How do I use this bike stand?

[Milena]

Edit - I was only assembling the bike stand today and learning how to use it. I didn't put my bike on it. I didn't even bring my bike out of the garage.

I got this stand:
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-work-stands/halfords-repair-stand-164412.html

It has 4 rubber things inside the box. Instructions are hopeless.

I thought the rubber things would go into the clamps to help secure the tubes and stop them from slipping.

I tightened the blue knobs as tight as I dare to go, after having raised the top tube that has the bike holding clamp on it, then I put some body weight down on the clamp and the top tube slides a bit. So I'm not so sure this thing is safe to use. It might just slip under the weight of a bike.

So I figured the rubber things are to put in between the posts and the clamps to stop the slipping. But they don't fit. Not enough space between clamps and tubes.

I saw in a poor quality YouTube video, a guy used 1 or 2 of them to secure the tool tray.

I thought they might instead be for the top clamp that holds the bike. I thought they might go onto the 'teeth' to help hold the bike and prevent damage.

I'm clueless. And I don't like that all the tubes slip. Bottom one too.

Forgot to photograph the tool tray. I won't be using it anyway. Just using the stand to wash my bike and repair punctures.

 

[Slick]

Looks like a bog standard stand. The rubbers are maybe just to protect a carbon frame.

 

[Slick]

Obviously there should be zero slip.

 

[Slick]

How do the jaws lock?

 

[Slick]

Mine is just a cheap one that you tighten a bit then pull the lever to lock the jaws out.

 

[Slick]

View: https://youtu.be/l377hTkUQls?si=JI7lQi-jsFfdSE_d

 

[vickster]

What bit of the bike are you trying to clamp? Not the seatpost Hopefully? If so, you need to use the top tube as the video, yours is a chunky framed bike so there shouldn’t be an issue

 

[Milena]

What bit of the bike are you trying to clamp? Not the seatpost Hopefully? If so, you need to use the top tube as the video, yours is a chunky framed bike so there shouldn’t be an issue

I haven't gotten to clamping the bike. This was just finding out how to use the stand today. That's all I was doing. And assembling it. The slipping is of the posts that make up the bike stand. Please review my op and you'll understand.
Sorry. I think TUBES would be a better word to use when referring to the stand tubes. Apologies.

Also what's wrong with clamping the seat post? I'll need to do that when I come round to washing the bike...

 

[Cycleops]

No reason why you can't clamp the seatpost. The arm can turn and presumably lock. Might not be so stable though.

 

[Ajax Bay]

It's quite reasonable that if body weight is applied vertically to the stand, it will slip.
The stand is designed to support a bike (yours is 14.5kg) without slipping (plus design margin), not half a man's body weight (35kg): it will be fine.
Just tighten the blue knobs: hand tight.
Might the rubber bits go under the legs, to afford grip?
Don't turn the bike upside down (Rule #49)

and repair punctures.

While I'm here, using a stand to wash a bike means less strain on the back and a better all round wash.
But for punctures, just hoik the wheel out and get on with it. If rear wheel find something (>6" high and stable) to rest the chainstay on to avoid any weight on the rear derailleur while the bike is rear wheel-less.
And (tip) when you refit the wheel, post repair, do so with the bike not in the stand but on the ground. Before securing the QR lever, put weight on the bike. This ensures that the axle is completely in place in the dropouts.

You need to get to the bottom of WHAT has caused the punctures you've had: the catalyst for considering replacing the rear tyre and even buying this stand.

 

[gcogger]

I have the same stand. I use the rubber pieces to protect the parts of the bike that I clamp to the stand - seat post or (very gently!) the top/seat tubes.
I've not had any slippage of any part of the stand itself, but I don't put my body weight on it, as that's way more than it needs to support.

 

[Milena]

I have the same stand. I use the rubber pieces to protect the parts of the bike that I clamp to the stand - seat post or (very gently!) the top/seat tubes.
I've not had any slippage of any part of the stand itself, but I don't put my body weight on it, as that's way more than it needs to support.

I did not obviously put my full body weight. I put as I said SOME body weight down. SOME. I estimate less than the weight of a bike and the box says it can deal with E-Bike weight.
Website says

• Maximum working load: 25kg

 

[Milena]

It's quite reasonable that if body weight is applied vertically to the stand, it will slip.
The stand is designed to support a bike (yours is 14.5kg) without slipping (plus design margin), not half a man's body weight (35kg): it will be fine.
Just tighten the blue knobs: hand tight.
Might the rubber bits go under the legs, to afford grip?
Don't turn the bike upside down (Rule #49)

What does rule number 49 mean?

 

[FrankCrank]

Got an Aldi stand a while back, and would say it was at the cheaper scale of things, but perfectly adequate for occasional use. Anyways, similar to the one here the OP has.

I think that folk tend to have too high an expectation as to how firmly these type of stands can hold a bike. I sometimes clamp onto the seatpost, and naturally the weight of the bike is now unevenly distributed, so I put an old stool under the front wheel for additional support. Expecting the cheapo clamp to do the job itself is being a bit optimistic I think, and if you do manage to clamp securely, the threads/clamp are being over-tensioned.

Same for clamping in the middle of the frame. Fair enough, it will hold securely as the frame is balanced nicely. If I then remove the front wheel, I'll put the stool under the rear wheel, and same goes for the reverse of this. Makes sense to me.

No experience with using a 'professional' repair stand, but imagine you could depend on the beefed up construction to be more capable than these cheaper types. Anyways, just my two-penneth worth.

 

[cougie uk]

9

What bit of the bike are you trying to clamp? Not the seatpost Hopefully? If so, you need to use the top tube as the video, yours is a chunky framed bike so there shouldn’t be an issue

Depends on the bike - you might want to clamp the seatpost.

If it's a carbon frame they don't like being compressed but the seatpost is designed for that.