Park workstands - worth the premium?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

cool_hand

Über Member
Never seen them in our local Aldi.

I have a Park stand so never really looked out for them although Mrs SD likes a middle aisle rummage and has never seen them either.
The distribution is probably targeted at Stores where they know they will sell. The problem is there are 990 Aldi Stores in the UK!

Forgot to say - Park Tool Stands have come down in price quite notably - they're still a couple of hundred quid though.
 
Last edited:

Dadam

Senior Member
Location
SW Leeds
I got mine 4 years ago. They did a specials promotion of a lot of their "Bikemate" branded stuff just after I first got a bike for commuting. I got the stand, the £4.99 bike computer (worth about 49p IMHO, couldn't get it to work reliably so gave it away), and £3.99 mini pump (a surprisingly functional item and great value)
 

Mike_P

Guru
Location
Harrogate
It was a week or two back now the Aldi cycling promotion, certainly saw them in mine at the time. The good centre aisle stuff often sells out very quickly.
 

vickster

Legendary Member

cool_hand

Über Member
Tried another ALDI store this morning and they had stock - price is on Sale at £19.99.
They did not have a stand on display so I took my chances.
The good: the price is a bargain.
The bad: I have just assembled and IMO it's not really fit for purpose.
The main issue is the pole that connects the claw to the main upright twists as soon as you put any pressure on it such pedalling the drive chain.
If you look at last years model the pole has a serrated finish which creates friction with the clamp (you also get the same serrated finish on the Halfords version mentioned in this thread).
https://www.aldi.co.uk/bike-assembly-stand/p/811579578216200#product-reviews
The one I've purchased has the same overall design but all parts are black, however the connecting pole is completely smooth.
The claw is narrow in depth and of course the rear brake cable inevitably is seized when you use it – I had the same rear-brake issue with an old Park Tools 9 stand I borrowed from a neighbour so probably not a deal breaker.
The claw has 4 small rubber pads - I did not feel confident using these rubber pads – I felt there was a risk of damaging the frame when using them.
The claw itself works fine but I'd be surprised if it lasted past the 3 year warranty.
It has 5 legs which enhance stability but take up a lot of floor space - if you're tight for space you should avoid this stand.
Included is an optional non-magnetic tray and a pole for securing your handle-bars.
 

Mike_P

Guru
Location
Harrogate
The claw is narrow in depth and of course the rear brake cable inevitably is seized when you use it – I had the same rear-brake issue with an old Park Tools 9 stand .
The clamp ought to be attached to the seat tube not the top tube. Wondering if the rotation issue could be resolved by wrapping some duck tape around the part to give a tighter, more friction, fit.
 

cool_hand

Über Member
The clamp ought to be attached to the seat tube not the top tube. Wondering if the rotation issue could be resolved by wrapping some duck tape around the part to give a tighter, more friction, fit.
My seat tube is carbon so I was a little worried about clamping. Funnily the ALDI link shows the clamp attached to the top tube. I did think about wrapping tape around the pole - the problem is the fit between the pole and the clamp is very tight - probably going to find very difficult to get the pole into/through the clamp once there's tape around it.
 

Jameshow

Veteran
My seat tube is carbon so I was a little worried about clamping. Funnily the ALDI link shows the clamp attached to the top tube. I did think about wrapping tape around the pole - the problem is the fit between the pole and the clamp is very tight - probably going to find very difficult to get the pole into/through the clamp once there's tape around it.

I clamp the seat tube tbh where it's got the post inside it. Not tightly either!
 

cool_hand

Über Member
I clamp the seat tube tbh where it's got the post inside it. Not tightly either!
Good suggestion. I still don't have a solution to the tube supporting the clamp not having any grip; the weight of the bike is tipping the bike over.

IMG_0104.jpg

Just to show how smooth the clamp tube is. Why didn't they keep the previous finish that helped address this?
IMG_0105.jpg

Previous version of the Bike Assembly Stand:
Bike-Assembly-Stand-B.jpeg


One solution is to support the front wheel with something:
IMG_0106.jpg

None of this is ideal. I still don't like that the legs take up so much space and quite awkward to work around. The next step-up in quality is going to be around the £70 mark.
 

SpokeyDokey

67, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
Good suggestion. I still don't have a solution to the tube supporting the clamp not having any grip; the weight of the bike is tipping the bike over.

View attachment 691661
Just to show how smooth the clamp tube is. Why didn't they keep the previous finish that helped address this?
View attachment 691662
Previous version of the Bike Assembly Stand:
View attachment 691668

One solution is to support the front wheel with something:
View attachment 691663
None of this is ideal. I still don't like that the legs take up so much space and quite awkward to work around. The next step-up in quality is going to be around the £70 mark.

Take it back - you don't like it now and probably never will. :smile:
 
Top Bottom