"Proper" Repair Stand Use and Recs
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#52
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The tool to which I was referring was the Stein internal seatpost tool. And, for that matter, the Park internal seatpost tools as well. Yes, I know I own two of them but I hardly every use them. If you are going to use one of them, you have to remove the seatpost anyway.
Marking the post and moving it to clamp it doesn’t disturb the saddle height. The seatpost goes back to exactly the same point and, as has been pointed out above, occasional removal of the post is not a bad thing.
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#53
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Here’s the PRS-6 I modified to have an adjustable height. You can find these on Craigslist and Facebook market place all the time. Originally they are way too short to be useful but modification is relatively cheap (about $65 for the extension and upper clamp). The spring clamp works well enough if you avoid clamping the frame.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#54
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#55
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I’ll stick with a stand.
#56
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Wow, cool idea! You could buy this fork mount clamp for $15 on Amazon and easily turn pretty much any bench into clampless bike stand like that. If I didn't already have a standard one by Park, I would probably do it!
Last edited by Headpost; 10-17-23 at 07:19 PM.
#57
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Having spent some formidable years in a bike shop with a "proper" Park double stand with a heavy round steel base, I got used to having the frame rock steady in the stand. We always clamped the seat tube back then. Fuji foil wraps were sometimes a casualty with this technique.
I picked up a Park PCS-1 long ago because it was a Park and I had less knowledge of the availably stands at that time. "It's Park, it must be good even for a hobbyist stand". But it has some issues. It is not rock steady. It is not height adjustable. I cannot adjust it to a good height to camp to the seat post and it can be difficult to store and transport.
I picked up a Lidl Crivet stand and actually prefer this stand at this time. But I am concerned about how long the plastic pieces are going to last. I could always buy another one when it fails because this stand is so inexpensive.
I have considered the bench stand that requires the removal of the front wheel. Bike stands seem to be like diets, there seems to be is no perfect solution, otherwise we'd all be using the same thing. Each solution has it's pros and cons.
I think my next attempt at a better solution to working on the bike will be to use the hanging the bike method. I think it was [MENTION=260407]jeirvine[/MENTION] that mentioned that he preferred this method in another post a while back. Considering the few, but credible recommendations, including [MENTION=173992]non-fixie[/MENTION] that hanging the bike, I am going to have to give this a try. One other advantage that I see with this is that I can get the bike up to a better working height.
After all this discussion, the Park ISC-1 has my attention. I may be able to create a copy with a bad, old unicrown fork and some welding.
I picked up a Park PCS-1 long ago because it was a Park and I had less knowledge of the availably stands at that time. "It's Park, it must be good even for a hobbyist stand". But it has some issues. It is not rock steady. It is not height adjustable. I cannot adjust it to a good height to camp to the seat post and it can be difficult to store and transport.
I picked up a Lidl Crivet stand and actually prefer this stand at this time. But I am concerned about how long the plastic pieces are going to last. I could always buy another one when it fails because this stand is so inexpensive.
I have considered the bench stand that requires the removal of the front wheel. Bike stands seem to be like diets, there seems to be is no perfect solution, otherwise we'd all be using the same thing. Each solution has it's pros and cons.
I think my next attempt at a better solution to working on the bike will be to use the hanging the bike method. I think it was [MENTION=260407]jeirvine[/MENTION] that mentioned that he preferred this method in another post a while back. Considering the few, but credible recommendations, including [MENTION=173992]non-fixie[/MENTION] that hanging the bike, I am going to have to give this a try. One other advantage that I see with this is that I can get the bike up to a better working height.
After all this discussion, the Park ISC-1 has my attention. I may be able to create a copy with a bad, old unicrown fork and some welding.
#58
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Ive been clamping bikes at the top tube and seat tube for over 40 years now,,never had an issue. Not a single frame has ever been damaged . I will put the bike on the ground to remove the pedals from the cranks because those are sometimes brutal to remove but thats it. . Clamping at the seat post makes then Uncomfortably low to work on .
Ive had several bike repair stands over the years different makes and models , some cheap junk and some high end stuff . When the rubber around the clamp wears/dries out or it starts to get wobbly I toss it and get another one. A stable base is very important , I had a vintage one for awhile that I think weighed about 100 pounds. Im not a fan of the springloaded clamps as they dont work well on some of the odd shaped carbon frames . Im using one right now that I dont know what it is, but the clamp snugs down and then you can adjust the tightness by turning the knob which works great on my Eddy Merckx Carbon bike with the weird shaped top tube..
I have a old Park clamp that I welded to a square tube that fits inside of a larger tube with a stop bolt so it telescopes up and down and its used for brazing in my back shop area.
Ive had several bike repair stands over the years different makes and models , some cheap junk and some high end stuff . When the rubber around the clamp wears/dries out or it starts to get wobbly I toss it and get another one. A stable base is very important , I had a vintage one for awhile that I think weighed about 100 pounds. Im not a fan of the springloaded clamps as they dont work well on some of the odd shaped carbon frames . Im using one right now that I dont know what it is, but the clamp snugs down and then you can adjust the tightness by turning the knob which works great on my Eddy Merckx Carbon bike with the weird shaped top tube..
I have a old Park clamp that I welded to a square tube that fits inside of a larger tube with a stop bolt so it telescopes up and down and its used for brazing in my back shop area.
#59
Otherwise it works perfectly fine as is, can fit rear wheel and adjust gears no problem, as opposed to having front and rear dropouts clamped.
Even after the upgrade, it would owe me less than £50, not to mention that it paid for itself a few dozen times in the past 4-5 years.
#60
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I picked up a Park PCS-1 long ago because it was a Park and I had less knowledge of the availably stands at that time. "It's Park, it must be good even for a hobbyist stand". But it has some issues. It is not rock steady. It is not height adjustable. I cannot adjust it to a good height to camp to the seat post and it can be difficult to store and transport.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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#61
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The tool to which I was referring was the Stein internal seatpost tool. And, for that matter, the Park internal seatpost tools as well. Yes, I know I own two of them but I hardly every use them. If you are going to use one of them, you have to remove the seatpost anyway.
Marking the post and moving it to clamp it doesn’t disturb the saddle height. The seatpost goes back to exactly the same point and, as has been pointed out above, occasional removal of the post is not a bad thing.
Marking the post and moving it to clamp it doesn’t disturb the saddle height. The seatpost goes back to exactly the same point and, as has been pointed out above, occasional removal of the post is not a bad thing.
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#63
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I'm sure you've guessed that the Stein tool isn't an option I'd use, for exactly that reason. And yes, using a piece of tape or a Sharpie enables one to get the seatpost back in the same position. But it's a hassle, and as I have my bikes on the stand every other week for some tweak or other, I can do without that.
Which is why I prefer a stand that only takes 5 seconds to put the bike on: remove front wheel, lift bike on stand, close the stand's QR.
And that says nothing of the fact that there’s even more hassle if you need to work on the front end of the bike. A clamp type stand allows for easier adjustment of the brakes (a common repair), headset adjustment (a less common repair), or check any bearing drag. No disassembly required.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#64
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My workshops have always been in the basement with rafters exposed, so I've just used a rope loop around the saddle nose, and hooks for the handlebars. Takes up zero floor space or storage space, no adjusting of seat post needed, and it takes about 2 seconds to throw a bike on or off. There a re only a few jobs where the freely-swinging isn't ideal, but that's never really been an issue.
Just another option.
#65
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+1. Cheap, don't have to put it away and walking into it in the dark doesn't hurt. The easiest out there to maneuver large objects around (for various house projects). I've been using a rope with a loop forever and only rarely want more. I usually just slide the seat nose through the loop. Only do the front if I need a steadier bike. I like how easy it is to spin the bike around to work on the other side. Best part is that the one/off is so fast and it's impossible to damage anything. I always set the bike down to put in rear wheels and tighten the QR. So easy with the rope.
I have two options for a solid mount. One is a simple trunk rack with the two arms. I clamp that into the other vice and the cradle holds a bike off the floor. The other is the head of an old Ultimate/Feedback stand. I created a holder from lumber which clamps into the vice too. Three options is enough and I mostly just use the rope.
I use the Park professional work stands at the LBS (including the monstrous 33.2 Power Lift, really dislike that lump) and do not miss them at home.
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#67
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And I thought grease was a sensitive topic ...
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Two things:
1.) If you attach your ropes to the ceiling 3 meters +/- apart, it will eliminate much of the swinging.
2.) I need to get a tool rack for my Park stand.
1.) If you attach your ropes to the ceiling 3 meters +/- apart, it will eliminate much of the swinging.
2.) I need to get a tool rack for my Park stand.
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#70
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Well, I got a slightly bigger sample. There are about 2,500 bike shops in my country, servicing a population of 17 million inhabitants, who own 22 million bikes among them. I have yet to find one which doesn't have the bikes hanging from the ceiling. Their equipment is slightly more advanced than ropes, but not much:
-Kurt
#71
Many of the "solutions" require removing the wheels and are based on the bike having traditional skewers and not thru bolt axles. I wanted something that would work with my carbon fiber and my aluminum frame bikes and with road bikes and e-bikes and my mountain bikes. The Parker stand folds up so I can store it in a corner of my garage when not needed. The Silca bar is adjusted to be parallel to the stand and so it can be left on the stand while it is stored.
With this approach I can work on a bike outdoors and then return it to my bike shed. Not everyone has a large space indoors that they can dedicate to storing or working on bicycles.
With this approach I can work on a bike outdoors and then return it to my bike shed. Not everyone has a large space indoors that they can dedicate to storing or working on bicycles.
#72
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Forgot to take the "after" picture, but you can imagine this was a fair bit of work. And that they weren't about to take on that job in their nice new workshop.
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