Do-it-yourself wrenching is in, and especially in the cold season an almost meditative balance to the hectic working day. One in two of our readers say that they carry out all or at least almost all maintenance work on their bike themselves. Anyone who owns an assembly stand and doesn't have to crawl around on the ground to adjust the gears or change the brake pads is well advised to do so.
Caution with carbon: clamp with feeling
It is important that the holding claw clamps the seat post or frame securely but gently, that the stand is stable and that it is easy to use. Most of the stands in the test have a practical quick-release height adjustment. If you only have limited space in your cellar or garage or want to take the stand with you on holiday or to a race weekend, you should look for quick and easy handling, small packing dimensions and low weight. To test the stability even for owners of heavy bikes, we attached an 18-kilo downhiller to the seat post in the claw. Stands such as those from Kettler or Minoura, whose claw arms cannot be rotated around the vertical axis, are less suitable for heavyweights: the bikes then quickly tip to one side - often due to the heavy forks. The professional part from Park Tool is virtually earthquake-proof. The Pedro's has a special detail to offer: A bottle opener is integrated into the quick-release - when everything on the bike is purring and sliding smoothly again, you can use it to open a well-earned after-work beer. Cheers then!
Tip for carbon frames
If the sensitive carbon frame must not be clamped or large tube cross-sections make clamping impossible, mounting stands with axle mounting are an option. After removing a bike, the dropout is mounted on a slide and the bottom bracket is placed on a tray. Models such as the Feedback Sprint or the Topeak Prepstand Race are also suitable for thru axles. If you are worried about your delicate carbon seatpost, you can use an old aluminium seatpost for mounting in the claw stand.
You can find these bike stands in the test:
Elite Workstand Team
125 Euro/www.elite-it.com
Folding dimensions 120 x 20 x 10 cm/weight 7.3 kg
Working height 96-146 cm/clamping width 25-85 mm
Inexpensive stand with large claw opening. The legs are quite short and wide apart, the Elite tilts slightly forwards.
slightly forwards. Somewhat awkward to operate folding mechanisms allow the claw to be turned and opened. Working height adjustment via a screw cone.
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BIKE judgement* satisfactory
Feedback Sports Pro Elite
279 Euro/www.paul-lange.de
Folding dimensions 114 x 21 x 17 cm/weight 5.5 kg
Working height 106-177 cm/clamping width 20-70 mm
The excellently crafted feedback convinces with good handling when folding and clamping. The quick-release mechanism is very practical. Great: The clamping jaws can be closed quickly and easily, but are quite hard. The star-shaped and relatively short legs need a bit of sorting out to guarantee a secure stand even with a high working height and heavy bikes. A narrow
victory on points over the - slightly cheaper - Topeak.
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BIKE judgement* very good (BIKE test winner)
Kettler Pro F1
150 Euro/www.kettler.de
Folding dimensions 111 x 45 x 35 cm/weight 8.3 kg
Working height 110-140 cm/clamping width 30-62 mm
The Kettler's non-stepless height adjustment makes handling difficult. Very practical: the large tool and parts tray. The screw buckle does not have a quick-release mechanism. The Kettler is not very stable - therefore less suitable for heavy bikes.
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BIKE judgement* satisfactory
Minoura RS-5000
200 Euro/www.grofa.de
Folding dimensions 104 x 28 x 20 cm/weight 5.3 kg
Working height 93-151 cm/clamping width 30-60 mm
The lower section is almost identical to the Procraft, except that the legs can be folded in the wrong direction. A groove prevents the upper tube from rotating, which could cause it to tip over on heavy bikes. A folding mechanism allows the clamp to be opened and closed quickly. The fine thread requires a little patience when adjusting.
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BIKE judgement* good
Park Tool PCS-4-1
400 Euro/www.grofa.de
Folding dimensions 145 x 67 x 21 cm/weight 10.5 kg
Working height 130-175 cm/clamping width 25-40 mm
Too big and too heavy for travelling, but the eccentrically shaped rubber feet provide a secure stand even on slightly uneven surfaces. The Park Tool seems indestructible, even in daily use the clamp with lever clasp will probably last forever. However, the smallest clamping width in the test field of a maximum of 40 millimetres is borderline.
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BIKE judgement* very good
Pedro's assembly stand
422 Euro/www.cosmicsports.de
Folding dimensions 140 x 31 x 25 cm/weight 8.8 kg
Working height 106-173 cm/clamping width 25-65 mm
Make sure that the legs are folded out to the right side. The visually appealing stand then stands up in a flash. The clamping can be finely adjusted using the "trigger" on the pistol grip, the quick-release mechanism releases the bike in one go, but is a little stiff compared to the feedback. Relatively large, heavy and very expensive.
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BIKE judgement* good
Procraft Service Aid
130 Euro/www.procraft.de
Folding dimensions 100 x 19 x 18 cm/weight 4.6 kg
Working height 91-158 cm/clamping width 25-60 mm
The Procraft shines in terms of weight and pack size. Good: The legs cannot be folded out incorrectly. The clamp arm can be rotated around the vertical axis, so even heavy bikes can be secured quite securely. Only the clamp is not very solid. Good value!
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BIKE judgement* good
Topeak Prepstand Elite
230 Euro/www.topeak.de
Folding dimensions 124 x 18 x 18 cm/weight 5.9 kg
Working height 108-180 cm/ Clamping width 10-50 mm
Top workmanship, good handling and a secure stand. Unfortunately, there is no option to close or release the clamp quickly. A compartment integrated into the claw arm holds small parts. The working height is the highest in the test field, but the clamping width is small. Available for 280 euros as an Elite Pro with integrated scales.
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BIKE judgement* very good
Xtreme S 3000
89 Euro/www.roseversand.de
Folding dimensions 108 x 36 x 25 cm/weight 6.6 kg
Working height 100-145 cm/clamping width 20-45 mm
The cheapest stand in the test comes from the mail order company Rose. The workmanship seems a little rough. The plastic clamp is not hinged but can be rotated and the clamping width is the second smallest in the comparison. The rotating upper tube means that even heavy bikes can be hung over the centre of the legs. The Xtreme then also stands quite reasonably. Just about good.
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BIKE judgement* good (BIKE tip price/performance)
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Matthias Borchers
Editor
