Wattsup

I just bought a Park PCS 10.3 stand to replace my $50 4-leg Walmart special, and was initially impressed with the Park's stability, that is until I removed one wheel from the bike. With that rear wheel removed, it's not difficult to give the stand a small shove right over one leg, when the bike is attached by the seatpost. And because of the teardrop shaped tubing, you can't swivel the bike so that the CG is more between the legs. Anyone use sandbags to stabilize their stand?

Trakhak

I've never used sandbags, though that's a good idea.

You could try clamping the bike frame by the top tube near the head tube. The closer to the head tube the clamp is positioned, the less effect removing the rear wheel will have on the weight distribution.

Angling the clamp such that the rear wheel is lower than the front would help, too, though you'd want to secure the front end to keep the handlebars from swinging around and banging into the frame.

Andrew R Stewart 

Yes, but... The shop I sort of retired from puts on various events (like one of the few UCI 1 XC races on this side of the big pond) and uses pop up event tents for officials, registration and such. Each tent, not bolted to a raised platform, has a purpose made sand bag tied to each corner's leg. I have "borrowed" a couple of these bags for the repair station we have sometimes set up. Especially if on uneven ground the Park portable stands (excepting the tripod legged ones) tend to walk and rock a bit. I just laid the bags over the flat legs, as close to the upright as I can to keep from stumbling over the bags. Andy

_ForceD_

Looking at that particular stand…to overcome this problem, instead of using the sandbag weights…I’m wondering if a slight adjustment in setting the stand up might work. Instead of completely separating and securing the legs and upright stanchion at the fixture in the picture below, secure it with more of an angle, higher up on the upright stanchion. That would put the bike outward from the base more, and more weight on the outer, wider edge of the triangle formed by the legs. —Dan

Jicafold

Or take some extra 25 pound plates off the weight set and use those.

MyRedTrek

I have a Bikehand stand that I really like that's of a similar 2-leg design and realized that if accidentally bumped hard enough the right way it could potentially be knocked over. I made a couple of sandbags with handles using zip bags filled with sand, tarp material and black Gorilla duct tape for added stability.

I also set up the stand in my driveway oriented in relation to the slight slope of the driveway that's least conducive to a tipover incident.

soyabean

Collapsable stands of all likes are really made for convenient portability and thus include all the quirks and problems as with all things portable and convenient.

I hate issues and problems and if I can do something to solve it permanently, I do it.

I would get something permanently attached on the wall or floor/ceiling. Need ideas? Go visit a few LBS.

Yes, can always stick with portable stands and compromise with sandbags and weights, but why bother?

Alan K

Now that is a good stand! 👍

Bike Gremlin

For saving space, it's ideal when stuff in the workshop can serve multiple purposes.
Sandbags, for example, are also handy in case Bulgarians attack.

Jokes aside, I prefer having a stable stand in a workshop (bolted down if needed).
For working in the field, any improvisation that works is good and not stupid.

dedhed

I just put 10 sandbags in the back of my plow truck for ballast and another 4 in my other pickup for winter weight.
I found my Ultimate Support stand doesn't need sandbags.

CrimsonEclipse

2 leg stands need sand bags or a space/post to add gym weights.

I have a (probably similar) amazon $50 4 leg stand that'll hold a fat bike without budging.
(takes up 3 times the real estate tho)

Wattsup

Probably not a good idea. The 10.3 was an upgrade from the previous version. It uses a locking button to prevent the fixture from slipping and then folding up and crashing, which apparently happened to a few people in the forums, no matter how tight they made the clamp. And that was at full extension! Park issued a fix for the old version, and then introduced the new, improved version with locking button.

Wattsup

So I borrowed a friend's Feedback Sports Pro Mechanic HD stand to see how that compares to the Park 10.3. That thing is a beast, rated for 100lbs max! Guess what though, it's not more stable to a push with the rear wheel off. Maybe less so, no matter how you orient the tripod legs. When you reorient the legs, you are just repositioning the direction vulnerable to a push.And the higher you raise the bike, the easier it is to push the stand over. Even with the rear wheel on, the bike is less stable than the park to a push. The Park, because of the slanted vertical tube, compensates as you raise the bike. The stability to a push remains the same pretty much. Neither tripod resists a push better than my 4-leg $50 Walmart special though! The cheap stand has other issues though. I wouldn't trust a heavy mountain bike or fat bike on it, and certainly not an e-bike.

The way the Feedback clamp tightens up and releases is interesting. It's a little simpler to accomplish, but might not be easier. For instance, the quick release releases, well, quickly! You have to be ready to absorb the weight of the bike immediately. The Park is a two step release, giving you a little time to firm up your grip on the bike before the clamp lets go completely. I think it might be easier to lock the latch quickly on the feedback though. I think either would be acceptably easy, with a little practice.

The tilting mechanism seems smoother on the Feedback. Without a bike mounted, it actually feels less smooth than the park, but with bike mounted, it's quite smooth. The Park tends to grab and stick a little. Depending on the position of the bike, you sometimes have to really clamp it down to stop it from slipping a bit. It seems though that when it does slip, it only slips a bit, but then seems quite firm.

The Feedback is aluminum, and the Park is steel. Both weigh about the same I think. The Park is rated for 80 lbs. The Feedback is 100lb max, but Feedback quotes 75 lbs for the "optimized" weight, whatever that means. The unpainted interior tubes on the Park will tend to rust if you wash your bike with it. The Feedback is aluminum, so no problem there. My plan is to continue using the cheap Walmart steel stand to wash the bike.

Wattsup

One word: price!

Wattsup

Yes, I'm going to come up with something. Probably the bags,

veganbikes

DON'T CLAMP YOUR BIKE BY ANYTHING BUT THE SEATPOST! Please folks don't do it bad idea because it is so easy to over clamp because you don't want it moving. If you are gentle it is not as bad but it is a bad habit to get into. Seatposts are designed for clamping and most tubes on most modern bikes are lightweight and easy to damage. Plus you can damage paint as well.

You could use something to shore up the weight but I don't know if I would use sandbags unless I had sandbags already. I just generally deal with it though I know it is a portable stand so I except I need to be a little more careful around it. I guess if I were to weight it down I would use stuff around the house that I already had that wouldn't be a potential for a mess.

ridelikeaturtle

REPEAT do not clamp anything but the seat post.

If you absolutely must break this rule, maybe don't "clamp" it? Just rest & balance the bike on the stand? Don't clamp what's not the seat post. Accept there are limitations that need to have attention paid to them.

As the saying goes: "Experience is something you get just after you needed it."

Weogo

I use these for tripod speaker stands:

https://www.sandbagstore.com/circular-sandbags.html

I fill them with pea gravel instead of sand. If a bag breaks, much easier to clean up on a fancy stage.
These are very sturdy bags, so not likely an issue.

Bike Gremlin

For the superlight stuff, I keep a "set" of seatposts used for clamping (metal, and regularly degreased), because not every seatpost can stand much pressure or torque either.

Modern super-expensive superlight carbon stuff looks like it's made to have you serve it, not the other way round...

Relja

bboy314

This stand is fantastic, as long as you have $7k lying around.

Trakhak

Plenty of pro bike shops in Europe use cables to suspend bikes from the ceiling by their saddles and handlebars rather than expensive, heavy work stands. For jobs that require application of high torque, they simply place the bikes on the floor.

Which is what I do with my $30 five-leg Aldi collapsible bike stand. I used heavy two-arm Park stands in bike stores for decades, but I'm very happy with my Aldi stand. For, e.g., removing stubborn bottom bracket cups on vintage bikes, I pull the height-adjustable section out of the bike stand and use it as a cheater bar.

Chuck M 

If I had the problem the OP has, sandbags would certainly be something I would explore.

And I have no doubt that the Park stands are not good quality stands. But I have a stand from Amazon which I suspect is not much unlike the ALDI stand mention above. It was I think about 35 bucks. The four legs do take up some floor space, but I'm not so clumsy I trip over them and they are quite stable no matter what angle I hang the bike at. I have had no problem loosening anything but the tightest of fixed BB cups which I too do on the floor and off the stand.

I usually agree with buying the best tools you can afford, but there are some things I draw the line on paying a premium for. Many Park tools are with the premium, but I don't see where a Park stand is worth 4 times the price of what I'm using. Especially if I would have to weigh it down with sandbags.

mpetry912 

That is an EVT stand, very nice, made by Efficient Velo Tools of Portland, OR. Efficient Velo Tools (EVT)

They are expensive but probably the best. they make a counterweighted one for ebikes.

/markp

Alan K

It looks very impressive.

At one point, I bought a stand for a surgical microscope (old Ziess) from a recycling center for under $100 with the intention to convert it into a bicycle stand. The project didn’t make progress because the internal mechanism that controlled its movements (vertical) didn’t work too well. It could have been a great bike stand.
[I salvaged some parts of it for tinkering but no bike stand! Back then, I thought that it would make a great bike stand because it was capable of supporting much heavier weight that most bikes and when they work properly, you need to barely use force to move them. Another episode of trial and error…]

Alan K

Because you reminded me of my previous failed attempt of making a good bike stand, I just realized that I do have another option. I have a large format photo enlarger sitting in the basement, no longer used for years. That could be adapted to accept a sturdy bike clamp.👍