Should I buy a workstand?

Garyh09

Hi all, I'm quite new to cycling but have really caught the bug, I am currently doing roughly 75/100 miles per week, commuting and pleasure, I was just wondering would it be worth buying a workstand and toolbox to help with general upkeep and simple maintenence of the bike? Thanks in advance, Garyh

goonz

If you intend to use it then yes.

drlodge

Yes...I use my workstand mainly when washing/cleaning the bike. Take it outside and everything's at eye level, you can easily take the wheels off and get to the nooks and crannies. Then you can easily clean and lube the chain with the rear wheel back on...makes life so much easier.

racingcondor

If the cost isn't going to deprive you of somehting else you really need then absolutely. 90% of the use my workstand see's is washing the bike but it makes it much, much easier to do a good job.

Anonymous

Yes, you will not regret buying one ;-)

I do not have one yet (money seems to go on other things first as racingcondor said above) but know its going to be one of those 'why did I not do this sooner?' things.

I have a keyboard stand that we got free with a keyboard. It is rubbish for the keyboard but with a bit of pipe insulation it makes a pretty good frame to hang bike frame on.
A workstand would hold the bike still though and I will get round to buying one soon.

djm501

Yes, washing the bike on it is good but it also makes gear indexing soooo much easier than with the bike on the ground. Very much worth a punt if you can get one - spend as much as you can afford though - you get what you pay for.

djm501

As far as the toolbox goes.... mmmm not so much.

I got a workstand/simple toolbox from Rosebikes that was pretty good value for the pair. The toolbox is pretty minimal - it's got ball-ended allen keys, good tyre levers, two screwdrivers, a pedal spanner, crank/bottom bracket removal tools for campagnolo and shimano SRAM, chain ring spanner, two fairly useless cone spanners, a puncture repair kit, chainbreaker, chainwhip and cassette removal tools for shimano/SRAM and campangnolo. That's about it. The campagnolo stuff is useless to me but the rest is very handy. But I wouldn't spend money on tools until you actually need them and then don't get cheap stuff, get good stuff (Park tools are good).

For a basic set, in addition to the above I'd get some good bike specific cable cutters (REALLY IMPORTANT if you're going to replace outer cables yourself), a chain wear gauge and and good cycle maintenance book - something like the Blue Park tool book or Zinn and the art of bike maintenance. Youtube is your friend also.

supermurph09

Bike stand, a big yes! I'm by no means a technical person but ive found myself cleaning and lubing my bike much more since I had one. Makes everything much easier. I bought one off Amazon for £36, does the job nicely.

thistle_

If you're on a tight budget the ones that Lidl have from time to time do the job.

+1 for djm501s list of tools. Some kind of box to put them in is useful, I use an old drill case with the plastic bits taken out and can fit everything in there.

Stedman

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

If you're on a tight budget the ones that Lidl have from time to time do the job.

+1 for djm501s list of tools. Some kind of box to put them in is useful, I use an old drill case with the plastic bits taken out and can fit everything in there.

I have one from Lidl and it is very good!

drlodge

I have one from Ebay, I think its the same one as from Amazon and Lidl - under £40. Like this, although mine has a quick release thing on the clamp.

nweststeyn

Yes.

mrfpb

Yes!

I have http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-tune-up-workstand?bct=browse%2faccessories%2ftools

Good shape for keeping the bike away from the support. Reasonable value. Use it lots - cleaning, changing tyres, one of my best buys.

Barrie_g63

definitely, they make a big difference when working on the bike especially anything to do with the gears, though i can't get the hang of getting wheels in when the bike is on the stand lol :?

MountainMonster

I've got tools, I work on my bikes a lot, and still don't have a stand. That and a turbo trainer are the 2 things that would make my life much easier right now, so I do recommend getting one. I had one in Austria, but sold it due to the cost of getting it to the UK when I moved back, and it is the only thing I regret selling when I left.

Churchill123

One word YES!

It's so so useful and once you've got one you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner.. like others said, cleaning, lubing and fixes are so much easier when the bike is at eye level and your not bending over etc

drlodge

A big plus for a workstand is that your bike is much more secure. Propping it up against a wall or chair etc means it can easily get knocked over and get damaged. On a workstand its much more secure and accessible.

I had my pride and joy lent against the front door, then along comes Mr postman, puts post through the letter box pushing my bike over! Fortunately there was no damage, it could easily have bent the RD hanger or damaged by SR11 rear derailleur.

Garyh09

Thanks everybody for all your responses and advice, much appreciated, I have seen one on merlin cycles with a tool box which will be a good start, I will get it ordered then heed other advice and pick up other tools in the near future, thanks again, Gary.

Ps great forum, have been reading for a while, glad I found it.

backo

if you are buying from Merlin go via quidco for a couple of % cashback...prob wont be much but all adds up!

IanLD

Have this http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000 and it is really sturdy. Takes up quite a bit of space but then gives me something else to lock my bikes to in the shed.

indyp

another worth considering is this one, and it's a definite yes to buying one.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000