Review of Topeak PrepStand Elite Bicycle Repair Stand

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List Price: $269.95
Sale Price: $190.71
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I bought this stand after comparing a number of other stands, including other various Topeak, Park, Pedro, and Spin Doctor stands. Most of the stands in the same price range accomplish the same tasks with the same ease; but there are a few tidbits about the Topeak that i liked:

1. it has nice heavy-duty aluminum tubing (the pictures don't adequately demonstrate this), which more than adequately supports the bicycle in its 360° rotation. i thought about building my own stand at one point, but buying this stand is definitely superior to anything i can fabricate from Home Depot plumbing parts. *laughs*

2. it is collapsible--although it is still over 3' tall once collapsed--and the QR mechanisms mean it is a cinch to take it out and put it away (handy in my tight-for-space apartment). It fits in my parts closet easily (oh for the day when i have a garage!). it telescopes upward so you can work on the bike at various height levels; i had the drive-train at head-level just yesterday--that was fun.

3. the third tripod leg seems sturdier to me than the stump on the equivalent Park stand (the Super Lite Home Mech). Plus the handy little parts bin is not completely without value, although it's more value-added than truly useful. Incidentally, i chose not to buy the Topeak with the built-in digital scale, mostly in part because i don't race, i have no illusions about being the next Tour de France winner, and the 1-2# extra means more workout for my thighs.

This model appears to be identical to the Spin Doctor Pro G3, so price and shipping charges affected my decision here. I suspect both of these units are made at the same plant in Taiwan (the Topeak is made in Taiwan).

my days of flipping the bike upside down will not be missed. why did i wait so long to get a proper stand?

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I do like the overall design: looks nice and functions

as intended. All of the tubes are large and the various

fastening clips (QR clamps) are strong. The base, when

fully extended, is quite large, but this thing is very

sturdy even if you have the bike in an awkward position.

Once the bike is connected to the arm, you can change its

orientation. Want it upside down and head high? No prob.

If you're a "weight" person, go for the one with the built-in

scale--the PrepStand Pro. If you're not a pro, though, the

Elite will meet your needs.

There are other (cheaper) models of prep stands out there,

but Topeak makes a good, quality product. I've used several

of their products, and am quite satisfied with all of them.

Also, Amazon ships it for free.

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This stand is very well-designed and easy to use, and it's very rugged. Unfortunately, it has or at least mine has a major flaw that undermines what otherwise would be an extremely sturdy and stable stand. The flaw is that the head, which swivels down to fold against the main tube, isn't parallel to the floor when raised: it leans several degrees, thus wanting to tip the stand forward. Naturally, the problem is exacerbated under a load, i.e., as soon as you mount a bike.

I took mine apart to find the cause. In my case, the head's rear wall thickness either wasn't sufficient to brace the wall against the post early and evenly (there's a gap between the rear wall and the post, so they don't make contact until the head beam leans a few degrees), or the holes on either side of the beam that accommodate the swivel post were drilled a couple of millimeters forward of where they should have been (resulting in the aforementioned gap at the rear). I had to have a 2mm-thick metal rectangle (roughly 1.75" by 1.75 " welded to the inside rear wall to gain sufficient thickness so that it would make contact against the post early enough to prevent the lean.

Were it not for this, I've have given this stand five stars: as it is, I'm tempted to give it only two, but will settle at three (but barely).

Honest reviews on Topeak PrepStand Elite Bicycle Repair Stand

This bike stand is fantastic. It has long legs that lend a great deal of stability to it. It is very well built and is easy to adjust. It holds the bike very well. I was not sure that I needed the scale, but I have found that it is very useful for 'tweaking' different things on my bike to get the weight down a bit. A lot of my riding buddies (who have stands themselves) want to drop their bikes on it to get their weight. Quick to fold up, it is very portable (a little on the heavy side, but the quick setup ability more than makes up for this). I have compared this to the Park Tool stands at the local bike store and it seems to be a better value. A must buy if you can get it for under $200 and need a bike stand.

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If you don't want to bend back every time you want or need to adjust the bike, it's ok.

If your bike have tons of accessories and you don't want to turn it upside down because it will ruin your mirror, bike computer, scratch the seat, etc, its ok.

If you really need to repair itTopeak PrepStand Elite Bicycle Repair Stand and you find a stubborn part, this is not ok.

If you need to put strength to uninstall the bottom bracket or put some weight to uninstall the pedal....you wasted $200.00. Better fabricate yourself or buy a bike shop type (professional one) even if cost more. If you really are into bikes, you will recover your investment just in 5 times you avoid going to a bike shop.