Topeak PrepStand Pro
By James Sharp

For the serious cyclist, working on your own bike can be one of the best ways to cut down maintenance costs and, at the same time, one of the most frustrating things a cyclist can spend his time doing. If you have ever tried to adjust a cantilever brake while leaning you bike against a wall, you know what I mean. As a rule, if you are serious about maintaining your own bike, you own a work stand. There is nothing--and I mean nothing--that makes lubing your chain, adjusting your brakes, cleaning your bike, swapping out a fork, etc., easier than clamping it in a work stand and having everything at eye level. The fact that the bike won’t leave tire marks on the wall is an extra bonus. The repair stand reviewed here is the Topeak PrepStand Pro.

Topeak has been around for 10 years churning out multi-tools (like the Alien), bicycle computers, fenders, mini-pumps and more. The PrepStand marks their first entry in the work stand arena. The PrepStand Pro has a tripod base that allows the whole stand to fold into a convenient 7-inch by 46-inch size, but extends to a 53-inch base. The height is adjustable from 48-inches to 72-inches. The repair stand is capable of holding a 55-lb bike and it comes with its own carrying case. The clamp head rotates 360 degrees, allowing the user to work on the bike up side down. All of the adjustments are quick releases or knobs, allowing the stand to be set up easily and quickly. In addition to the aforementioned features, which are nice but not really unique, Topeak adds a digital scale. That’s right a scale. Now you can swap components, or just tires, and see the weight differences immediately. Or, if you are really curious, you can find out how much heavier your bike became with all that mud on it after a really sloppy ride. Oh, the possibilities. If a scale isn’t something you need or want, the non-Pro PrepStand has a lidded container for small items like nuts and bolts and spoke nipples in place of the scale.

Where did the Stand excel? For starters, all stands, and I mean all, should have adjustable height. Modern bicycles are generally made of thin-walled aluminum. Clamping the top-tube is a good way to dent, or even crush, the tube. Even if the bike isn’t so thin, frame tubing these days can be round or oval or have ridges down them or just be too big to fit in a clamp. Instead, it is now common practice to clamp the seat post. The problem with this is it places the drive train too low to work on comfortably. Enter the height adjustable work stand. Raise the clamp head up to 72-inches (5-feet) and the bottom of the bike is easily within reach. Drop the clamp back down and the top of the bike is easy to work on. Since the PrepStand is built like a telescope, the height is infinitely adjustable between the two extremes. We loved the digital scale. I found myself weighing every bike within reach. Heck, I even weighed a full water bottle, just because I could. That is really the feature that sets this stand apart.

Where did the PrepStand fall short? Well, to be honest, our list of complaints is really small. That, in and of itself, is a tribute to Topeak. The only major complaint concerns the knob used to tighten clamp around the bike. I feel that it is too small. Something larger diameter, or wing nut shaped, would make tightening the clamp a little less of a chore. Making the clamp actuated by a lever would be the ideal, but just making the knob bigger would go a long way in lessening the hand effort needed to secure a bike.

Summary: In the PrepStand ($189) and PrepStand Pro ($229), Topeak is one knob shy of a homerun right out of the gate. The included carrying case makes taking the stand with you a piece of cake since the stand folds small enough to fit in almost any trunk. Though priced at the mid to high end of consumer grade work stands, the PrepStands are feature packed and well engineered, our sample hasn’t shown the least amount of wear; all the quick releases clamp well and continue to be as smooth as the day we received it. If you are even thinking about maintaining and repairing your own bicycle, I heartily recommend the PrepStand.

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.

For more information, contact:
Todson Inc.
8 Spring Brook Road
Foxborough, MA 02035
Phone: (800) 213-4561
E-mail: support@Todson.com
todson.com