One of my riding buddies and I decided it was time to buy some real bike repair stands. Up until now
we would clean and repair our bikes by leaning them in all kinds of awkward places (e.g. seat against the head, against a tree, or just plain strewn all over the ground). We headed off to Performance Bikes in Reston where there was a sale and we could use our Team Performance dollars and hopefully get a good deal.
You might think it would be easy selecting a bike repair stand since there's not much too them.
After all, they simply need to hold on to your bike without tipping
over. However, after seeing the four or five choices at Performance our
requirements became a little more refined and the right choice was not
so obvious.
Before explaining the reasons for my choice let me first explain that I am by no means an expert bike repair man. In fact, the primary task I expect from a repair stand is to hold the bike steady while I clean it. About the only repairs I have made or plan to make myself include, changing tires, adjusting brakes, adjusting the derailleurs and maybe someday truing the wheels.
Given the needs above it was clear from the start that a high-end professional stand was not required and I could focus on mid to lower priced models. I decided the budget was between $80 and $150. Performance had several stands in this range from Park Tools, Topeak, and Spin Doctor (the Performance house brand). I suppose if there were only one or two options we would have simply picked a stand and be done with it, however, with 5 or 6 models to choose from we decided to have a closer look.
First we looked at the clamping mechanisms. Each model seemed to have a different way it clamped onto the bike. Some of them had a clamp that required you to hand turn a screw to loosen or tighten the clamp around your bike as needed. Others were less elegant, but just as awkward. While, another did not clamp around the bike at all, instead it was set up so that you could rest your bike on the stand via the bottom bracket on the bike. We immediately ruled out this stand as it would not allow us to easily reach the underside of the bike for cleaning.
One particular stand's clamp mechanism clearly rose above the others: the Park PCS-1 Home Mechanic Repair Stand. The clamp on this stand rotates infinitely and allows you to tighten the clamp around the bike by simply pushing or pulling a lever. This makes the job of hoisting the bike up in the air with one hand while locking it into place a lot easier.
But was the stand sturdy enough? the Park PCS-1 only had two legs as opposed to most others with a classic tripod design. It just didn't look as sturdy. At this point the salesperson helped us and began hoisting bikes into each of the stands so that we could test both the clamps and the sturdiness. After bumping and prodding the bikes while on the stands it was obvious that the Park was up to the task.
My buddy and I picked one up for each of us and proceeded to check out. The stand, normally $149.99, was on sale for $134.99. Combined with our Team Performance dollars and some other discounts we received at the point of sale we were able to leave with a pretty good deal.
Now that we have been using them for a few weeks I can say that I have
no fears of the bike falling
over and I am very glad to have the lever
locking clamp mechanism. In addition, the two legged design makes for a
low profile when stored in the garage even when not folded. It can also
be folded near flat as the picture here depicts, however, I only really
fold it when I move it instead of for storage.
