Need Recommendation For A Lift To Work On Our Two Heavy Ebikes

[climb14er]

I’ve got a Park PRS-15 bike stand that I’ve used for my road bikes for many years and now looking for a way to either convert this to a powered lift if possible… or… could buy an electric or hydraulic lift in the $500-700 range so I can do the work on the E-bikes. Thoughts? Suggestions? Recommendations? Appreciate.

 

[Aushiker]

I'm not sure of US prices, but from what I have seen, they tend to be on the expensive side. One that comes to mind is the Topeak Prepstand eUP Pro. I believe it is new to the market.

Another option is the Ket-Lift4Ebike stand but I suspect that the price is seriously high.

Also this thread might be worth a read.

 

[dodgeman]

I use a low dollar rope and pulley system. Not a great picture but it hooks on the handlebars and the back of the seat, pull it up in the air and secure it to the bike stand. This setup is designed for bikes but you need and overhead ceiling to mount it to.

 

[spokewrench]

I bought a set of 4 of these, rated at 650 pounds each.

Amazon.com

Hoisting lets me lift one or both ends and choose the best height for a task.
I can use a light-duty chain hoist, which has a brake to prevent accidental drops.
Ropes can be more convenient. Each turn adds mechanical advantage but also adds friction, so I like to lift with one hand while pulling the rope with the other. Around the handlebars on both sides, a rope will slide to accommodate tilting and then hold the bike that way with friction. That's handy if I want to plumb the bike for a task, or perhaps it would be easier with the bike tilted.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Suspending a heavy bike from chains or ropes doesn't really solve the same problem a work stand solves. You won't be able to reef on cranks or pedals or brake rotors with a setup like that. Attaching a hoisted bike to a smaller bike stand sort of solves that problem, though.

 

[spokewrench]

Suspending a heavy bike from chains or ropes doesn't really solve the same problem a work stand solves. You won't be able to reef on cranks or pedals or brake rotors with a setup like that. Attaching a hoisted bike to a smaller bike stand sort of solves that problem, though.

I checked several dictionaries but don't know what you mean by "reef." Initially, I hoisted bikes from one overhead point to weigh them. It wasn't efficient for mechanical work because the bike would rotate about a vertical axis.

I got the idea of using two overhead points from a video where a mechanic at a large shop demonstrated how to replace the torque-sensor bottom bracket on an Aventon. I saw how stable it was. I'm sure stands were available, but a stand would have been in the way when he had to work on both sides of the bike.

 

[spokewrench]

I use a low dollar rope and pulley system. Not a great picture but it hooks on the handlebars and the back of the seat, pull it up in the air and secure it to the bike stand. This setup is designed for bikes but you need and overhead ceiling to mount it to.

My suspension points are much lower, about 7 feet. I guess that's why I don't need a stand. On a shorter "pendulum," the bike is more resistant to swinging away when pushed.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

By "reef" I mean apply a lot of force, as when trying to tighten or loosen a bolt that is highly torqued (e.g. pedals, cranks, disk brake mounting bolts). I have my doubts that your arrangement will be practical for dealing with that.

 

[spokewrench]

By "reef" I mean apply a lot of force, as when trying to tighten or loosen a bolt that is highly torqued (e.g. pedals, cranks, disk brake mounting bolts). I have my doubts that your arrangement will be practical for dealing with that.

I don't bother to hoist a bike to remove pedals or cranks, but the mechanic pulled cranks with the bike hoisted, and I see no problem with it. If you mean caliper mounting bolts, hoisting, usually one end, makes it easy. If you mean removing a disc, I first remove the wheel. Hoisting the front a few inches makes it easy to remove and replace a front wheel. I invert a bike to remove the rear wheel.

 

[dodgeman]

In my picture above I hook mine to a bike stand after I hoist it up by ropes. I tried skipping the bike stand once but it just swung around too much. I also took the hoist ropes off once but it helped keep the front handle bars from swinging around.

 

[spokewrench]

In my picture above I hook mine to a bike stand after I hoist it up by ropes. I tried skipping the bike stand once but it just swung around too much. I also took the hoist ropes off once but it helped keep the front handle bars from swinging around.

I lucked out by using a low rafter. Your handlebars appear to be 4 feet below the pulley. In the last photo, my handlebars are only 1 foot below the eye bolt, so the pendulum is 4 times stiffer. In the third photo, the bars are 3 feet below the eye bolt. I'd hoisted the front just enough to remove the wheel. I'd be holding the fork with one hand, so swinging wouldn't be a problem. As the bike hung while the wheel was off, the back wheel on the ground would help prevent swinging.

I needed only 2 of the 4 eyebolts. I could prevent swinging by suspending each end with a rope threaded through two eye bolts in the same rafter, farther apart than where the lines catch the handlebar. For the bike to swing toward one suspension point, the lines on that side would have to go slack, which Gravity has sworn to prevent.

 

[6zfshdb]

Since you already have the PRS-15, save your money and do what I do. Just lift the lighter front end of the bike with the rear wheel still on the floor. Then connect the stand and pivot the heavier rear end off the floor.

It's even easier if you set the front wheel on a milk crate first. Then you can attach the stand without holding any weight at all.

 

[spokewrench]

Suspending a bike from two eye bolts has worked for me. The fact that the rafters are only 7 feet high may be why swinging hasn't been a problem. There were 4 eye bolts in the pack, so I added the other two to experiment.

In front, the yellow rope catches the stem in a V, preventing lateral movement. However, it seemed that the bike could still swing independently of the ropes. In back, the dark rope makes an X as the rope passes under the rails of the rack. Friction between the rails and the rope keeps the bike from swinging independently of the rope.

Without pulleys, there is friction wherever the rope slides over something. Because I raise and secure one end at a time, it's easy to lift with one hand as I pull the rope with the other. The only hassle is securing and releasing rope ends. I've ordered a couple of cleats.

When I'm not working on a bike, the eye bolts are out of my way and ready for anything I want to suspend.

 

[Gordon71]

I use a low dollar rope and pulley system. Not a great picture but it hooks on the handlebars and the back of the seat, pull it up in the air and secure it to the bike stand. This setup is designed for bikes but you need and overhead ceiling to mount it to.
View attachment 182121

That's just what I use and it works great. I can raise the bike a few inches to a few feet depending on what I'm doing. Got mine on Amazon and think it was about $25.