Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Bicycle repair stands make it easier to maintain and fix your bikes by holding them off the ground where all the components are within reach and easy to see – no bending over needed. Plus, they let you spin the wheels to check and true them as necessary, and to inspect and adjust the brakes. You can also pedal and shift to tune the drivetrain.
Better repair stands allow raising and lowering the bike in the stand and also rotating it up to 360 degrees – and lock it in place to work on it there. They also have bike clamps that hold tight and won’t damage bicycles or components. Most of the time, the bike is held by the seatpost (for telescoping “dropper” posts, always clamp the base of the post).
My favorite repair stand is Park Tool’s Deluxe Single Arm Repair Stand. This is a shop stand designed for shop/home use because of its heavy iron base (you can also bolt it to the floor if you don’t want to use the base). Park makes a portable version that has most of the same features: https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/team-issue-repair-stand-prs-25?category=Portable.
Another great stand I’ve used is made by Feedback Sports. All their stands are portable. Here are their latest models.
HINT: repair stands such as Park’s and Feedback Sports’ make awesome Christmas gifts. If they’re using an older repair stand, they’ll appreciate the upgrades found on new stands such as more versatile clamps to fit more bikes, better stability and even the strength to support ebikes (be sure to check the repair stand specs to get the correct model if an ebike-compatible stand is on their wish list).
A New Category of Repair Stands
Speaking of ebikes, which weigh a lot more than standard bicycles – in response we’re starting to see a new type of bike repair stand that includes a lifting feature so that you don’t have to risk injury trying to lift bikes to put them in the stand.
How Standard Repair Stands Are Used
To explain, a standard repair stand’s clamp is at a certain set minimum height. To put a bike in the stand you lift the bike until the seatpost lines up with the clamp, put the seatpost in the clamp and close the clamp to lock the bike in the stand. Even with superlight bikes this isn’t always easy. With heavier bikes like a beach cruiser for example, it takes a lot of strength to lift it, hold it and clamp it – especially if you have to hold it longer because you had to fine-tune the clamp.
How Lifting Repair Stands Are Used
With the lifting repair stands, you simply roll the bike up to the stand, lower the clamp to put it next to the seatpost, move the bike so that the post is in the clamp, adjust the clamp as needed, close the clamp, and the repair stand mechanism lifts the bike for you. The mechanism lowers the bike to the ground too when you’re done working on it.
All of these new type stands are more expensive than models without lifting mechanisms – most a lot more. And I don’t know of any portable models. Since they’re made to lift and hold heavy bikes they either bolt to the floor or are on heavy steel base plates.
Still, if you have ebikes that you want to work on, or if you’re tired of lifting regular bikes into a workstand (or you don’t have the strength or agility to do it), you might be interested in these new stands that do the work for you. So I want to tell you about the ones I know of and provide links so you can learn all the details. I expect we’ll see more.
EVT’s EZ-Lift
The first stand of this type I learned about was Efficient Velo Tools’ (EVT) EZ-Lift. The brainchild of company founder Brett Flemming, this ingenious stand uses a counterweight and pulley system to lift bikes (different weights are available). The EZ-Lift is so strong that Brett actually demonstrates how well it works at industry trade shows by hanging onto the clamp and riding it up and down!
I tried the EZ-Lift at the Interbike bicycle show a number of years ago and it worked beautifully. It’s a popular stand with some bicycle shops and their mechanics especially love the included EVT Right Arm Repair Clamp which only requires 2 inches of exposed seatpost to hold on to.
Park Tool’s Power Lift Shop Stand PRS-33.2
Park Tool offered the first motorized bike repair stand I’ve seen with their Power Lift. It uses a chain drive system to lift and hold bikes weighing up to 120 pounds (54kg). And it boasts Park’s excellent 100-3D Micro Adjust Clamp, which is my favorite clamp. You can see the Power Lift in action in their video here.
Remco Tools’ Bike Lift
The new player in lifting repair stands, Remco, offers the Bike Lift, which is the most affordable motorized electric stand so far that I know about: https://www.remcotools.com/collections/primary. It can handle bikes that weigh up to 100 pounds (45kg). Part of the lower price is the fact that it’s designed for you to use the clamp and base plate you already own. So if you don’t own those you’ll need to buy them.
For features, Remco says “there are three memory presets so you can position the bike at your preferred height, a control lock to keep others from operating the stand, and the ability to switch between Metric and US Customary units on the display.” I do not know what mechanism is used to raise and lower the stand.
If you end up adding one of these new stands to your home bicycle workshop or you use one now, please share how they’re working out for you.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
larry english says
yes repair stands are awesome
ALL bike tasks require bending over, many require you to kneel or lie down, without one
and some things you just cannot do otherwise: e.g., pedal while shifting and adjusting indexing and limit screws
Rick English says
I agree
JPeterO says
If you have a carbon seatpost you need to be very careful about directly clamping it. Trek (and perhaps others) makes a repair stand adapter so you won’t damage the seatpost.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/bike-accessories/bike-tools-maintenance/bike-repair-stands/bontrager-universal-repair-stand-adapter/p/07156/
Jim Langley says
Thanks JPeter0,
The thing to know is that most quality repair stands today have jaws designed to be safe for carbon bikes and carbon seatposts. Also, seatposts are made strong enough to support the rider’s weight. Bicycles weigh much less than people. So the weight of the bike is not much at all for the seatpost to support.
As long as you get a good stand with a quality clamp (adjustable, protective jaws, fits properly), you shouldn’t need any adapters. I have never needed any since when Park came out with their 3-D series of clamps which adjust enough to accept even the most aero seatposts (link is in the story above). You can also clamp carbon frame tubes if you need to, though just like with metal frames you do want to take care not to scratch the paint or damage any decals.
The link you gave takes you to what appears to me to be a very specific adapter designed for an older model Trek Madone carbon seatpost. Maybe that one seatpost design by Trek had some weakness in its design or it could come apart? That’s my best guess.
But you don’t need to worry about clamping carbon as long as you use a good stand made for it.
Thanks,
Jim
Jim
JPeterO says
The insert that comes with the Trek adapter is one for standard (round) seatposts. The others at the bottom are inserts for the older Madones that had non-round seatposts.
There is also a link at the bottom for a lifting repair stand.for a mere $3149. 99. The perfect stocking stuffer. 🙂
Paul Schack says
There are less expensive alternatives that work well and don’t cost as much as the bike itself. I use this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HRF7TZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
on sale for $55, I use the stand maybe 6 times a year so something like this is fine for me.
Jim Langley says
You can also make a simple stand for next to nothing with a couple of 2 x 4 horizontal arms attached to the studs in a garage or basement. The top tube will rest on the arms nicely. You can put a board on top of the arms to hold your tools, lubes. In the bike shop I worked at in 1969 this is what we made and used. Not as handy as a free standing stand that you can walk around and rotate the bike on, but they sure were inexpensive 😉
Jim
mike togo says
Would not work for eBikes.
Andrea says
Due to health issues I had to sadly moth ball all my two wheel upright bikes. I moved to a recumbent ICE e- trike. It’s a fine workout, albeit not like my racer.
I would love an auto lift repair stand for the trike. It’s heavy and hard on the back to work on when on the ground.
Please someone, make a stand or conversion kit for trikes
Jim Langley says
Andrea, I don’t know which model you purchased but if it has a round tube somewhere near the middle of the frame, you might be able to find a place to clamp it with some repair stands. The stand has to be able to hold the weight though. So you would want to first check if there’s an accessible tube on the frame that the stand can reach and grip and next find out how much the bike weighs. With that information, the repair stand company could tell you if it would work.
Another idea is maybe you can contact ICE, the company that made your trike and ask them what stands they use to work on their bikes. Here’s what I found on their contact us page:
Unit 25, Tregoniggie Industrial Estate
Falmouth
Cornwall
TR11 4SN
United Kingdom
Contact us here
Tel +44 (0) 1326 378848
Hope this helps,
Jim
Mitchell Hull says
Consider a hanging system. Your bike will move around more than with a “proper” bike stand but there are several benefits:
1. Takes up zero floor space—just clip the pieces together over your head. This has been a critical plus for my last three residences all of which have small attached garages.
2. Doesn’t stress any fragile tubes.
3. Completely adaptable to any size bike with just a bit of cleverness. For trike, need 3 hangers, for a two wheeler just 2.
4. Can access all sides of the bike, if you have a big enough space.
5. If you use a pulley system (see link below) you can lift heavy bikes.
6. Last but not least—cheap!!! Maybe $30 for a bike that you can lift yourself, to maybe <$100 for a pulleyed trike.
Here are links to the main items (I’m leaving out cheap hardware store chain which makes it very convenient to adjust the length of each “arm.” Wouldn’t use that for a pulley system which I myself have not needed: you adjust the length of the chain using s-hooks to get the height you want—I’m tall and many bike stands aren’t tall enough for me.)
What attaches to your bike:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-24-in-Zinc-Plated-Steel-Hang-All-36287/204695688
I run one under the handlebars and around the head tube of my bike. A 2nd one goes underneath the saddle. You put these on while the bike is on the floor. I then lift the saddle one and clip it in first, then the front.
Quick clips to attach the strap to the chain hanging down from the ceiling joists
https://www.harborfreight.com/2-3-4-nite-ize-s-biner-3-pack-black-finish-65653.html
Pulley system for heavy bikes
https://www.harborfreight.com/gambrel-and-pulley-hoist-99758.html
Joe says
I here by decree, by publication of this article on lift stands, that the decades long rule of the weight weenies is hereby ended!
Send your drilled-out chain rings and brake levers to the Smithsonian and to the US Bicycling Hall of Fame to remind future generations of the extent Boomers (like me) went to save weight before embracing lithium batteries.
Jim Langley says
Ha! Thanks for the laugh Joe!
Jim
Richard Peterson says
Years ago a friend and I bought most of a closing bike shop’s tools — at least the big ones. I ended up with a 100+ pound Park professional repair stand that was amazing. I’m sure it would hold an e-bike with ease. I used it for years. Eventually I just found it too difficult to move around when I needed to. I donated it to a local community bike program — still in use rehabbing old bikes and distributing them to the neighbors. I replaced it with a Feedback Sports Ultralight Repair stand that was so very easy to move around, but not nearly as stable at the old Park Pro. When I started to get into carbon fiber bikes I added the Feedback Sports Sprint repair stand — the kind that cradles the bb and clamps the front fork to a beam, similar to the kind of stands used by pro teams in Europe. (Each was about $150 when I bought them — considerably more now!) I came to really love the Sprint stand and use it regularly. The one thing I pay close attention to on both stands is the balance of the stand when the bike is attached. If not done carefully either of these stands will tip over. (The voice of close calls, but no disasters.) I’ve even been known to throw a sandbag or bag of lead shot over one stand leg to stabilize things a bit more.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for sharing Richard!
Jim
Fritz Mueller says
I’ve had a Prk PRS-5 work stand for years, and it has served me well. I’m pretty tall, (2 meters) so it’s column that raises is important for me. And it clears my 64cm frame nicely. If I’m working one a composite frame bike, I just remove the seat post and stick a cheap aluminum post into the frame and clamp on it.
Jim says
I own the Park 33.2 stand for almost 3 years in my home/professional shop. It is an absolute joy to use! I service many ebikes, some weighing up to 80 lbs and the 33.2 performs! I can’t imagine not having this repair stand in my shop! Expensive but it is a great addition especially working on ebikes!