Workstand for a tandem

[Charlotte]

Liz and I are picking up our new tandem this weekend and my mind has turned to how on earth we're going to fettle it without a decent workstand.

Do I go for something heavy and very stable like this:



Or do I go for something that bolts onto the wall in the back garden like this:



Or do I make something up myself in wood, based on a Black and Decker workmate?

Answers onna postcard, please 

[jellied]

I've got both.

The wall mounted one is great BUT you can't easily go around the back of the bike nor adjust the height as much as a stand alone one . It is however rock solid. I got it from Evans I think, and does allow some vertical movement and does fold flat against the wall.

I wonder if many stands could take a tandem

[Ian H]

If you already have a workstand, just buy a second one.

Personally, I've never bothered with such a thing. I just turn the bike upside-down if necessary.

[Paul]

I have a couple of bars in the garage (I inherited them - I don't know what the previous owner used them for, though I am still tickled by Vince's suggestion that it was for drying sails), and I can hang the tandem from them using straps so that I can adjust the height. The bars are high enough not to be in the way when not in use.

it's a handy, low-tech solution, if you have a garage and some bars.

The drawback is that it is difficult to excert much pressure on the bike in any direction, as it'll just swing away from you, but it's easy enough to drop it (or one end of it) to the floor if need be.

[Charlotte]

I may be moving st some stage in the future and it's fair to say that any place I look at will have to have a garage with a sturdy ceiling.

Attachment points are always so useful... 

[Paul]

Attachment points are always so useful... 

Why do I get the feeling that we're not discussing tandems anymore?

[Zipperhead]

I have a couple of bars in the garage (I inherited them - I don't know what the previous owner used them for, though I am still tickled by Vince's suggestion that it was for drying sails), and I can hang the tandem from them using straps so that I can adjust the height. The bars are high enough not to be in the way when not in use.

I also keep a length of rope strung over the roof beams in my garage for tandem fettling. It's not perfect, but it's quick, cheap and does for most jobs.

[orienteer]

I can get my Bike Friday Tandem Twos'day onto my Minoura 4000 stand.

[Si]

I use an old turbo traniner...tandem stands up happily and you can check the gearing adjustments work with a little resistence on the rear wheel.  If you don't like sitting on the floor (my natural state) then just use a couple of tables.

[alan]

 A Minoura 5000 holds our Dawes "2 Across" very well

[Polar Bear]

I have a Minoura W-3000 and our cheap gas pipe (Orbita) special which is really reallyheavy is perfectly fine on it.

[chris]

I fettle our tandems and triplet on a Witter bike rack attached to the back of the car.



Edit: Like this -

[Viv]

I use my normal bike stand. You have to be careful with the centre of gravity but it holds it fine.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Do I go for something heavy and very stable like this:

Ultimate workstands aren't heavy but are stable.

[aidan.f]

Be very careful putting a tandem on a single work stand - the tubing is stronger but more moment on the clamp is a high risk of  dents.

The straps from garage roof work well - if you have two  V's  then the beast doesn't swing about

[Viv]

I fettle our tandems and triplet on a Witter bike rack attached to the back of the car.



Edit: Like this -

That should be popular on the motorway!

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

My Edinburgh Bicycle (Revolution) workstand is fine - I tend only to use it to support one end of our Dawes Double Edge but that's not been a problem so far.

[Wowbagger]

I suspend our tandem from the branches of our walnut tree. This works well except fro one or two pitfalls: sometimes the dog craps on the lawn and there is a risk of putting one's foot in it; yesterday I had a skull-tree collision from which I now have some scabs and a bit of a lump.

[alan]

I suspend our tandem from the branches of our walnut tree. This works well except fro one or two pitfalls: sometimes the dog craps on the lawn and there is a risk of putting one's foot in it; yesterday I had a skull-tree collision from which I now have some scabs and a bit of a lump.

You could start a thread on h8lm8t wearing when fettling: a new slant on an old chestnut.
There must be some sort of pun in there somewhere