Feedback Sports

Purchased for home use to replace a decades-old Ultimate Slidelock repair stand (predecessor to Feedback Sport repair stands). Used for road, gravel, and MTB (up to 30 pounds). Compared to my old Slidelock the Pro Mechanic is surprisingly more flexible. There's noticeable flex in the vertical post and at the clamp head, as well as slop in the tripod base. The clamp works well; the soft jaws are good; arrived fully assembled which is nice. The red quick-release button requires a pretty good whack to get it to release. Note that the Pro Mechanic has 2 pounds more material than my old Slidelock which makes the flex even more surprising. Got it on sale which helps a lot.

I use the repair stand at least a few times per week. It works very well for all of the bikes we have (road, mountain, gravel, but no e-bikes) and is easy to set up and put away. It is very lightweight which has pros and cons. The pro is that it's easy to move around as needed. The con is that the lower mass makes it a little less stable than a heavier stand. Overall, I find the weight about right but maybe the HD version would be better in this respect. The best feature is the clamp. It has a ratchet that allows you to quickly mount and release a bike. Overall, it is well worth the money and I recommend it to friends.

I use the EVOC Bike Travel bag when take my bike on a plane. I have the bike bag frame that clamps my forks and back part of my bike using my front and back thru axles. So, instead of taking the chain off, I use the Feedback Sports Thru-Axle Chain Keeper. I shift into my front big chain ring and shift the back shifter all the way to the left (i.e. virtual biggest cog). There is enough tension in the chain that prevents chain slap on the chain stay. Now, I never travel without the Feedback Sports Thru-Axle Chain Keeper.

Feedback is a pricier brand, though make premium products that tend to be quality/performance of pro shops. I'm just an avid cyclist that tries to handle most maintenance myself at home and have multiple bikes, so appreciate having quality tools that do the job and which will outlast me.

One of the easiest and most impactful maintenance jobs you can tackle at home is basic cleaning--set the bike in a stand, remove the wheels, give everything a good wash/rinse/wax. If you don't remove the chain while doing this, it will drop on/rub the chainstay. This tool mounts to the dropout, holds the chain in place, and also lets you spin the pedals/chain while cleaning it. The thing I especially like about this specific tool is that it's designed to work with both QR/skewers and short/long thru-axles. Prior to picking this up, I'd needed two different types of chain keepers, so I've replaced two cheap plastic products with one beautifully made aluminum forever solution.