EZ Bike Stand from EZ Bike Products–Initial Review

What cyclist or triathlete hasn’t had this problem: You head out to ride or to an event, totally overwhelmed by the amount of gear you have and you simply can’t balance your bike with all your other gear?  Come on folks, bikes have wheels, they don’t exactly stay where you put them, unless you’re oldschool and still have a kickstand.

EZ Bike Products has worked hard to solve this problem and they think they’ve come up with a simple and functional solution.  Made in the USA, the EZ Bike Stand is designed to keep your bike vertical while you unload your other gear or pack up your vehicle.  The EZ Bike Stand has been in development for over three years.  The current design is the result of more than a dozen prototypes.

A special thanks to Bruce at EZ Bike Products for the sample stands that we’re testing.

Construction:

The EZ Bike Stand is a block of reinforced nylon plastic with clamps to hold your bike wheels.  The bottom of the stand is ribbed for added grip.  The clamps are adjustable and have a small knob to tighten them once you have inserted your bike.  The stand is 18″ long, 12″ wide, and 8″ tall and weighs a bit more than five pounds.

EZ Bike Stand Partially Closed

EZ Bike Stand Fully Open

Usability:

Using the EZ Bike Stand is very straightforward.  Simply place the stand on the ground where you want to keep you bike and make sure the clamps are pushed together and that the tightening knob is a little loose.  Then, just roll your front or back tire between the clamps and tighten the knob.  There, bike secured.

When testing this product, we occasionally pushed the bike tire too far into the clamps, resulting in a poor fit.  To avoid this, don’t attempt to push the wheels all the way to the ground.  Instead, you’ll notice small ledges inside the clamps.  Make sure your tire rests on those ledges to ensure a good fit.

We tested the EZ Bike Stand using the front and back wheels of our test bike.  We didn’t notice any significant difference in the stand’s ability to hold the bike based on the wheel used.  However, when securing the back wheel, you will have to be a bit more careful about planting the front tire to keep it from turning or moving.

Bike in EZ Bike Stand, Left View

Rear Tire in EZ Bike Stand, Left View

Rear Tire in EZ Bike Stand, Left View-2

Rear Tire in EZ Bike Stand, Right View

Front Tire in EZ Bike Stand, Right View

Front Tire in EZ Bike Stand, Right View-Closeup

Overall:

Full Disclosure: We haven’t used this stand in any large or organized event yet.  Each of the testers have used this a few times at home, in the yard, and for one or two rides each.  We have also used this stand to simulate light maintenance including cleaning and changing tires.

The stand is great for storing bikes and holding your bikes.  When doing light maintenance, the stand holds the bike firmly.  We have yet to try doing any more significant maintenance using the EZ Bike Stand.  Clearing the chain is a bit tricky because it requires moving the tire forward while the bike is in the stand.  It would be really ideal if there was some way to have the front tire travel a bit once in the stand to make the chain work easier, but this isn’t a deal breaker.

The stand does what it’s manufacturer claims: It firmly grips the bike wheel without causing any damage to the spokes.  We’ve tested this using claim on a few different bikes and wheels and in all cases, when installed properly, the clamps hold the tire and rim, not the spokes.

One complaint we have is the actual adjusting of the clamps.  If you push the bike tire too far into the stand, you have to remove the bike to close the clamps and try again.  We’d love to be able to adjust the tension on the wheels once we put the bike in the stand.

We’re looking forward to testing this stand in a few more situations and using it longer term before bringing you the final review.  If you’re interested in this stand, head over to their Facebook page for a discount and more information.