wle

dumb question

whenever i try to use my work stand [park PCS-10] to remove and replace the rear wheel, i can;t figure it out

i have done it 1000s of times, the 'little kid' way - bike upside down on the ground
that way makes sense
at least the wheel doesn;t fall out when you release the skewer
and you can see how the chain threads around the idlers and whatnot, and where the cogs have to go

on a work stand, it is all upside down and backwards and wants to fall out before you have everything in place and locked
plus i can;t lower the stand enough to just use it to hold the top tube and invert the bike

what i end up doing is either, rotate the bike 120 degrees (180 has bike way too high), which has the rear wheel too high and still at a weird angle,
or just doing it the little-kid way again - but **it;s the thing i do more than anything else, changing tires, and i paid $125 for this work stand!!!!!**

even using a work stand to change the front wheel, is not good, the fork flops, and you still have to hold the wheel up with one hand while trying to tighten the QR with the other. at least there is no chain or cogs, to figure out, too..

@!#$@#$!

maybe use the stand to hold the downtube near the bottom bracket, so it won;t be so high when inverted..?

wle

jyl

It sounds like you've tried it only once or twice, and haven't allowed yourself to get used to the process yet? It isn't hard, for anyone.

Don't invert the bike on the workstand. Clamping the downtube means you're probably clamping the shift cables into the paint. Anyway there is no need.

With bike positioned right side up, shift rear derailleur to smallest cog, and flip the quick release lever "open". If the rear wheel falls out, then you're done :-) More likely, it will drop a bit then sit there, you open the rear brake if needed, and pivot the rear derailleur backward, it will drop further, then the cogs sitting on the chain are the only thing holding the wheel up, move the chain and you're done. Putting the wheel back on is the reverse process. For the front wheel, use one hand to hold the fork and one to hold the wheel.

That said, there's no rule that says you can't flip the bike upside down on the floor and remove/replace wheels the way you are used to doing it. Scratches up the seat and bar/hoods, but a bit of carpet or matting takes care of that.

3alarmer

I invert the bike by rotating it in the stand, as you have described.

If you are vertically challenged, you can certainly grab whatever tube you want to
in the clamp to lower the bike in the stand, and in fact, if you are working on anything,
like a bottom bracket or a headset, it makes sense to have the thing upon which you're
working close to eye level.

Airburst

Removing the wheel, I undo everything but the axle nuts (i.e. drum brake or hub gear cables, opening rim brakes, whatever) and then hold the wheel while I remove the skewer. If it's a nutted axle I loosen one axle nut, and then hold the wheel as I undo the second one.

Refitting the wheel, I normally end up holding the wheel in place with one hand while tightening the skewer or axle nuts with the other. I also make sure to loosen the skewer or axle nuts again once the bike is on the ground on its wheels, if it's got vertical dropouts. I then allow the weight of the bike to seat the axle properly in the dropouts before tightening the wheel back up. I also do this for most front wheels.

FBinNY 

IMO, the only reliable way to reposition a wheel in a bike is on the ground. Mount it on the stand, maneuver it close enough that the QR can hold it in place. Then place the bike on the floor, open the qr, jiggle the frame to settle the wheel home (or pull back and align if you have horizontal dropouts), and tighten the QR. The reason I always use the ground is that gravity will reliably and consistently settle the frame so the wheel is solidly against the tops of both dropouts. That means that the brake adjustment will stay spot on, and the wheel won't move if you hit a deep pothole.

Of course, you can pull the wheel up into the dropouts, but there's a tendency to pull it to one side, which isn't the true home position. Getting used to positioning on the floor also ensures that you'll duplicate the position easily if you remount out in the field, even if your in a rush on a dark rainy night.

cranky old road 

Mount the bike in the work stand with the front end of the bike down lower than the back and the weight of the wheel will keep the fork from flopping around as much. When reinstalling the front wheel loosen the work stand rotation so the fork will drop down onto the wheel and you won't have to hold the wheel up.

antmeeks

Practice, practice, practice.

If you want to get good at something and do it confidently & efficiently, you have to practice and develop a technique.

2 tasks that every rider is faced with and should be practiced consistently until they can be done competently:

1. Getting the wheels off & back on your bike with it oriented right side up. Practice doing it in the stand AND out of the stand on the ground. Surprisingly easy once you have the technique down.
2. Getting the tires off & changing the tube... Deflate the tire, remove it, remove the tube, then put it all back together & inflate. Rinse & repeat. Repetition is key here. Soon you will be doing it bare-handed.

Neither of these activities are difficult or complicated, the main obstacle for most people is only in their heads, IMHO.

3alarmer

Oh yeah.forgot. Front fork flop is easily dealt with using a toe clip strap.

You just strap the front wheel to the downtube, going around the rim and the downtube and pull it snug.

reptilezs

use your thighs/quads to provide upward pressure to the wheel. other hand on the frame or fork to brace it. then use your other hand to close the qr. helps to have a shop style stand with a heavy base

fietsbob

Me? I Hang the Nose of the saddle over it, and Pop out the wheel using both hands ..

Nothing wrong with sitting it on the ground again, to insure the axle is in the dropout , properly.

ThermionicScott 

Just don't let go of the skewer and the wheel won't get away from you.

jolly_ross

What FB says.

I usually "pre-mount" my wheels in the stand - but always sit the bike back on the ground and open/reclose the skewers. About half the time there is a small thunk as the bike sits down completely on the axle like it should be.

I learnt this trick from my time as a mech for a contract company maintaining ambulance bikes. A letter from the company came around saying "thou shalt, without fail, mount the wheels on the ground" - I guess one of the other mechs had mismounted a wheel in a workstand.

rogerstg

Same here. There's no need to clamp the bike for just removing wheels. The side benefit is that the bike hangs front down, so there are no issues with handlebar flopping. Gravity takes care of that.