Robert P

If you don't already have a bike maintenance stand and were thinking about getting one *don't* be tempted by one of these. Goes by different names depending where you find it but by any name it's junk. I thought it might be a clever alternative design - nope. The picture of it is sheer false advertising. Maybe it'll work with other bikes but my Giant Cypress DX won't sit on the stand as the picture shows - i.e. with the crank housing neatly in the mounting area - which is 4 raised plastic tabs protruding out of a plastic base - the balance is all wrong for it to do that. It tips forward at about a 45 deg angle and sits with a part of the frame forward of the crank housing resting on the mounting area and the only way it'll sit on the stand at all is with the front tire resting on the support leg. The image of it sitting parallel to the ground the way the "ghosted" image shows is pure fantasy. Never going to happen, at least not with my bike.

Amazon.com: Gudcraft Bike Stand Bicycle Stand Repair Stand Rack with Tray: Home Improvement



The J-hook stabilizer is attached to the stand with a very light gauge spring and on mine the nut to tighten the J-hook down doesn't even fit the threads on the J-hook - it just slides through with minimal pressure. Even if it held the frame tightly enough to keep the bike from sliding I wouldn't trust it. And it's far more awkward to put the bike on this than with the clamp-on style of stands. Further the bolts holding the blue plastic mount in place interfere with the front gears on the crankset. It's a dumb, kludgy design.

Got one on Ebay, they gave me my money back and didn't require me to send it back. I've now got a modern art sculpture, useless as a bike stand.


Then I got one of these. Excellent design, works great.

Amazon.com : BIKEHAND Cycle Pro Mechanic Bicycle Repair Stand rack Bike : Bike Workstands : Sports & Outdoors

HillRider

My first repair stand was a Minoura similar in concept to the first picture you posted. It also supported the bike by the bottom bracket and a J-hook over the downtube. It was dreadfully unsteady and a pain to work with. I then bought a Feedback Sports Ultimate stand and have never regretted it.

RPK79

Maybe the ghosted image is showing how it will quickly slip out of position and unto the floor?

Robert P

That's right - the other notable thing about the crapstand above is that even if it actually worked as shown it's awkward to put the bike in it. Ideally you'd need three hands.

The clamp style is the way to go.

mconlonx

Don't clamp your toptube. Or your seattube. Especially if you have a carbon bike. Clamp the seatpost. Raise the seat if you need area for clamping. Use some tape to mark saddle height on the post before moving it.

HillRider

Or buy the cheapest metal seatpost you can find in the correct diameter and dedicate it to the workstand.

I always put a dot of bright nail polish on my seatpost just at the top edge of the seattube or collar. It's a depth gauge that always lets me reinstall the saddle at the correct height.

Robert P

Why do you say don't clamp the top tube? Even the pics on virtually every bike stand show that as one of the ways to hold the bike.

The concern I'd have with clamping the seat post is because of the balance on the bike is it seems it would put a lot of stress on the seat post.

Paramount1973 

Seatposts are designed to support riders of more than 200 lbs in weight and withstand bumps. In comparison, 20-40 lbs of bike isn't going to do squat.

Canker

I wouldn't worry about clamping the top tube unless you have a carbon fiber bike. You can do some googling and find plenty of people that have cracked their top tube buy clamping it with too much pressure.

Flying Foot Doc

+1 on the Feedback Sports Ultimate stand, Had a lesser Feedback 1st, then traded up to the Ultimate. I like it more every time I use it.

GeorgeBMac

Seat posts don't have paint that can be scraped off or chipped off like the bike tubes do...

bikemig 

Yep but if you're careful, clamping a bike on the top or seat tube with a steel bike is no big deal. Seatpost is better for that reason alone but I've clamped my steel bikes literally hundreds of times on the seat or top tube with no problem. Decals can be a problem though.

mconlonx

You could damage the paint. You could damage the decals. You could dent the frame. And in the case of a carbon bike, you could crack the frame. Easily. It's bad practice. Your concerns about clamping the seatpost are unfounded; my concerns about clamping elsewhere are backed up by training and experience.

Clamps on stands are like quick release levers -- small movement, incredible pressure.

In the shop, the only time I've ever clamped a seattube is when the seatpost is stuck; I have never, ever clamped a top tube, nor will I.

You do what you want; take the advice of a well-meaning mechanic or not.

john.b

I picked up a floor model of the Feedback Sports Pro Elite stand, it came with a tote bag that's still in the plastic wrap because the stand is always up. Easier to do routine maintenance when the stand is always available.

The only thing that could possibly be better would be a shop stand permanently mounted to the floor of the garage, and then that wouldn't exactly be portable...

mconlonx, any reason to use the seat mast adapters for carbon seatmasts/seatposts or should I just watch the amount of clamp pressure?

Kimmo

The order is seatpost, seat tube, then top tube if neither of those are possible.

Not unless the bike's a complete tank, and anyway, 99% of the time I point the bike down so the head tube is a tad past vertical and the bars don't flop around. This puts a lot more of the bike's weight below the clamp, also making for more stability.

Not many reasons to have the bike horizontal in the stand.

Which is why, when clamping anything halfway vulnerable, it's best to have the cam closed when it's loose and use the thread to tighten the clamp.

No biggie if you're clamping the seat tube where the seatpost is inside it, IMO.

Also, a soft rag (nothing synthetic) is useful to prevent marring decals.

onbike 1939

+1
It's bad practice as has been said and if you are in the business of repairing customers' bikes it could prove a very costly business.

mconlonx

Every reason in the world to use seat post adapters. If you're careful, you might get away without using them; in the shop we have them and use them. If I had a carbon bike with a seatmast, I would get the seat post adapters. Cheap insurance.