Mounting bike in work stand question.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? I ask for a couple of reasons. My biggest
worry is that, especially on mountain and touring bikes, when they are
mounted by the seatpost, it seems as if they are so front heavy that
it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of
my bikes, I have to raise the seatpost every time I work on them. Not
too much of a pain, but just another hassle.

I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's
always been done."

Thanks for any input.

Dave

Coupla reasons for mounting the bike by the seat tube:
--

-Its much heavier gauge tubing, i.e. it won't dent.
-Generally speaking, its not painted.

Derek Hodges
Toronto

So Dave <[email hidden]> says:

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? I ask for a couple of reasons. My biggest
worry is that, especially on mountain and touring bikes, when they are
mounted by the seatpost, it seems as if they are so front heavy that
it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of
my bikes, I have to raise the seatpost every time I work on them. Not
too much of a pain, but just another hassle.

I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's
always been done."

Thanks for any input.

Dave

You can damage yer frame tubes clamping them in a workstand. Although
some moron prob'ly figured out a way at some time I've never seen or
heard of structural damage clamping onto the seatpost.

I've clamped onto the top tube with a new frame I didn't have a post
for but this is the exception to the rule. If there's a post in the
bike use it.

jeffb

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? I ask for a couple of reasons. My biggest
worry is that, especially on mountain and touring bikes, when they are
mounted by the seatpost, it seems as if they are so front heavy that
it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of
my bikes, I have to raise the seatpost every time I work on them. Not
too much of a pain, but just another hassle.

I've clamped the top tube many a times. You will not damage the tube unless
you are some kind of ham-fisted gorilla. You are trying to support the
bike, not put it in a vise! The big thing is, you CAN damage the paint
pretty easily, so use a soft, clean rag in the clamp. If you aren't too
worried about the finish, clamp away. The Park stands actually have a
groove for the cables built-in to their stand's clamps, so that should tell
you something.

Cheers!

Scott..

sallydog-<< I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a
work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? >><BR><BR>

Lots of really thin tubes these days, may crimp, bend or otherwise destort it.

Mark, then raise the seat post, use that. If it will support your weight, it
will support the weight of the bicycle.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 22:30:06 -0800, Dave <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is

<snip>

Quoted message said:

it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of

The best option might be to get a cheap seatpost just to use in the
stand.
--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian said:

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 22:30:06 -0800, Dave <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is

<snip>

Quoted message said:

it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of

The best option might be to get a cheap seatpost just to use in the
stand.
--
Rick Onanian

I second that, especially if your seat post is carbon!

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 22:30:06 -0800, Dave <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's
always been done."

I know this is probably sacrilege, but I've been clamping top tubes
and seat tubes in my Park stand for years, even on aluminum bikes. The
only bike on which I always use the seatpost is my OCLV MTB.

I always clean the tube thoroughly before clamping. I figure if the
tubes are always clean the rubber in the clamp will stay clean, thus
no abrasives to damage the paint. This has worked for over ten years.
The paint on the seat tube of my 1988 (or so) Trek 1400 is still
pristine.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

[email hidden] (Qui si parla Campagnolo ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

sallydog-<< I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a
work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? >><BR><BR>

Lots of really thin tubes these days, may crimp, bend or otherwise destort it.

Mark, then raise the seat post, use that. If it will support your weight, it
will support the weight of the bicycle.

Peter Chisholm

Dear Peter,

This may not be strictly true in the case
of a full-figured Fury Roadmaster.

Carl Fogel

So [email hidden] (Carl Fogel) says:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Qui si parla Campagnolo ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

sallydog-<< I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a
work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? >><BR><BR>

Lots of really thin tubes these days, may crimp, bend or otherwise destort it.

Mark, then raise the seat post, use that. If it will support your weight, it
will support the weight of the bicycle.

Peter Chisholm

Dear Peter,

This may not be strictly true in the case
of a full-figured Fury Roadmaster.

Carl Fogel

So loosen the rotator and drop the front wheel onto the floor or find
the balance point for upside-down. That is if you got the muscle to
actually turn the thing that way.

jeffb

Jeffbonny said:

So [email hidden] (Carl Fogel) says:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Qui si parla Campagnolo ) wrote in message news:<20040403092049.18671.00000698@mb-
m07.aol.com>...

Quoted message said:

sallydog-<< I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a
bike in a work stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of
damage if it is mounted by the top tube? >>

Lots of really thin tubes these days, may crimp, bend or otherwise
destort it.

Mark, then raise the seat post, use that. If it will support your
weight, it will support the weight of the bicycle.

Peter Chisholm

Dear Peter,

This may not be strictly true in the case of a full-figured Fury
Roadmaster.

Carl Fogel

So loosen the rotator and drop the front wheel onto the floor or find
the balance point for upside-down. That is if you got the muscle to
actually turn the thing that way.
jeffb

Dear Jeff,

Your suggestion assumes that I'm man enough to hoist a Fury Roadmaster's
Rubenesque carcass into a work stand in the first place.

While courtesty forbids me to weigh my trusty steed (it makes no
comments about how much heavier I am than its intended 10-17 year-old
riders), I'd be willing to back it against a typical recumbent,
tricycle, or tandem in a pie-eating contest.

Robert Atkins, M.D.

--

S. Anderson said:

I've clamped the top tube many a times. You will not damage the tube unless
you are some kind of ham-fisted gorilla. You are trying to support the
bike, not put it in a vise! The big thing is, you CAN damage the paint
pretty easily, so use a soft, clean rag in the clamp. If you aren't too
worried about the finish, clamp away. The Park stands actually have a
groove for the cables built-in to their stand's clamps, so that should tell
you something.

I clamp by the toptube and it's not a good idea. I put the bicycle on
the ground when I install bottom brackets or crankarms. I clamp
weakly at the junction of the toptube and seatube. I think that the
tubing is butted there.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube?

[snip]

Quoted message said:

I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's
always been done."

I don't doubt for a moment the currency of others' advice to clamp the seat
tube. I do that myself now, if only because I've been told to do it. But I
can tell you that it's NOT "the way it's always been done." I worked in a
couple of shops in the late '70s when I was a teenager, and we never ever
clamped the seatpost. 95% of the time we clamped the seat tube. Once in a
while we grabbed the top tube. Of course we worked on nothing but road bikes
with steel frames, because that's what there was. Old habits die hard, and I
still haven't quite learned that it's no longer fine to flip open the
seatpost clamp when the bike's in the stand! Fortunately I haven't yet made
this mistake when either of the wheels was off the frame.

- Tony
Maine, USA

"Tony Scilipoti" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I don't doubt for a moment the currency of others' advice to clamp the

seat

Quoted message said:

tube. I do that myself now, if only because I've been told to do it. But I
can tell you that it's NOT "the way it's always been done." I worked in a
couple of shops in the late '70s when I was a teenager, and we never ever
clamped the seatpost. 95% of the time we clamped the seat tube. Once in a
while we grabbed the top tube. Of course we worked on nothing but road

bikes

Quoted message said:

with steel frames, because that's what there was. Old habits die hard, and

I

Quoted message said:

still haven't quite learned that it's no longer fine to flip open the
seatpost clamp when the bike's in the stand! Fortunately I haven't yet

made

Quoted message said:

this mistake when either of the wheels was off the frame.

I've clamped THOUSANDS of frames by the top tube. I guess it might also
depend on your definition of clamped. For general stuff, the bike is hardly
clamped. I leave it quite loose for the most part on the top tube. If you
hang it by the seatpost you HAVE to clamp it because it will slide down and
the wheels will hit the ground. And the bike is too low to work on
comfortably IMHO. Clamp lightly on the top tube, the bike is the right
height, all is well. Now if you REALLY have to clamp the thing for whatever
reason (BB tapping, whatever) then you DO have to consider where and how
hard to clamp. But like I say, unless you're a ham-fisted gorilla, this
should be apparent.

Cheers,

Scott..

"Tony Scilipoti" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<5e2cc.36441

Quoted message said:

I don't doubt for a moment the currency of others' advice to clamp the seat
tube.

I meant seatPOST, obviously.

I've never clamped the seatpost on my Reynolds 753 Waterford. One
reason is because I ride full sized bikes without a foot of seat post
showing. I follow the fist of seat post showing sizing methodology.

I always clamp the top tube or seat tube. Its so fast and easy just
to lift the bike and put the top tube on the horizontal clamp. It
just sits there without being clamped at all. I'm not sure how the
top tube can get damaged this way. I usually do close the clamp on my
Park stand. With sufficient room so the top tube is not actually
clamped. I let gravity keep the bike sitting on the stand. When
clamping the seat tube because I need access to the cable on the top
tube, I position the clamp so the top of the clamp hits the seat
tube/top tube lug. The bike cannot slide down so the clamp does not
need to be clamped very much. The paint on the top tube has not
suffered from this clamping. I also use those tubing covers that go
over the exposed brake cable on the top tube. I don't like the idea
of an exposed cable hitting the paint on the top tube.

For hard efforts such as installing or removing bottom bracket cups, I
set the bike on the floor and work on it. I'm worried about breaking
or twisting the frame from all of the force exerted by such actions.
Even clamped on the seat post, you can still push against the
workstand and bend or break something. If the bike is not held by the
workstand, you can't use excessive force and push against the clamped
bike and probably break or twist something.

Dave <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? I ask for a couple of reasons. My biggest
worry is that, especially on mountain and touring bikes, when they are
mounted by the seatpost, it seems as if they are so front heavy that
it might cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of
my bikes, I have to raise the seatpost every time I work on them. Not
too much of a pain, but just another hassle.

I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's
always been done."

Thanks for any input.

Dave

Dave said:

I know that it is accepted as good practice to mount a bike in a work
stand by the seatpost, but is there a real risk of damage if it is
mounted by the top tube? I ask for a couple of reasons. My biggest worry
is that, especially on mountain and touring bikes, when they are mounted
by the seatpost, it seems as if they are so front heavy that it might
cause damage to the seat tube or post. Also, on a couple of my bikes, I
have to raise the seatpost every time I work on them. Not too much of a
pain, but just another hassle.
I have good bikes and want to do right by them, but I also know that
sometimes practices are handed down because "That's the way it's always
been done."
Thanks for any input.
Dave

Conventional practice is clamp the seat post, but most manufacturers of
work stands build them and make them adjustable to hold frame tubes.
Cleaning the tube area and clamp area is suggested. Adjusting the clamp
such that "two finger pressure" on the clamping lever is also the Park
Tools way. As other posters have stated, if you are heavily loading the
frame due to the work involved, don't risk crimping or denting a frame
tube in the stand.

--

I've got a Park work stand I've had for over twenty-five years. The
jaws were made to accommodate top and seat tubes of the day. Yes it is
safe to clamp a Reynolds 531 size tube as long as you miss any
braze-ons. Back in those days it was common not to have enough seat
post showing to clamp onto so tube clamping was common. In these days
of odd and over sized thin walled sloping top tubes clamping onto the
seat post is often the only was and always the safest.

So anyone saying it's generally ok to tube clamp 'cause he's tube
clamping his '70s Pinarello is giving bad advise and don't mean you
should try to tube clamp yer new oversized alu whatever.
Common sense, right?
RIGHT?

jeffb

Do what I do. Buy a cheap (or ask for a broken) seat post of the correct
diameter and stick it into your seat tube when holding the bike in the
stand.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner