Bike Stand

[Lefire]

I want to buy a bike stand that holds my bike in the air while I do a little bit of maintenance. (Fed up of kneeling in the garage floor)

I'm sure that the more you spend, the better the gear but do you have any preferences. Are they all practical to use or do you find that it is still a little difficult to get to all the parts when using one of the cheaper stands.

 

[monnet]

I'd reccommend a hook coming down from a beam (or a nail angled upwards going out of the beam) and put an old toe strap (or similar) on it. You then just slide the saddle into the loop of the strap and the bike hangs there nice and easy for you to all the work you want. It's practical, works and is much cheaper than buying a special piece of kit.

 

[Peyote]

I would agree with Monnet, if you're on a budget then a simple rope through a joist will do a good job. You can get a little pulley system from B&Q, Wickes etc... it's supposed to be used for storing ladders and things on the ceiling of garages but works well for holding a bike in the air because it's got two pulleys so can support two ends of the bike.

The only downside to these is that the bike can still swing around a bit, in the end I got a bikestand as a present from my Partner, it is a lot easier than the old rope trick, but I think I'd struggle to justify the £60-£70 cost if I brought it myself. this is the one I've got, it works a treat:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDeta...09217&N=LifeLine Spin Doctor Deluxe Workstand

 

[Lefire]

that stand was the sort of thing I thought I wanted.
I have had the bike hanging from the rafters before but didn't like the way it swag about.
Might try again with complicated rig of pullies for a fiver before splashing out on the big stuff

 

[starseven]

Halfords sell a double hook bike hanger thing, sorry hard to describe. Anyway I bought several to hang bikes on the garage wall but found them a good support whilst working on gears etc. £8.99 from memory.

 

[Aperitif]

Peyote's one is similar to the Argos stand - which I bought because I had enough of the inner tube slung over a beam and hang the saddle from it etc etc... and I walked past a nearby Argos when in the right frame of mind!
It is so much easier to just look at all the stuff on your bike, let alone tinker and clean!

Here's the Argos page:
http://tinyurl.com/2qks64

 

[goo_mason]

Edinburgh Bicycle's Revolution Tune-Up workstand - bought one for my birthday after using one on their maintenance course. Best investment ever (for my back - no more bending down and struggling !).

 

[gkerr4]

I have the Minoura W3000 - like this:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360012020

which is quite a lot of money but excellent value I think. I had a loan of the brother-in-laws Minoura while he moved house and when he finally reclaimd it (I had it for about 3 months!) I felt like I had lost a limb. I spent ages looking at cheaper ones and humming and hawing before realising that the minoura is a top notch stand - and you do indeed get what you pay for! - it is well built, sturdy and secure and very "manouverable" - you won't believe how handy the ability to spin a bike around at head height actually is until you try working with it!! My only gripe would be that it weighs a lot due to the steel construction, but it doesn;t get moved that often and I guess it adds to the sturdyness..