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?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<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 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "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 <sallydog-rem-

@cox.net 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
home.earthlink.net~jeverett3Open ↗

[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?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<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:<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? >><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

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Jeffbonny
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? >><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

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

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Dave
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 geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗