Does anyone have a recommendation for home gamer bike repair stands? I’d like to find an inexpensive one that stows away easily or otherwise doesnt take too much space. Since I only need it maybe once or twice a year I can do without the hard core bike shop level of durability. For my needs it just needs to hold the bike off the floor so I can do derailer adjustments.
rope and tree branch?
Interesting idea, certainly cheaper than a hundred bucks 😊
This inspired me to try hanging the bike from a strap, was able to hook it by the seat and hang from an overhead bar to float the rear wheel. Worked a treat and cost me nothing. I did have to temporarily wire the front wheel to the frame just to keep it straight, no big deal.
I’m using a Park Tool. It’s good but it wasn’t cheap.
This is probably the right answer. Park stuff is indestructible and well designed. Mine is in its teens and as good as new.
My Park bike pump self-destructed within 6 months.
Got an SKS to replace it and that thing has lasted me at least as many years.
If you are in the US, check any Aldis near you. No joke, got a quality stand for like $40, and it collapses down to fit in a corner or closet.
I’m from Catalonia and I would recommend same, aldi stand is cheap but good one I’m using since year and a half
Stands give good ergonomics and access which is good if you’re working in a bike shop all day. For twice a year, it may not be necessary.
That’s not really a good answer to your question though. I can say the best stands I’ve used were very heavy and had a wide base. Not much worse than tipping a customer’s expensive bike in the stand
If all you need is to adjust your derailleur, you can do it in a few ways without owning a stand:
- Look for a public bike repair station near you, where you can prop up your frame.
- Flip your bike upside-down. (Do it on grass or lay down some padding if you’re worried about scratching your bike.)
- For your rear derailleur, shift to the second-smallest cog, squat behind your bike, close one eye, and sight it. You should be able to see whether the top of the chain, the cog, the derailleur, and the bottom of the chain are visually aligned. Tweak the barrel adjuster until it looks aligned and take it for a test ride.
But yeah, having a repair stand is useful. If you’re looking for something super compact, there’s the Altangle Hangar Connect, which turns any fencepost into a bike stand (but it’s not cheap). The Topeak Transformer RX floor pump can kind of function as a stand in limited circumstances.
I like the idea of that altangle thing! However, the price is A Bit Shocking. I started with flipping my bike upside down but the STI levers don’t seem to mix very well with running gear adjustments while flipped upside down and resting on them :-)
The YC-100BH Repair Stand that @[email protected] has is probably your best/cheapest bet. I use a much more pricey Feedback Sports stand, but I have to deal with a steel frame fat bike with 5" tires.
To be honest, unless you’ve got a heavy e-bike, any <$100 (EDIT: that’s in USD. <$140 Canadian) stand should work well. E-bikes need a more robust stand capable of holding up the weight.
Most styles should fold up small for easy storage.
EDIT: I own this stand: https://www.bikehand.com/en/product-300463/Bicycle-Repair-Stand-YC-100BH.html, but also have a few others that are equally inexpensive and just as useful.
In a pinch those wall leaning bicycle storage racks can be used as a light work stand. Most bike work these days doesn’t necessitate the heavy wrenching required in the past. You may want to maybe immobilize the front wheel from flopping all about. Just something to consider. Two birds, one stone and all that.
