The PRS-20 provides a good, stable height to work at
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Park seriously undersell this little gem, they say on their (very good) website that:
"The new PRS-20 Team Race Stand is a compact, Euro-style work stand that securely holds the bike without clamping the frame tubes or seat post. Ideal for bikes with ultra lightweight frame tubes and seatposts, and for bikes with tight access areas that can't be clamped." But we've found that it's a bit more than that.
Watch any 'Euro-Style' pro mechanic washing a bike and you'll quickly see the benefits of a set height to the stand and an easy access stand for a variety of bikes and a variety of sizes and shapes. Cheap home repair stands aren't stable at all and pretty much useless for major repairs, many are just expensive supports to hold your bike as all you can manage to do is wash it, try removing a BB and you'll be dancing around with the stand and will probably slip or worse, mess up the repair. So as with most workshop stuff - once again - you get what you pay for.
The best type of workshop stand is one that is firmly fixed to a solid wall or floor, but not everyone has a good workshop and space for a bench in the living room, it might not be the best laid plan you've made to build-in a wall mounted Workstand to the kitchen wall either.
Although originally designed for the mechanics of the Tour de France-winning Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team, we've seen similar looking home made stands in use with other teams too.
The tripod feet provide a stable base
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Quick release mounts hold the bike securely by the front or rear dropouts, we watched the Disco mechanics at the Tour this year and they wash the days bikes and check them over at lightening speed. And they have them in and out of the stands as quick as you can say 'Euro-Style'.
It's good for bikes with ultra-lightweight aluminium or carbon frame tubes and Seatpins too, and for bikes with tight access areas that can't be clamped easily. I've even installed BBs and forks using this stand and it's quickly become a favourite. The tripod base and low slung clamps means that the stand is less likely to yaw towards you as some full height stands can, especially when fully extended to any decent working height.
The built-in sleeping hub allows easy chain cleaning with rear wheel removed, although we found the stand better used with the rear wheel still in place, it's still really handy to have the chain hooked out of the way. Being able to spin the bike 360 degrees is an excellent feature when washing the bike, but be careful if you try this in the kitchen.
It's height adjustable to accommodate different height mechanics and also allows you to adjust BBs at a decent height, this means that you can have the bike higher than a standard type free standing stand and it's always going to be more stable.
Main features:
Vinyl-covered BB cradle
Quick release retention strap stabilize the bottom bracket
360 degree horizontal rotation allows easy access to both sides of bike
Folds to 84 cm for easy transport and storage
Bottom bracket height quickly adjusts from 71 cm to 96 cm
130 and 135 mm rear axles accepted
Tough Park blue powder coat finish helps fend off knocks and bumps
Chrome plating is used on high wear parts for ultimate protection
