yjda

I am looking to buy a bike maintenance stand, and am need of a recommendation. Please list pros/cons for brand/type. I am looking to spend $100-250. Thanks.

BCRider

Get one with a clamp that opens a LONG way. I went with a non Park Tools stand for $70 and it's very sturdy, very plain and has a very annoying clamp setup. Mostly because it doesn't open very far. The clamp itself is the main issue as long as the stand is decently stiff to avoid wobblies.

Shimagnolo

Be sure to get one that enables you to raise/lower the bike as desired to put it at a comfortable height to work on it. I bought a Park stand years ago that works fine, but the height is fixed, so I must either bend over, (and get a backache), or get down on my knees on a hard, dirty garage floor.

rickowensis

I purchased a Performance Spin Doctor stand for $169.00 3 years ago which has worked very well for me as I have bought and sold over 50 bikes in that time period; using said stand for all of them and many others besides.
The Ultimate Stand for about the same price at REI is also very good. Total adjustability in height, rotation and clamping ability is paramount. Both of these stands fold and accept a tool tray as well which is also quite important.
I am a bike mechanic and use a Park stand at work which is completely adjustable, very sturdy and also bolted to the floor. Good luck in your selection.

BarracksSi

Park Tool PCS-4

It's the same quick-opening clamp that probably every shop uses, adjusts for height with a quick release collar, and its legs can swing together for storage or transport.

My parents sent me a gift certificate to my LBS for my birthday (yay!), and after talking with one of the mechanics for quite a while, it came down to the PCS-4 and the PRS-20. The PRS-20, while nice and solid, takes up more floor space (my PCS-4 is actually up against a wall full-time) and I'd need to take off a wheel before using it (minor, I'll admit, but it could be a pain). The -4, IMO, is about as nice as you can get without doing the full shop setup.

Curtiss

If you're looking for an inexpensive alternative, I highly recommend the Park PCS-9. I picked one up for $100 at Performance, and I've been very happy. The clamp actually screws down (a little more clumsy than a lever clamp), but it's very stable, well built, and allows me to work comfortably on our four bikes.

fcormier

I recommend the the Ultimate Sport-Mechanic. Solid, good grip, lots of possibility for positioning the bike. I've been using it for acouple of years and I am very satisfied.

carpediemracing 

+1 on enough height.

I got spoiled at the shop where I had the height extender on our workstands. I think the Park, at full extension, is too short for me. I guess one thing is I have low ceilings so I can't spin the bike around like normal, but I don't like working on upside down bikes anyway.

I prefer a stand that holds the fork or rear dropouts and rests the BB on the stand. It doesn't clamp any potentially weird spots (seat post, seat tube, top tube, etc) and it's easy to work with. I'd gladly trade my PCS-4 for the Park version of what I describe (PRS-20) - I feel that strongly about it. I currently use the PCS-4 to hold my track bike off the floor.

If you like the PCS-4 type stand, a local shop has a very compact seatpost clamp thing that you can clamp with the park "jaw". It can hold a bike with a lot less post clamped, it seems gentle on the bike, and it looks much better built than the well built Park. I can find out what it is if you're interested.

cdr

yjda

wow. good stuff. thank you for all of the replies. I'll look up the posted models and post.

MN Bianchi

Another vote for the Park PCS-4.

dharvesh

Maintanance is very eazy and the spare parts is low cost,so that we can handle the bike very smoothly.
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dharvesh
www.widecircles.com

yjda

After doing some research on the posted products and their reviews, I think that I am going with the Park Tool PCS-4. I'd like to thank everyone that responded.

BarracksSi

Sucker!...



Kidding.. It's a good stand, though; it's a lot beefier than it looks in the pics. Both that one and the PRS-20 are my top two picks.

crydee

Spin Doctor Pro G3 aint bad and with some performance sale + 20% coupon can be snagged pretty cheaply.

Fibber

I went with the Parks PCS-10, and so far have had no complaints. I thought about the PCS-4, but was concerned about the 4-point ground contact. 3-points are easier to get level on a less than perfectly flat floor.

BarracksSi

Ah, true. What I didn't know was that the "feet" of the PCS-4 -- the black caps on the ends of the tubes -- are eccentric, so you can turn them to account for floor irregularities.

The three-legged PCS-10 (or PRS-20), though, would certainly be better on the lawn or any other place besides a flat floor.

LarryMelman

Yesterday, Perf. had the Park PCS-4, 9 and 10 on their site.

Today, they have a 15% sale (web/phone orders over $100 only), but the Park stands are gone.

I'm really starting to dislike the games they play.

Fibber

Very cool! Makes sense that they wouldn't sell something that would be difficult to use on most floors. Thanks for the details.

BarracksSi

Yeah -- I didn't know about it until I was putting it together. It doesn't really say anything about it on the product page (maybe that's the "new leg stabilizing system"), but it's on the instruction PDF at #2.