I’ve never bought a repair stand before and I’m looking at some park tool bike stands. I saw that they offer the home mechanic’s stand and the team issue one. It’s not easy to see what the main value of upgrading to the more expensive team issue would be for me. Does anyone have an opinion on whether it’s worth it to upgrade to the team issue one? Or what the main advantages of the team issue stand would be?
I have this one and am very happy with it. The clamp looks a bit more basic than the team issue version, but I’ve never had problems with it (usually clamping to carbon or alu seatposts). The only thing I would upgrade is the Park Tool work tray accessory for when I’m servicing the bike in the garden.
I recently bought the one linked below and it’s great. I also picked up the work tray accessory and it’s handy, but (and I bought it second hand off a mate, cheap) I wouldn’t bother TBH - it gets in the way of the cranks if you want to spin them, although I guess I could I could spin it around to so if faced the rear but then it wouldn’t be as handy. Maybe go to IKEA and but a cheap trolley to hold tools etc. in?
Another idea if you have a workbench is to but something like the Park 12.2 bench mounted stand. I also have one of these and it’s good. A bit more limited but still quite useful. And it’s solid.
the one is made if aluminum and one made of steel. I got the aluminum one (pro) just cause I was planning on using it to wash my bike.
dunno if you bought from them before or interacted with them, but Park Tool has really awesome customer service. just shoot them an email and tell them what you need and they’ll tell you. they also have videos for everything.
tbh the pro one that I got is way overkill…but I like looking at it (mine stays deployed in my basement at all times right next to my bikes) and I got it for $400 so maybe I caught a sale or something. I kinda got it as a treat to myself to learn mechanics and save $ on repairs. so far I’ve been able to do 98% of my maintenance and repairs at home myself.
Park makes good stuff. Had a stand for years. About 5 years ago bought a Feedback Sports stand. I like it even more. I have the pro version of this. I do maintain about 7 bikes. ( wife says HOW MANY???).
I had a Feedback Stand for a long time and hated it as I felt like I was always fighting with the clamp and couldn’t get it to work correctly. This certainly could have been me (operator error). I ended up selling it and getting the Park 10.3 Deluxe Home Stand which I love and find it much easier to use. The only downside is it doesn’t fold up as small as the Feedback stand. The one I have is below.
If its well made, e.g. dipped then painted, it wont start rusting for a considerable time.
Even if its badly made, whilst rust will occur inside the tubes quickly (as they’re unpainted), it will still take a considerable time to become a problem.
The main benefit of the Aluminium one is weight so you can carry it around, put it in a car etc easier, not that it is waterproof.
ok I admit it, I found excuses to justify getting the nicer looking one I guess. as G7NXX said, you’ll be good for a while with the steel one. (plus mine was $400 at the time). $475 is too much imo when there is a $220 one that does the same thing.
if you were actually a pro team or something and folded it and moved it around to races, yeah maybe. the aluminum one is a little lighter. I think the clamp on the pro one might take you 2 less seconds to clamp in and out. nbd for a home user that uses it a few times a month.
I’d get that steel one now though with that price spread. you’ll be super happy. it’s a huge convenience from doing work on the floor or your bike upside down.
I have the 9.3 for mobile repair, it lives in my car. It’s…fine. In terms of stability, it works great. The clamp like everyone mentioned is the major drawback but if you’re not used to anything else you’ll be fine. It’ll grip the seatpost just fine…it’s just not as ergonomic and quick as the PRS-25 clamp which I use in my shop.
It’s probably been said, but the clamp is the key. The Park Tool pro clamp is the best by far, IMO. With its cam crank and front to back clamping direction, it’s very fast and easy to clamp and release on various sizes and shapes of seat posts, while precisely controlling the clamping force. This is certainly important when dealing with things like CF aero seatposts. And, it’s supremely solid and stable. I worked as a bike mech at a large shop for 5 years and used many different stands when supporting events etc.. The Park Tool clamp is the best as far as I’m concerned. They do make other versions that are similar, and also work very well. FWIW, I owned a Feedback Sprint stand and it was great for that type of stand.
The clamp on the 10.3 is very good and can either tighten with the screw handle or has a quick release. For $275 it seems the best bang for buck in my opinion. I have no complaints and is light enough to take to races but heavy enough to be very stable. Just doesn’t fold down as much as Feedback Stand.
I admit it, I found excuses to justify getting the nicer looking one I guess. as G7NXX said, you’ll be good for a while with the steel one. (plus mine was $400 at the time). $475 is too much imo when there is a $220 one that does the same thing.
