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review

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair Stand

8
£299.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Well designed and easy to use plus it's easily portable for taking to events, but it's not cheap
Weight: 
5,700g

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If you do a lot of work on your own bicycle at home then a workstand can be invaluable, and this Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair Stand has the added bonus of folding down reasonably small so you can stick it in the back of the car or van and take to races or events. It holds bikes firmly and has an easy-to-use clamp, but it is a bit expensive.

  • Pros: Solid build, folds away easily, reasonably portable, adjustable
  • Cons: Pricey, still quite big and heavy when folded away

The PRS-25 differs from other stands in the US company's range by being designed to be portable. The idea is you can quickly and easily collapse the stand so you can take it on trips with you. It folds down to 47 inches long (119cm) and the clamping height adjusts up to 60 inches (152cm), which I found plenty for working on a bike.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Getting it out of the box and assembled is an easy task, and within minutes it is ready to be put to work. The legs slide out smoothly and provide a large platform – you need a reasonable amount of space to set it up – and once opened, quick release levers tighten everything securely to place.

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair stand - leg.jpg

The Micro-Adjust clamp is the star of the show. It's both easy to use and versatile and provides easy one-handed operation, a good thing because your other hand will be holding the bike up to the stand. The clamp is operated by a cam-actuated quick release mechanism, making it quick to attach and release the bike, but it can be rotated for fine adjustments. At the back of the stand is a large handle that allows rotational adjustment.

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair stand - clamp head.jpg

The clamp is compatible with a wide range of tube sizes (23–76mm). I found everything from skinny steel road bikes to oversized alloy mountain bikes fitted fine. It's rated for up to 45kg bikes so that's ample for nearly all road bikes, and most mountain bikes this side of extreme downhill bikes. It can also be spun through 360 degrees so there's no situation where you can't get the bike attached exactly how you want it.

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair stand - clamp head angled.jpg

The jaws are covered with replaceable rubber material so they won't scratch your pride and joy. I used this stand when building my Fairlight Secan recently and it provided a secure hold around the seatpost, while the large footprint ensured it was rock solid when adding components to the frame. This thing isn't going to topple over easily, as I have witnessed first hand with cheapo stands.

Folded up it measures 47in long and weighs 5.7kg, so it's light and compact enough to go in the back of a van or an estate car. It's still a fairly large and bulky thing, though, so won't suit everyone, but if you already travel with lots of stuff to events its size probably won't put you off. If you're doing a Revolve or other weekend-long event, having this stand available is a bonus for those unforeseen mechanicals.

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair stand - folded.jpg

Build quality is excellent. Aluminium has been used in the construction to keep the weight low, and steel for all the clamp hardware and quick releases. When it's folded down it's pretty light for carrying around, though there's still a fair amount of heft to it. Reassuringly built, you could say. Park Tool has powder-coated the whole stand and so far durability has been good during my several months of testing.

Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair stand - folding mechanism.jpg

Another benefit of its folding design is if you don't have the space to have a full workstand permanently set up for tinkering. Being able to fold it away after use is ideal if you have limited space. I've used it in the garden and conservatory as well as the garage, so being able to move it easily and stash it after use is a big bonus compared to professional grade workstands.

Value

A lot of people are bound to choke on the £300 price tag, but as always shop around; I found it for £240. If you do a lot of home bike servicing and like to travel to events with a stand, the ease of use and sturdy quality of the PRS-25 will easily justify the price.

Its closest rival is probably the Feedback Sports Sport Mechanic workstand, which we reviewed a good few years ago. You can get it for £126.99 at the moment.

There are much cheaper options too, like the FWE Compact Folding stand or the Tacx Spider Team, as our guide to the best cycling workstands below illustrates.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best cycling workstands

Overall, the PRS-25 is quite bulky and heavy for all but the most determined mechanics, and there are cheaper stands for occasional bike servicing out in the field, but if you do a lot of fettling it'll serve you in good stead and should last a very long time.

Verdict

Well designed and easy to use plus it's easily portable for taking to events, but it's not cheap

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Park Tool PRS-25 Team Issue Repair Stand

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Park Tool says, "Designed from the ground up to create what we believe is the finest folding stand available. Lightweight, stable, and packed with features"

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Park Tool:

The 100-25D Micro-Adjust clamp grips nearly any tube from 7/8" to 3" (23–76mm), including aero tubes

360° infinite position clamp rotation

The clamp jaws are nominally 2.75 inches (7cm) wide

Quickly and easily folds down to 47"

Clamping height adjusts up to 60"

Proprietary Hexatude hex-shaped aluminum tubing ensures low flex and no rotation

Aluminum leg straps ensure all parts slide, fold and unfold together

Base when open forms a triangle of 36" x 36" x 45" (92 cm x 92 cm x 115 cm)

Weighs just 13 lbs. (6 kg)

NOTE: The maximum weight holding capacity of the PRS-25 is 100 lbs. (45kg). This assumes the weight is centered over the legs.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

It's solid.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Super-easy to use and holds the bike securely while you work on it. Added bonus of folding fairly compact.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

I've been testing it for months and it's holding up just fine.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Tricky one. It's a lot of money but it is very well made to a high standard. You do get what you pay for, but you probably need to be using it a lot to justify the outlay.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Holds the bike firmly while you tinker with it.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Folds away after use, and the main clamp is easy to use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It's not as compact or light as it could be for portability.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It compares well to other high-end tool brands but as always there are much cheaper options, though not necessarily as well made as this one.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

An expensive outlay but it's very good. For the occasional home mechanic and cyclist who travels to a lot of events, it's a pretty safe choice.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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3 comments

Avatar
dnewton76 | 4 years ago
1 like

I have this stand and have to say, absolutely worth the money.

Avatar
tom_w | 5 years ago
0 likes

Adding the obligatory "Don't clamp frames by the top-tube/seat-tube, clamp the seatpost instead and if it's a carbon seatpost or dropper-post tswap it out for a metal one while working on the bike" warning as the picture shows the frame clamped on the top-tube.

(And yes, of course it's fine in a lot of cases if you're careful and know what you're doing)

Avatar
Woldsman replied to tom_w | 5 years ago
0 likes
tom_w wrote:

Adding the obligatory "Don't clamp frames by the top-tube/seat-tube, clamp the seatpost instead and if it's a carbon seatpost or dropper-post swap it out for a metal one while working on the bike" warning as the picture shows the frame clamped on the top-tube.

(And yes, of course it's fine in a lot of cases if you're careful and know what you're doing)

I wouldn’t clamp any of my bikes by the top tube or seat tube, but I would be happy to clamp by the carbon seat post (unless we’re talking about an integrated seat mast, which I don’t think we are).   

 

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