Campag4life

Since a lot of you guys wrench on your bikes and own a Park Repair Stand of some kind...thought I would poll the 41 to see which clamp you prefer?

One is a micro adjustable crank style...effectively a vice of sorts and the other uses a spring clamp with lever where you simply place the seatpost in the clamp and push the lever and it clamps the post with sufficient force.

Some will want to tune clamping force with a bellcrank and others I suppose would rather just let the spring do it.

Experiences?...see below for clamp types.

DinoShepherd

This one might be fun.

Being an old shop rat I prefer the traditional cast head. Which, by the way, is fully adjustable for tension.

Just doesn't feel quite right holding a bike any other way.

Campag4life

And Dino, to expand it a bit....a have a few year old Park PCS-1 Home Repair Stand with the spring loaded version of the lever clamp which is Park no. 100 1-C. Also adjustable...but more crudely with a spring and changing its location. I presume the lever version in my first post is preferred and more refined. As I see it, the benefit of the crank style allows individual tuning of pressure based upon different bike seatpost diameter and shape differences aka an aero style seatpost. That is my experience.

clausen

I actually prefer the professional stands over the clamp style. Don't need to worry about clamp force on your frame and it's easier to move around the bike.

rpenmanparker 

C4L, I would be surprised if many people had much experience with more than one type. Since so many folks buy based on price, they are not in position to compare the clamps that are featured up and down the Park product line. Sure, I am talking about myself. I saved the $50 or so and went with the PC-9 stand instead of the PC-10. Essentially identical except for the clamp difference. But the choice was made on price, not on the clamp offered. For what it's worth, I like the crank type clamp on the 9. It is fully functional, fully adjustable and has never let me down.

Hopefully you will get some comments from folks with a broader experience. Just sayin' not a lot of people have owned or used more than one model to know which is better.

Looigi

I like the crank. You get the clamping pressure you want without fiddling and independent of tube diameter. I also have a race stand which supports the bike under the BB and clamps the dropouts. Each has it's advantages and uses.

soma5

If you are clamping onto CF then I think the cranked one is a little safer. You can adjust clamping pressure by feel, gradually. The mechanics at my LBS all swear by that one.

sour

I have an old park stand with the spring clamp. Mine only has 2 adjustments. It has served me well over the years, but I have always wanted to modify the mechanism to eliminate the spring. But ultimately too lazy.

Its rare are that I use the clamp now. I typically just hang the bike by the seat. But when I do use the clamp, it is always loose around the seat post with a t shirt to provide a little extra protection and force.

arcticbiker

The older lever style w/ spring has served me well for years. The adjustment screw requires lubrication occasionally and the rubber clamp member is showing wear from all the seat clamps rubbing. Once in a while when working on several bikes one after the other, a seat tube will be too short to fit in the clamp. Then you either raise the seat or use the top tube for clamping. Either type should make this transition easily. I also balance bikes by the seat without clamping.

Campag4life

Thanks for your comments Looigi. I prefer the crank clamp as well for the reasons you stated. Another question Looigi since you own both, if you could have only one stand, which would it be....race stand or hanging clamp style?
Thanks

Campag4life

Aside from the undeniable benefit of tuning clamp pressure with the crank style clamp, I NEVER clamp on a frameset...only on a seatpost. Further..unlike a carbon (or Aluminum) frameset, a carbon seat post has tremendous compressive strength. Don't believe it could ever be crushed with all the hand strength or clamp strength you can muster. But don't try that on a thin walled carbon frame tube...but again, I never clamp on the frame.

Campag4life

In bold...me too. But I am considering picking up a crank style clamp for my Park stand.

rousseau

Great topic. Questions about the race stands:

1. Do they clamp or clasp in at the bottom bracket? Or does the bottom bracket just rest on them?
2. Aren't they a bit of a hassle having to take the front wheel off all the time? And then if you want to adjust the front brakes you have to remove the rear wheel, put the front back on and switch it around. Which is what you have to do if you want to put on a new set of cables and housings? Right? Or do the racer mechanics know what they're doing, and front brake adjustment is essentially the only time you'd need to switch it around?

dfischer1

I prefer the shop clamp (the cast one), but at the risk of hijacking the thread, what is the deal with people clamping the top tube on their bikes? Every DIY/bike review video on Youtube has the bike in question clamped on the top tube. I would never do this with a steel bike let alone a carbon bike. Maybe that's why they're all asploding.

f4rrest

Made one out of stuff I had lying around: drum kit, pipe clamp, and table saw.

The drum kit clamp is nice, since it's quick open and doesn't crush the frame.

king-tony

I have both and since getting the crank version I have almost stopped using the clamp. It allows me to get the pressure just right and opens more than enough for every aero post I have tried. The only downside is the release is slower and you have to hold the weight of the bike a little longer when opening and closing.

soma5

I don't clamp frame tubes at all, only the seatpost. However, I've gone over to the crank-style clamp now for the reasons I gave. It is a little slower but I feel better about it knowing that I will never apply too much pressure. You pays your money and you makes your choice, as with many things in this life.

Campag4life

Thanks. What I suspected and why I am thinking about picking up a clamp version.

Campag4life

Seems to be the preference...crank versus lever clamp.
Thanks

rm -rf

I have a 10 year old version of this Feedback Sports stand. (It was an Ultimate stand back then.)

The clamp uses a screw mechanism to tighten, so it's easy to not over-tighten. But it's also fast, because it has an internal clutch. Turn it counterclockwise, and the clutch releases, and you can slide it all the way open. Then you can slide it shut onto the seatpost, and when you start to tighten, the clutch engages again.

The clamp rotates 360 degrees and there's a quick release to raise or lower the post. And it all folds up to transport.



(It's my bike parking, too. The bike is clamped on after every ride. It's nice to air up tires or check the brakes with the bike on a stand.)

wedgeSG

+1 on the Feedback products...at the Southeast Bike Expo there was a sea of red and hardly any blue in sight at all. Love my Pro-Elite.

Proxer

Just picked up the Feedback Sprint Repair Stand... it's amazing. Feedbacks have such a solid tripod base.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, but wouldn't that be well explained at least in part by the "off-site" nature of the event. IOW the Feedback stands are quite mobile and perhaps superior for carrying to a location away from the home, shop or other cycling business. That doesn't say much about which stand would be preferable for all day wrenching at the shop or factory or even casual mechanical work at home..

kv501

+1,000

I went to the "Euro" stand style a couple years ago and would never go back. So much more stable and you can attach it to either drop out.

Feedback Sprint all the way.

wedgeSG

rpenmanparker check out the feedback site...there is probably a feedback product in the configuration you are looking for. As Proxer mentioned they are really stable. I like that in a stand...a lot.