Bike Stand for Giant Trance (DIY Project)

[GrandPaBrogan]

I don’t know about other EEBs but the Giant Trance e+Pro presents a dilemma when it comes to finding a spot to ‘hook’ a bike stand prong into. I’ve had several attempts in studying how to design a bike stand for it (that can also function as a work stand), but I’m left stumped each time. The only way I’ve been able to do this is to clamp a length of pipe against my workbench vice and hang the bike saddle over it. This is the only way I can rotate the drivetrain to check, repair or do service/maintenance to whatever (and also remove the rear wheel if needed). Problem is, I can’t use my workbench when the bike is hanging there and obviously I can’t store my bike like this. I could similarly fasten a pipe against a wall, but it'll be just as restrictive location-wise.




Below is what I came up with. Not saying this is the best way or the only way to do it, but for now - it works for me. The bike stand prong hooks underneath the top Maestro linkage. I inserted a rubber handlebar grip over the prong to act as a cushion and not scratch the paint.

The tricky part is the clearance between the vertical member of the stand and the left crank arm (see below). The 1” diameter stainless steel tubing I used (25.4mm Ø) is only just clearing the arm by about a 1mm gap. It’s finicky… if the stand doesn’t hook-up precisely, or if the bike moves - the crank arm hits the stand. I might redesign it again later on, but next time will use a smaller 7/8” vertical tube (22.2mm Ø) but with a thicker wall thickness. The eBike is pretty heavy and a smaller diameter tube might flex if the walls aren't thicker.

Anyway, it works nicely as a park stand… and with a bit of care with positioning, I can get the cranks to rotate - which comes in handy when I want to apply chain lube before a ride - or quickly scrape the mushy crud off the derailleur jockey wheels (a pet hate of mine) with a popsicle stick.

.

 

[RustyIron]

Very cool. I love homegrown solutions.
I'll bet yours is more durable than the store-bought ones.

 

[Evolution Stu]

Good work mate, does exactly waht its supposed to do

 

[DaveMatthews]

Nicely done!
I was lazy and bought a Park Tool PCS-10

 

[AOT]

Very nice, a little more hi-tech than my "old broomstick stuck through plumbers tape loops attached to the workbench" method.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Very nice, a little more hi-tech than my "old broomstick stuck through plumbers tape loops attached to the workbench" method.

I’m a big fan too of the good ol’tube sticking out of a wall or bench! There's a wash pit by the car park at a local bike park with a pipe sticking out of a concrete wall next to a water hose. I've been meaning to make one up in my driveway.

-
There’s a bit of a background as to why I made a DIY stand. Since my retirement, one of the things at the very top of my ‘Bucket List’ is to finally learn how to TIG weld. Over the years I have learnt to gas weld, stick weld, and MIG weld. I have always considered TIG as the ultimate, but 20 years ago most TIG machines were huge transformer beasts and were cost prohibitive. Then there’s the added cost of Argon gas bottles… so no can do.

Couple of years ago, my son beat me to it. He secretly enrolled in a TIG welding class at his local Polytech so that he can build himself a bike stand for his motorcycle. Then he uploaded his stand pics and I immediately caught a pitiful case of FOMO.

Not to be outdone (plus the timing was right), I took the plunge and finally bought a TIG machine. Technology has also advanced quite a bit and modern machines are now much smaller inverter types and the prices have come down too. Seeing as I was already well versed with 3 different methods of welding, I presumed the learning curve would be easy enough. I was wrong! For TIG welding, even very small mistakes and errors are very unforgiving.

Proper technique and machine settings require a level of perfection and accuracy possessed only by anal-retentive sociopaths! ?



I decided that my first foray into Stainless Steel (more difficult) should be a bike stand for my Giant. The stand may look decent but there's bound to be professional TIG welders in this forum… so no close up shots of my weld beads. They'll know that there's lots wrong with it. So do I, but I’m just not capable of doing any better at this stage. ?

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Nicely done!
I was lazy and bought a Park Tool PCS-10

Thanks!

I’ve also used proper repair stands before in the past (including ParkTool, but I can’t remember the model) and it’s always nice to have BOTH wheels off the ground when working on a bike.

But heavier EEBs do wobble a bit. A singular clamp held against the seat post might also be putting too much stress on the seat tube, not exactly sure. I’ve also been thinking about how to augment that attachment method to spread the load a bit somehow (perhaps to include a top tube clamp as well). Maybe my next TIG project would be to build a universal EEB work stand. It might end up looking more like a heavy-duty tripod fit for an automotive engine block! ?

 

[RustyIron]

There’s a bit of a background as to why I made a DIY stand. Since my retirement, one of the things at the very top of my ‘Bucket List’ is to finally learn how to TIG weld.

Bwahahaha! So you spent $3000 on a TIG welder so you could save $30 on a bike stand!

I only laugh because that's exactly the way I rationalized my MIG welder. At the time, I thought that maybe one day I would need a spool gun. So I bought a spool gun and a bottle of argon to go with my fancy welder. In the following twenty years, I've only used it once. I made a tailgate out of aluminum. The only reason I chose to make it out of aluminum was because I had a spool gun.

Coincidentally, I just retired earlier in the year, and last month decided I needed two bike racks. Although I have a spool gun, I didn't have enough aluminum. I had plenty of steel.

 

[deksawyer]

Around 20 years ago I used to import and sell these bad boys from Tigcraft in Japan. Boy do they know how to weld titanium.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Around 20 years ago I used to import and sell these bad boys from Tigcraft in Japan. Boy do they know how to weld titanium.

View attachment 67712

Beautiful works of art those!!

Class1 welders ‘walk-the-cup’ when you see weld beads that look like lace ribbons like those (as opposed to stacking-dimes). Sooo hard to do evenly, and those guys make it look like a robot did it. I’ve past crawling and only just beginning to walk, and could be stuck there for a while… but that kind of TIG skill is the equivalent of doing parkour!

Technique aside, titanium is also the trickiest metal to weld. Sigh.

 

[Tribey]

Cheap work stand from Lidl and a False Cross bar from Halfords

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Yes yes, lots of stand options out there.

But I’m learning how to TIG weld and the bike stand is a welding exercise.

I’m also welding other stuff, not necessarily all relating to bikes. Although, a cromoly bike frame might be in the cards… if I get better at it. ?

 

[Mr mick]

Yes yes, lots of stand options out there.

But I’m learning how to TIG weld and the bike stand is a welding exercise.

I’m also welding other stuff, not necessarily all relating to bikes. Although, a cromoly bike frame might be in the cards… if I get better at it. ?

Tig is one of the easiest forms of welding once you get the hang of it, use a welder with hf start, keep the amps low, if you cant see 100% wear the glasses. Auto helmet. Play with the gas flow, keep it down so you dont waste it.
Dont despair when you see that nice weld on the exhausts, the joins were a perfect fit and needed no filler rods to achieve that finish. A trained monkey can do that. Mild steel is one of the hardest to weld. Dont try gal tube ! Make sure the lead to the hand piece is well supported so that you can feel no weight on it while you are welding eg throw it over your shoulder or a handy bench vise.

 

[sparkle-spokes]

Park tools do a great YouTube Vid/Tutorial on clamping your bike by the seat post in the work stand, They go into great detail ( as usual) on the forces applied etc. and show it is possible even with a dropper post, deffinetly worth a watch