Lidl bike stand - bargain or fromage?

[GazK]

The Lidl winter bike gear email just dropped into my inbox - with this for £30:

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_14168.htm

Now I've been thinking of buying a workstand, and I was probably looking at shelling out about £70. I know cheap bike stands have a cheap reputation. Does anyone recognise this stand, and if so, is it sturdy or not?

 

[Gixxerman]

Yeah I was interested in that also.
It looks better than the ones on ebay I have seen for the same price.
I suppose the best bet is wait till they get them in and have a look.
The weight of them will tell you something, if they are heavy then chances are they are going to be strong.

 

[davefb]

heck


how can i hide those bits of 'new buy' from the boss

car boot is getting full already

[edit]
http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_14174.htm

blimey, not had any of that, since i was in southwest france as a kid

 

[mr_cellophane]

[QUOTE 1187110"]
I wouldn't buy it without having a good look. You don't know how sturdy it is.

I've got one of these, and it's ideal - http://www.ribblecyc...ORK200000000000
[/quote]
Looks very much like my wiggle one.  I got it in a sale down to £49.99 less another £10 for spending over £50 (although £49.99 counted)




Base legs on the Lidl one look weak.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

[QUOTE 1187110"]
I wouldn't buy it without having a good look. You don't know how sturdy it is.

I've got one of these, and it's ideal - http://www.ribblecyc...ORK200000000000
[/quote]

+1 I also have one of those excellent stand.

 

[snorri]

If the cycling gloves, in the same Lidl offer, are as good as the ones they had a few years ago, I'll be in for a couple of pairs.

 

[battered]

Some of their gear is rubbish, some good. This is low tech enough to be easy to check out before you buy. It looks the part, so if I didn't already have a stand I'd give it a serious look. It even has a toolstand, that's handy.

 

[guitarpete247]

I'm also going to get down there, as early as I can, next Monday to have a look. I'm not sure about the clamp, it doesn't look too strong, or how it fits onto the upright.

 

[fossyant]

For £50 Decathlon do a cracker. They also do a £30 folding one which is sturdy, and rests on the BB and clamps the down tube, or the £50 which is massive and very strong, clamps top tube or seat post/down tube and is fully adjustable - worth a look - I have both.

Tha Lidl one has 'raised' legs which could be a bit of a hassle when working on the bike - have a poke about in the shop and check the weight, as has been suggested.

 

[moggsy100]

The Lidl winter bike gear email just dropped into my inbox - with this for £30:

http://www.lidl.co.u...index_14168.htm

Now I've been thinking of buying a workstand, and I was probably looking at shelling out about £70. I know cheap bike stands have a cheap reputation. Does anyone recognise this stand, and if so, is it sturdy or not?

Gotta say that stand looks total cack... I'm a firm believer in the you get what you pay for plus i suppose im a bit of a snob...lol Not sure that clamping system looks very robust at all and looks like would be very clumbersome to pack away...Also doesn't look to be much weight and strength in the stand...

Personally i use this one from wiggle.... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/LifeLine_Elite_Team_Workstand/5360009217/

 

[mr_cellophane]

Tha Lidl one has 'raised' legs which could be a bit of a hassle when working on the bike - have a poke about in the shop and check the weight, as has been suggested.

One forgetful moment and a foot on one of those legs and the whole thing will be scrap.

 

[fossyant]

[QUOTE 1187118"]Does the more expensive Decathlon stand fold up? I looked at one once and it looked as if the legs don't fold us without unscrewing.
[/quote]

No it doesn't fold up - really sturdy - I just leave mine up, and trip over the legs on occasion whan getting in and out of the garage

 

[youngoldbloke]

Gotta say that stand looks total cack... I'm a firm believer in the you get what you pay for plus i suppose im a bit of a snob...lol Not sure that clamping system looks very robust at all and looks like would be very clumbersome to pack away...Also doesn't look to be much weight and strength in the stand...

Personally i use this one from wiggle.... http://www.wiggle.co...and/5360009217/

In the case of workstands I am a firm believer that you DON'T get what you pay for. They are essentially very simple pieces of equipment, composed of very little material, with very basic construction. If they were a higher volume sales product (like e.g. folding garden chair) the price would be more in the region of 9.99 not 29.99. The cost is artificially inflated due to low volume sales - like much in the cycling world.

 

[yello]

My own take on it is have a look but don't expect anything. I personally would be very dubious that it'd be any good. Lidl/Aldi clothes can be excellent value but I'm not convinced by their tools etc. I certainly wouldn't go using their spanners etc where I need precision. Have you tried a cheap multi-tool for instance? You can sometimes tell that the allen keys aren't quite a perfect fit. Put to much pressure through them and they'll slip and bugger the hex bolt head. Decent tools make a job SO much easier. It's that old adage innit? Spend the money and buy once.

 

[battered]

Lidl/Aldi clothes can be excellent value but I'm not convinced by their tools etc. I certainly wouldn't go using their spanners etc where I need precision.

Some of their tools are very good. Some aren't. I do think they were better 3-4 years ago in general, they had very little dross then. As for precision jobs, I've used the decent stuff they sell for just that.

It's that old adage innit? Spend the money and buy once.

The problem with that old adage is it's old. It used to be true when everything was made in Britain and you compared like with like. Then someone hit on the idea of buying stuff made on the same machines to the same standards and paying people on the other side of the world very little for their labour, and suddenly the Made In Sheffield stuff started to look very expensive and frequently wasn't as good.