SIX OF THE BEST

Six folding stands for spannering at home and away

Folding workstands – which one makes it easiest to do some spannering on your bike, both at home and away?

Minoura RS 1800 £184.99

SO GOOD… The RS-1800 folds up small and weighs just 3.9kg. It holds your bike via its front or rear dropouts – good news for carbon frames, which aren’t built to resist clamping forces (though you can still clamp the seatpost). A range of dropouts are accommodated, from 100x9mm QR to 142x12mm.

NO GOOD… Spacers aren’t provided for Boost forks (110x15mm) or rear ends (148x12mm), so these dropouts aren’t held as securely. Mounting a bike with a through-axle is a fiddly process. On longer bikes, the rubber-coated bottom bracket support contacts the down tube instead. www.zyrofisher.co.uk

Park Tool PCS 10 £174.99

SO GOOD… Park’s PCS-10 is faster and easier to set up than the entry-level PCS-9, thanks to quick-release levers at the base and halfway up the shaft. There’s a QR on the frame clamp too, which is quick to operate and secure. Plastic clips hold the legs in place when folded.

NO GOOD… At 7.71kg, it’s heavy. It’s also one of the largest stands here once folded. Friction makes it difficult to extend the two-piece shaft, and the spring buttons that hold the legs in place don’t engage well. In our experience, threelegged stands are more stable when applying upward force to a bike. www.madison.co.uk

Feedback Sports Ultralight £225

SO GOOD… QR collars make this stand easy to set up and adjust, and its three legs provide a stable foundation. The ‘Slide-Lock’ frame clamp adjusts quickly and in fine increments, making it easy to clamp your bike with the right amount of force. It can also be rotated with a bike in place. The stand folds down fairly small. NO GOOD… Despite the name, it’s not all that light, at 4.8kg. The frame clamp is 63.5mm (2.5in) deep, which can make it fiddly to mount bikes with horizon tally mounted shocks. Considerably cheaper alternatives are available that offer much of the same functionality. www.2pure.co.uk

X Tools Home Mechanic £89.99

SO GOOD… Despite being the second cheapest stand here (with a work mat included), the X-Tools has comparable features to its priciest competitors. The shaft is shaped so that the frame clamp can’t rotate past the legs. There’s a QR lever to operate the jaws, and the clamp folds flat. The stand can be set up in seconds, thanks to easy-action QRs. It’s light enough to transport around easily. NO GOOD... The frame clamp is quite flexy torsionally, so doesn’t offer much resistance when you’re wrenching on seized parts. It only has two legs and the steep angle of its shaft makes it a bit less stable than the similar PCS-10. www.hotlines-uk.com

B’Twin 500 £59.99

SO GOOD… Don’t let the relatively low price of the B’Twin stand put you off purchasing it. The 500 works just as well as the more expensive models on test, just with a little less flair. It requires minimal assembly out of the box, QR levers make it easy to adjust the height, and the three legs provide a stable platform. The highlight is the frame clamp, which can be incrementally adjusted but also has a QR lever for quicker bike removal.

NO GOOD… We’d be wary of rotating the clamp arm with the bike still in place, because it doesn’t feel as secure as others on test. www.decathlon.co.uk

Topeak PrepStand Max £99.99

SO GOOD… Topeak’s PrepStand Max is the most portable stand on test and a top choice if you’re looking for one that can be slung in the back of a car. Weighing only 2.4kg, it’s the lightest here and folds down into a fairly small carry bag. The bike is clamped around its down tube and sits on plastic-coated contact points. A V-shaped BB support takes most of the weight and does a good job of supporting the bike while the clamp is being tightened. The front wheel stabiliser works well too.

NO GOOD… You may not be able to use the clamp if your bike has a bottle cage mounted on its down tube. www.extrauk.co.uk