Park workstands - worth the premium?

[wafter]

I’m just gonna lob a bit on a wiggle it about a bit.

I'm sure that's got to be at least 95% as effective at ascertaining its suitability as other methods

 

[wafter]

Today a box arrived:

Inside the box there were some well-packed things..

Some very well-packed things..

Generally everything seemed decent quality and well-finished; some of the tubes were a bit rough around their edges but I think this is down to the powder coat rather than the underlying tube itself..

The now infamous sticky tapered bit (left) on the clamp arm. The cranking handle, along with a lot of the other more complex parts are plastic; which is weighty and again feels like decent quality; I suspect it's some form of glass-filled composite. I'm impressed by the presence of a needle roller bearing in the lever / handle assembly..

I was slightly surprised / pleased to find that all the fixings are metric, despite this being an "American" product. The "made in China" declaration on the box is less of a surprise given the fixings.. again these seem to be decent quality, although the coating present did make it a bit difficult to get my Allen keys fully home into their sockets.

Instructions were pretty decent and it all went together without much fuss; using my own tools rather than the mini ones supplied and oil / synthetic / moly grease where appropriate. I also added washers in a few areas, such as between the main tube clamp and its handle to prevent plastic-plastic contact..

From a construction perspective only a few elements of the design fall short IMO; the stop for the leg-yolk is fixed to the main tube by two machine screws into a thin-walled tube, which IMO is less than ideal. Also there are no bushings at the leg stays where their retaining / pivot bolts pass through - meaning there's a bit of slop and the bolts will probably have a bit of a hard time. This also means that the load required to operate the legs is dictated by the tightness of the fixings.. which again isn't ideal.

The unit folds down to some extent, although it's still pretty chunky:

The clamp assy is very substantial and appears to use the right materials to keep costs down without sacrificing quality / performance..

I'm yet to use it in anger but chucked the Genesis on it earlier. It holds the bike very well by the top tube and feels very stable; however it droops when clamped to the seatpost tube; perhaps because I greased the taper in the head to prevent it seizing as per the few horror stories floating about.. best get that out then!

Few little niggles aside, so far I'm very happy with it. It generally feels substantial, decent quality and well-put together. I know many in this thread have championed the cheaper options and that's great if it works for you; however this feels like a pretty premium product and I don't feel like I've been diddled given what I paid for it.

Looking forward to using it for an actual job

 

[Andy in Germany]

One of my clients managed to break a Park Tool stand (to be fair, some of my clients will test anything to destruction; they can break hammers) One part of the problem was that the bike he was dismantling today twisted in the clamp so the weight wasn't over the legs; this caused it to tip and fall backwards. How on earth he managed to lose one of the screws entirely I'm not sure, but as @wafter has said, fortunately they are metric sized so a normal bolt fitted in the screw thread and we were back in business.

 

[EltonFrog]

I put the anti seize grease on ours yesterday and a test clamp on it. All seems to be in good order now.

 

[wafter]

I put the anti seize grease on ours yesterday and a test clamp on it. All seems to be in good order now.

Good work - will be interested to hear how it goes!

Likewise I removed the silicone grease from mine today and it works properly now; just hope it behaves itself..

 

[EltonFrog]

Good work - will be interested to hear how it goes!

Likewise I removed the silicone grease from mine today and it works properly now; just hope it behaves itself..

I think the lesson I’ve learnt from reading above links is keep the pivot loose when not in use.

 

[wafter]

I think the lesson I’ve learnt from reading above links is keep the pivot loose when not in use.

Cool - figures that keeping it under load for a long time could cause issues. Bit of a sod if you have to down tools with the bike in bits for a sustained period..

 

[cool_hand]

Tried another ALDI store this morning and they had stock - price is on Sale at £19.99.
They did not have a stand on display so I took my chances.
The good: the price is a bargain.
The bad: I have just assembled and IMO it's not really fit for purpose.
The main issue is the pole that connects the claw to the main upright twists as soon as you put any pressure on it such pedalling the drive chain.
If you look at last years model the pole has a serrated finish which creates friction with the clamp (you also get the same serrated finish on the Halfords version mentioned in this thread).
https://www.aldi.co.uk/bike-assembly-stand/p/811579578216200#product-reviews
The one I've purchased has the same overall design but all parts are black, however the connecting pole is completely smooth.
The claw is narrow in depth and of course the rear brake cable inevitably is seized when you use it – I had the same rear-brake issue with an old Park Tools 9 stand I borrowed from a neighbour so probably not a deal breaker.
The claw has 4 small rubber pads - I did not feel confident using these rubber pads – I felt there was a risk of damaging the frame when using them.
The claw itself works fine but I'd be surprised if it lasted past the 3 year warranty.
It has 5 legs which enhance stability but take up a lot of floor space - if you're tight for space you should avoid this stand.
Included is an optional non-magnetic tray and a pole for securing your handle-bars.

An update to my original initial review which was probably a bit harsh all things considered.
There is still an issue with rotation however I've been surprised overall how useful the stand has been.
I've done a bunch of maintenance jobs using the stand that would not of been possible without and that saved me having to take my bike to my LBS. It also makes cleaning a doddle.
It is not the best quality stand but if you have a limited budget (as I had) then you will be completely happy with this stand for the £20 or less price tag. Maybe when I'm more flush I'll look to purchase something better but for now I'm happy with the purchase! Recommended.

 

[cool_hand]

I've noticed Park Tools can be picked up for a song now.

PCS 9.3 or the PCS 10.3?
Is the PCS 10.3 worth the extra money?

 

[wafter]

I've noticed Park Tools can be picked up for a song now.

PCS 9.3 or the PCS 10.3?
Is the PCS 10.3 worth the extra money?

Can't allude to prices or differences in spec, although when I bought mine the 10.3 looked like the better buy.

 

[DogmaStu]

I've noticed Park Tools can be picked up for a song now.

PCS 9.3 or the PCS 10.3?
Is the PCS 10.3 worth the extra money?

I have the PCS 10.3 and it's very robust. Definitely worth it.

I swear by all the Park Tool kit, excellent.

 

[Peter Salt]

Agree that park Tool quality is excellent, and the 10.3 looks like a good deal now, compared to historic figures.

However, I do think that the stands where you bolt the frame on using the dropouts and bottom bracket are overall a superior type.

 

[cool_hand]

Can't allude to prices or differences in spec, although when I bought mine the 10.3 looked like the better buy.

Difference in price between them is £30. Agree, it does look better.
I wonder if the heavy discounting is reflective of updated versions being eminently launched?

 

[wafter]

Difference in price between them is £30. Agree, it does look better.
I wonder if the heavy discounting is reflective of updated versions being eminently launched?

Yeah, for £30 I'd take the 10.3.

I think the pricing is more reflective of the need to shift units in a sales vacuum and the ability to slash prices significantly because they have a fat margin anyway.

You'll note I bought mine last year and I think the prices were yo-yo-ing before I started paying attention..

 

[cool_hand]

Price dropped again this morning - have taken the bait.