What workstand?

ob

I'm thinking of buying a workstand to use for both my road and mountain bike. I've been looking at the Park Tools ones, and can't decide which one to go for.

Does anyone here have experience of using the PCS4, PCS10 or PCS11? Is there a big difference between them (besides price!)?

Gavin

Bought the supremely cheap X-Tools on the other day. Just chucked the bike on it quickly. Haven't used any other stand so can't compare, but it seems to do the job

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10231

stuf

Verb wrote: »

Bought the supremely cheap X-Tools on the other day. Just chucked the bike on it quickly. Haven't used any other stand so can't compare, but it seems to do the job

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10231

I second that - holds the bike solidly and can't see any drawbacks with it for my uses.

penexpers

The only drawback of the cheap stand is it can scratch the paint on the downtube, so don't over-tighten it.

at1withmyself

ob wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a workstand to use for both my road and mountain bike. I've been looking at the Park Tools ones, and can't decide which one to go for.

Does anyone here have experience of using the PCS4, PCS10 or PCS11? Is there a big difference between them (besides price!)?

I have a Park one for over 10 years now and not sure what model it is but it very closely ressemblies the PCS4. It's seen a lot of abuse and is still in excellent condition, the clamping mechanism is fully adjustable and will hold most frames/seatposts to keep the bike stable while working on it.

Mine didn't come with a Tool tray which was very annoying but I picked one up on ebay for cheap enough. I'd consider buying the stand on ebay, much cheaper then CRC.

Howitzer

I guess you can spin the wheels on that stand for gear maintenance? (nothing gets in the way of the pedals?)

blorg

How does that stand clamp the bike? General advice with most stands is to clamp the seatpost rather than the frame- is that not possible with this stand?

stuf

blorg wrote: »

How does that stand clamp the bike? General advice with most stands is to clamp the seatpost rather than the frame- is that not possible with this stand?

The x-tools one clamps with a plastic coated hook which is spring loaded. The bottom bracket and upper part of down tube rests on plastic cups so not really any danger of scratching paintwork. It is held securely without being to tight.

There may be a danger of over tightening on a carbon frame but no issues with steel or alloy frames as far as I can see. That would be the same rational for using the seatpost to clamp in any case.

ob

at1withmyself wrote: »

I have a Park one for over 10 years now and not sure what model it is but it very closely ressemblies the PCS4. It's seen a lot of abuse and is still in excellent condition, the clamping mechanism is fully adjustable and will hold most frames/seatposts to keep the bike stable while working on it.

Mine didn't come with a Tool tray which was very annoying but I picked one up on ebay for cheap enough. I'd consider buying the stand on ebay, much cheaper then CRC.

I've checked Ebay a few times over the last few months, only ones for sale in the US see any significant price reduction, but delivery is huge for them, so no savings can be made.

Bambaata

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Park-Tools-PCS10-Home-Workstand-New_W0QQitemZ280246983883QQihZ018QQcategoryZ109122QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

decent price. 20 sterling cheaper than what ive seen on online shops

stuf

but inconveniently the postage to Ireland is £20

Bambaata

woops hadnt noticed that!

blorg

Wiggle have their LifeLine Spin Doctor Deluxe Workstand reduced to £45 this week only (note to get the £45 you will have to add something else costing 1p or more to your basket ) This is exactly half the normal price of £90; I suspect it's one of these Wiggle things where it's not worth the full price but £45 looks like it could be a bargain.

FrankGrimes

I'm thinking of buying a workstand to use with my new carbon bike but having already gone over budget I don't want to fork out a fortune on it - are there any decent workstands that are suitable for a carbon frame and carbon seatpost (unclear from the above) for around €50-60?

ba

the workstand suggested by VERB, i used something similar before, wasn't that great. very unstable, and the mechanism that secures the bottom tube/BB area doesn't work on every frame... so it was tricky to clamp carbon ridley or look frames. sure it might work great on round tubes, but carbon is more times than often not round... try clamping something like the Cevelo Soloist! massive BB area.
as STUF said earlier the hooks are coated in plastic, but everybody knows soon enough you've got to gaffer tape that mother cos the hook is eating into your lovely paint job.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Tacx_Cyclespider_Team_Workstand/5360016511/

if i had the money it'd be mine. incredibly stable + secure, great for cleaning the bike, rotatable, and the mechanics from CSC-Saxo Bank use em. tbh i'd be a bit worried about lifting my carbon bike so far from the ground to have it fall over in a light breeze.

TinyExplosions

The lifeline one Blorg linked too is good -I have it as well as him, and it does the job. Clamps to the top tube, so should be ok for Carbon so long as you don't over tighten (maybe use a piece of neoprene or something -like an old mouse mat -wrapped around the frame at the clamping point)

stuf

ba wrote: »

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Tacx_Cyclespider_Team_Workstand/5360016511/

if i had the money it'd be mine. incredibly stable + secure, great for cleaning the bike, rotatable, and the mechanics from CSC-Saxo Bank use em. tbh i'd be a bit worried about lifting my carbon bike so far from the ground to have it fall over in a light breeze.

that Tacx stand is ~€90 in CRC although none in stock and CRC can be buggers for getting things in.

There are also a few seat-post/down-tube clamping ones in CRC for €63-€75

Murph100

After a ton of erm .. ' stand ' kicking, I ended getting one of these, really heavy duty, no chance of breaking the frame or seatpost, lets you turn the cranks, rotates the bike around smoothly, and puts the bike at a comfortable height to work with, well worth the money, especially with the sterling rate now.

http://www.slanecycles.com/productdetail.aspx?id=2104&subid=379&catid=74


Murph

FrankGrimes

Thanks for the ideas. Think I'll go with the Lifeline one Blorg posted as it looks like it'll do the basics well and I can't justify spending more than the €65 it costs as I currently only know the basic maintenance, though I'll be looking to expand on that.

First thing I'll use it for is probably positioning the buke in a way that I can easily access all of it for cleaning.

FrankGrimes

Actually, this Park Tools stand for £65 seems like a very good option as it allows the bike to be rotated while in the clamp, which the Lifeline doesn't appear to offer.

Does anyone have one of these or see any reason why it mightn't be a better buy for the same money?

Murph100

Probably a very sturdy piece of kit, but dont be swayed too much by the rotating feature on a stand with this design, as Murphys Law dictates that when you rotate it, the very part of the bike you want to get at will be behind the friggin' stand itself, guaranteed !!!


Murph

FrankGrimes

So I bought one of the Lifeline stands a while back and took it out last week to test on my old hybrid.

I don't like the clamp on it at all - it seems it is supposed to hold in place when you flick the quick release handle up but the handle won't lock in place - it just slips back down so I end up twisting it to tighten it into place as opposed to clipping it in.

It also doesn't seem to apply even pressure on the bar - it seemed to grip more tightly on the inside than the outside and it actually scraped the paint a bit even though I had been as careful as I could be.

Will putting a cloth around it make a difference and is there anything I'm doing wrong or could do differently with it? Going to be putting my brand spanking new carbon bike into it this evening so want to be safe with it.

blorg

I clamp by the seatpost rather than a frame tube although it doesn't hold the bike all that steady, fine for adjusting gears etc. but wouldn't hold the bike firm if you really needed to crank down on something.

FrankGrimes

blorg wrote: »

I clamp by the seatpost rather than a frame tube although it doesn't hold the bike all that steady, fine for adjusting gears etc. but wouldn't hold the bike firm if you really needed to crank down on something.

Good tip, less at risk I guess, thanks. Does a cloth do the job to prevent it scratching the paint?

Does your clamp clip nicely into place or do you have to screw it to tighten?

kenmc

Mine holds fine on the seatpost - not had any issues with the clamps releasing or anything. I've also rotated it 90 degrees (i.e. top tube pointing vertically up) to clean under the BB with no issues at all.
Admittedly I wouldn't be hauling on it to tighten anything super tight, but for what I use it for its been fine so far.

edit:

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Does your clamp clip nicely into place or do you have to screw it to tighten?

I have to screw mine in a bit and then flip the lever, same as a quick release. You might actually have yours screwed in too far to allow it to flip - it flips right over. I have to change my screw position depending on my bike, different diam seatposts.

blorg

I just clamp on the seatpost. It is a bit wobbly though.

FrankGrimes

Yeh I think it'll hold it grand for the jobs I need to do on it - nothing too heavy. That said, when you pay a good few quid for what is essentially a couple of metal tubes with a clamp, it's not too much to expect it to do a better job than it does.

Home:Ballyhoura

If anyone is interested, I'm selling off brand new this Velomann Bike Score Workstand which is in the box and never used (see description for more details).

Also located here in the Boards.ie Cycling Adverts section!

Captain Havoc

Groan, just shelled out more than I care to mention on this:

DirkVoodoo

I prefer the style that Murph linked to. The bike is more stable and easier to rotate.

I have the PCS 11. It's still quite a heavy stand, difficult to fold up (especially in winter, the aluminium sucks all the heat from your hands) and the duopod (2 legs?) mounting means that the bike can't be rotated about too much without unbalancing the stand so you end up having to dismount the bike and turn it around.

A stand is still very handy for working on your bike, but I think with the likes of park tools you are paying a premium for the brand name.

Try and find out what the most popular pro-team stands are, those guys have to work with a lot of bikes and so should have a bit more experience at which stands are worth the money.

sy

Bought one in Lidl a few weeks back for €20. This was in France but I'm sure it was on offer here as offers are similar throughout europe. Excellent for the money and some stores may still have them?

Captain Havoc

sy wrote: »

Bought one in Lidl a few weeks back for €20. This was in France but I'm sure it was on offer here as offers are similar throughout europe. Excellent for the money and some stores may still have them?

We noticed the offer was available in France and not here. They had everything else on offer except the stand.

swarbrick1979

great thread guys i got some good advice!