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review

PRO Bike Repair Stand Sport

5
£149.99

VERDICT:

5
10
A simple stand, but pricey and only suitable for the lightest of fettling
Stows away small
Light
Insecure hold
Low height
Expensive
Weight: 
3,000g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The PRO Bike Repair Stand Sport is designed for simple at-home bike repairs. However, I found it held bikes in a position where just about any fettling would be awkward. And it's not exactly cheap. Have a look at our guide to the best bike repair stands for more options, at various prices.

There are a variety of options available in the world of bike stands, with different adjustable arms and clamps being used to hold a bike in a position to make tinkering easy.

This PRO stand uses a simple two-arm design to hold the bike under the saddle. Simple can sometimes be good, but because this stand doesn't feature an adjustable clamp (as the non-Sport version does), with the two-arm design functioning simply as a raised hook that the bike hangs from, the bike's angle is dictated by the centre of gravity. In my experience, the angle makes any meaningful bike repair work hard to do, compounded by the fact that the bike isn't held securely.

I tested the stand using one bike with a 32mm aero-shaped seatpost, and another with a 30mm cylindrical seatpost, and neither were held securely. (You can rotate the rubber on the arms, to narrow or widen the gap.)

2022 PRO Bike Repair Stand - arm.jpg

Looking at PRO's product photo, the stand might be more effective at holding wider aero seatposts.

Having taken any bottles and weight off the bikes, both were held at an angle where the front wheel was almost touching the floor. Honestly, if I needed to remove my chain, or adjust my derailleurs, the task would be easier to accomplish with the bike on the floor.

2022 PRO Bike Repair Stand - with bike.jpg

Okay, PRO does says that the stand is 'better suited to home mechanics not performing intricate maintenance tasks', but I found that even basic tasks such as oiling a chain were difficult.

Though the height of the stand extends to 1.62m, I still found that low.

2022 PRO Bike Repair Stand - QR height adjuster.jpg

On a more positive note, two extendable legs offer a stable base, and the stand can cope with bikes up to 25kg.

2022 PRO Bike Repair Stand - feet mechanism.jpg

The stand can be folded down to just a metre, and is also relatively light and easy to move around, so might be handy if you need to travel with a stand – getting a bike ready before a race or sportive, for example.

2022 PRO Bike Repair Stand - folded.jpg

It could also be useful as a quick-mounting option for bike cleaning.

It's a bit pricey for that, though, considering what else is out there. I've used a £29.99 bike stand from Lidl for years, and this functions significantly better than the PRO stand.

Emma reviewed Topeak's similar bike stand, the Prepstand ZX, a couple of years ago and found it fine for lighter fettling, though the clampless design was equally ineffective for anything more strenuous. That's gone up to £159.99, so actually a tenner more than the PRO.

But you can get workstands with an adjustable clamp for a similar price, such as the LifeLine Pro Bike Workstand at £149.99 – and for a lot less: Lifeline's Home Mechanic Workstand is £89.99, and that includes a mat, and FWE's Compact Folding Workstand, which Dave tested in 2018, is £69.99 (and currently £34.99).

In summary, despite being relatively light and folding down well, the poor functionality of the PRO Bike Repair Stand Sport overshadows any positives. Yes, it's only designed for 'simple home repair tasks' and washing your bike, but the lack of stability and the acute angle at which it holds a bike mean I'd rather not use it when working on my bikes.

We put Nick's concerns to PRO, and were told: 

On the way the stand holds a bike: Our bike stands are designed with the home mechanic-in-mind to make it as easy as possible for them to work on their bikes at home. Both the Regular Stand and Sport Stand offer a couple of options: while the clamping method varies between the models, both stands can accommodate a variety of holding positions from securely clamping to the seatpost to being placed securely between the rubber grips. The rubber grips, specifically part of the Sport Stand, were designed asymmetrically, so that the holding position can be changed and fit either an aero or cylindrical seat post, between 35 – 51mm.

Specifically on the adjustability and wheel balancing: Both stands offer adjustable height options, are foldable for easy travel and made of a lightweight alloy construction – so they can be taken wherever you go. Depending on the weight of the bike, the balancing effect should allow for the front wheel to be balanced off the ground, and not touch the floor. Each of the stands will accommodate an e-bike in the stand, up to 25kg (max height 140cm), or 30kg (max height 162cm), so depending on the center of gravity and placement of the bike the wheel shouldn’t contact the floor.

Verdict

A simple stand, but pricey and only suitable for the lightest of fettling

road.cc test report

Make and model: PRO Bike Repair Stand Sport

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

PRO says: "Designed to securely hold you bicycle while you perform simple home repair tasks or wash your bike the PRO Bike Repair Stand Sport is a universal bike repair stand. It has a simple design, keeping it lightweight, and can fold down to a compact size for storage when not in use. Rubberised arms, rather than a clamp, hold your bike in place while you work on it, which ensures the Bike Repair Stand Sport is easy to use and is better suited to home mechanics not performing intricate maintenance tasks."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

PRO lists these highlights:

Simple and versatile bicycle repair stand

Designed for simple home maintenance tasks and bike washing

Alloy construction

Foldable design

Allows for height as well as sideways adjustments to increase ease of use

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
5/10

The stand only really functions as a raised hook, meaning that the bike is at an acute angle, and it's not held securely.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

Lighter than most, which makes it well suited to travelling.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It held bikes at an angle that made meaningful repair work difficult, and as it doesn't feature a clamp, the bike isn't held securely, which can make even simple tasks tricky.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Packed away small, and lighter than most other stands.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It holds bikes at an angle that makes any work difficult, and doesn't have a secure grip on the bike, allowing it to move around.

It doesn't hold a bike at a good height for fettling.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Topeak Prepstand has a similar clampless design and costs £159.99.

But workstands with an adjustable clamp are available for a similar price, such as the LifeLine Pro Bike Workstand at £149.99 – and a lot less: Lifeline's Home Mechanic Workstand is £89.99, which includes a mat, and FWE's Compact Folding Workstand is £69.99.

Did you enjoy using the product? No

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

I'm giving this a generous 'average'. It's light and compact so could be useful for pre-race prep, or where space is at a premium, but it doesn't hold bikes securely, or at an angle that makes for easy fettling. It's also expensive.

Overall rating: 5/10

About the tester

Age: 32  Height: 182cm  Weight: 69kg

I usually ride: S-Works Tarmac  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, club rides, Gravel on a CX bike

Nick hails from the west country and combines riding bikes with hitting balls with cricket bats and golf clubs. You'll find him riding a mix of road, cyclocross and XC MTB.

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
1 like

Why produce a bodged design at a price above a Park Tools semi-pro stand? They've changed the design from when I got mine in 2011, but it's survived being in the mobile repair van, can take an e-bike (with care) and you can point the bike in any direction (when routing internal cables, a necessity).

It screams of a designer who has never worked on a bike. Someone's done a costing and said "The clamp costs too much to make, come up with something different."

Avatar
NOtotheEU | 1 year ago
0 likes

If £150 is too much then Lidl do a great fully adjustable stand for less than £40. Mine easily holds a heavy e-bike with it's battery.

I've seen a similar one at Tredz/Halfords for the roughly the same money.

Avatar
Boopop | 1 year ago
1 like

£150 for a mechanic stand that doesn't even clamp the bike 🤦

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