Yoyo2012

For me its not a problem, because the bikes my wife and i ride are all 80's or 90's era, so their seat tubes fit well into the standard clamps, but for people with modern bikes, it can be a real hassle. For me the problem with clamping my vintage bike by the seat tube is there is only limited room for the clamp where the decal is stuck. the seat post exposed is also too short for the clamp. And because of the cables on the top tube, it's also not suitable for the clamp. I assume I need to choose that kind of "BB shell fixed" repair stand.

Yoyo2012

For me its not a problem, because the bikes my wife and i ride are all 80's or 90's era, so their seat tubes fit well into the standard clamps, but for people with modern bikes, it can be a real hassle. For me the problem with clamping my vintage bike by the seat tube is there is only limited room for the clamp where the decal is stuck. the seat post exposed is also too short for the clamp. And because of the cables on the top tube, it's also not suitable for the clamp. I assume I need to choose that kind of "BB shell fixed" repair stand.

rekmeyata

Whatever stand you go with make sure it has a steel clamp instead of plastic because the plastic ones will flex too much when wrenching on a bike. So if you buy online you're going to want to ask if the clamp is steel because from what I could find they tell you in the description. This means of course that in order to get a steel clamp you will pay a bit more; but here is a low cost option with what I understand to have a steel clamp but again ask first don't take my word: https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Spor...N%3DB001CSMJ12

Moe Zhoost

I recently picked up a Park Pro Stand head on Ebay for a bit over $20. Built a bench mounting to fit from Baltic birch. Total investment was less than $30, but it did take some time to design and build. Easy mount to my woodworking bench, but I have also used it with my Black & Decker Work Mate Portable bench too (but I have to counter balance it)

J.Higgins 

What if your seat post does not extend enough to fit the repair stand jaws?

RubeRad

downtube or seattube? mark the seat post, slide it out for repair, slide it back to the mark?

jrbz

I'm embarrassed to say how long I waited to buy a decent stand (decades) but I bought this stand about a year ago. It's been excellent (the wife's a little annoyed at how much time I spend in the shop now, jealous maybe). The clamp and almost all parts being steel. The exceptions are the rear compression knob, plastic over a steel bolt, and the upper pole fitting. This comes under compression when you tighten up the upper arm. The bolt goes through the pole so there's no shear or tension on the fitting and I'm sure it will last.

The only complaint I have is that when I did clamp a bike by the seat post there wasn't enough friction in that fitting to keep the bike horizontal. The front wheel didn't go to the floor but it did sag down and I couldn't tighten the rear knob any tighter by hand and I wasn't about to use a pipe wrench. Luckily all my bikes are old steel so I can clamp them by the top tube.

I give it 4 stars.

cajunpedaler

i have that same Conquer bike stand mounted on our deck. I host a couple hundred cyclists a year (I'm on the Southern Tier) and it's amazing how much it gets used. For my own personal use I have a Park stand...there's always a bike in it and it's one of my favorite conveniences...to have a good work stand.

i bought the Park stand at a pawn shop for about $200, it had 3 bike holders...I sold 2 of them on Ebay and virtually repaid myself for the stand...

My older, old school bike mechanic likes me, I guess and knows I do a lot of my own work, so he sells me his surplus tools..usually with a good "how to" tutorial to show proper use and results...
Perry

DrIsotope

I dunno why people seem to be so averse to clamping the seat tube, unless it's purely out of concern for the paint-- I've been clamping the seat tube for 2 years, as I am far too lazy to remove the saddle bag to clamp to the seatpost. I've gotten used to the height that the bike sits when clamped by the seat tube, working on it when lower doesn't feel right. For better or worse, my bike basically lives clamped into the stand-- if I'm not riding it, it's in the clamp.

The stand is a bench-mount Park PCS-12, btw.

ColonelSanders

So what repair stand if any, will allow you to have the bike be at any angle you want, even if others might consider certain angles impractical?


It seems quite a few of these, if not all of the repair stands, are not designed to be strong enough to accommodate all angles, as the bikes weight will drag it back to a certain angle.

travbikeman

This is a great stand: Topeak Prepstand Elite Repair Stand

If your willing to wait, Nashbar typically has sales for up to 30% off. Making this $119 with free shipping.

I bought mine from Performance bikes, same stand, but has been a good stand.

rekmeyata

About 2 maybe 3 years ago I bought the Feedback Sport Mechanic version which cost about $30 more than the Recreational version, but I got mine at Nashbar on sale for $99, and after reading the reviews I bought it. The Mechanic version has a 3 leg tripod design which looked more stable to me then the 2 legged Recreational version and can hold 5 more pounds of weight than the Recreational one, and the AL tubing looks a bit heavier duty on the Mechanic version as well; but I googled both tonight and zoomed in on the clamp and they both look identical, but mine sags a small amount if clamped to a seat post but nothing I consider to be objectionable, but I prefer the top tube (I put a rag between the tube and the clamp), not sure if there was a change in the clamp design but it looks the same as far as I can tell from the photos.

Over all though I like the Feedback Sports Mechanical stand, but I think the Recreational one would serve the purpose of most DIY bike repair people.

I use to work on my bikes by flipping them upside down but due to my lower back fusion I needed something I wouldn't have to bend over to use. I still though true my wheels without any truing stands, just using the brake pads as my guide, I've done that way for over 40 years with no issues.


I wouldn't buy any thing, stand included, without getting it on sale.

02Giant 

Park PCS 4-2
I can rotate a bike 360º. I believe the weight limit is 100#

ColonelSanders

How well do you think it compares to the Park PRS-25?

I was watching Park's videos claiming that from the PCS9 to PCS10 to PRS25, that they can all rotate 360 degrees, but I wonder how well they will maintain some angles when a heavy bike is being held in their clamps.

Sy Reene

It's Sheldon's fault maybe. I think though while Sheldon talks about CF, even some alloy frames might have wall thickness in the seat tube insufficient to handle too much clamping force (and then you have folks who want ability in this thread to spin the bike 360 degrees for working on it). So imagine torquing down with eg. a pedal wrench with a bike at a screwy angle and a thin walled tube.

Bicycle Work Stands

HillRider

Buy a dedicated cheap seatpost and use it when you work on the bike. All it has to be is the right diameter.

02Giant 

The PRS-25 and my PCS-4-2 use the same 100-5D clamp head. I've had a 34# bike locked in mine held horizontal by the seat post, without slipping/rotating.

ColonelSanders

Thanks for that info.

Sy Reene

Seat posts are made to handle clamping forces in a very narrow range (ie. the 1/2" clamp on your seat tube, that's holding up your 200lb weight). the forces of a repair stand clamp, spread across the usual few inches of clamp area, holding up an average 20-40lb bike-weight is not an issue for any material that a seat post is usually made of.

rekmeyata

I don't think a wide clamp that is usually clamped onto a CF seatpost has enough clamping force to crush a seat post but it certainly could crush a CF top tube. I know this from a test I did, I took my thumb and index finger and squeeze a CF top tube and made it indent inward, I could not do that with a CF seatpost, therefore a bike stand has greater clamping force than my fingers would stand a good chance of damaging a CF top tube but do nothing to a CF seatpost which is why bike mechanics attach their stands to the seatpost.

gbuc

This is the one I purchased, it isnt top of the line but very budget friendly and is well built.

https://www.amazon.com/Bikehand-Mech...e+repair+stand

rm -rf

That one also appears to have a plastic clamp. I suppose it could be strong enough to work for many years, but I'd want a metal clamp. There can be quite a lot of force on the stand at times.

I'd never clamp on a frame tube. I don't want to scrape off the decals, or scuff the paint. And new carbon bikes have really thin tubing!

Stands are really great for a lot of easy maintenance items:
Adjusting the derailleur shifting.
Centering the brakes.
Replacing or checking bottom bracket bearings.
Replacing cables and housing
New bar tape.
Even installing a new chain is easier.
And cleaning the bike is easy.


Feedback Sport stand
About 18 years ago, I got an Ultimate stand. It's now Feedback Sports, here's the equivalent model. I finally had to replace the clutch last year, and they stilll have replacements available. One of the best tools I've bought. It was kind of expensive, but I like doing my own maintenance. It must have paid for itself many times.

Features:
3 legs, quite stable. It folds up for travel, but I rarely move it.

Clutch clamp: Turn it a quarter turn unlocked, then it slides all the way open. That's faster than unscrewing a knob. To clamp, just push it in, then use the knob to tighten. It's really easy to control the amount of clamp tension.

Height adjustment: pull the lever and raise the post as needed. The bike can be set with a wheel touching the ground, or with the bottom bracket up near eye level when sitting on a stool.

Rotating the bike: The back knob unlocks the rotation. It would be a little unstable if rotated completely vertical, but I often turn it part way.


It looks like this:

Rowan

I have the BikeHand stand but it was under another brand name. I have had it for alomost a decade. The plastic jaws have worked very well, and the teeth at the back that engage to alter the angle for various top tube angles or seat posts haven't broken or worn.

Like most things, there is a degree of snobbery, especially when it comes to Park Tools stuff, and for the work I do on bikes -- from a CF bike to a Santana steel-framed tandem -- my stand has done everything asked of it.

I started out working on my bikes upside down, then suspending my bikes from rafters with 700C inner tubes.

shelbyfv

I've had one of these Minoura for about 15 years https://www.amazon.com/Minoura-bike-.../dp/B000OYJFR6 It's held up well. I can't imagine that I would have paid anything close to what they are selling for now.

SkyDog75

I've got a PCS-9, the cheapest stand in Park Tool's lineup. I haven't had a problem with rotational slippage, even with heavy bikes on the stand.