A bike work stand is an investment and it's something you should be able to use and abuse for years to come. Most stands, even on the more budget-friendly end of the price spectrum, will have replaceable jaw protectors and should be readily available through an authorised dealer. 6. Clamp, not race stands Patented seatpost clamp features ratchet-action closure, micro-adjustability and push-button release The action is smooth, but you'll need to adjust the clamping tension before you're trying to balance a bike in one hand and spin the threaded adjuster rod with the other - a spring-loaded version of the clamp is also available. The jaws are lined with rubber, so there is no need to insulate your frame with a rag.

Feedback Sport Mechanic Repair Stand - BikeMag Tested: Feedback Sport Mechanic Repair Stand - BikeMag

If you've got a wide range of bikes to work on this system is probably a better option for you, given that the clamp is universal. Also given that wall-mounted options are available, if you're operating in a confined space then this may save you some valuable real estate. Does my bike stand need to fold away? It is very solid for a portable stand but will never match the stability and robustness of a good quality floor or wall mounted stand. John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work. As dropper posts become more common this will be an ever more regular conundrum. Advice varies between different manufacturers, so that should be your first port of call. If you're running different bikes, all with dropper posts, then you may be better off with a race-style bike stand to avoid any potential issues. Are you working on uneven ground? Park Tool is a trusted name in the bike tool business and it sells a range of different workstands that are popular with pros and home enthusiasts alike. It’s a chunky bit of kit, weighing over 7kg, so not the easiest to carry. But the folding legs are sturdy, even outdoors, and the clamp puts your bike at a comfortable working height.Combine this with the difficulty of clamping increasingly thinner-walled and strangely shaped hydroformed alloy tubing or complex 3D carbon layups, and what's an honest fettler to do? Enter the Hirobel Carbon Frame Clamp. The Tacx Spider Team workstand is aimed more at fettling your bike pre- and post-race rather than as a full-on workshop tool, and thanks to its lightweight aluminium alloy/plastic construction it's easy to transport and simple to set up. If your bike's made from carbon fibre or thin-walled metal, clamp it by the seatpost not the frame tubes While most workstands will accommodate most bikes, owners of carbon fibre bikes should shop carefully for one that will lift a bike clamped by the seatpost to working height, or use a race-style repair stand. Available travel bag is water-resistant, durable and padded to protect your stand and your other equipment

vs Feedback Sports Pro Elite Bike stands Park Tool PRS-25 vs Feedback Sports Pro Elite Bike stands

The clamp removes completely from the head and stows somewhat awkwardly below. A folding design would be faster to set up and tear down but this admittedly works James Huang/Future PublishingWith a delivery price well in excess of what most people are prepared to pay for an entire bicycle repair stand, the Hirobel Carbon Frame Clamp is going to remain pretty rare even among diehard home workshop fettlers. But if you have a fleet of bikes, strange carbon aero shapes, or very short exposed lengths of seatpost, this may well be the workstand accessory you've been looking for all these years. Working load range of 10-35lbs (4.5-16kg) accommodates service on road, cyclocross, and XC mountain bikes. Maximum load capacity of 75lbs (34kg). Clamping a bike by the seatpost can mean having to move the post to secure enough 'real estate' for the clamp – risking misalignment of the saddle, returning it to the wrong height or ultimately stripping the clamp bolts through repeated tightening/loosening. With modern bike-fit principles setting seat height to within fractions of a millimetre, you don't want to be getting this wrong... It's for people wanting to work on fully assembled bikes, who need to transport or shift their stands, and who want the best-possible experience. With a four-leg system, the Park Tool Deluxe stand is ideal for home use. It's available with two different shop clamps; one with an adjustable linkage and a micro-adjust cam clamp. Both of these are top-end shop clamps meaning the bike can be adjusted at any angle and the jaw protectors are replaceable and readily available.