Repair/work stand
 

Is there an inexpensive stand that is also a decent stand sturdy enough to be serviceable? I know Park has one for about $120 but would like to spend less if possible. Thanks.

I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've been using it for about 6 months now. It holds my Schwinn Continental and my wife's Giant comfort bike, both pretty heavy bikes, without any issues. I was a bit worried that the head being made of nylon plastic wouldn't hold up so far it's still working like the day I got the stand. One nice feature is that the stand folds up into a pretty compact size which is great for me because my condo's small shed is full of bikes so I don't have much room for anything else in there.

Do you have the ability to secure a rope from the ceiling? If so then the cheapest bike service holding method i know of is a couple of rope loops run around the seat and the bars. People don't seem to think that this is an acceptable way to hold a bike. But I'd rather have a strong set of loops then a flexible and rickety stand. Andy.

We see this topic about once a month. My answer: think USED.

A lot of people get in and out of bike wrenching. I've bought many used work stands, several of the Parks home owner versions for $50 each or less.

Good advice if the tool becomes available. I waited 6 months, checking daily for a good stand to pop up in the classifieds - all the while using a ghetto stand made of ropes and hooks. Finally pulled the trigger on the Park PCS 10 after half a year and have been fully pleased. It's paid for itself 3 times over with the work I've done on my bikes and friends' bikes.

Check craigslist. If not that the absolutely cheapest solid stand solution I've come up with is one of those QR front fork mounts on a sawhorse with a support for the BB shell to emulate this:

http://i.imgur.com/zikjoE5.jpg

If you have a garage with exposed rafters, all you need is two rafter hooks (they look like half a swastika) and two ratcheting cargo tie downs. You can hang the bike from the rafters, have adjustable height and clear access to both sides of the bike. I added an eye plate in the concrete floor with a bungee to a chain stay which steadies my LWB recumbent. It works so well I wouldn't consider anything else. Cost; about $30.00 at the hardware store. Less if you get the straps at Harbor Freight. bk

Years ago I built one like that from scrap lumber. It worked great. I could anything on it except front brake and headset adjustments. I didn't even use a QR fork mount. I just used an old front axle and QR from my junk box. The only trick is designing the legs so you can rotate the crank. My out of pocket cost, FWIW, was ZERO.

Couldn't you have rotated the bike 180° and clamped the rear dropouts to allow working on the fork and headest? I've seen commercial versions of this with two dropout clamps, one spaced 100 mm for the fork and one spaced 130-135 mm for the rear dropouts.

As far as waiting for a suitable used stand to show up on Craigslist, why not post a WTB (want to buy) listing of your own?

I never thought of that partly because those are relatively infrequent and easy to do without a stand adjustments.

+1 but I waited over a year trying to find a decent used stand. The PCS10 was well worth the money.