I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about performing maintenance and repairs on my trikes.  I know it must be done, and I have learned enough so if something breaks down while on tour, I can usually take care of it.   But for more extensive repairs and upgrades,  I rely upon my local bike shop professional.

Recently I have come to reconsider this approach.    Both our trikes were overdue for some routine maintenance –  a good cleaning, new chains, brake adjustments, etc.  I made an appointment with my LBS and brought my trikes to the spa for a day of TLC.  Later in the day I started to get calls from my friendly mechanic – “I noticed that the derailleur cable is starting to rust – should I go ahead and replace it?”, “Hey, the spider is bent on these cranks – I’ll pop on a new set OK?”, “Chain is skipping on the test ride, you probably need a new sprocket on that hub”

Yikes!   These were all problems, and they all needed to be fixed.  Some of the repairs required  parts that would take a few days to arrive.    Eventually, 8 days and $1500 later, we got our trikes back.  The work is all done and everything is good with the trikes again.    But it occurs to me that I could definitely save myself time, money and aggravation by doing some of this work myself.

I’m an engineer, so I should be able to repair my bikes with no problem.  I’ve got a good assortment of tools, including some of the specialized ones I need to work on my bikes. I have no problem changing tires, replacing chains, adjusting my brakes or changing brake pads.  I am confident I can learn how to make other repairs as they come up.

One thing I don’t have however, is the ability to work on my trike comfortably.  Squatting on the floor, trying to get under the frame or above the suspension is awkward at best, and darn uncomfortable for any extended period.  I’ve often wished for a nice professional work stand that would support the trike at counter height, and allow me easier access.

There are a lot of work stand options available to trike owners.  A quick search on-line reveals plans for trike work stands that can be made from a few dollars worth of PVC pipe sourced from the local hardware store.  Park Tools sells a great bike stand that supports trikes as well.

I have two trikes that are of different sizes, and one of them (my Scorpion) is pretty darn heavy.   What I am really hunting for is a dedicated,  trike specific work stand , that can easily accommodate both my trikes and allow me access to any part of them from a comfortable place near my work bench.

Enter the SportCrafters Trike/Handcycle work stand.  At $450 is it by far the most expensive of the work stand options I am aware of.  But it does everything I need it to do with ease, and it looks good doing it.

I ordered the stand on-line, sight unseen (although I had read a couple of good reviews from some folks I trust).  SportCrafters does have several dealers nearby my home, but none of them carry this item.  I expect they may not sell a lot of these stands , so finding one in-stock at a dealer is unlikely .  But shipping was cheap ($7), and it arrived here in my garage promptly in just a few days.

The stand itself is actually an adaptation of a  bike work stand made by Feedback Sports.    The base unit is made by Feedback Sports, and the trike specific components are added by SportCrafters.

This base is beautiful.  It has nice wide (46″)  tripod legs that make for a very stable foundation.   The base unit has a telescoping center pole that is adjustable vertically, from a height of about 30 inches up to about 48 inches from the ground.    Sitting on top of the center pole is a 30 inch long beam.  The point at which the beam connects to the center pole is adjustable along the length of the beam .   In addition, the beam can be rotated 360 degrees around the center pole.

All the adjustments on the base unit are made with simple quick release levers.  There are quick release levers to unlock the following adjustments

• Fold/unfold the tripod legs
• Adjust the height of the center pole
• Adjust the position of the center pole along the length of the beam.
• Adjust the rotational angle of the beam around the center pole

The fit and finish of the unit is outstanding.  All the tubes are aluminum, anodized a lovely shade of red, and emblazoned with the Feedback Sports logo.  The quick release levers are stainless.  All the adjustments are smooth and easy to make.

If that were all there was to this product however, it would not be particularly useful.  You cannot do much with an adjustable 30″ beam perched atop a tripod.  What turns this unit into a trike specific work stand are the components added by SportCrafters.

What SportCrafters brings to the party are three cradles that support a trike – presumably someplace near the three wheels.  The large cradles are made of a nice pliant rubber than will not harm the paint on a beautiful trike.   One of the cradles mounts at the end of the main beam.  This holds the main tube of the trike near the rear wheel.  The other two cradles mount on another beam – a cross beam – that is, in turn, mounted perpendicular to the main beam.

Sticking with the theme of adjustablity, each of the cradle assemblies is adjustable in a variety of ways.

• Each cradle can tilt 180 degrees
• Each cradle can rotate 360 degrees
• Each cradle is adjustable vertically.  About 8 inches for each front cradle, and about 16 inches for the rear cradle.

Just like the base unit, each of these adjustments is facilitated via the use of a quick release lever.  And just like the base unit, each adjustment works easily and smoothly.

With all these adjustment points, it should be easy to fit my trikes to it, right?  Well, the proof is in the pudding, so let’s pop my trike on the work stand and see how it goes!

1.  I start by making some eye-ball adjustments to the stand that seem  like they will place support the trike from solid points on it’s frame,  and keep the center of gravity of the load near the  center pole of the stand.
2. Next, I lower the stand to its lowest point to ease lifting the trike to the stand.
3. Lift the trike and place the frame into the rear cradle
4. Holding the front of the trike up, make adjustments to the front cradles until they fit where desired.
5. Lift the trike to the desired height.

This method worked OK for me.  It was easy enough to make adjustments to the front cradles using only one hand.  I will say that raising the height of the work stand with my heavy trike attached was not easy.   I can not do it alone, it requires two people.   It is easier to lift the trike to the desired height and place it on the previously adjusted stand – and that  also needs two people, depending upon the height.

My trike (HPVelotechnik Scorpion FS) has a front suspension and indirect steering.  All this makes for a pretty busy front end directly under the cruciform.  It took a little doing to find ways to twist and rotate the cradles so that they would support the trike on the cruciform, without contacting any of the other components of the front end.  While a little annoying, all the possible adjustments ultimately allowed me to find a way to do this.  Any other work stand that supports the trike from below would have the same problem, but I’m not sure they could all be made to work.

Once the trike is in the stand, it is a delight to work with.  It is extremely stable, and allows me to reach the trike easily while sitting in my shop chair.  The ability to rotate the trike while it’s on the stand is very helpful, and is a feature I am not aware of on any other work stand.

Making adjustments to fit Nancy’s trike was even easier.  I just repeated the previous exercise by fitting the trike into the rear cradle then making adjustments to the front cradles to fit the trike.  Easy as pie!

Because Nancy’s trike has a curved frame in the rear, I found the ability of the rear cradle to tilt and swivel very useful.  The cradle nestles in the curve of her bike perfectly.

Each of the cradles has an elastic hold down cord that is used to secure the trike in the cradle.  I didn’t see much need for these, but they might come in useful if I had mounted the trike at some extreme angle.

One last useful feature.  The entire rack is easily collapsed into a relatively small, transportable package.   If I ever want to travel with the rack, I can pack it in the car and go.  The rear cradle assembly and the cross beam containing the two front cradle assemblies slide off in just a few seconds, then the base is collapsed into a package about 30 inches long and 17 inches around.  The entire stand, with the cradle assemblies,  weighs in at 17 pounds.

I’ve only just received this stand, but I’m already looking forward to my next opportunities to use it to work on my trikes.  I’m curious how it will hold up long-term – but every sign is that this stand should give many years of reliable service.    If I do have a problem, SportCrafters provides a lifetime warranty.    To quote from their website  –

We offer a lifetime warranty to all of our customers. We don’t care if you are the original owner, second owner or whether you bought it at a garage sale…it doesn’t matter. The only way we know how to make the best product in the world is to know when your bike roller, trike trainer or handcycle trainer is not performing properly. We will immediately ship the replacement parts needed, and, if we want the old parts for analysis we will pay for return shipping.

That’s a pretty bold warranty claim, and it inspires some confidence in me.

So, will this trike stand turn me into the world’s finest trike mechanic?  Probably not, but it should certainly allow me to start doing the kinds of routine maintenance and repair activities that will occur as we continue to ride our trikes and explore the world around us.

SportCrafters Trike/Handcycle Work Stand

Pros	Cons
Adjustable to fit virtually any trike	Cost - it's kind of stupidly expensive for a work stand
360 degree rotation while working is a unique feature	We wish it was easier to adjust the height of the stand when a trike is loaded on it.
Outstanding fit and finish
Collapses into small package for easy transport and storage
Very stable, even when supporting a heavy trike
Lifetime Warranty

Specs

Trike Handcycle Work Stand from SportCrafters (https://www.sportcrafters.com/)