanted it to quickly and easily.

The clamp is a beefy QR release that works well. It had no trouble holding a 30lbs FS mountain bike at a 45deg angle so I could bleed the brakes. The legs feel very sturdy, and definitely no issues with drivetrain work. The only reason it would fall is if you got the center of mass outside the legs, but that's going to tip any stand with fold out legs.