[Closed] Workstands: Park vs Feedback vs Lifeline?

I’ve got one from merlin that looks like that lifeline one. It’s as good a workstand as I need and light years better than the Lidl one I had before.

I bought the Lifeline one when my Aldi stand broke. It's been perfect for me as I am technically and mechanically incompetent enough to not justify spending more. Its been excellent so far. Holds the bike well and is very stable.

I’ve had a Pro Elite for about 20 years, it’s ace. Not sure the clamp is worth £100 more than the other one though.

Have the Feedback stand with the poor man's clamp.

Works fine. Is light, sturdy and collapses down relatively small.

I've a Feedback, it's a spinny clamp that extends, and it's brilliant aprt from that clamp...

+1 for the Lifeline. I think the version I have was from Merlin some years ago. It's very sturdy. As said previously it's very stable - 3 feet better!

Got the Feedback with the clamp that you are meant to loosen slightly and it will just open.  It's terrible. I love everything else about that stand but the clamp it truly awful.  I don't know if the pro version is better.

Got an old Park one that is great but you can't change the height and the jaws don't easily accommodate carbon frames (for when I don't have a seatpost in).

Not sure the clamp is worth £100 more than the other one though.

I think it probably is actually. I regret getting the cheaper model

Another vote for the Lifeline one, I've got it in its Revolution guise from Edinburgh bike coop. Had it a fair few years now and it's been great. The little tool tray is helpful, looks like it's an additional extra with the lifeline one though.

Recently sold my feedback pro elite stand as hoping to get a park wall mount stand for the new house and will use a park free standing work stand outdoors. The park isnt anywhere near as stable and the clamp head ends up sticking so its hard to adjust the angle, end up putting a broom handle in it and using leverage to free it up. However, I find it much better having one clamp jaw being parallel to the floor so the bike rests on one jaw when you then tighten which the feedback didnt so you up sort of half way holding it up and trying to tighten at the same time. This also means you dont have to fully tighten the stand to use it which seeing as I already have invisi frame slightly warped from tightening is a good thing in my eye.

I’ve had the Merlin version of the Lifeline. It’s fine, but if you’ve had decent stands in the passed I can’t imagine you’ll like it that much.
It will hold a bike up, it’s stable but the bike will wobble around.
It’s fine.

I've got the X-Tools version of the Lifeline one. Had a few years and it's been great. Just no fuss and gets the job done.

I’ve got the Park Tool PRS-25. It’s excellent, really lightweight and folds away neatly so I can store it in a corner out of the way. I can get it setup in seconds and it holds my 25lb e bike without issue. I use it several times a week and lack of space means I have to fold it away each time I use it so it’s perfect  for me.

It’s very expensive though 🙄.

Sold my park PC10 to get the Pro elite stand as I wanted to have a stand that I could fit easily in the car.

The stand is great, much more stable but agree, the clamp isn't great but I'm getting used to it ie unwind a tad then push the quick release.

Got mine from Winstanleys, much cheaper than anywhere else, worth a look to see if they still have them, got the tool tray as well.

Thanks. I’ve ordered the Lifeline one. It’s only for occasional use and it’s cheap enough to give it a go.

I have a park one and it’s not that impressive. I can’t tighten the clamp up enough to stop the bike rotating round the seat post. This then makes the whole stand go unstable.

Like DougD I have the Edinburgh bicycle one. I've had it for years now, must be 10? It does the job not massively stiff but works.

I have a Park one at work and Lifeline at home, there’s miles of difference but for home mechanicing the lifeline one is fine.

I have the Feedback sports one with the cheap clamp. Had it 15 years or so and it is badged as a different make. Can't remember the name, something Support or Support something. It gets regular use.
The clamp is getting a little temperamental recently but I know its quirks and its still completely usable.
If I bought again, I would go for the posh clamp. However, I think the one I have will see me out.

I just bought a new tool tray for it as my old one broke and got lost many years ago. I broke my leg a couple of months ago so mobility is reduced. The tool tray is well worth the money, I can't understand why I went without is for the last few years.

I've had the feedback pro-elite for a few years, although the price put me off for ages, it's probably the best money I've spent on workshop stuff. Really lovely piece of kit and the pro clamp is excellent, not sure now, but at the time it was a lot more stable and better built that the equivalent park version.

I am a big fan of fork mount work stands.

If you decide to sell on your feedback, let me know please

That lifeline one is exactly the same as the one I bought from Edinburgh Bike Co. In about 2003.

Still works perfectly fine.

Also have the generic one, but from Edinburgh bike co from years ago. It's well worn, but still works. Can't fault it for the money.

I have a feedback sports having had a PArk PS-9 and a Lidl special.

The FS is all you could want, compact when folded, smooth in operation (even for lowering with a bike on it) lightweight to carry, very stable when in use, not dropped a bike on it yet.

I stuck a knife magnet thing to the side of the head and that serves very well for holding tools while i'm working on bikes.

Couple it with a Park tools handlebar holder and you are set.

Only complaint I have about the Feedback Sports Sport one, which I believe also applies to the other models, is that the arm clamp needs to be really right to prevent the arm rotating, especially if you have one wheel out. Feels like it's clamping two smooth surfaces together inside, would be much better if the surfaces had a interlocking patterns.

I'm a Lidl/Aldi > Lifeline convert also. No complaints, really happy and good value.

Why do people like the stands that hold the front axle? Surely this means you cannot work adjust the front brake, the headset, tweak the front nipples etc. etc. or have I missed something?

Does anyone use their Feedback stand to hold their bike by the top tube?

I know best practice is to hold bike by the seat tube, but this isn't always possible, and when I have the clamp horizontal, there is quite a bit of flex in the joint between the clamp arm and the vertical tube - anyone else experienced this?

@woodlikesbikes

I've got both a kestrel stand and a feedback sports front axle stand, I find the axle stand allows higher leverage on bb’s and is far easier to do quick maintenance tasks. Also routing internal seatposts is a darn sight easier! The bike just goes in backwards if you’re doing front end stuff.  Admittedly you need to turn the bike around which is where the kestrel stand wins as it’s rock solid and both wheels can be off at the same time as well as fork stuff being done.

The kestrel is a lifetime investment thing (actually liberated from a Halfords skip) but purchased the clamp from kestrel. God knows how many bikes have been built on this thing!