Repair Stands
Owning a bicycle repair stand is a must for any budding home mechanic who is serious about repairing, servicing and maintaining their own bike/s. Bicycle repair stands hold your bike firmly in place enabling you to work on your bike without it moving around; all of a sudden, servicing and cleaning your bike becomes a breeze. Repair stands can help cut your bike servicing and cleaning times in half! If you have ever wondered how the mechanic at your local bike store manages to fix punctures so quickly?
The best repair stands use workshop quality head units, are easily moved around and allow you to adjust the height and angle of the bike as you are working on it. This is an important feature because it brings the component or area of the bike you are working on into a position where you will have better control of both the bike and the tools you are using. Trying to work in awkward positions often results in tools slipping which can cause damage to yourself, the component, the tool or your frame. The Ultimate Sport repair stand provides you with all of these features for less than $400.
Repair stands come in varied designs and support the bike in different ways. Bottom bracket mount repair stands are light and easy to fold away and generally the cheapest option; though they are better suited to basic cleaning than repairs. The disadvantage with this type is they do not work well with many of the modern frame designs; the bike tends to move around a lot which can scratch or damage the paintwork. It is not easy to access all areas of the bike as the stands are not height adjustable.
Bench mount head units are ideal for permanent workshop areas. As the name suggests they mount directly to the bench. Generally this type of stand uses a better quality clamp mechanism which allows you to adjust your bike to different angles as you work. The jaws are typically fitted with rubber inserts or something similar which better protects the part of the bike you are clamping. The downside is you cannot take the stand out into the back yard when you want to clean it and wash it down and there is no height adjustment so you need to make sure it is at the right height for you when you initially set it up.
