Cdubs

Getting more and more into bikes and am trying to learn how to do more maintenance/repairs on my own. I wanted to start trying to do some work on a bike stand but don't want to spend a few hundred bucks on one if I don't really use it. I have an old trailer hitch off our old van and an old solid (non folding) 2 bike carrier. My thought was to bolt the trailer hitch to the floor or into cement and then just insert the bike carrier as needed. To the guys that use bike stands a lot would there be any drawback to something like this? Or should I just bite the bullet and spend the money on the stand? It seems like pretty much the same set up and I have a ton of extra space in my building and all the parts lying around. Sorry for the basic MS paint diagram but I think you get the idea.

squirtdad

IMHO don't bother with DIY, I tried and wasted a lot of money (pvc, black gas pipe, wood etc. modified jorgenson clamp.)

in this case the old solid bike carrier will not provide the clamping you really need of your are really getting into maintenance.

also I find a stand I can move a lot more handy than a fixed stand or a wall mounted stand, the ability to walk around the bike is huge

if you have to DIY (and I love DIY) at least get a for purpose clamp (but then you are half the way to buying a stand) https://www.jensonusa.com/Foundation...xoCO14QAvD_BwE

buying a park pcs10 years ago is still the best tool purchase I have made.

buy a stand and get good solid quality

blacknbluebikes 

Agree w/ squirt, above. I also cook up lotsa DIY solutions, but if you need a stand, get one that has survived evolutionary forces. Clamping, angles, height, relocation -- all factors that do matter in repeated usage over the long run.

FrozenBiker 

"would there be any drawback to something like this"

If you can stabilize the bike from swaying back & forth while in that hanging rack, it should be okay for basic maintenance.
Since you have everything already, give it a go. Not like you're losing anything by trying.
As squirtdad mentioned, there is nothing like having a real clamp tho.

I scored a deal on a bench-mount clamp years ago and made a stand from spare iron pipe & mdf.
It has never failed, even while wrestling with frozen cranks.

Keep us updated with w/e road you choose there.

79pmooney

I have forever taken the opposite approach. I don't want a big stand to occupy floor space. My garage is a shop for house projects and formerly boat projects as well as bikes. I hang a rope with a loop from the overhead. Slip the seat nose into it. Fast and easy, I love the bike height. To muscle stuff, I lean the bike against my solid work table. Love that in and out of the "stand" is so fast. I put a wheel on quickly with the QR half tight. Drop the bike, loosen and retighten the QR. Re-hang. Less than this typing time.

And when I am not working on the bike I don't have to do anything. Walking into the "stand"? Yes, it happens but so that? I have a second rope hanging at the handlebars. Kept coiled high but I tie it around the stem to steady and level the bike to do forks, headsets and start brake cables.

My concession to bikes is a rolling mechanic's cabinet I built a tabletop, back and sides for that holds all my bike tools, lubricants, etc. The bike , when "racked up" hangs just in front of it.

smd4

You don't have to spend that much on a decent repair stand.

Iride01 

For the longest time I just hung the top tube of my bike over the corner of my table saw out in the shop. Or a convenient table or countertop corner with sufficient overhang when inside the house.

I did recently make a fixture to put on top of a sawhorse. Pretty much just a block of wood with a hole in it for the front thru-axle to go in and the BB shell rests on the end of the sawhorse. All very inexpensive. And now I don't have to squat down as I did before.

If you are going to be working on many bikes and very often, then spring for a proper work stand. But for once every other blue moon, just do what you prefer.

Cdubs

Oh yeah? The cheaper ones always look so flimsy I figured they would be one of those things they would just be better with more money.

Germany_chris

I still use a stand I bought at Lidl about a decade ago, they’re on sale every spring

smd4

On the spectrum of using ropes or leaning your bike against a workbench on one end, and a Park professional stand on the other, the less inexpensive stands lean much farther toward the Park. So, while they aren't bullet-proof, they are usually built sturdy enough for the home mechanic.

maddog34

ten years using one of these... i do Heavy torquing (removing BB's mostly) with the bikes on the floor to prevent damage...

https://www.amazon.com/Bikehand-Mech...60&sr=8-5&th=1

martl

They do. Whether you need the enhanced rigidity and want to fork out the additional bucks for it is up to you to decide...as some confirmed here, it is absolutely possible to work with one of the budget models.

I personally swapped my inexpensive stand for a diy ultra rigid one and i am very happy with the result. Was maybe 50$ without the Park Tool clamp.

Old



New

prj71

Grab crowbar. Use it to open your wallet.

https://www.amazon.com/Bikehand-Mech...s%2C500&sr=8-6

HillRider

Another vote for doing it right. I also made a couple of improvised DIY stands before "biting the bullet" and getting a good, purpose built stand. In my case I got an older version of the Feedback Sports stand which is sturdy but folds up for convenient storage.

To do anything but the most basic cleaning and adjusting you need to be able to reorient the bike and that means a clamp that allows rotation and stabilizes it at the same time. Also, if you have a carbon or light Al frame, you want to clamp it by the seatpost, not the frame tubes, so a clamp that allows that is necessary.

veganbikes

Get a proper stand. A good Park Stand can last for decades. I have one that is from the early 90s and still works just fine I have replaced it (in usage) with a more adjustable modern one that packs down a little better and has the modern head for larger diameter seatposts but in the end that old one which I got for $30 could keep going and going and going. It just wasn't working as well for some of my newer bikes with larger seatposts and isn't as nicely adjustable but almost 30 years of service isn't bad and when I got it all I did was put a little grease in where the clamp goes and wiped it down and I probably didn't need the grease but I like to make sure I don't get anything seized up.

At modern pricing with the modern equivalent to my old stand it would be about $14 a year to own it (and slightly less for my current PRS-25 surprsingly) and if I went with the cheaper one about $9 a year for 30 years. Not a huge cost but makes repairs a lot easier. Bike racks are great for carrying bikes from one place to another. They were never designed for actually working on the bike (minus say the Trail Doc on the Küat NV 2.0s) so the bike can easily move around or be nicely clamped so it doesn't move making it hard to work on it. With a proper bike stand you get fairly easy access all around the bike which is key and on a car rack you don't even need it.

Buy a good stand and it will last a long time and be much easier to use and much more pleasurable to use while working. Plus if you decide hey this repair stuff isn't for me you can sell it easily to someone else.

easyupbug 

I think your approach is reasonable to see where you go in cycling. I also have lots of room and too many bikes so have a Park maintenance stand, a blackburn travel stand (we are snowbirds) and a set up much as you describe. It's a non-folder that I no longer use with a solid rubber lined plates that clamped the two bikes down solidly. It is were I prep for a ride, check things over, wipe down, inflate, etc, and if I see something easy I can clamp the frame down and do minor work.

TiHabanero

Having worked in a shop since 1981 I completely appreciate the rock solid stands such as the Park professional models. A friend of mine was fixing bikes in his garage using a chain with hooks on it suspended from the rafters. At best it is workable, but honestly it sucks.
Having a bike sit still while spinning the cranks or doing a brake flush, or just simply adjusting a cantilever brake is much easier and faster using a fixed stand. I say a suspended bike hanger thingy is a temporary thing, not suitable for much outside of a quick lube of the chain or removing wheels for a flat fix.

dedhed

I have a high end Ultimate Support Pro (now Feedback) and $25 ALDI stand. Is the now $400 Feedback better? Certainly, and is the go to for serious work. Is the $25 ALDI adequate for most routine maintenance and adjustment? Absolutely.

Ryan_M

Here's my DIY work stand. I didn't want anything that clamped the carbon bits. I was working on a few ideas but wanted something literlay right now so I whipped this up using some scraps in about an hour or so to get me by for the time being. 2 years later I'm still using it as is, it's worked out fantastic.

squirtdad

super nice shop. note in general it is not recommended to hang a carbon bike like that if there is going to be any pressure (or using bike racks like that)

my new steel bike (OS 953 thing tubes) even came with a note saying no clamping and no hanging

PhilFo 

Save up to buy a real stand. Not a professional shop-grade Park stand, but one of the folding ones or even a telescoping fold-up job. For years I hung my bike from my basement joists with a length of good nylon rope looped around the nose of the saddle. If I needed more stability, I'd larks-head a line onto a wheel and hang it from a nail in a different joist. Works great but eventually one wants to be able to turn the bike this way and that, with more stable control, so a real stand is necessary. The opportunity cost as well as expense of a kludge band-aid is just too much if what you want to do is work on your bike without complaints about your stand. You'll get more time on the road or trail if you have the right tool.

Ryan_M

I've been trying to figure out your post all evening but I don't really know what you're trying to say. Are you woried about the paint? I can't see the clearcoat being any different on a carbon frame. Metal or carbon is not a plastic material and will not deform over time regardless how it's suspended (so far as I know?). The bike is level so there's no worries about air getting in the brake lines. I know I'm reaching here, but also trying to figure out what concern there could possibly be. Curious to hear your opinion.

squirtdad

Ryan M.... Hanging a carbon frame as in your finnish plywood stand, is not a problem for storage.

t carbon frames are not designed for stress on the top tube at those points.

So if you are doing anything maintenance wise that puts pressure on the frame it could cause damage (essentially a one side clamp)

similar it is not recommended to use a car rack where the bike hangs from support by the top tube. (that is a mix of avoiding pressure on the frame and avoiding long term abrasion as best I can tell)

thule does not reccomend using hanging racks for carbon bikes

I have seen posted (but can't find) it a bike manufacturer statement not to hang by top tube.

hope this clarifies

fishboat

I found a slightly used one of these locally (total fluke..I decided I needed a stand, I looked on CL, found one in 5 minutes, and made a deal 10 minutes later)..paid $60 for it. I've built up 4 bikes and maintained another 8-10 on it. Works fine..no complaints.

At $100 I still expect it'll be a good buy.

(p.s. I'm a diehard DIY guy, cabinet builder..etc.. I considered a DIY bike rack. After working through the options..I decided to buy one..no regrets)

easyupbug 

I can see a general warning being reasonable for a frame from a manufacturer. From the looks of your shop I am sure that you have the mechanical aptitude needed to take steps with any 40Nm+ torquing to do on a crankset, bottom bracket, etc., and would not stress that top tube.