Eleven years ago I bought a Park Tool PCS-9 Home Mechanic Bicycle Repair Stand so I could work on my bike in my garage. The PCS-9 is an “entry-level” repair stand that is sturdy and very reliable, but a lot of things have changed in the past eleven years—I now own five bikes and though I am not a trained mechanic I do a lot more work on my bikes than I used to (last year I even rebuilt on old mountain bike and with all new parts). I kept waiting for the PCS-9 to either break or wear out so I would have an excuse to get a better stand, but I finally gave up on that every happening and just gave it to a young female cyclist I often ride with and then bought a new Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand.
Park Tool Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand
You probably already know that your bicycle chain needs oiled after every 100 miles of use—and more often if you ride in inclement weather. You are far more likely to keep your bike clean and your chain lubed if you own a good bicycle repair stand. After every bike ride I put whatever bike I was using in the repair stand and use an air compressor to blow the dust off the chain and from around the brake pads. Then I take a piece of cotton cloth (from an old T-shirt) and wipe off the tires (I am actually looking from pieces of broken glass in the tire). About 100 miles or so I oil the chain, cables and pivot points. This process only takes a couple of minutes—but it sure keeps the bikes in great shape!
Cam-type Clamp On The Park Tool Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand
The PCS-10 has all of features of the older PCS-9, but has been improved to set-up and take-down a lot faster—and it has a far better clamping system than the older model. The PCS-10 has a cam-type clamp that allows you to quickly clamp your bike with the proper pressure—even if it is something as awkward as a recumbent or a bike with odd-shaped tubing.
Park Tool Work Tray For The PCS-10 Repair Stand
If you purchase the PCS-10 I would strongly suggest you also buys a Park Tool Work Tray—an accessory rack that fit on the repair stand (the tray retails for around $34). This work tray has a storage bin on one side that will hold several cans of lube and a towel rack on the other side. Since the tray mounts right on the repair stand you will have quick access to your tools and small parts.
Park Tool Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand
The height of the Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand can be adjusted from 39″ to 57″ (99cm to 145cm) and the screw clamp will adjust to fit tubes from 7/8″ to 3″ (24mm to 76mm). Park Tool claims that this model can hold up to 100 pounds (45 kg), providing the weight is centered over the legs. I’ve used this repair stand on everything from my featherweight Trek Doman Carbon Fiber Endurance Bike to my behemoth Surly Necromancer Pugsley Fat Bike without any trouble. The PCS-10 can be folded down for easy storage, but once I set mine up in the garage I have only moved it a couple of times just to clean the area under it.
The Decals On The PCS-10 Are In A Bad Spot!
The only thing I don’t like about this stand is the decals on the legs of the stand—when you are working on your bike all the oil and solvent you use will drip directly onto the decals. Not only does it make the decals look pretty ugly, but if you use any solvent on your bike it is going to drip on the decals and make them peel and eventually fall off. I realize this is a really minor complaint, but I am one of those guys who likes my shop to sparkle when I am finished cleaning things up!
The Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand retails for around $200. This is a quality piece of merchandise that should last for many years to come—so when your kids finally ship you off to the nursing home you can give this repair stand to your grandchildren!
timscyclingblog
August 12, 2013 at 10:30 AM
UK – £122.39 – http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/workstands-park-pcs-10-home-mechanic-repair-stand/parkwork270000000000
Personally I bought the PCS 9 some time back, it’s perfect for those that can’t stretch as far, that is only £87.99 – http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/workstands-park-pcs-9-workstand-home-mechanic-repair-stand/parkwork250000000000
But I did tweak my PCS 9 – http://timscyclingblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/maintenance-stand/
All Seasons Cyclist
August 12, 2013 at 7:20 PM
Nice tweak on the PCS 9!
AndrewGills
August 12, 2013 at 7:48 PM
Hmmm … I so need one of those! Especially seeings I am determined to be better at bicycle maintenance from now on (I have improved – I actually clean and lube my chain every could hundred kilometres). Glad to read your PCS-9 didn’t break after all those years. Think I’ll look at both models and compare prices.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 12, 2013 at 9:26 PM
Bike maintenance at home is a LOT cheaper than at the bike shop (and a bit more fun as well).
Sandra
August 12, 2013 at 9:33 PM
You are a sweetheart, giving your old stand to a young cyclist! Great review. My hubby made a stand years ago–as in 1983–but it doesn’t hold my Trek FX 7.6. This looks pretty wonderful..
All Seasons Cyclist
August 12, 2013 at 9:35 PM
A 30-year lifespan on a repair stand is pretty impressive!
Sandra
August 12, 2013 at 9:35 PM
Wow, no kidding!
Shonnie
August 12, 2013 at 10:37 PM
I like this!!
All Seasons Cyclist
August 13, 2013 at 3:31 PM
What’s not to like? And it folds up for easy storage!
Shonnie
August 13, 2013 at 4:58 PM
That makes it even better! 🙂
Jeff Katzer
August 13, 2013 at 9:45 AM
I love that thing! I used to have a cheeper knock-off work stand. These days I just clamp part on my Yakima bike rack extender into a workbench vice. It works but its no where near as elegant as the Park stand.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 13, 2013 at 3:32 PM
Funny, I used to use my Yakima bike rack to hold a bike as I oiled the chain — what a pain!
fatguy2triguy
August 16, 2013 at 1:13 PM
The bracket for when you fold up the legs on my PCS-10 is horrible. The legs do not stay in place. But other than that, I love it.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 16, 2013 at 4:49 PM
Thanks for mentioning the bracket! Like I said in the review, I leave mine PCS-10 open in the garage all the time — but after you mentioned it I took a look at the bracket and it doesn’t look very sturdy!
nunavik
August 21, 2013 at 11:27 AM
I noticed that they do not align with the legs perfectly.
nunavik
August 21, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Great blogg! Just got the PCS-10 from Amazon.ca. The tray and handle bar holder was also ordered but will be shipped at a latter date. Assembling the stand was easy enough although the instruction sheet is not the clearest or it could be the small print and my aging eyes. The hardest part was getting the clamp head screwed in tight. Once done it is good to go! Can’t wait to try it out over the weekend. BTW I bought it to work on 2 recumbents (one being a trike) so i needed one that could take the wider tubing as well as being very stable. I will post my results.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 22, 2013 at 9:19 PM
Congratulations on your new repair stand! You are more than welcome to post your observations or comments about the stand. I am really curious to know how it works with your recumbents.
Mervin Guerrero
August 30, 2013 at 2:58 PM
The price on the Park Tool PCS-10 bike repair stand can vary on different websites and the Park Tool list price is just over $215. The cheapest I’ve seen is on Amazon who are selling it for under $170.
nunavik
September 3, 2013 at 9:49 AM
I got mine from Amazon.ca for $167. But even on Amazon it varies greatly.
Kaitlin E. Gilliam
September 6, 2013 at 2:34 AM
The price on the Park Tool PCS-10 bike repair stand can vary on different websites and the Park Tool list price is just over $215. The cheapest I’ve seen is on Amazon who are selling it for under $170.