# recommend a repair stand please!



## photocodo (Dec 14, 2011)

So I have been riding most of my life but have never done much of my own work on my bikes, I have just always taken them into the shop. Now that I am working and paying for everything I am learning how much money (and time) I am wasting by taking my bike to the shop. So I have started acquiring tools and learning how to do some maintenance to my bike. The one thing that I really need to get is a repair stand. What are peoples suggestions for a good stand. Here is what I want. 
1.) strong/sturdy that won't just flop around when my bike is clamped on
2.) moderately priced ($150ish)
3.) Folds up for easy storage or to be able to throw in the back of my truck for trips.

Maybe these are three things that I can't get in a stand but what do you guys thing would be the best option for me?

Photocodo


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## BWC54 (Mar 26, 2014)

It's a bit over your budget but I recommend the Feedback Sports Pro-Elite stand. It's $250 with the tote bag.


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## Birdman (Dec 31, 2003)

I have a really old version of the Park Consumer Workstand (mine is model PCS-2 or 3), the current one is PCS-9.

Mine is the non-height-adjustable version of this stand:

https://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/c...0764-park-consumer-bike-repair-stand-tool.jpg

Still working great after about 2 decades of service. Not bad for their entry level workstand, but mine has the improved over-center clamp from the PCS-4.

A friend has a Feedback stand at work, which I've used a few times. A really nice well thought out stand, and sturdy.

I'd buy a Park PCS-9 or a Feedback stand if I needed one.

JMJ


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Feedback Sports Pro-Elite hands down. It's an awesome stand. If you watch some race videos, even the pro teams use it on the road.


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## kickhorse (Aug 3, 2013)

I've been using the Spin Doctor G3 for a couple years now. Can't think of anything I'd improve on it, except having to buy a tool tray separately. One of those things that work so well, you never even really think about it.

Sweet deal right now. $60 off at Performance Bike: Spin Doctor Pro G3 Work Stand - Workstands


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## PauLCa916 (Jul 1, 2013)

kickhorse said:


> I've been using the Spin Doctor G3 for a couple years now. Can't think of anything I'd improve on it, except having to buy a tool tray separately. One of those things that work so well, you never even really think about it.
> 
> Sweet deal right now. $60 off at Performance Bike: Spin Doctor Pro G3 Work Stand - Workstands


+1 Best bang for your buck IMHO.


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## Psycle151 (Dec 20, 2005)

Performance's Spin Doctor G3 is the best stand available for less than $200. But do not buy it. It is a re-branded Topeak Prepstand Elite. The Topeak version is available for about the same price. 

I'm suggesting you support Topeak instead of Performance. Topeak is a dynamic, innovative company, rife with unique and well-made products. Performance is big-box retail, where the bottom line is the only line.


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

I have a Feedback Sports Pro Elite and a friend has the Topeak Prepstand Elite. They seem to be the same and I assume Topeak copied Feedback. Amazon has the Topeak on sale for $189 with free shipping.

Amazon.com : Topeak PrepStand Elite Bicycle Repair Stand : Bike Workstands : Sports & Outdoors

Tim


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## photocodo (Dec 14, 2011)

I ended up picking up the park pcs-10 from my local shop. So far its great. Holds my mt bike pretty solid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

kickhorse said:


> I've been using the Spin Doctor G3 for a couple years now. Can't think of anything I'd improve on it, except having to buy a tool tray separately. One of those things that work so well, you never even really think about it.
> 
> Sweet deal right now. $60 off at Performance Bike: Spin Doctor Pro G3 Work Stand - Workstands


I just picked that one up last week. They had a one day $25 coupon too. So I got for just under $145.00


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

photocodo said:


> I ended up picking up the park pcs-10


I bought one of those quite recently. I like the overall build and design, the clamping head is pretty good and it seems very stable. The one thing I'm not impressed with is the two quick-release clamps that hold the legs and the upper tube in place. The clamps are rubbish. You need to crank them up stupidly tight to stop the tubes/parts moving and even when fully loosened off the upper tube still does not slide easily through the collar. Out of place on an otherwise high-quality stand.


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## myusername2014 (Jun 26, 2014)

Psycle151 said:


> Performance's Spin Doctor G3 is the best stand available for less than $200. But do not buy it. It is a re-branded Topeak Prepstand Elite. The Topeak version is available for about the same price.
> 
> I'm suggesting you support Topeak instead of Performance. Topeak is a dynamic, innovative company, rife with unique and well-made products. Performance is big-box retail, where the bottom line is the only line.


Its on sale for $129 right now. Wish i would have picked it up yesterday for $159 with the free shipping then called and got a credit for $30... lesson learned I guess

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 2


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## newdee (Apr 4, 2014)

Feedback sport mechanic with the tool tray attachment. Ace!


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## mevnet (Oct 4, 2013)

If you're looking at Park Tool pay a bit more and get the PCS10. I have the PCS9 and I am not too happy with it, it leans over quite a bit, the rotation mechanism gets stuck, it does not fold much or easier, etc.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

It's supposed to lean over, it's part of the design. At first it looks odd but it's quite clever and actually very stable. 

One of the reasons I went for the PCS10 is that the head assembly is better. It's also better braced so will probably flex a little less. The way it folds up is ok, but not brilliant, but to be fair most stands are a bit of a faff in this regard. 

The bottom line is that these are relatively cheap stands and you get what you pay for. It'll get the job done well enough, just not a slickly as a top model.


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## adriano (Apr 26, 2007)

The Feedback Elite clamp opens to 65mm, whereas the Topeak (which I have) goes only to 45mm and cannot accomodate large MTB top tubes. Does anybody know if it is possible to put a Elite clamphead onto a Topeak stand?


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

adriano said:


> Does anybody know if it is possible to put a Elite clamphead onto a Topeak stand?


Why would you want to?


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## adriano (Apr 26, 2007)

Mr Pig said:


> Why would you want to?


Well, because of the above. The 65mm (vs 45 mm) clamp would allow for clamping large carbon top tubes. The Topeak stand itself is OK, and not fundamentally different from the Feedback stand.

The top tube of the Niner RDO is hexagonal; I was thinking of 3D-printing an adaptor which would allow me to clamp it flush while avoiding any stress points.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Well why not just sell the Topeak and buy the Feedback? I doubt if that would cost much more than buying the Feedback clamp-head.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Why not just use the seat tube to clamp on? No paint damage related issues.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

I don't like clamping on any frame tube, least of all a hexagonal carbon one.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Cleared2land said:


> Why not just use the seat tube to clamp on?


It's not always possible. I reckon clamping high on the seat-tube should be safe enough from a structural point of view but often it can't be done. The stays force the clamp further down where bottle mounts, suspension components or other obstructions make it impossible to get the clamp on.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Cleared2land said:


> Why not just use the seat tube to clamp on? No paint damage related issues.


I said seat tube, but I meant seat post.

Damn


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

^you're forgiven. Seatpost is best for sure but droppers are making that harder.


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## adriano (Apr 26, 2007)

Cleared2land said:


> Why not just use the seat tube to clamp on? No paint damage related issues.


Sure. That's what i am doing now. It's OK but i cannot use the integrated tray. A minor nuisance, i concede.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

What we need is a bit of initiative from the industry here. Instead of giving us yet another axle or wheel size, how about a better bike stand eh guys?

Look at the motor trade. They had trolley jacks, then car lifts and then four-arm lifts. They got some development. 

What do we get? Except for a few minor details, woo it's got four legs, our stands are all basically the same. So how about it chimps? Never mind four, where is our two-arm stand? Yeah, that's right, makes a lot of sense doesn't it? So get on with it..


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## adriano (Apr 26, 2007)

A four-legged stand, or even five-legged, wouldn't be a bad thing at all, for starters. It would be _much_ more stable than the current three-legged stands. Office chairs, at least in Europe, are regulated to have 5 legs. I guess that some EU commissioner broke a bone falling from a chair.

Some kind of elastomer-lined clamp, to accommodate weirdly-shaped carbon tubes without stressing them, would also be on my priority list.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

adriano said:


> A four-legged stand, or even five-legged, wouldn't be a bad thing at all, for starters. It would be _much_ more stable than the current three-legged stands.


A lot of current stands have four legs. To be the issue is at the top, we need better clamps. Almost all of the clamps on the market are variations on the same thing, two jaws that close to hold the tube like a fist. It doesn't take much thought to see how limited this is.

Try holding your bike up with one hand. Try holding it up with one hand gripping the seatpost. Not good, yet this is how almost all bike-stands work. Now try holding the bike with two hands. It really is that simple.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

There are a lot of stands that support bikes from the bb and the fork (two handed) but I prefer clamping on the seatpost if that's an option, you just need a decent stand, something like this-


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

The seat post is my mounting location of choice. It gives me full access to all components and functions, it permits a full, 360 ̊ rotation when necessary, and there's no concern over paint or structural damage.

Mr. Pig might be on to something with his 'back to the drawing board' concept of an industry change in bike stands. But you know...it wont come cheap.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

What I think you want is a stand you can 'hang' the bike on. An open clamp that you sit the front of the top-tube on, then another you can sits at the rear, then a 'thumb' that drops down to stop the bike lifting out of the clamps. By using two clamps you could make the clamps much narrower as they no longer have resist twisting motions in the way current clamps do and if the clamps are narrow you will be able to slot them into tighter spaces on the frame.

One of the clamp arms could be rigid with the other movable to accommodate the different widths and heights required. You would really want to be able to move that arm into position while the bike is on the stand then lock it there with one hand. A ball-in-socket joint might work best. If you've ever seen a good drum-kit you'll know that's it's surprising how much weight a lockable ball joint can hold steady.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

I'm never opposed to thinking outside the box but I see a few problems with that concept. It may not work on all bikes due to frame design and shock interference. I'm not sure how you could secure the bike from swaying side to side, I couldn't deal with it if that wasn't addressed. Ergonomics; you should be able to easily move the bike to any position you want.

Attaching to the seatpost with a good (heavy) stand deals with all those issues and is a pretty simple design. As C2l mentioned the ability to pivot the bike 360 degrees is particularly nice, and it's really simple & fast with the Park stand.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

While I don't rotate the bike upside down very often, I use it for fork service by flipping the bike so that the lower portion of the forks are facing upwards at an angle for ease of access. That's just one feature that I like. For simple fork maintenance, I prefer to just perform that maintenance without having to remove the forks. While removing them isn't difficult, frequently it just isn't necessary.

Although, on many occasions, I would prefer more stability than a portable stand can offer.


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## J-Flo (Apr 23, 2012)

The Feedback Pro stand can do all the things mentioned above. It is a perfect stand. And the tool tray that goes with it is the bomb.


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## adriano (Apr 26, 2007)

This one looks like a rather sophisticated stand. The only problem is that costs roughly 20 times any of the stands discussed above (sigh).


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## Boomchakabowwow (Sep 8, 2015)

Birdman said:


> I have a really old version of the Park Consumer Workstand (mine is model PCS-2 or 3), the current one is PCS-9.
> 
> Mine is the non-height-adjustable version of this stand:
> 
> ...


wow..mine is much much older..it is the non adjustable PARK stand that has the big square foundation..kinda heavy, but very stable.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

adriano said:


> This one looks like a rather sophisticated stand. The only problem is that costs roughly 20 times any of the stands discussed above (sigh).


I think that exceeds the OP's ballpark price of $150.


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## oberwil (Nov 5, 2007)

I've got an older one of those, but with the older clamps. But better I have the round base. So although it weighs a ton, it's easy to position since I can just roll it where I need it. Also have a PRS-25. Look that one up. It's the old portable stands but with the pro clamp. Don't know why they stopped making it. Best stand I think


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## Like2Hike (Jan 12, 2016)

Not having ever used a repair stand, have no reference.

This $30 ebay stand looks like those mentioned above. Your thoughts?


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

You might get what you pay for. I've had my time with flimsy, unstable cheap bike stands. If you can afford it, get the best you can. You will appreciate it later.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Like2Hike said:


> This $30 ebay stand looks like those mentioned above. Your thoughts?


I have a wall-mounted version of that stand, I know people with this one and I have a Park stand. For the money these cheap stands are perfectly fine. They flex more than a sturdier one will but for occasional use they get the job done. I met a guy who used this exact stand for down-hill bikes with no complaints.

The one thing I would say is buy the one with the quick-release bike-clamp. The blue knob on the top of that stand does the clamp up but you get an otherwise identical version that has a quick-release lever there. They seem to cost about the same so pick the quick-release one.


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