Using a bike stand...

deano2107

Member
Nov 23, 2021
16
13
Wendover
Great site, any tips for using a bike stand when servicing/cleaning your e bike? I find the heavy bike awkward to lift onto the clamp.
 

Tim1023

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2020
643
562
Hamburg, Germany
Use the forum search function. Seriously. I'm not being obnoxious. There's been a bunch of discussions around types of stand for servicing & washing as well as discussions about dealing with the weight.
 

EMTBSEAN

Well-known member
Subscriber
Feb 20, 2020
849
578
Sheffield
Some people might laugh at this reply but a couple of Christmas’s ago my son bought me one of those bike hoist’s from Aldi, at the time I didn’t think I’d use it because of the weight of an ebike, but so as to make it look like I wasn’t being ungrateful I fitted it to my bike cave ceiling, since then I’ve discovered numerous times that it’s a great bit of kit lifting my bike up off the floor high enough to get it into my bike stand, I do have back issues though but it works for me.
 

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
891
689
Scotland
Some people might laugh at this reply but a couple of Christmas’s ago my son bought me one of those bike hoist’s from Aldi, at the time I didn’t think I’d use it because of the weight of an ebike, but so as to make it look like I wasn’t being ungrateful I fitted it to my bike cave ceiling, since then I’ve discovered numerous times that it’s a great bit of kit lifting my bike up off the floor high enough to get it into my bike stand, I do have back issues though but it works for me.
When i was last in Amsterjam admittedly 30+ years ago, i brought my bike, a stripped down 1x8 all alloy affair including forks, with skinny tyres, the like of which the population had never seen going by the compliments i got over it.
So I could easily wander the shops(OK coffee shops :D ) I took it to a bike park that was below Amsterdam central station. In there they'd the bike storage facility, but also a big bike mechanics set up. I noticed at the time all the stands they used were the lift type, suspended by pulleys from the ceiling.
I'd guess the majority of the bikes they worked on would be the standard Dutch ride- gas pipes and none too light, so probably the ideal type of thing for a 50lb Ebike.
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
2,919
4,134
Coquitlam, BC
I use the Saris bike rack bar. My bike lives here.
It takes a few seconds to hookup but it keeps the bike raised for servicing before a ride.

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Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
2,919
4,134
Coquitlam, BC
I noticed there are a couple of models of this Saris Bar. Some ore not rated to support more than 35 lbs. If you can, please reply back with a link to the one you bought. Thanks.
I don’t think the Saris bar that I use was initially rated to support the weight of my bike (vertically), however it works. It does distribute the weight of the bike between the dropper and stem allowing me to suspend the bike for pre-ride service or simply parking it. I hang the Saris bar on a tool caddy which is attached to the stand. I’m not sure of the weight rating but it does hold the bike securely.
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You may be able to zoom in on the only part number available (Only a sticker). Btw, I picked this up at the LBS.
 

Mabman

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Feb 28, 2018
1,048
1,735
Oregon USA
I have an old Ultimate repair stand that 90% of the time I just have set up with the jaws wide open and put the nose of the saddle in there and let it hang. Gets the rear wheel off the ground enough for removal and lubing purposes which are what I do mostly it seems.

Bike stand.jpg


The hardest part with home clamp type stands is holding the bike while clamping. When I had my Park double arm shop stand you could remove the clamp arm, attach it to the seatpost, then pick up the bike and insert it back in to the stand easily and from there due to the overall weight of the stand with big steel base could pretty much rotate the bike 360d. Nowadays the pro shop stand is electronic, and expensive, but I would say worth every penny for working on eBikes.
 

dschae1

Member
Jul 20, 2021
31
14
Texas
My local bike shop had this bar for $35. I like that it is all metal except for the ends which feel like dense rubber. I think it will do the job just fine on my rack. That Feedback Sports rack is awesome BTW.

It's just for this use. I don't think any of these bars would be strong enough as a trunk mount device. I have a cradle type rack that I use like this one. XTC2 TILT

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Tim1023

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2020
643
562
Hamburg, Germany
My guess is that those fake cross-bars are not rated for the weight of ebikes when used as originally intended, i.e. to put a step-though bike on a bike rack.

If they're only being used to support the bike for washing & maintenance, I wouldn't worry about the rating at all.
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
2,919
4,134
Coquitlam, BC
I think I got the idea in these forums, a few years ago, for a cross-bar while using a bike stand. There’s nothing wrong with suspending your bike in a work stand using an extended dropper. My dropper gets constant abuse on the trails anyways. It’s even fine when your front wheel touches the floor when we service the chain or derailer.

I’ve installed multiple brake kits and have found that it’s easier to have both wheels off the floor. Also the top-tube could be crushed or accidentally torqued (clamping) when your frame is carbon or the paint could be accidentally scratched.

Because the orientation, of the clamp, is usually horizontal, I’ve developed a habit of using a bar, such as the Saris, to suspend and park my bike. But none of this makes sense if I fold my work stand away each time, when floor space is a priority. I guess it just depends on how, or how often, we use a work stand.
 

04fuxake

Active member
Feb 12, 2018
321
205
Porirua, NZ
I think I got the idea in these forums, a few years ago, for a cross-bar while using a bike stand. There’s nothing wrong with suspending your bike in a work stand using an extended dropper. My dropper gets constant abuse on the trails anyways. It’s even fine when your front wheel touches the floor when we service the chain or derailer.

You make a good point there. In normal use, the dropper is expected to hold up 50kg+, so it should have no trouble supporting a ~22kg bike.

I guess the only risk is damaging the post surface.
 

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
993
Tasmania
Reading this forum right now for ideas; thank you. I have found that the thule frame adapter is good for 50lbs!
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
2,919
4,134
Coquitlam, BC
I have been wondering if this is safe to do. Can the steering tube handle that much pressure? I want to work on my bike with this adapter installed.
The alternative would be either the seat post or the top tube for clamping. The seat post should be strong enough but that didn’t give the proper balance for servicing. Plus I wasn’t comfortable with servicing the bike while it was in this clamping position.

Clamping to the top tube of a carbon frame was a hard-no. It’s ok for temporarily hanging the bike …but not for clamping.

With the Saris bar the weight of the bike is distributed to the seat post and steering stem. Extending the dropper post should be fine during this. As far as the stem for further support; I’ve never had a problem or issue. I realize that the stem is usually torqued between 5-6 nm to prevent rotational forces and once clamped, the sheer forces, to the stem, are generally static while in the stand while using the Saris bar. (Does that make sense?).

The bar takes about 10-12 seconds to install and hangs from my tool tray when not in use. Only once, one time, I found my bike and stand on the floor. Everything tipped over. Because the lower clamps on the park tool stand were not tightened enough…and…during a stupid brake bleed explosion, mineral oil had over-sprayed onto the stand supports (and on the floor, in my eyes, my mouth etc.) I guess I didn’t clean the stand supports enough. Fun lesson.

Anyways, the eMTB lives here. 👍🏻
 

milkandrelish

New Member
Nov 29, 2022
34
7
Arcata, CA
Good to k
The alternative would be either the seat post or the top tube for clamping. The seat post should be strong enough but that didn’t give the proper balance for servicing. Plus I wasn’t comfortable with servicing the bike while it was in this clamping position.

Clamping to the top tube of a carbon frame was a hard-no. It’s ok for temporarily hanging the bike …but not for clamping.

With the Saris bar the weight of the bike is distributed to the seat post and steering stem. Extending the dropper post should be fine during this. As far as the stem for further support; I’ve never had a problem or issue. I realize that the stem is usually torqued between 5-6 nm to prevent rotational forces and once clamped, the sheer forces, to the stem, are generally static while in the stand while using the Saris bar. (Does that make sense?).

The bar takes about 10-12 seconds to install and hangs from my tool tray when not in use. Only once, one time, I found my bike and stand on the floor. Everything tipped over. Because the lower clamps on the park tool stand were not tightened enough…and…during a stupid brake bleed explosion, mineral oil had over-sprayed onto the stand supports (and on the floor, in my eyes, my mouth etc.) I guess I didn’t clean the stand supports enough. Fun lesson.

Anyways, the eMTB lives here.

Good to know thank you for the response. I'm going to order the Hollywood top tube adapter and give it a go. Much appreciated and good idea.
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
2,001
1,950
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
I remove the 3.5kg battery from our 25kg alloy Rails then lift and clamp at the top bar balance point on a Park Tools PCS-9.3 stand. To date the top bars haven’t crushed. :)
 

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