Maintaining your bike becomes a whole lot more fun after you’ve purchased a bike maintenance stand. Otherwise, bikes have an annoying habit of constantly tipping over to one side, just as you are about to make an adjustment.
Fortunately, the price of the maintenance stands has come down significantly over time, so that they can appeal to the home bike mechanic.
I’m going to recommend three models here that I’d personally choose for my maintenance. All three can fold down in to a small size, which is crucial for saving space when the stand is not in use.
Raleigh Folding Work Stand: £60
The overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon tell a great story about this excellent bike maintenance stand. For £60 you get a sturdy, fully featured stand. It also folds down in to a small size, so it can be tucked away. The grip will fit nearly all bike sizes and provides you with a range of mounting options. It’s also quick and easy to setup, so you won’t be fiddling around, wasting time.
[button link=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F0QE9K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001F0QE9K&linkCode=as2&tag=londcycl-21″]Buy the Raleigh Folding Work Stand[/button]
Feedback Pro Ultralight Repair Stand: £179.99
Without a doubt, the Feedback Pro bike maintenance stand is one of the best in the business. What is so incredible about the stand is that despite its sturdy design, it weighs just 4.8kg. In practise this means it doesn’t feel like a huge effort to carry it around. Setup of the stand is quick and easy.
The head provides a full 360 rotation which is great for those repairs when it is useful to have the bike upside down. The maximum tube size you can fit here is up to 48mm. Which should fit the vast majority of bikes.
The bike maintenance stand folds down to around 37inches.
[button link=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001F2XGNK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001F2XGNK&linkCode=as2&tag=londcycl-21″]Buy the Feedback Pro Maintenance Stand[/button]
Topeak Flashstand: £26
If space is your most important consideration, then the Topeak Flashstand will appeal. It measures just 7.5” x 3.1” x 1.8” when folded. This is only slightly larger than a pint glass. Unfortunately, due to the small size, the mount isn’t able to hold your bike up to the same height that other maintenance stands can achieve. This makes the Topeak only really suitable for small jobs. It also doesn’t offer the same level of stability. However, if you just need something to keep your bicycle cranks off the ground and to stop it toppling over at the lightest touch, then the Topeak is a great place to start.
[button link=”https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/go/topeak-flashstand/”]Buy the Topeak Flashstand[/button]
My bike maintenance work stand
I originally bought my bike maintenance stand off eBay, as I didn’t really do any research before hand. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the best product. It is incredibly heavy, adjustments are slow and it is not particularly stable. You live and you learn from these errors and I hope you find a more suitable stand than I did!
As always, if you’ve got a glowing review of a bike maintenance stand you’ve been using, then please leave some comments about it below. This will help others make a good decision (and provide you with good karma!)
See also: Five of the most common bike maintenance tools you’ll need
I have the Raleigh stand, been using it for months. It’s brilliant and I can’t see a reason to spend more!
Pleased to hear it’s been working out for you – really wish I hadn’t wasted my money on the eBay solution. If I’d of known about the Raleigh stand I’d of saved a lot of frustration.
The Raleigh one seems to be a copy of one I’ve had for years made by Bike Tool. Probably the most useful tool I’ve ever bought.
Ribble do them for £56
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Bike-Tool-Aluminium-Workstand/BIKEWORK200000000000?utm_campaign=Googlebase&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=Googlebase
The VERY best bike stand I’ve found is from Lidl, available infrequently but when it’s there, it’s just £30 or so, and rock solid with four sturdy legs. It’s transformed my maintenance position (too many years spent kneeling on the ground) without transforming my bank balance.
Yeah, the Raleigh stand, not perfect but more does the job.
So glad to see the Raleigh stand in there. It truly is a smashing item and I got mine much cheaper than the price above. Great quality item at a bargain price.
Quite interesting to read the comments on work stands, but can I just gice everyone a bit of advice, when putting your bike in the stand for any work, place the seat post into the clamp, or at the least, the seat tube. As a bike mechanic I have come across quite a few damaged top tubes where it was secured in the clamp then work carried out on the bike.
Imagine the damage to aluminium or carbon fibre!
Juast a caution.
paul.
I did wonder that, but how can you clamp the seat post and have the stand balance the bike properly? In my mind the bike would be unbalanced or would be tilted downwards?
That depends on the stand. A good stand when tightened would hold the bike in place and wouldn’t tilt forward. I’ve not had any issues clamping from seat post or frame. You could also have a carbon seat post which might be weaker?
Not quite Andreas, the seat post is made to handle the weight of a heavy rider when cornering at speed, it’s always a safe bet. If you are that concerned about crushing a carbon seat post then you are over tightening.
Remember the frame is much larger than a post and has no single area as concentrated in handling the riders weight in this way, (it is the only place on a bicycle frame where 4 tubes join and you can clamp one of them).
Another important point is in the even of accidental over tightening (surprisingly easy with some clamps with large amours of leverage and a stressed mechanic) the seat post is easily replaceable and cheaper than the frame.
Sheldon Brown has a good section on his website where he advises clamping multiple parts of the bicycle but when it comes to carbon frame he strongly advises replacing the post with a metal one before clamping, good advice but he is presuming a decent level of knowledge, and carbon fibre technology has undoubtedly moved on by leaps and bounds since that was written, and the modern non-round tubing (hydroformed) and highly clamp unfriendly found on most bicycles £200-£1000 was not very popular then. Good advice in the day, these days, always advise to clamp the “safe bet seat post”.
-Guru
I have a folding floor stand (bought off eBay) that works very well and just bought this wall-mounted version for another location.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160624752473?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I see the same eBay shop also offers a floor version, but I’ve not used that one.
Don’t forget you can do a lot of maintenance simply by turning the bike over to rest on its seat and handlebars (use a piece of offcut carpet to protect from scratches.) And you can also use a couple of light ropes to suspend the bike from above which gives you a good working height and the ability to adjust shifters, etc.
My own solution to bike maintenance is also from Lidl or was it Aldi? who, when its in stock, usually when they have “cycling” weeks is two crab bars which you hook under the handlebars and seat which are part of a hoist system screwed into the garage ceiling which takes the bike or anything else for that matter off the floor to working height, and locks it there. It could also be used just for “off floor” storage. I think I paid something like £4.95. Years ago. It makes bike maintenance a doddle!!
I have a Park Tools PRS-21 folding repair stand. It’s lightwieght, weighs 13.5 lbs, made from steel and aluminum and as well as repairing our bikes is good for washing them. Remove either of the bike wheels to attach it to the stand. Good for cycles where you are unable to clamp the frame or seat post.
Highly recommended.
I got this one for my Birthday last yr as was on my wish list & its great to use. I have an old heavy bike & it holds it quite well whilst doing work on it, even in the livingroom. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151525176148833&l=b7990bf626
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004GHF4YU/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That Raleigh bike stand is no good if you have a steel 1970’s Peugeot style racer road bike. It’s too heavy for the quick release mechanism! You set it up, it slides back down! So disappointing!
Oh well, I will go for the cheap Topeak stand if neccessary…