Wrench Force Classic Repair Stand - Product Review

Nearly every bike shop employee loves reeling in deals on bikes, parts and clothes. That's a good part of the reason for working at a bike shop. But that's not what they miss most when they leave the industry. It's really having a shop full of tools - when you have some time off or the last customer of the day leaves, you can bet shop rats are working on their own bikes.

The shop tool I missed most was the repair stand, which I consider one of the essential tool of any home shop. Spoiled by years of Park's finest, I miserably propped my bike up for repairs, stressing my back and sanity in the process. Then, I decided to spring for a Wrench Force Classic repair stand.

The Wrench Force Classic ($209, retail) is hardly a shop-grade tool. But it's quite excellent for the home mechanic. It surprisingly stable, its clamping mechanism works well and accommodates a wide range of adjustment. With most of my bikes, it's simple to clamp it to a seatpost. As always, swoopy carbon-fiber frames with aero-shaped seatposts are trickier. In those cases, I adjust the clamp to horizontal and use the bare minimum of clamping force.

The Classic also has a nice range of height adjustments. A tall guy like myself has no problem getting everything high enough. Short people? No worries for them, either.

So far, I've only exceeded the Classic's limitations once. That was because the crankarm bolt on my Gary Fisher Cake 2 DLX came tightened far too much from the factory. Using a park pedal wrench and an old piece of frame tubing for leverage, I was able to get the Classic to lift of the ground. And no, that bolt didn't come loose at all.

All in all, my back is thrilled with the Wrench Force Classic. So is my wallet. I've saved a bundle keeping my wife's triathlon bikes tuned and running versus running it to the local tri shop. My bikes are far happier for it, too: Since I don't have to curse and strain, I'm far more likely to give them the attention they deserve.

If I could add something to it, a small tool tray or caddy that can hang on the stand would be a very nice addition. But ever as-is, I'd consider Wrench Force Classic money well-spent. What's next? Probably a wheel-truing stand!