Bikestow’s original bike stand is still one of my favorite products ever and the Up vertical space saver is a great piece of kit too. The Stance is a stable low profile, road to fat bike compatible single bike stand with their signature, super stylish, handmade UK design.
Design and build
Like the original Stow and the Up, the Stance is built from thick, tough, weatherproof beech plywood shaped with computer controlled cutters in Bikestow’s HQ in Stourbridge near Birmingham in the UK. The faces of the woodwork are covered with a textured black finish for a really pro look with the Bikestow logo machined out on the right hand side of the wheel side plates.
The four pre-cut pieces need to have the bolt receivers pushed in – a super snug fit means no faffing with constant fall out – and then you bolt them together with the Allen key that’s supplied in the eco-friendly brown paper bag of bolts.
The left hand slide plate is mounted into slots and fixed in place using chunky plastic knobs that let you move it far enough to fit anything from 10mm out to 80mm (3.1in) if you bolt the right hand side into the ‘regular’ inboard stance. Bolt the right hand side into the fat tire setting though and it’ll fit tires from 2.35in to 4.8in tires. It’ll take any size wheel from 20 to 29in too.
Performance
Once you’ve set the gap to fit the bike you’re using you just have to drop or roll the wheel into slot. There’s a bit of waggle depending on tire pressure and it’s not as solidly locked in place as the full sized Bikestow with it’s top clamping guillotine – so that’s the option to go for if you want a van rack. Presuming the ground underneath is even, the broad stance of the Stance means it won’t fall over even with a heavyweight e-bike or tandem slotted in. Because the gap is set exactly for the tire, it’s easier to pull the bike back out compared to jamming it into a ‘one size fits all’ style stand. That meant I never needed more than a foot on the stand a gently tug to get even sticky compound rubber free.
At £69, it is more expensive than metal stands like the Feedback Sports Raak at £50, but that only spreads up to 2.4in tires before you need the Raak XL for £60. Considering it’s sustainably handmade in the UK and looks like a piece of fancy designer furniture not a metal and plastic shop accessory, I reckon it’s still great value too. The only real downside is that it doesn’t pack down without undoing all the bolts, but if you do then it doesn’t take up much space at all.
Verdict
Bikestow have a superb gift for making something as mundane as a bike stand not only look super stylish, but also a joy to use. Add the attention to construction, sourcing and eco-packaging detail, the family handmade in the UK feel good factor and the fact the Stance works with a vast range of bike styles and the price looks a lot more reasonable too.
Tech specs: Bikestow Stance
- Price: $85 / £69
- Size: One size fits 10-80mm tires
- Weight: 1.95kg
