When we first reviewed the X Tools Home Mechanic Work Stand it was a great value £90.
A couple of years later it’s now even cheaper at just £65 (down from £80). In our eyes, that’s a bargain.
The X Tools Home Mechanic Work Stand is probably not sturdy enough for the relentless demands of a full time bike shop mechanic but for weekend warriors, home use or for road trips and races it’s brilliant.
The stand adjusts from 102 – 154cm tall, the clamps opens from 30-80mm and the whole thing folds down to just 1m long. There are 3 quick releases to adjust height and the clamping strength can be adjusted so you don’t crush anything.
We’ve actually used the X Tools for a couple of season in Team Wideopenmag‘s pits at the races and it’s proved that it can punch way above it’s price tag. Our mechanics are all full-time pros and used to heavy-duty, high-end work stands – they’ve been really surprised at how good the X Tools has been and their total lack of grumbling is high praise indeed for the quality.
The stand is made of lightweight aluminium with a chunky plastic clamp. It’s quick and easy to get the bike in and out of the clamp, which spins 360 degrees meaning you can get it onto your seat post, frame or fork really easily. That useful when doing jobs like a fork service where you need to get the bike high up and on an angle.
When packing, it folds down very nicely and fits easily into the cupboard or the back of the van. That’s a big plus and means no sacrificing space to bring it to races or store it in the garage. It’s also really light which makes it easy to transport it around. Our mechanics occasionally need to hop on trains or grab lifts to meet the race-van and the X Tools is light enough to carry alongside a tool box and kit-bag.
Basically, you should buy one of these. It’ll cost you less than a full-service at your local bike shop, it can live in the back of the car unnoticed and it’ll make your life way less stressful when spannering. Your bike will thank you!
Buy the X Tools Home Mechanic Workstand online here.
