Hi all,

I have recently started my own engineering company and I am currently developing a maintenance/repair stand. Having seen that the market is flooded with light weight aluminum stands I felt that a solid heavy weight stand that can be fixed to the floor may have some appeal to those people that carry out regular maintenance to their bikes. The stand that I am developing is simlar to those found in bike work shops, is made from mild steel and the design is focused on stablity and quality.

Any comments would be very welcome:

Do you feel that there is a market place for such a product?

What do you look for in a maintenance stand?

What would you like to see on a maintenance stand?

etc . . . .

Thank you in advance for your comments,

GJ Engineering.

Hmm not sure a fixed stand is a good idea, even at work i end up moving my park stand around to sweep etc. I would LOVE a really stable stand though! and one with a tray (magnetic?) would be dead helpful.

bottle opener

cup/can holder

one of those lights on a flexible wire stand to move and point a what you’re doing

Do you feel that there is a market place for such a product?

What do you look for in a maintenance stand?

What would you like to see on a maintenance stand?

Yes

Personally, I need a portable one. But it needs to be solid to support a 34.5lb bike!
The clamp needs to be simple and strong. It wouldn’t bother me if the clamp was rigid and didn’t fold, becasue my Minoura one has gone all slack.
Folding legs are all I need.

I’d like to see an absence of plastic parts and something made of normal nuts and bolts that can be obtained anywhere. I see a stand with the main shaft and head as one piece, maybe curved like a big walking stick. The clamp needs to be usable with one hand (A big screw to turn would be fine) and rotate freely rather then in steps.

Good luck, let us know how you get on. 🙂

Things I would like to see on a decent work stand are

Cam lock style clamp not the screw down style I hate them

Replaceable rubber grips for the jaws of the clamp ideally non-slip, possibly with softer compound option for more fragile frames :- carbon etc.

Like the idea of a light mentioned above.

Like the concept – especially if it’s workshop quality for diy price…. 🙂

Real world, the “stand” bit is easy – it just needs to be solid. The clamp is the important part. Needs to be easy to do up, ideally auto adjusting, won’t allow overtightening on a fragile carbon frame, but will still hold a 40lb DH bike solidly.

Tool/beer holder is very handy and I like the idea of an inspection light on a gooseneck.

ohhhh my light idea has gone down well

copyright ME 2010 haha.

it would only need to be a strong LED or something that doesnt draw much power.. main thing would be the ability to bed and twist it around into the tricky bits 🙂

If I had the space a bolt-down stand would be lovely, I can’t ever imagine it though…

The benefit of fixed stands is that the extending tripod legs don’t get in your way when you move round the bike.

You can also use a heavy floor plate if you want to move the stand around.

I use a Park Tools PRS-2O bolted to the floor:

It’s pretty much perfect although I’d like a better way of spinning the top half around rather than it just resting on the pin. I guess a single shaft with a heavy base and a long arm to let you work on both sides of the bike without switching it on the stand would be good. Somewhere to stash some tools would be good too.

Take a look at the Kestrel EngineeringWorkstands for some ideas too.

Yeah an inspection light on a gooseneck is a nice idea along with a magnifying lense to read those tiny/dirty part numbers stamped in various places.

One possibility might be to look at some sort of ‘plate’ that people can put in the floor, is flush with floor when not in use but that they can use to anchor their existing stands to for stability it would be soemthing I’d consider.

You don’t need to worry about clamps and all that malarkey then.

I like the park stands but would like to see something simular for less money. I can’t see me ever buying a fixed stand as the compromise would outweigh the benefits for me personally. As others have said the clamp is the most important part, how about the ability to change clamps, add phils snake light type device and a magnetic tray. The light/tray etc… Could be purchased as add ons to keep the cost of the basic stand down?

TBH there’s nothing wrong with the industry standard Kestrel workshop stand. Why would you need to bolt it to the floor if the stand is stable enough already?
You can bolt Kestrel ones to the floor if you wish, although I’ve had DH bikes upside down and at all angles and never had any issues.
Also at times you do need to move a stand around so bolting it down would seem a bit pointless, unless it had QR mountings.
You won’t sell many though unless they were bargain cheap, my Kestrel stand is about 18 years old now, all I have done is replaced the rubbers a couple of times.

However that light idea up there is a good one.

thankfully, Minoura came up with this years ago.

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/minoura-w-3100-item66806.html

Mine is still going strong, if I wanted it bolted to the floor, then as I’m going to have to drill the cellar floor, I’m not bothered about drilling a couple of holes in the legs of the stand.

You’d have to be very competitive on pricing to better it really!

Hmm. Gooseneck light thingy, you say? Plenty of USB flexi light things around these days:

Don’t giggle, but chucking a USB port into it might be a plan – allows the light bit to be an easy upgrade / swapout, as it’s bound to break or fail at some point in the life of the stand.

Actually, on second thoughts, that is a bit silly. But if it’s going to be fixed, might be an idea.

Thing is with Kestrel stands is they’re not exactly commonplace to find, nor are they cheap. £200-ish new and about half if you ever see one for sale pre-owned.

if you could put a stand together that had a feeling of quality (i.e. most park stands feel like they’ll fall apart due to the use of all the old recycled VHS cassette plastic) (that statement might not be true in terms of where they source the plastic they use!)

I’d want one that felt sold and well built, had a magnetic tray, perhaps a level bubble, or options to fix additional part to if you were to ever consider repairing a frame/building a frame – a route of upgrade as so to speak.

Oh, and less than £200.

the light idea isn’t that great TBH…

if attached to the stand the flexible wire would have to be massively long to reach everywhere on every bike so why bother when you can already buy a separate clamp on flex light that you could clamp onto the bike wherever needed.

I rarely see the need for a stand at home at all, nevermind a heavy duty one and I have 10+ bikes and worked as a bike mechanic for 10years. A bench mounted vice is much more useful IMO. do any of you really ever do a job that can’t be done with the bike upside down or simply leaning against a wall? 😕

do any of you really ever do a job that can’t be done with the bike upside down or simply leaning against a wall?

Yes, frequently.

Besides you can scratch or scuff bars/stems/shifters/saddles when you invert a bike and it’s not exactly stable is it?

You can do lots of jobs with a hammer and a block of wood too but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do them.

I rarely see the need for a stand at home at all, nevermind a heavy duty one and I have 10+ bikes

Are they these ones? 😉

Yes, frequently

like what?

Needs to be solid, with a one hand clamping action(not screw in my opinion)
I like the idea of the light and the tool/ parts tray.

I’m not bothered about bolting it down ‘cos I like to bung it in the car for events, but what about a removable head and a choice of portable or bolt down legs? +1 for an upgrade path.

I’ve a Wrench Force which could be more stable, but is well built and cost about £100 3yrs ago.

Sorry, but I don’t believe it’s a big market either way.

“TBH there’s nothing wrong with the industry standard Kestrel workshop stand”

Was going to be my comment.
http://www.kestrelengineering.co.uk/repair_stands.html

(Sorry to be down on your enterprise)

EDIT: Opps, didn’t see namastebuzz’s link to Kestrel earlier in the thread.

Besides you can scratch or scuff bars/stems/shifters/saddles when you invert a bike and it’s not exactly stable is it?

a bit of old carpet would stop scratches and how stable do you need it? it’s not going to fall over unless you push it over.

the light idea isn’t that great TBH…

*runs into the corner and carves “pain” into my arm with a allen key*

you sir, have ruined my day!

Thanks to all posters so far, this is just the type of input I’m looking for – both postive and negative, great stuff!!

I must point out that the stand has the ‘option’ of being bolted down and would be supplied with adjustable feet that can be removed.

The stands would be built to order as per the customers requirements – starting with the basic model and adding additional features as required. The product is to focus on quality and strength (I weigh 13 stone and have swung on the protoype which remained stable without being bolted down).

I would be able to offer a similar product to a kestral stand at a far lower price.

I understand that this may be a limited market and do not expect to make hundreds per week – that would go against the whole principle of the project I just want to make the best product possible at the best possible price!!!

Please keep posting!!!

like what?

I don’t disagree that you can do a lot of jobs with a bike inverted or leant on a wall but getting stuff at the right height and angle and having it not fall over is handy. Removing tight BB cups or similar jobs require the frame to be clamped securely and I’d like to see a headset get changed with the bike upside down or propped against a wall.

For example if you wish to bleed a rear Hayes brake you’re advised to have the lever/master cylinder directly above the caliper and then rotate it so the reservoir is uppermost. Assuming you’re not removing it all from the bike how are you gonna get it all in place without a workstand?

A lot of people on here do a load of stuff to their bikes coz they’re always out riding them in mud and always breaking stuff or just upgrading all the time hence the popularity of workstands.

ive got a head-torch in the toolbox, both hands free and cheap as chips.

i quite like the look of the cyclus stand

though has a big footprint

I rarely see the need for a stand at home at all

I “rarely” need to take my bottom bracket out but I’m glad I’ve got the right tool that makes it easy. I can’t imagine going back to the days of trying to fit and index new gear cables without my bike stand.

i’ve got what i believe to be a kestral stand that i liberated from Halfords after it was skipped due to a broken clamp lever, fixed in 30 seconds, the thing is at least 10 years old now still rock solid, has held every bike i’ve ever had without problems.

Improvements are perhaps a clamp designed to clamp squarely on frames for when seatposts aren’t quite long enough.

perhaps a removable clamp arm that can be located in a ‘wall plate’ outside for fettling on a sunny day 🙂 be a lot easier than wheeling out the stand into the sun.

and perhaps casters on 2 of the legs like on an engine hoist for easier wheeling about in the workshop.

other than that it’s perfect, infinite adjustment, rock solid and simple. All metal so it isn’t wobbly or bendy.

As for what do you need one for, well if you’re asking then you’ll never get it, and i expect you fit headsets with bits of wood and hammers too!

I’d like someone to sell a decent clamp unit for not too much money, with a simple way to connect it to Kee Clamp and standard tubing and let me sort out the rest, maybe a simple way to hook it up to the likes of a Black&Decker Workmate or similar would be nice too.

I too am in the camp of not really using a stand.

Changing a bottom bracket that’s tight? You need the bike on the ground to stop it trying to rotate the clamp head or flex the stand as you put the grunt in.

Indexing gears is fine on a stand, except that under load the indexing will be slightly different, so it’s not really any better than setting it up using the stops, getting one of the extreme gears set roughly right, then riding it around the car park.

Headset with the bike in a stand? Maybe I’ve experienced the wrong type of stand, but most stands don’t hold a bike well enough for this to work.

You know the thing I like most about using a stand? Having everything at the right height without having to bend over.

I like the idea of it being fixed solidly to the ground, but in practice I do tend to move mine around a lot, take it into the garden etc. My stand cost me £70 and there’s nothing I don’t like about it other than it isn’t quite stable enough because it is only 2 fold out legs. I’ve never felt the need for any accessories such as tool trays.

Headset with the bike in a stand? Maybe I’ve experienced the wrong type of stand, but most stands don’t hold a bike well enough for this to work.

I actually found my stand invaluable to fit my headset. I could clamp the frame in the stand at exactly the right height and angle to rest the headtube solidly on my work bench to hammer in the cup…

(…and then I made a headset press for the other cup!)

I use a lightweight folding stand, but have to rest the front wheel on the ground to keep a big bike (37lbs) from toppling over. Worked with a Kestrel in the bike shop I used to work for and they were great. All bolted to the floor, and steady enough to do bottom brackets – so that would be a great option IFF I had a permanent area to set up as a workshop. I doubt that any practical weighted flat base would be heavy enough to stabilise said big bike.

Having space for a tray to hold bearings/bits and bobs/tools is great – but inevitably they just accumulate junk.

A stand is a must for me as it puts the bike at a convenient/ergonomic height, I couldn’t give a toss if technically I could work on it turned upside down on the floor.

As for what I want in a stand, stability (whilst remaining portable) is key for me. Next up is a decent clamp (that’s quick to clamp/unclamp) and a lot of adjustability. I also wash my bike on the stand so mild steel would be a bit of worry…

Changing a bottom bracket that’s tight? You need the bike on the ground to stop it trying to rotate the clamp head or flex the stand as you put the grunt in.

Headset with the bike in a stand? Maybe I’ve experienced the wrong type of stand, but most stands don’t hold a bike well enough for this to work.

Maybe you didn’t see my first post so let me enlighten you:

Anyway, when fitting a headset you’re gonna find it a lot easier with your frame located at convenient height next to your workbench where all your parts are laid out so you can hold the forks with one hand whilst assembling the headset with the other.

i’d like some sort of way to hold a wheel while you get a cassette or rotor off
sometimes end up kneeling on it on the floor (and I have a poorly knee which make this painful) or have to clear clutter off workbench and try to stop wheel moving around
something like two clamps 26″ or so apart on the upright narrow enough to fit between spokes and with enough opening to fit a tyred wheel

oh yes and a bottle opener

i’d like some sort of way to hold a wheel while you get a cassette or rotor off

get a vice and an axle clamp

Heavy base
Good and adjustable clamp
Height adjustable
A deep enough tool tray that stuff doesn’t fall out/off it (ie mugs)
Non folding workshop style unit

No bells or whistles

get an ” axle clamp “

google is not my friend on this one – any suggestions?

edit vice(s) i have

The only thing you’ll realistically be competing with the likes of Park on is pricing; and if you’re talking about bespoke stands then that makes it doubly hard…

People are always full of wish list ideas and claim they’ll pay out for “quality” but offer them a choice between a solid but pricier £200+ stand and a £50-70 cheapy job and I bet 80% opt for the cheaper option no matter what they may claim…

Solid build/heavy-weight ideal for the garage or workshop, but cheap, light Aluminium folders win for the pits and you can live with one at home so I’m sure most people would compromise in that respect…

Features like tool trays, mug holders and inspection light are good selling points but not unique by any stretch…

It’s a tough challenge entering an established market where most price points are already defined….

Have you considered building a wheel truing stand?

I’ve looked at getting one on a few occasions, and it’s seems that there are some low cost, low quality stands, and some high cost, high quality stands, but very little in between.